Information Technology question

[Ray Montee (RIP)]

The wife and I have used two desk top and one lap top computers with ComCast now for over six years. We've always enjoyed 'good speed'. Last June we moved into an apartment complex with over 400 units. We are still with Comcast Cable.

The speeds of all three computers is now at a death crawl. It takes anywhere from 15 to 40 seconds to bring up my email and an additional one minute or more for individual emails. While waiting, the text on the screen will jump vertically three or four times during which time I cannot make any entries to the text. It's not uncommon for it to take more than five mintues overall.

Is this the three computers; or, the aparatment CABLE set-up?

[Earnest Bovine]

What speed does your Internet provider suggest that you are paying for?
What speed do you get at a speed test site such as
http://speedtest.net/
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/
http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-speed-test/

[Wiz Feinberg]

Ray;
Cable customers in any given feed area all share the available bandwidth. You can rest assured that all users in your 400 unit building are on the same subsystem. You can also assume that many of them are uploading and downloading huge files, all day long.

You should try to access the web and email while most other residents are either asleep, or at work. You will probably get better download speeds after 1 AM.

[Chris Dorch]

Unfortunately, cable works via broadcast. This means that the more endpoints (computers) on the trunk (main cable in your neighborhood), the slower everyone is. Television signals do not interfere with data signals.

As was suggested, I would check to ensure that your speeds are inline with what you are supposed to be getting. If not, call and complain to your cable provider. Good luck with that though...

[Bo Borland]

I have DSL get 1.51 mbps download speed and .38mbps upload

I also have a Verizon MIFI .. will the mifi be faster?

[Wiz Feinberg]

The speeds of all three computers is now at a death crawl.

Ray;
Run a couple of speed tests here and here, at different times of day. The slowest rate subscription Cable download speeds should not be below 1.2 megabits per second (1,200,000).

For instance, I subscribe to the slowest Comcast Internet package. My download rate at speedtest.net measured 1.45 Mbps and my upload rate is .37 Mbps. I am getting what I am willing to pay for.

[Ron Page]

If you find the network speed is not the issue, you may find that Windows XP with Service Pack 3 requires more memory than you have installed. You need at least 2 GB RAM with this config. If you don't have that, it's time to go shopping... and for my money, NOT for add-on memory.

I recently replaced my 7-year-old desktop with a laptop. My network speeds (using RoadRunner's speed test) were fine, but the system was too busy swapping memory pages to spend time processing.

[Ray Montee (RIP)]

On Monday, 2:00 PM I got:

Ping: O ms

Download: 6.36

Upload: 3.45



On Saturday, 5:30 PM I got:

Ping: 36 mg

Download: 5.42 Mbps

Upload 3.21 Mbps

[Wiz Feinberg]

On Monday, 2:00 PM I got:

Ping: O ms

Download: 6.36

Upload: 3.45



On Saturday, 5:30 PM I got:

Ping: 36 mg

Download: 5.42 Mbps

Upload 3.21 Mbps

Downloads are low for standard cable Internet, but uploads are very fast. Are you paying for full speed Internet, or economy speed?