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How to Make DSL Faster
How to Make DSL Faster
In today’s world, many people have made the jump from using dial up to using DSL broadband Internet. However, sometimes high speed Internet is not as high speed as one would prefer. Luckily, unlike with other methods of Internet, a DSL connection can be tweaked in a couple of different ways in order to make it go faster. Two separate programs available for free on the Internet seem to take care of the DSL tweaking job best.
For this project, the following will be required:
- Modem
- Internet connection
- Web browser
- Computer
- Automatic Voltage Regulator
- Uninterruptable Power Supply unit
- DSL Speed – a DSL speed tweaking tool
- TCP/IP Optimizer
Testing Actual Speed
Before getting started with this project, consider buying an Automatic Voltage Regulator, or AVR, along with an Uninterruptable Power Supply unit, or UPS. This will eliminate any issues of electric spikes or other interference that may otherwise affect the performance of both the router and the modem. Using a standard power strip along with surge protection cannot and will not offer an equal amount of protection.
With the electric surge problem out of the way, proceed to a speed checking website. www.speedtest.net is the most reliable website on which users may ping any dedicated server in the world and see how fast their Internet is currently running. It first measures the download speed followed by the upload speed. For best results, ping the server that is the closest. Write these two values down and keep them aside for comparison later.
Tweaking the DSL
Head over and find a download for DSL Speed, which is a free software available to users designed to tweak their DSL to help increase speed. Make sure an extracting program, such as WinZip or WinRar are available to extract the contents of the download. Extract to the desktop, open the folder and run the program.
When the program launches, click Process. Then click Advance Optimize. Click Process again and reboot.
When the computer boots back up, open the web browser and head back to try the speed test again. Ping the closest server and compare the new download and upload speeds to the old one; there should have been an increase in the two speeds after the reboot. If not, try it again. If this fails yet again, simply continue onward.
TCP/IP Optimizer
Regardless of whether or not the previous step worked, find a download of a program called TCP/IP Optimizer. Launch the program and make sure not to touch anything that is not covered in this article. Make sure the computer is currently logged in as the administrator or any other account with administrative privileges as this program writes directly to the registry. This will allow the program to be used to its full potential.
Choose the maximum download speed on the slider in the General Settings tab. The number in question is the maximum bandwidth in kilobits per second. Check off either the specific Network Interface or simply check off the box that reads Modify All Network Adapters. Towards the bottom, select the radio button indicating Optimal Settings. Hit Apply, then reboot.
Upon rebooting, try opening the web browser and running through the speed test again. There should be a bit of an increase in the download and upload speeds from the beginning of this project, even more significantly so if the previous step with the DSL Speed program worked well.
There are more advanced settings available when using TCP/IP Optimizer. The previous step was merely as basic as the program can get. However, unless present knowledge of the option in question is available, do not touch it or alter it in any way.
Keep in mind that it is not recommended to use this set up in Windows Vista. It will not break the operating system or otherwise cause it any harm, but there is no known registry key that could effectively alter speed or efficiently increase it. This program is recommended for those running Windows XP.
Alternative Tweaks
One way to achieve a high download rate using a DSL broadband set up is to use a segmented download manager, such as FlashGet. All websites have a cap, or a limit, on how much a single user can download from them at a given time. However, with a segmented download manager, a user may download multiple parts of a file simultaneously.
Every time before the computer is to be shut down or the web browser is going to be closed, clear its cache. This will help increase speed, though not significantly by itself.
To conclude, there exist a couple of different ways to optimize and effectively increase one’s DSL broadband speed. If for any reason the above steps do not work, the only thing that may be left to do is simply come up with a few extra dollars per month to get a faster plan.
This entry was posted on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 10:46 am and is filed under Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.