Why is my internet so slow?

Question

I have a major ISP, and the speed is around 135kb/s.
But on my desktop w/ a wireless USB dongle, the speed is, at the most, 8kb/s. And in TaskManager, under networking, it says that I'm using less than 1% of my network capability. What is up?

btw its a DLINK DI-524, 56mb/s wireless G router.

Answer 1

Nothing wrong with using a wireless USB dongle. Some of the best wireless cards we have in this office are of that type.

What you want to do is go to a site that can measure the TRUE speed that you are connected to the Internet at. One of the best sites out there that I can recommend is DSL Reports. They have a complete online community with forums and tests and tools to figure out what your speed is, how you compare to others using the same service, and quick fixes to your computer's setup to get you up to full speed.

http://www.dslreports.com/

Answer 2

You can download ccleaner for free here: http://bit.ly/1Bk5V5C

First open CCleaner
Go to the Cleaner tab and you will be confronted by a very confusing lineup of checkboxes.
To make this brief, below is my recommended setup:
Under internet explorer check temporary internet files, cookies, and last download location. Most users don't really need this stuff. keep history and bookmarks unchecked, history is a maybe, but you don't want to lose bookmarked sites. You can normally leave Windows Explorer, System, and Advanced alone.
Run CCleaner and it will start deleting files.
afterward it will present you with a list of the files deleted, you really don't need to go through it as it will be several pages long.
The registry cleaner is recommended for slightly more advanced users. Use it after uninstalling programs as they will often leave behind incorrect registry entries.
If you decide to run Registry cleaner then review the items detected and always back up the registry (I keep a folder aside for this)
The Tools tab lets you uninstall programs and set startup programs. Why do you need this if Windows has all of these features? Especially with Vista Home Ed. The windows defender software explorer( startup programs) doesn't pick up some entries (however software explorer is easier to use).
Using CCleaner to uninstall programs and then check for leftover registry entries takes less time.
Under Options you can determine how CCleaner cleans your files. I leave this alone.

Answer 3

It depends on your internet connection speed. Then your modem speed. Then also the speed of your router. Also the type of computer you got can make the difference. At first I was thinking it was your computer ,but know I think it your usb connection. I wouldnt use wireless unless you have to. I would switch over to a cat 5 or cat 6 cable. I use to have problems with my wireless card . It did nothing but give me problems. Don't use wireless they never work right. I would personally if it was me I would buy a new modem and new router and also use my ethernet connection on back of your pc to connect to the internet. Pretty much your gonna have to buy new modem and new router if you want speeds close to 135kbs. Or option 2 you could keep modem and buy new router. But you definetly should use a cat 5 cable to connect modem to router. Then router to pc. Its well worth the money. Good Luck

Answer 4

Internet traffic is like road traffic. Busy at certain times of the day and terrible on holidays and weekends. Then, also, you want to check out these homemade remedies:

- Many users are not aware of how much RAM is used by wallpaper and/or a screensaver full of graphics. They run in the background and consume memory. (I have only 512mb RAM, run multiple programs simultaneously, and have set my wallpaper and screensaver to blank.)

I don’t do games, but I do know they are primarily graphics which need and use a lot of memory.

- How many programs do you load at startup? Maybe you should check it out and ensure you are running just what you need.
To do this: cl Start, cl Settings, cl Taskbar and Start Menu.
-cl Start Menu, cl Customize, cl Remove.
-cl the icon for the program you wish to remove
-then cl Remove.
-This will prevent the program from loading at startup, but will not remove the program from the hard disk.

-When you are working in a large file, save frequently to restore full memory access. (Your work remains in memory until you “save” it to disk.)

1.Did you run an error check? Open My Computer,
Right-cl on C:, Select Properties, Tools – Run an Error Check ( checkmark “check all and fix); then run a Defrag

2.Are you using Yahoo Toolbar? Run a full Norton Antispy.

3.From IE, click Tools, Internet Options
delete cookies
delete files (offline files)
clear history (set days to save to 0 if you want)
click o.k., and Restart

3.click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools – run Disk Cleanup

4.click Start, Run ipconfig renew (type ipconfig space renew)

All these things should be done regularly. The more frequently they are run, the less time they take.
-Note: Games and videos are mostly graphics. Graphics create large files. If this doesn’t help, you should consider getting more memory.

Answer 5

Get a real wireless network card. Those USB deals are junk.

Answer 6

Hello,
I recommend to clean up the register in order to improve your pc performances and get rid of malwares. A good program you can use is CCleaner http://bitly.com/UrAPHN
Very useful program!

Answer 7

my uncle has the same thing and has the SAME problem when my son is over there and is in his room with his pc on.i believe its the d-link, im sorry also he has clearwire which is reallllly fast (normally) but not when the other pc (with the d-link) is on. huh! he thought he was the only one with that problem, im sorry but its nice to kno it isnt just his, GL