I'm maxing out at around 600k on my 7 meg DSL, is there something I need to do to configure my network so I can get the speed I'm paying for? I'm running Kubuntu by the way, my net card is a T-100 EtherFast and I'm connected to a 2wire router with qwest (blagh) as my provider. Just wondering if I'm missing something or destined to always have slower download speeds than I should. At least if I can't speed things up I can save some money by dropping my speed down to match what I'm actually getting. Always look on the bright side of life, eh? My up isn't so good either, 150k out of 869k, but that doesn't bother me as much as the dow speed.

Things I would try.
Upgrade the kernel. Maybe there is an issue with the current module in that kernel.
If at the top downgrade a few down.
Try a different cable
Try in a different plug on router if more than one exist.
Look at both connectors and plugs closely to verify they look good.
Try a different nic

Brian1

Be sure to check the speed capability of your DSL modem, which I presume is connected to your router/switch. Many can only handle bit rates <4Meg. My current speedstream is an example. Secondly, check the speed of your copper from the street, and internal to your home/apartment/condo. Old wiring can most definitely affect speed. Finally, be sure that you are at a realistic distance from your SLIC to actually support the speed you are paying for. Lots to check before you blame your provider...though if you are not close enough to your SLIC (actually, your CO, but many are now using repeaters to boost the distance) and they *knew* that...

HTH

Cheers--
Charles

As you can see there are many things that can impact speed. Distance to the telephone company Central Office is one you don't have control over. The farther away the slower the connection. If you examine your DSL agreement closely you will see that they don't warrant the bandwidth you get even if you pay for a higher speed DSL line. Also realize that the speed of any Internet connection is limited by the slowest link in the communications path. That's why sites like Google always perform as high as your link allows. Some paths on the Internet won't be faster than 40KB. Lastly some bandwidth measuring software is of questionable accuracy. The "Bandwidth Meter" extension for Firefox I've found to be particularly accurate.

I live in a really old building, so old that it only has one grounded electrical outlet and I have to run an extension cord from behind the fridge to power our computers. The mentioned testing program says 917 down and 37 up, don't think it's working right for me, never seen downloads that high and I know my uploads aren't that pathetic. Everything hooked up to my system is supposed to run way beyond the speed my DSL is capable of, shared modem between two computers that's supposed to run a network of 5-25, if I was any closer to the office I'd be sitting on it so it's not distance. I think the only thing it can be is the building's age, which I can't do anything about, so the question now is if I drop my DSL speed to match what I'm actually getting it won't fall any lower than it allready is will it?

Old wiring can be an issue. You may even have bridge taps. Upload speeds are slower by design with ADSL and if the download is degraded so will the upload.