Solved Download speeds suddenly very slow!

[SmU]

My download speeds were good until earlier this evening, when they suddenly dropped to a crawl. I'd made no settings changes in between, or any driver/system updates.

There is another computer in the house (running Windows 8) which is having no connectivity or speed issues. Both computers are wired directly to the router.


Originally I was downloading at about 4mb (still very slow..) and now it's about 500kbps, but it wavers and generally drops to 100-250kbps.

So far I have tried: Disabling heuristics, ipconfig refresh & renew, turning off & on 'automatically detect IP settings', turning off Windows auto-tuning level. Nothing has made a difference.

Router, modem and computer have all been power-cycled several times.

I tried connecting directly to the modem and then my computer failed to connect to the internet at all.

A speed test indicates an excellent connection, at 35mbps down and 5.4kmbs up.

I depend on downloads and uploads to do my job so this is driving me pretty crazy. Any help hugely appreciated!

ISP: Teksavvy
Connection type: Cable
Modem: Technicolor TC4300
Router: LinksysWRT54G

 

[AddRAM]

Make sure the NIC speeds are set to their maximum, or at least 100 Mbps and try another ethernet cable.

Use speedtest.net You should be getting the same speeds out of both PC`s

Speedtest.net by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test

It`s very odd that you can`t get to the net when wired directly to the modem.

If the problem persists, and you`re not getting what you pay for, call your ISP

 

[Eric3742]

First, you need to know if there is connection from modem to ISP is available or not.

Click on the internet icon on the right side of the taskbar.
Click "Open Network and Sharing Center"

On the top there is this connection from your computer --> router / modem ---------> ISP Internet.
If there is no yellow exclamation mark meaning intermittent connection &or red X Lost connection.
If everything is clear and no problem, then next;

Optional: Also you may try to switch both router and modem OFF, and wait a while, then switch ON.

Check the Network and Sharing Center, and check if there is no indication on problem.
Connect the LAN cable to the PC.
Then proceed to next;
On the left panel, select "Change adapter settings"
Select the "Local Area Connection"
Right click on the icon, and select "Disable"
And then right-click on the icon, and select "Enable".
Wait for the connection complete.

This is to force a refresh the connection, on your computer.
This may play a small role, but can be effective as you connection may be the computer.

Decision is up to you.

 

[samuria]

That router was with Noah on his ark get a new router it's a good g type modern ones are ac type it wasn't really built for speeds over 20 meg your other problem is low upload as in order to download you have to upload info so if upload is maxed out you cant download

 

[SmU]

The speed test indicates that I'm getting the full speed advertised by our provider.

The other computer in the household has no problem getting full speeds from the router.

I can now connect to the internet directly via the modem, but even when plugged directly into the modem my download speed is the same; about 200-500kpbs.

I've tried power cycling everything multiple times, and also disabling/reenabling the connection.


The other computer in the house is attached to the same router, using the same internet, but running Windows 8 instead of 7. This makes me think it's an issue specific to my computer and not our internet service.

Main mystery is that the problem worsened out of nowhere; I was downloading at alright speeds, then suddenly wasn't. I've tried downloading from multiple sites to make sure it's the connection and not the website.

 

[Eric3742]

Have you try to use another LAN cable to confirm.

 

[SmU]

My speeds are back to normal; I installed TCP Optimizer and it seems to have helped. Still very confused because I'd run it before with no change, but am fine with the mystery if things are willing to work.

Thanks for the suggestions!