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General discussion

Broadband: Is my cable connection becoming saturated?

Sep 18, 2009 6:49AM PDT
Question:

Broadband: Is my cable connection becoming saturated?


It has been several years since I got my cable modem. Living
in what was a relatively sparsely populated area, I enjoyed
lightning-fast response times on the Internet. My son grew up
and got involved in online shoot'em-up gaming and
downloading, and I detected that when he was doing that, the
little activity light on the modem was on a lot more than
off, which was expected.

More recently, I have noticed that the activity light is
nearly always on, blinking off occasionally and my response
lags a bit. I can't blame my son's activities anymore, since
he went off to college, and his PC's been powered off. What
could possibly be the culprit? Is it time to complain to my
ISP? Thanks for your opinions!

--Submitted Steve B.

Here below are some featured member answers to get you
started, but please read all the advice and suggestions
that our members have contributed to this question.

Broadband connection --Submitted by GEO2003
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7583_102-0.html?messageID=3130449#3130449

Testing your Cable modem upload/download speed --Submitted by ralphjramirez
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7583_102-0.html?messageID=3130465#3130465

Cable broadband slow down --Submitted by Zouch
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7583_102-0.html?messageID=3130465#3130465

Sounds like a virus... --Submitted by darrenforster99
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7583_102-0.html?messageID=3130736#3130736

Is my cable connection saturated? Not likely... --Submitted by Watzman
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7583_102-0.html?messageID=3130394#3130394

Please read more contributions below in this discussion thread.

If have any additional advice or experience to share with Steve, click on the reply link and submit it away. Please be as detailed as possible when providing a solution. Thank you!

Discussion is locked

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Server vendor
Oct 4, 2009 5:19AM PDT

Again, what was the test given for security?
How is the setup?
What release? Is it patched? How are the services run?

You're leaving too much out.


Anyone can su into a Linux installation, provided that:
1) The system is setup insecurely.
2) Some permission such as sudo or a value of 0777/777 is enabled.
3) The password is poorly encrypted.
4) SSH is insecurely installed and setup, along with other security features haphazardly put together.
5) Security hasn't been tested.

Let's not forget physical access to the server. This is more important.
Insecure BIOS, unencrypted partitions, etc.


From honey-pots to virtualization, there are many ways of fooling hackers; but, it goes back to the first step: Any system not secured is a security risk, even the z/Series.

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First mile problem
Oct 3, 2009 12:29PM PDT

Unless you have a specific software or hardware problem, I believe that eh problem is a "first mile problem". Everyone talks about the last mile, the connection from your home to you ISP. Timing studies I have run have shown me that in many cases the problem is in the first mile, the connection from the desired site to the Internet backbone. As an example I now have Comcast Cable 22 mbps download (30 mbps with power boot). I live in Bucks County PA. Download from NYC = 31.68 Mbps. Download speed from Alaska = 3.816 Mbps. Download from Santa Cruz CA = 16.75 Mbps. Download from Stanford University = 11.68 Mbps. Download from Hawaii = 8.094 Mbps. The point I am trying to make is the variable in not my connection to my ISP, but the connect from the foreign host to my ISP. PS there is nothing fundamentally PCs or any current Microsoft operating systems. I am familiar with various versions of UNIX and several main frame operating systems.

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Very true,,,
Oct 4, 2009 6:16AM PDT

and in my case, the ISP modem was busted, and in other cases the final loop modem was misbehaving. I've seen many scenarios where it was something my ISP, AT&T, or SBC was doing, or going, wrong.

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Broadband: Is my cable connection becoming saturated?
Oct 2, 2009 4:49PM PDT

Re the activity light on modem nearly always on.

If your modem has a wireless feature, it could be (if you do not have your wireless connection secure) that someone nearby is using your wireless connection. Unless it has been suggested, it might be an idea to switch off the wireless on your modem and see if the activity light still remains mostly on.

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Verizon FiOS System Delays
Oct 3, 2009 2:33AM PDT

I've been experiencing the same type of degradations over the past 6 months with the Verizon FiOS network in New Jersey. One of the big drivers for me to switch over to them was their speed, versus Comcast's Internet offering.

When I first switched over 2 years ago, Comcast could not touch it, almost doubling their network speed. Since then, Comcast has made great improvements to their network, and it seems that as more and more people switch over to FiOS, Verizon's network is beginning to lag too. Perhaps Comcast is fater here because some of their customers went over to FiOS and freed up demand on their network?

To give some numbers, last year I compared my system to my brother-in-law's Comcast connection. He lives two miles away from me, next to a South Jersey Comcast Central Office. I live about 12 from my FiOS CO. My FiOS was 15 megabits/second while his Comcast's connection was 6-7. Three months ago, when running Speedtest, we both were coming in consistantly at 12-13 megabits per second - a virtual tie. Now, when I run these tests throughout the day and this number ranges from 4.5-10 megabits for me and almost 15 for him. Comcast is now way superior to FiOS.

I've run multiple system scans and performance tests on my machines to fully optimize them, there is no malware or bot code on any of them.

I have to say this though, when I had Comcast, I would have around 5-6 days per year of complete internet outages and additional sporadic network outages. When you call, there has to be reports from 6 people in your neighborhood before they would consider it an important outage, sending someone out the same day. If no one else calls, you have to wait 3-4 days before you would get support. That sucked! One time, I was working from home for the week, took a hit on Monday and was told I would get help on Thursday afternoon. I went door-to-door asking neighbors to call it in. Still the repair wasn't done until Thursday. I had to take off from work using a couple of my comp days.

With FiOS, I had my first outage in two years yesterday, lasting 45 minutes. That's a BIG difference in quality of service. So I will tollerate slightly slower speeds for stability, but at this rate of network degradation - I'm not sure how much longer I can do that!

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Cable Myths, activity light, and slow connection
Oct 3, 2009 3:58AM PDT

CNET, by responding the way they did in their email, is perpetuating a myth. Cable is not subjct to any more "saturation" than DSL. a common FUD (fear,uncertainty,doubt) tactic of the phone company is to say that cable customers "share" their bandwidth with their neighborhood and if all their neighbors were to go online, then you would experience slow speeds. FAct is that all ISPs, telco and cable, oversubscribe their bandwidth - cable companies do it closer to the neighborhood while telco's do it at their DSLAM. Oversubscription is a fact in all networks. What you want to ensure is that your company has a fair oversubscription rate, and in today's world, unless you are up in the mountains or out in the middle of no where, you'll be ok.

Best start for a slow cable connection is to simply unplug the cable line and power line from modem for one minute. If that doesn't clear the slowness, do a speedtest, www.speakeasy.net/speedtest is a good one. If the speed is right, the problem is probably in your PC. If the speedtest reveals a slow connection or an unstable or fluctuating connection, then call cable company.

If you have a wireless router, make sure your connection isn't open - one of your neighbors could be connecting to you and draining your bandwidth.

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DSL Vs. Cable
Oct 5, 2009 4:45AM PDT

You are wrong. DSL is direct and Cable is shared bandwidth. Don't take my word on it, take Cisco Systems' word. I believe they have the technical expertise on these issues. It is NOT a myth!

The following is an excerpt from their help page with a product they own called "network magic":

"Cable connections offer a range of speeds, and their top-end potential speed is usually faster than that offered by many DSL broadband packages. "Potential" speed in this case is just that: since cable broadband connections share bandwidth with other neighbors using the same cable broadband, your actual speed can vary quite a bit depending on which of your neighbors are online and what they're doing. To continue the pipe analogy, your pipe to the Internet is shared with your neighbors, so if many of them are busy surfing the Web, they're filling up your shared pipe, potentially leaving you with less room to fill the pipe on your own -- i.e. less bandwidth for you. Cable broadband connections usually have no guaranteed lower limit (they won't promise that your speed won't drop below some threshold).

A DSL broadband connection to the Internet is a pipe of a fixed size directly to the Internet, not shared with anyone else. DSL broadband connections also offer a range of speeds, but the speeds they generally offer are fixed and mostly guaranteed because you're not sharing any bandwidth with your neighbors. As noted above, cable connections are usually potentially faster than DSL connections, but they're also potentially slower at times."*

*http://www1.purenetworks.com/product/speed-test/moreinfo.php

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Always a lot of traffic - perfectly normal
Oct 3, 2009 7:25AM PDT

Have the same issue as you - activity light on the "cable side" of the modem is blinking more or less all the time.

If you are concerned, with your computers off, instead inspect the ligths at your firewall/router (since I assume that no one these days are connected directly to a cable modem). You will likely still see the activity light on the modem blinking. Hence, traffic/pingin from the outside.

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how old is your cable modem?
Oct 3, 2009 8:52AM PDT

We had a motorola cable modem from 2000. Our internet provider had been upgrading access in the area but we were not seeing any changes. The cable company suggested upgrading the modem and when we did, it tripled our speed.

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Could this be it?
Oct 3, 2009 1:29PM PDT

If you once had a Motorola 5100 and then went to a 5101 or 5120 the lights work just the opposite. On these modems the light goes off when information is being sent or received.

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Ya'll are making this too complicated
Oct 4, 2009 4:13AM PDT

I am an experienced cable tech. Your ISP offers the BEST support to help you narrow down what the problem is. Contact your Broadband tech support and they can tell you, immediately, if there is a problem with the signal levels. They can also tell you your what your speeds look like (ACCURATELY). If needed, they can dispatch a PROFESSIONAL to troubleshoot and make any necessary repairs no charge (Unless you screwed it up). Once a professional has verified all is good on the cable side, then you can start eliminating other possibilities. Not saying this is you, but I hate when customers fault the ISP when their PCs are crap. On the other hand, there may actually be a cable issue and the customer goes for weeks, even months before they tell us about it and expect a credit. LOL! Hope this helps.
-Andrew-

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(NT) True, the KISS principal should always be adhered to!...(nt)
Oct 4, 2009 6:55AM PDT
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Very possible!!
Oct 4, 2009 8:05AM PDT

I had a similar problem with my provider, COX cable in Fairfax County, VA. Sometimes I would have no WAN signal at all, it was an intermittent problem. First they told me over the phone after "checking their circuits" and seeing a lot of dropped carrier and modem resets, to get a new cable modem, I did - still had the problem. Then they sent a tech out, he left me a new test modem which they monitored - still had the problem. So, then they sent out a crew, dug up the yard and put in a new, waterproof cable line - that worked fine for about 1 year. Then problem recurred - lost WAN intermittently, slow access, etc. This time, during the discussion, the COX techs told me they had just upgraded the switch I was on - I suggested either there is somebody with heavy volume hogging the switch - it would bog down or drop me everyday around the same time of day - or they must have a bad circuit on their switch, to which they said, maybe we do - so I asked them to remedy the situation or I'd drop their service - but they never fixed it, so I cancelled the HS Internet and got a dedicated DSL service which although in theory was slower than cable, in reality, because it was a dedicated DSL, I had better throughput overall. Now that FiOS has come to my neighborhood, I have dropped all COX cable service and discontinued the DSL. So far, so good - reliable, better through-put and with bundle deal, cheaper overall. Some people in some areas report problems with FiOS, but I have no complaints- yet. BTW, I have an MS in Computers and Electrical Engineering and a law degree. Be skeptical of what your provder tells you - insist they fix it, it's what you pay for, and if they can't fix it and you have an alternative, cancel them!

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check your power cord, Surge protectors don't last forever.
Oct 4, 2009 9:50AM PDT

My internet connection was dropping intermittently and speed was erratic. Tried everything, but finally resorted to calling my ISP, who told me to do it all over again before letting a technician come out to check.

Turns out that the modem was fine, but the transformer on the power cord failed and when I tried a new one, it wasn't the right size and it was underpowered.

He went out to the truck and brought in a new cord and everything is fine now.

Lucy

Even though I had it plugged into a surge protector, it still blew out. Surge protectors don't last forever.

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Cable Broadband
Oct 4, 2009 1:26PM PDT

Cable Broadband is shared bandwidth, unlike DSL. If your router and modem checkout fine I would suggest there is too much traffic on your cable system. Questions to ask: Have more of your neighbors signed up for cable broadband? Do you live in a location where new construction has recently been finished and more people reside and use cable broadband than when you initially got your cable service?

While cable can be much faster than typical DSL, it often is not. Depends on how many are using it at the same time. Ever notice cable tv On Demand works well at the strangest hours? This uses the same broadband your cable internet works on. At times it gets overloaded and can only function in one direction (broadcast only) Just something to consider.

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Saturated with responses! Wow!
Oct 6, 2009 1:59AM PDT

First, many thanks to all for their attention and responses to my query. Since I've been reading questions of the week, I've gotten so many ideas on so many technical questions, that CNET and Lee (and all the contirbutors) should be applauded for their generosity of spirit and talent. It really is a community.

Where to start?

I powered down everything. Powered up my cablemodem, and noticed that the activity light was dark. Powered up my LinkSys WRT54GS router, and the light is now fairly solid (with no computers turned on). I updated the router firmware (hadn?t been done since January 09).

NOTE: no computers were on until I booted my main box to update the firmware. The router uses WEP (I know, but my son?s Nintendo couldn?t go with better, and that was long before the current discussion.) and MAC filtering.

I use AVG, ZoneAlrm free, Adaware, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and SpyBot S&D (although not all at the same time). If I notice even a minor ripple in my placid daily online experience, I run Housecall for a second look. I have BitDefender Quick Scan and No Script on my FireFox Browser. I even use SandBoxie, when really out there. I hope I don?t appear paranoid, but many friends have called on me when their systems have been compromised, and have been satisfied when I?ve handed their PC?s back. I have confidence in my PC?s integrity. (Sorry if that sounded like a rant.)

Anyway, with nothing but the (?adequately-protected?) router, and a nearly solid modem activity light (Surfboard SB4100), I wonder if I should reach out to Linksys support/forums to find out if there?s an issue or setting that needs attention.

As far as sparcely populated areas go, there has been growth in cable internet use in the area, with predictably noticable bogging down with daily traffic cycles. I was intrigued with the one response that mentioned that DSL doesn?t act like a ?party line?, compared to the cable bus. But I don?t think DSL would still come anywhere close to cable speeds (and FIOS may never make it to my area.) Wi-Fi piggybackers are not a problem ? physical space between neighbors makes it impractical. I had to run CAT6 to my barn (< 80 ft) because the signal didn?t make it.

I?ll do some more inquiring and reading and respond again soon.

Thanks again,

Steve

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Good to hear from you...
Oct 6, 2009 2:36AM PDT

Now that you have further responded, it does sound like a particularly vexing problem. It has been my experience that LinkSys devices are particularly choosey about voltage, and wild behaviors and failures can result from such.

Oddly enough simply powering one with a line conditioner or UPS with line-conditioning has cured some exasperating problems for some of my clients. Some have even had to go to the extreme of putting a cheap inline hub before and after the router, taking care to use linksys hubs so at least that small segment of cable would have the proper voltage.

When the hubs fail it is no big deal, cost wise that way. I know this probably sounds flaky, but in the Denver area this has worked for many people.

Doing a firmware update definitely improved this problem for previous models, but I thought I read your model had the problem whipped already; so perhaps I should digress. The acid test would be to place another brand router there and check performance. However this may seem expreme to you also.

Although DSL may not be the answer, I can attest that my DSL which runs at 5Mbs is more than adequate for everything you can imagine doing on the internet. I don't have a family, but my machine is capable of multi-threading and with a quad-core duo and a lot of RAM, I've been able to have several utilities updating while downloading FTP files and watching high definition video with flashplayer.

In some locals DSL can be cheaper, and therefor an attractive complement or replacement for cable services. In my area there is no difference in throughput or line speed, as both of them are rated at 5Mbs; however even in the rural areas here, we have fiber optic up to the final loop. As soon as the price of optical modems lowers enough, our ISP has already announced we will be getting much more bandwidth with the change over.

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LinkSys and DSL
Oct 7, 2009 12:03AM PDT

I've never had any trouble with the LinkSys router, other then when power has flickered. Then I have to do a real power-on-reset. The same with the modem. They are plugged into power strips, but I can't remember whether they have surge protection - probably not. My wife is pressing for the green alternative of completely powering everything off when not in use.

As to DSL, I live about a mile from the local switch (if the building I'm thinking of is my switch). My church is about another half mile farther up the road - they had DSL put in because the dial-up was excruciating. Since I do the geek-work for them, I have seen their response time. It's adequate for their needs, I guess, but I was spoiled by cable when I first got it. It would be an expensive experiment to switch to DSL and find out it would be slower. I have been anxiously awaiting FIOS, but I don't think we have the population density to get it yet. I've been to speakeasy.net/ and my speed averages 2300 kbps and 1000 kbps (download/upload), which is pretty much what I think I pay for, although Comcast keeps emailing me to power off/on my modem for speed upgrades. If the 5Mbs you get only degrades to 3Mbs over the distance to my house, it might be worth it.

On the other hand, I've gotten feedback saying it may be time to update my ancient modem to get a speed boost.

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Yes, I see that as difficult...
Oct 7, 2009 8:56AM PDT

In this economy I wouldn't switch either.

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Re: Saturated...............
Oct 6, 2009 3:29AM PDT

Steve:
I did a little more investigating with the additional info provided. First off the SB4100 is a virtual dinosaur on the Motorola page.
Secondly, with only the cable modem powered on the only light that should be lit is the power light as this is the standby mode.
Once you turn on the LinkSys router, I'm only assuming, it senses that it is in a connected mode and ALL lights should come on steadily with occasional blinking. this would be normal. Same thing for your LinkSys router.
After a little more investigating
it was noted that the cable modem uses a channel that isn't being used for video(TV channel). This being the case I'm fairly sure that everyone in the neighborhood is probably using the same channel for their internet, ergo sharing or "party line."
I'm thinking that this sharing of a channel is what you're experiencing. There is only so many channels available on the cable line, most are being used for TV signals.
As someone else stated your area is becoming saturated with more new homes using the existing cable line and internet capabilities. If I'm correct in my assumption as more homes come on line it will degrade further.
Also, not that it will make any dramatic improvement, I would ask about being upgraded to a newer cable modem from your provider. I had to go to discontinued modems to find your SB4100.
I know some are going to argue the party line thing but it states that the modem uses a channel that is NOT being used as a video/TV channel. How many extra channels are there on the cable line so everyone gets their own internet connect line?????
I hope this helps somewhat in understanding what is happening.

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How about this?
Oct 7, 2009 1:53AM PDT

I just spent some time on chat with Comcast about swapping out my modem for a new one (can be done - I can have some one come out (don't want that), or I can go to a local office and swap it out. Odds are I 'd get a newer model. (better)

I asked about tiers of service. He said the only other tier available in my area is POWERBOOST, which would cost $10 more for up to 16Mbs. That's around 5.5 times faster than I have now. (ideally)

I may have to try that. It doesn't require a technician to upgrade the service.

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BEST DEAL.
Oct 7, 2009 4:05AM PDT

AND THEIR CURRENT ADVERTISING STATES THAT THAT DEAL IS NOW JUST UNDER 20-BUCKS A MONTH (for 6 months)!
LET US KNOW IF YOU GET THAT BEST DEAL!

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*whistle*!!! That sounds very good!!
Oct 7, 2009 9:00AM PDT

I do a lot of high def online, and that would do VERY nicely with the video streaming! I doubt a person would need any buffering at that fantastic speed!

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Up to 16 MB/S
Oct 8, 2009 10:19AM PDT

Up to 16 MB/S means exactly that.

UP TO

Most of the time it will be considerably less and maybe even less than you have now.

Don't plan on ever seeing 16 mb/s for more than a few weeks after the time you buy it.
Before you know it you will be posting on C-Net about saturation and the only time you will see your 16 mb/s is on Sunday at 4AM

Test your speed and make your ISP provide what you have paid for.

My high speed provider had me down to 2.8 mb/s and my computer wouldn't even function. When confronted with it they got me up to 11 mb/s without even sending a technician to the house or changing out the modem and they did it in less than 5 hot minutes.

Forget the doom and gloom and get a clue. Upgrading your plan is exactly what the ISPs love, but you still won't get what you are paying for.

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I agree...
Oct 8, 2009 11:57AM PDT

however, I've been very happy in the near past with only 1.5mbs!

I found I had to run AdWatch on Adaware, and use CCleaner to get rid of misbehaving temp files, to be able to run my applications and downloads properly.

MBAM lifetime license for real time protection even better- - -

I do not work for any man or company - I just hate malware to pieces!

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broadband
Oct 8, 2009 5:09AM PDT

Well i would suggest a modem test all have a habit of going out being used alot or not so much usually you will be entitaled to a free replacement

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Two things about that and the good deal
Oct 8, 2009 9:56AM PDT

The comcast guy said I could swap modems without any qualifiers, like failures or whatever - so that looks like a good thing to do just to get newer technology (if there's a great difference in basic cable modems since I got mine).

Also, my wife wants to spend less money, not more, and I can't fault her on that. She has a habit of calling me back to earth. (good habit, actually.)

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PowerBoost DEAL...
Oct 8, 2009 2:52PM PDT

SO WHY NOT GO-AHEAD & MAKE HER & YOURSELF HAPPY (for 6 months)...

MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT Comcast WANTS CUSTOMERS TO GET HOOKED ON THEIR HIGHER PRICED 'PowerBoost', SO THEY'VE BEEN CURRENTLY OFFERING IT FOR JUST UNDER $20 A MONTH (while you get hooked on it).
THAT COULD ACTUALLY SAVE YOU (at least) 30-BUCKS OVER THE NEXT HALF A YEAR.
SO DON'T TELL THOSE SAME Comcast-PEOPLE THAT YOU WANT TO UPGRADE,, INSTEAD, CALL THEIR '1-800 C O M C A S T'
NUMBER AND REQUEST THEIR PowerBoost TRIAL-DEAL.

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Broadband Saturation
Oct 10, 2009 7:44AM PDT

Yes. I would say the #1 problem is the broadband connection for service and is there a "filter" at your connection to the servicer? Check it out or have someone else do it for you.
#2: MODEM. Try Motorola SB5120 modem and I was told I should replace my modem every 2 years. This is a fast modem and the best one I've ever used from Comcast. (By the way, Comcast raised the price for modem rental and the service is worse than ever for high speed Internet in my area)
#3: VIRUS
#4: Certain websites have "MEGABYTE ADVERTS!!!" that really slow down the experience. Such sites are overloading the computers. In particular a good site to see this happening is at the Discovery Channel, Dirty Jobs website. On certain webpages when you are watching video clips or playing interactive games, a Toyota MEGABYTE advertisement pops up to the side and you can see the dramatic slow down of action!!!
(It's that Toyota commercial with the "slider bar"). The website seems to run fairly smooth when different adverts are run on the sidebar,etc.
Check these helpful hints.

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Browser problems...
Oct 10, 2009 2:40PM PDT

Yes if it is a browser loading problem there are a lot of things that can be done to speed surfing performance.

The person asking the question offered evidence this wasn't the case, but it is a problem everywhere.

An even better fix for this is to run FireFox as your browser and load NoScript and AdBlock Plus as add-ons!

That alone will give you unbelievable performance! Another utility I've not been able to do without is CCleaner, but if you get tired of cleaning up files every five minutes so you can get to your websites; you need to download something with real-time blocking as well.

AdAware Anniversary Edition has a thing called AdWatch that has incredibly sped up performance for me and my clients. I think it must block certain temp files from loading and the cookies that control it; or at least the cookies. Cookies are just text files that give direction to web-site servers. But if you have misbehaving temporary files on your PC, any communication between these and "spy" cookies can have a devastating affect on load speed.

If you want to pay a little for this assurance, SuperAnti-spyware has very cheap rates, and so does MBAM(Malewarebytes-anti-malware)

I do not work for any man or company, I just hate malware to pieces!