Windows 7: ISP says computer to blame for slow internet

Hello (I hope I have put this in the correct section),

Speed tests have for a long time shown that my internet is not going as fast as what I am paying AT&T. Today, I received a brand new modem (Motorola 3360) and connected it directly to my Dell desktop expecting to get a faster dsl speed (for some reason). I used dslreports to check the speed and found that my internet is still pitifully slow.

I am getting 1248 kbps of download speed, but I am paying AT&T for 6mbps.

I just got off a long call with AT&T and they basically concluded with "take your computer to a technician because there is something wrong with it."

How the agent got to this conclusion: The agent first had me directly connect my sister's laptop (also windows 7) to a phone jack in the living room. We found that the laptop was getting more than 3 mbps. We tried resetting the browser and again we got about 3.7 mbps. The agent told me that 3-6 mbps is what is expected. I then checked the laptop on my bedroom's phone jack (where my desktop is) and in my little sisters room. The speed stayed below 4 mbps. The problem was not the phone jacks apparently. But i was more concerned about my measly 1248 kbps on my desktop. Back on my desktop, I reset the browser but the speed stayed exactly the same. Finally, he had me pull up my modems' info page (192.168.1.254). On the connection info page, he pointed out that it says I'm connected at 6016 kbps (downstream). "You see," he said, "your modem is receiving that speed." I'm not a tech savvy person, so there wasn't much else for me to say. The man said that my computer (and programs) are likely to blame for such slow internet speed. My sister's laptop was going faster afterall.

The agent let me know that AT&Ts tech support could take a look at my computer for $50 and I said no thanks. I'm hoping someone here can help me out.



What can I do to make my connection faster? It really hurts to be paying for 8 mbps and only getting >1 mbps.

About the only thing you can do is make absolutely sure you are using an up to date Windows 7 certified driver for the Ethernet adaptor.

It might also be worth messing with the network adaptors settings in Device Manager, it's hard to say which settings might work best, it usually takes a bit of experimenting.

Some installed third party programs might also be causing problems but the only way to check for that is to uninstall them all one at a time.

Thanks for the reply chev65, my NIC is a Realtek RTL8168C(P)/8111C(P) Family PCI-E. The Windows 7 Compatibility Center says that it's compatible hardware. It doesn't have a Windows 7 logo, though. Should I replace it?

I'm unable to find new drivers for it. The driver I have is from 5/14/09.

Another thing that might be worth looking into is the phone line wiring in the building. Do you have one modem that feed them all? Does DSL still need to have filters for the wiring (I think they used to be required for the phone connections, not the modem)?

EDIT: nevermind, just reread the OP and see that you've already tested another machine at that location.

Drivers are available from Realtek here: Realtek

The one you require is the second one listed, Windows 7 and WinServer 2008 R2 Driver and is version 7.058 dated 2012/5/22

I updated my driver. I then rebooted. The name of the device changed to Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller. I did another speed test. It said my download speed is 1226 Kbps. So, I guess it wasn't the driver?

I'm kind of disappointment. I don't want to delete all my programs. There are so many. Aren't there other options?

How does the computer run otherwise?

Are your new modem and the PC Gigabit Ethernet capable?

If so, try disabling Gigabit speed and see if it works then. I used to have my modem running on Gigabit as well, and every transmission slowed down to below ISDN speed because apparently the cable could not handle the high frequency without introducing too much interference.

I then set my modem to 100MBit/s, while everything faster was "outsourced" to a normal Gigabit switch, and everything ran perfectly again.

If you can go into Device Manager then to network adaptors, right click on this problem adaptor and choose properties then too the Advanced tab, you should see a setting for speed/duplex settings, instead of Auto Negotiation try the settings for 100mb full or half duplex, check each one and see if the speed changes.

I have no real complaints. Programs open pretty quickly. I can have multiple things open and it doesn't get all slow. My issues are usually related to the internet.

I tried both full and half duplex and didn't see a difference in the speed. Bummer.