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How Broad,
is Your Broadband?
Written by: Dan
Daily
Hi Gang!
This time together, we're going to talk about broadband
in a little more detail.
Even if you have it, you probably aren't getting the speeds you could. Maybe not be even by a half.
.
Since
I've gotten DSL and now Cable; I've had to learn
more about the theory of it, as well as it's practical use. It's
practical use, it seems, takes a lot more time to learn.
That's
why you have me, to explain this all to ya.
When you get your computer with Windows on it, it's
own settings, not just your cable modem/DSL modem settings, actually
determine what your top connection speeds will and can be.
It's
EXTREMELY Important to realize, that your connect speeds are still
effected by the time of day you sign on.
This
is still the case, no matter what your connection method!
AOL Broadband or otherwise,
is still connected through the main
AOL servers. AOL
is; and always will be your bottleneck.
Even the Internet itself, has these
daily surges. My worst peak speeds when I was on AOL DSL, ran around
250k; that's still up from the 56k modem, like four times faster.
But
during off peak hours, believe it or not, after tweaking Windows, I've
seen speeds of over 2,000k! Some of the sites that specialize in
checking your connection speeds; can't even go up that high!!!
Before I
tweaked Windows:
I could only do real connects at around 300k, no matter what time of day.
And now, with all the research under my belt, I'm able to offer you these
tweaks, as a free, one button click affair! Always trying to do my
best for ya gang, and always trying to do it "the easy way."
That's Why I
Wrote This Column. Well worth the read.
It's
a Whole New World!
The first
thing you have to realize, is that "out of the box," Windows,
is set to default for a dial up modem. That's why it has to be
changed.
There are two issues here that have to be addressed, both of them are
changes to the Windows Register.
(don't panic
here, I know, I know)
The tool you
will use, will do these changes for you.
The first
factor is the TCP receive window. (RWIN) This determines how
large the Windows "Page Window," can be. Normally, this is set
at 576, but it can be set as low as 8K. If you have 64 megs of
memory, this value should be above 64k, not 8. One tenth of your Ram
memory
Starting to
get the picture? I thought you would.
Yes, and it's
what you think too. This is an exponential speed up: Not some
puny little speed increase you won't notice!
You
are just GONNA LUV THIS!
By the way,
if you ever installed a program that claims to speed up your Internet
connection. Uninstall it now. Don't delete it, Uninstall it.
The changes it makes to the Registry, have to be stopped. These
programs are for dial up modems ONLY!
The next
factor is the MTU settings. Maximum Transmitted Unit. If you
have AOL, this is a registry setting for your AOL itself. It tells
it how big each packet of information should be sent at. Obviously,
the bigger, the better: But if it's too big, it'll actually slow
down system speed. This is a pretty exact science. Again, your
default setting is probably 576. The proper setting should be around
1300 plus, but not over 1500.
So,
what do you do about it? Simple, go to a web site, and it'll check
your system up side down, and inside out for ya.
I've Found
Such a Site: And It's Free!
I'm giving
you the main site link. Go to the tools menu, and click on speed
check. Write this speed down, so you'll have something to compare
the tweaks too. Then, go to the tweaks link. This will check
your settings for you, and make it super easy to tweak your computer up if
it needs it. One, maybe two clicks, that's it.
Try
it!
Then, if you
sign up, which is free, it'll be able to compare your speeds, to everyone
else in your area! A great tool.
This is the
ultimate site for any, and all questions you have. Their speed
checks are accurate. Be advised, they will probably read lower than
any other site you've tested at.
This sites
speed checks; are not effected by your Temporary Internet Files, it uses a
Java applet. What this means, is your cache files in your computer,
can't effect the outcomes. It's a great idea. Being a web
master, let me just put it this way: A Java applet, is run from the
server every time you go to a site. The next time you go to the same
site, it won't load any faster than the time before. Your Temporary
Internet files might decrease the time of the site to pop up and the
graphics to load:
But it can't
speed up an applet.
This Site will
allow you to get all of what you paid for when you bought your broadband
connection. It's Free Speed! Can't beat that price. LOL
The site is
called DSLReports.com.
It's at:
http://www.dslreports.com
Or, Just
Click Here
I hope this helps you
on your road. Your Road?
Yes, Your Road To
Computer Sanity
Danny
Oh, today's joke, can't forget that!
I Tell ya, I don't get no respect;
When my printer's type began to grow faint, I called a local repair shop where a friendly man informed me that the printer probably needed only to be cleaned. Because the store charged $50 for such cleanings, he told me, I might be better off reading the printer's manual and trying the job myself.
Pleasantly surprised by his candor, I asked, "Does your boss know that you discourage business?"
"Actually it's my boss's idea," the employee replied sheepishly. "We usually make more money on repairs if we let people try to fix things themselves first."
No respect at all...
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