Are You Losing The Internet Speed Race

Think you're getting fast speeds with your DSL? Think they can compare with cable? Most people think they are getting speeds just like cable on their DSL when they really aren't. DSL is good, just not quite that good. Do you know how to check your upload and download speeds? Did you know there was a difference in uploads and downloads? Most likely you didn't.

Whether you have a speed test offered by your cable company or find one on the web, its always best to check a few different ones and compare the results. This will give you a better idea of your actual upload and download speeds. A good test site that I recommend is the one at the PCnineoneone website. While Im sure its fairly comparable to other sites with speed tests, I just enjoy watching the race car dashboard interface while the test is running.

If your internet has slowed down greatly, it could mean there is a problem somewhere. Performing a few speed tests will help you determine where you might want to start looking for a problem. If the test show low speeds then contacting your internet provider might be a good start after you have checked your modem. If the speeds are OK then you need to start looking within your system for a problem. If you know there is a problem, then at least you can work to figure out what is wrong.

Your internet provider should be more than happy to provide tech support for you to troubleshoot and determine the cause of the slow speed. If you find the problem is not with the cable company, start with unplugging your modem for 30 seconds to reboot it. Many times this will be all that you need to do to get your lightning fast internet back up and running properly. If that doesn't do the trick, try running a through scan for spyware and remove anything you might find. A fantastic free tool for this is AdAware.

Go ahead and take a look at the speed test at the pcnineoneone website. I think its one of the better internet speed tests available out there.