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I just moved into an apartment in Seattle and am subscribed to Comcast high speed internet. My download speed is only 0.25 Mbps, while my upload speed is around 3 Mbps. I should be getting 12 Mbps download according to Comcast.

Are there any tools I can use to tell if my neighbors are just being greedy (the network is bogged down), or if this is something specific to my connection only?

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Did you plug the cable in backwards? :-D But seriously, if the neighbors were overloading the network, you would not be getting such a high upload rate. Do you have any firewall apps installed? Do you have (presumably mis-configured) a router? – Synetech Feb 15 '12 at 4:20
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@Synetech - thanks for the feedback. The only firewall app I have is Windows Firewall, and haven't changed anything recently with it. I don't have this issue on other connections. As for the router, I purchased a new Linksys E1200 and did the standard setup. I did notice several wireless networks were using channels 1, 6 and 11, so I changed mine to 8, but no noticeable improvement in speed. Also, when I connect my PC either via ethernet to the Linksys, or via ethernet directly to the modem itself, there is no noticeable difference in speed. – AJ. Feb 15 '12 at 4:24
So it used to be fast before moving? Is Comcast a new ISP for you (ie, did you have a different ISP before moving)? What kind of traffic is slow? Web browsing? HTTP downloads? Torrents?… – Synetech Feb 15 '12 at 4:31
@Synetech - yes it was fast where I used to live (Florida). Yes Comcast is a new ISP for me...used to be Brighthouse Networks. Web is slow (browsing, streaming, downloads, etc.) I don't do torrents, so wouldn't know about that, sorry. I've also checked it using multiple "speed test" sites like speedtest.net and speakeasy.net and they give the same results. – AJ. Feb 15 '12 at 4:34
Hmm, curiouser and curiouser. At the risk of sounding like an ISP phone-monkey, have you tried rebooting the modem? (Cable modem right?) Also, try browsing to the modem’s internal web-server to check on its status (eg, Surfboard modems are usually http://192.168.100.1/). – Synetech Feb 15 '12 at 4:40
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2 Answers

up vote 1 down vote

I had the same problem with a Linksys E1200 router, Comcast internet, and a Mac. The solution for me was to disable the WMM feature in the router's advanced settings. I discovered that here: http://brikis98.blogspot.com/2012/02/got-slow-download-but-fast-upload.html?m=1

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Excellent solution I had an issue where my downloads were terrible and this fixed it! Disable WMM – bigamil Jun 23 '12 at 15:14
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It ended up being an issue with wireless router. I had to go out and buy a simultaneous dual band router and use the 5GHz band.

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Using 5GHz (A) vs other networks shouldn't made a big difference. Most likely your router was bad (if new router solved the problem) so you can safely use N network. – MadBoy Mar 19 '12 at 13:44
Yes, this seems to be a known bug with some Linksys routers, including E1200. – Kipton Barros Mar 19 '12 at 13:49
You can find the best channel using a finest tool from metageek.net/products/inssider – ZaB Mar 19 '12 at 13:58
The actual solution to this issue is the below answer you must disable WMM support. It handles packet priority optimization for apps such as skype, voip services, since those packets need first priority. – bigamil Jun 23 '12 at 15:12

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