Strange Download speed issue...

Hi, I've been having this really strange issue with my download speed. I am using bell High-speed internet(Canada) and have been using it for about 3 years now and we've always had an issue with download speeds. I'll try to give out as much info as I possibly can.


So our download speed over these 3 years has always gone no higher than 200kb/s. Sometimes it'll go to around 220 but I've never really seen anything higher. It usually is around 160 kb/s. We are paying for 2Mb/s and our speed is WAY below that. The strange thing however is that when testing my connection with speedtest.net and bell.ca's speed checkup, they seem to detect around 1.49Mb/s... I do not have a firewall beyond what may be configured by default on the modem.


I have a freshly installed copy of windows 7 Pro on a custom built PC. My connection is wired. There are 2 PC's on the network but only mine is on and I see no programs in the background that could be causing this. We are using a 2wire 2701HG-G Modem/router hybrid which does have wireless functionality and it has a mac filter. We also have a Siemens Speedstream 4200 modem which I have also tried with direct connection, yet I still get the issue. I have tested both modems on a laptop which I've used at other peoples places and had a proper download speed.


So the issue is absolutely beyond me. That is all the relevant information I can think of for now. I have also phoned bell and they said they couldnt do anything because no issue seems to be present. This is also at my parents place so I cannot switch plans because they are not willing to. I need to figure out what is causing this problem.

Thank you all in advance for your help!


EDIT: Forgot to add that when I play games my latency is always fine and the issue is still present when using wireless. Having a regular(non tonrrent) download running also causes MAJOR internet slow-downs.

 

Are the units OK?

When you're downloading you usually see "160kb/s" or 160KB/s.
If it's up to 220KB/s we're talking roughly 2Mb/s which would be OK.

You may be comparing different units- Firefox and IE show download speeds in KB/s while speed test shows it in Mb/s- meaning 2Mb/s is 256KB/s.

 

well, according to my ISP I should be getting 2 Megabits per second. Im getting 160 kb/s in firefox which Im assuming is kilobits? Doesnt it take 1000 kilobits to make a megabit? Ive always assumed that the "bit" instead of "byte" represented the equivalent in download speed form. I even inquired about this with my ISP and they agreed but maybe they are wrong too...

 

Firefox shows speed in KB (kilobytes) while your ISP shows speed in megabits.
Every Byte = 8 bits meaning 160KB/s is 1280Kb/s (1.25Mb/s).

Max speed you're getting is 220KB/s which is 1760Kb/s (1.72Mb/s)

Another words your connection should be somewhat faster but it's within reason. You're getting between 1.24Mb/s and 1.72Mb/s out of 2Mb/s you should be getting.

 

after 2-3 years you're only now getting tired of NOT getting what you're paying for?

have you called your provider to open a trouble ticket?

 

oh I see. I had this idea in the back of my mind but its just wierd how my mom paid for the same or a very similar plan and got around 700 to 800 kbs and my gf pays around the same thing for another ISP and gets 2000 kb/s... oh well thanks for the help

 

Your internet speeds are normal.

My ISP is Timewarner Cable and I don't get anywhere near the speeds advertised.

What I pay for and what speedtest.net reports.
Download: 20 megabits (mbps or mb/s) = 2,560 KB/s (kilobytes) or 2.5 MB/s
Upload: 1.5 megabits = 192 KB/s (kilobytes)

My actual speeds when I download or upload.
Download: 650 KB/s
Upload: 45-60 KB/s

 

Yeah. Your speeds are fine. That's what you're suppose to be getting. 2Mb connection is really not a lot for gaming.

Most online gaming places recommends at least an 8Mb connection (to my understanding).

Shannon