No one's ever going to write your DSL speed a ticket for going too fast. But you might decide to write it a ticket yourself for going too slow, dawdling when it should be downloading that latest trailer from the new Tom Cruise movie at lightning speed.
Expected Speeds
DSL speed is measured in the number of bits of data per second that the connection delivers to your computer. For a basic home connection, it can be up to 800 kilobits per second while downloading information, and 400 kilobits per second when uploading information - as when sending an email, for example - tops.
Several factors determine your DSL speed. Your speed typically increases the closer you are to the home office of the internet service provider that is sending the signal. You need to be within 18,000 feet to receive DSL service in the first place, but for every 1,000 feet closer you get to the office, expect a bump in speed of at least 1,000 kilobits per second. This is mainly due to the nature of the copper wire carrying the DSL signal.
Next, your DSL speed depends on what type of account you have and whether or not you're exceeding any download or email storage quotas. If you signed up for a flatrate DSL plan and managed to go over your limits, your service provider might slow down your DSL speed to compensate.
Troubleshooting
If your DSL speed is crawling along like a snail - and you can find free tools online to gauge how fast your connection is - consider switching to cable broadband. Unlike DSL, where the farther away from the main trunk of the service provider you are, the slower the connection, distance doesn't matter with cable broadband. Signed a long-term contract for DSL?
No worries; there are still ways to boost your DSL speed. First, make sure all connections between computer and modem are tight. There's nothing worse than spending an hour cursing at customer service because your connection is down before realizing the cat knocked a plug loose.
Next, make sure the proper filters are installed on the phone jack. The installation manual for your modem will show you how. There should be a voice filter and a modem filter, with the respective lines plugged in.
Finally, run a virus scan and delete your web browser cache. Spyware hogs your computer's processing power, while the cache takes up space that could be used to temporarily store web pages to let your hard drive access them faster. Faster hard drive equals faster DSL speed!
