In my last post, I talked about troubleshooting a computer with a slow network connection. If you’ve verified that the speed problems you’re having aren’t related to your computer’s network configuration or firewall settings, there are other diagnostics you can use to shed some light on why your connection may be slow.

Some Simple Tests Can Measure Your Computer Speed

If your problem shows up while browsing the Web or seems to affect a particular site, try clearing your browser’s cache. This will remove any old information your browser may be using. Try to reload the site. If the site still seems slow, but other sites work fine, the site may be having trouble serving visitor requests. In this case, there’s not much you can do to improve the site’s performance.

If you can’t find any specific trouble with your computer or its configuration, you may want to measure the speed of your broadband service. Most broadband providers will offer services that promise to deliver “up to” a certain bandwidth amount. Rarely do they offer a guaranteed upload and download speed unless you pay extra for a business-class service.

Due to the nature of TCP/IP networks, the performance of the network is determined, in part, by how many other people are using the network at the same time. If many people are using the network, your performance will be degraded. This is another situation that you don’t have much control over, but you can determine how much bandwidth you’re receiving at any given time.

There are several online bandwidth-testing sites that will measure your upload and download speeds. These tests can be a little deceiving because they’re simply measuring how fast you can send and receive data to and from their site. Your results when connected to a different site may be completely different. One site you can use to test your speed is SpeedTest. The site will recommend a test server that’s relatively close to your location, and provide you with upload and download speeds. Don’t be surprised if your download speed is much faster than your upload speed. This is normal, especially for broadband connections.

If you’re like most residential users, you’ll be more interested in the download speeds than the upload speeds. Track your speeds over a period of time. If your download speed is consistently poor, your only recourse is to ask your provider to check the service they’re delivering to your home. If the service meets their internal standards, your provider isn’t likely to do much more testing on your behalf.

Photo Credit: Doc Searls

Tags: faster computer, slow computer, slow network connection, speed up computer