How to test your DSL connection speed

Your PC is probably infected with adware & spyware if: You have downloaded music online Your PC is running extremely slow You are pestered by those horrible popup ads Your homepage keeps changing

Your DSL provider probably told you the exact DSL connection speed of your internet connection. What they don't tell you, though, is that the DSL speed can vary according to all sorts of factors.

• The distance from the nearest DSL office
• How many other people are using their DSL connections at the same time
• The quality of the phone lines can affect the connection speed of DSL

Usually, you have no way of finding out how fast your speed really is instead of just taking your DSL provider's word for it. To stop people from being cheated, many websites have set up DSL speed tests so that customers can check the speed of their connections and compare it to the speeds that people who are in other areas or using other providers are getting.

Three of the most popular DSL speed testing sites are:

• www.dslreports.com/stest
• webservices.cnet.com/bandwidth/
• bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/

For the second and third sites, you will have to choose DSL from the menu of connection methods before you start the test. These sites work by sending a set number of bytes from their server to your computer and timing it. This lets the sites work out how fast your connection is.

You will be given your speed in kilobits per second. Divide this number by eight to get it in kilobytes per second, and divide that number by 1024 to get your speed in megabytes per second.

It’s worth doing the DSL speed test at different times of the day to see when your connection is slowest and fastest, so that you can plan when to do large downloads.

If you find that your connection is a lot slower than advertised at any time then you should complain to your DSL provider. Before you make that call, check to see if the slowdown isn’t your computer!!! Make sure the settings of your system have been optimized for better internet speed.

There are several software packages on the market that can help increase the speed of DSL connections over 200% with just a few window tweaks of system settings. The beauty is that this software does it all automatically if you want. If everything is in good shape... make the call.