Slaggis Posted May 8, 2007 Posted May 8, 2007 I have an 8mb broadband/home hub package from BT. I only get speeds of 300kb a sec downloading! Why is this? (8mb is available in my area)
Fields Posted May 8, 2007 Posted May 8, 2007 You have an 8Mb/ connection. You are getting download speeds of 300KB/s. 8000/8 = 1000KB = 1MB/s (dodgy maths but you get the idea). Although of course this is the theoretical maximum and your actual download speed depends on a whole host of factors such as line length, the server you're downloading from etc. etc. etc. 300KB/s isn't so bad.
Twozzok Posted May 8, 2007 Posted May 8, 2007 It's most likely just who you're downloading from. How far away are you from your exchange? Could also be line noise.
Bogbas Posted May 8, 2007 Posted May 8, 2007 I don't know how it is in the UK, but here we pay for the bandwidth from the ISP to the subscriber. So if I had 8MB line it would only mean that the bandwidth to the isp's gateway is somewhat guaranteed to be 8MB/s. Usually popular download servers limit the outgoing bandwidth per client so that more users can download. Some have it at 1MB/s some at 2MB/s and so on, it varies. You can try http://www.speedtest.net to test the speed. Run it more than once and on different locations as the results might differ (for example, I got ~612k from Russia, and ~4M from Estonia, and I have a 3M line)
Guest Jordan Posted May 8, 2007 Posted May 8, 2007 Yeah, Speetest.net is a great place to test your speed. Speaking of speeds... i'll be on 20mbit this month :p
Cube Posted May 8, 2007 Posted May 8, 2007 Yeah, Speetest.net is a great place to test your speed. Speaking of speeds... i'll be on 20mbit this month :p I just upgraded from 512kbit to 1Mbit...
Slaggis Posted May 8, 2007 Author Posted May 8, 2007 I get 2.5mb from every place on that speedtest thing. This is wierd. Why can i never download anything above 300kb?
Fields Posted May 8, 2007 Posted May 8, 2007 I get 2.5mb from every place on that speedtest thing. This is wierd. Why can i never download anything above 300kb? BECAUSE YOU ARE GETTING YOUR BITS AND YOUR BYTES MIXED UP :mad: M = MEGA m = MILLI B = BYTES b = BITS K = KILO
Charlie Posted May 8, 2007 Posted May 8, 2007 I get 2.5mb from every place on that speedtest thing. This is wierd. Why can i never download anything above 300kb? 300kb is about right for 2.5mb. In fact it is higher than you should be able to get. 2.5Mb = 312 Kb/s I got 1307Kb/s from the Dublin server on Speedtest which is about right considering my internet is currently being used by 2 other PCs and possibly the 360 and I'm getting it via wireless.
Fields Posted May 8, 2007 Posted May 8, 2007 300kb is about right for 2.5mb. In fact it is higher than you should be able to get. 2.5Mb = 312 Kb/s Mate, you're not exactly helping matters. Please learn to use capital letters where appropriate. Thanks.
Marshmellow Posted May 8, 2007 Posted May 8, 2007 Although of course this is the theoretical maximum and your actual download speed depends on a whole host of factors such as line length, the server you're downloading from etc. etc. etc. 300KB/s isn't so bad. Does line length really effect downloading speeds? Because I got about 30ft of line between my computer and my router... I'm not sure if it effects it or not since it's always been like. I'm sad that your downloading speed if faster than my internet connection (256K).
gaggle64 Posted May 9, 2007 Posted May 9, 2007 Yeah, Speetest.net is a great place to test your speed. Speaking of speeds... i'll be on 20mbit this month :p Good grief, with that kind of bandwidth I could physically crawl up your connection into your house and rob your sorry ass.
Fields Posted May 9, 2007 Posted May 9, 2007 Does line length really effect downloading speeds? Because I got about 30ft of line between my computer and my router... I'm not sure if it effects it or not since it's always been like. I'm sad that your downloading speed if faster than my internet connection (256K). I mean the length of your telephone line between your house and the exchange. Only if you're on DSL though, cable is different. I live about 600m (as the crow flies, the physical length of the line will be much longer) away and get pretty good speeds. ps. Go wireless if you've got 30ft of cable running across your house!
Fields Posted May 9, 2007 Posted May 9, 2007 Vista doesn't like my wireless card. Get a mac? *runs for cover*
AeroScap Posted May 9, 2007 Posted May 9, 2007 O M G.... http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant
Charlie Posted May 9, 2007 Posted May 9, 2007 OM G.... http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant I can smell the irony from here.
Marshmellow Posted May 9, 2007 Posted May 9, 2007 Get a mac? *runs for cover* That would not solve any problems... Just cost me $2000+...
Rummy Posted May 18, 2007 Posted May 18, 2007 I get 2.5mb from every place on that speedtest thing. This is wierd. Why can i never download anything above 300kb? Whilst fields tactifully pointed out the issue of bytes and bits(alot of people don't know a byte is 8bits therefore divide it all up and stuff), that's not very good for an 8Mb connection is it? I don't think mine is more than 2Mb and I get speeds of 200KB/s sometimes, in theory you should get 4 times that!
Charlie Posted May 18, 2007 Posted May 18, 2007 Whilst fields tactifully pointed out the issue of bytes and bits(alot of people don't know a byte is 8bits therefore divide it all up and stuff), that's not very good for an 8Mb connection is it? I don't think mine is more than 2Mb and I get speeds of 200KB/s sometimes, in theory you should get 4 times that! Not many servers can support speeds faster than 200Kb/s though, especially if lots of other people are downloading from it at the same time.
Shorty Posted May 19, 2007 Posted May 19, 2007 OM G.... http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant They ruined that at the end by getting their facts wrong, you can download quicktime without iTunes.
Mr_Odwin Posted June 16, 2007 Posted June 16, 2007 I know this is dragging up an old topic but I recently re-installed windows on my comp and had to do some tweaking to get to decent download speeds. Use this: http://www.adslchecker.bt.com/pls/adsl/adslchecker.welcome See what it says about your potential for 8Mb speeds. Mine says 5500->8000 ish. Download This: http://www.speedguide.net/files/TCPOptimizer.exe Run it, click on optimal settings at the bottom and then put the slider to the bottom value from the BT checker (5500 in my case). Apply Changes and reboot. Check some speed tests (http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html) and change the slider in the application if difficulties arise or if you think you can take it a bit higher.
Wesley Posted June 16, 2007 Posted June 16, 2007 I get around 6300KB per second but only about 300KB per second upload. I might try to optimise my internet later.
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