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[kashe]

Good morning All.  I have posted in this forum quite some time ago and it was helpful then but I thought I would give it another go.

We recently bought a home and just moved in.  That being the case, we got a new ISP (Cincinnati Bell DSL).  The service is advertised as "Up to 5Mbps." 

My current equipment:

PC:
OS Name   Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Version   6.1.7600 Build 7600
Other OS Description    Not Available
OS Manufacturer   Microsoft Corporation
System Name   HOME-PC
System Manufacturer   Dell Inc.
System Model   Dell DM061
System Type   X86-based PC
Processor   Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU          6400  @ 2.13GHz, 2128 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date   Dell Inc. 1.0.2, 8/30/2006
SMBIOS Version   2.3
Windows Directory   C:\Windows
System Directory   C:\Windows\system32
Boot Device   \Device\HarddiskVolume2
Locale   United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer   Version = "6.1.7600.16385"
User Name   Home-PC\Aaron
Time Zone   Eastern Daylight Time
Installed Physical Memory (RAM)   4.00 GB
Total Physical Memory   3.00 GB
Available Physical Memory   1.63 GB
Total Virtual Memory   5.99 GB
Available Virtual Memory   3.36 GB
Page File Space   3.00 GB
Page File   C:\pagefile.sys

Wireless Adapter:
ASUS (USB-N13) Wireless-N USB Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates

Modem:
Westell 6100 Wired Modem

Wireless Router:
D-Link DIR-655

My current configuration:
The modem and router are located in my family room on the main floor.  The desktop is upstairs in our office so is clearly connected wireless via the ASUS usb adapter.  The only other device that is intermittently on the network is my ASUS netbook (used sparingly) and eventually I hope to connect my PS3.  I have done very little as far as tinkering in the router settings by accessing via the browser.  Over a year ago I spent quite a bit of time trying to get a "NAT TYPE: OPEN" status on PS3 by adjusting settings in the router but I never could achieve that.

When I run the speed test (speedtest.net) these are the results I get:
Ping - 34 (oddly this was in well above 300 when I tested last night)
Download - 0.66Mbps
Upload - 0.37Mbps

So what can I do to achieve faster speeds?  Am I limited by the hardware I have?  My Dell is roughly 6 years old.  Am I limited by Cincinnati Bell?  Is it the location of the wireless router?  Are there settings I can adjust to create a faster connection?

Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!

[FurryNutz]

Link>Welcome! back.
What Hardware version is your router? Look at sticker under router.
Link>What Firmware version is currently loaded? Found on routers web page under status.

What ISP Modem do you have? Stand Alone or built in router?
What ISP Modem make and model do you have?
If this modem has a built in router, it's best to bridge the modem. Having 2 routers on the same line can cause connection problems.
Double NAT
To tell if the modem is bridged or not, look at the routers web page, Status/Device Info/Wan Section, if there is a 192.168.0.# address in the WAN IP address field, then the modem is not bridged.
If the modem can't be bridged then see if the modem has a DMZ option and input the IP address the router gets from the modem and put that into the modems DMZ.

Some things to try: - Log into the routers web page at 192.168.0.1.
Turn off Advanced DNS Services if you have this option under Setup/Internet/Manual.
Turn on DNS Relay under Setup/Networking.
Setup DHCP reserved IP addresses for all devices ON the router. Setup/Networking
Ensure devices are set to auto obtain an IP address.
Set Firewall settings to Endpoint Independent for TCP and UDP under Advanced/Firewall.
Enable uPnP and Multi-cast Streaming under Advanced/Networking.

Link>Wireless Installation Considerations
What wireless modes are you using? Under Setup/Wireless/Manual.
Try single mode G or N or mixed G and N?
Channel Width set for Auto 20/40Mhz or try 20Mhz only.
Try setting a manual channel to a open or unused channel. 1, 6 or 11. 11 for single mode N if the channel is clear.
What security mode are you using? Preferred security is WPA-Personal. WPA2/AES Only. Some WiFi adapters don't support AES, so you might want to try TPIK only or Auto.
Any cordless house phones?
Any other WiFi routers in the area? Link> Use InSSIDer to find out. How many?
Turn off WISH, and WPS under Advanced.
Try turning off Short GI, WLAN Partition,and Extra Wireless Protection if you have it. Under Advanced/Advanced Wireless.

Turn off all anti virus and firewall programs on PC while testing. 3rd party firewalls are not generally needed when using routers as they are effective on blocking malicious inbound traffic.
Turn off all devices accept for one wired PC while testing.

Check cable between Modem and Router, swap out to be sure. Link> Cat6 is recommended.

When speed testing, it's always recommended to speed over a wired connection, not wireless as theres too many variables that impact performance and getting accurate results. I would test the speed again using a wired PC to the router.

Also being on a different level from the main host router and wireless will impact signal and performances. If you have multiple levels, it might be good to add another wireless AP on that level. Say a DAP model device that DLink has.

For set up of the PS, there is a sticky in the FAQ Library for setting that system up. Be ware that NAT status should be OPEN or NAT Type 2 when connected behind a external router.

Keep us posted.

[kashe]

So I made the recommended changes and I tested the same.

So that brings me back to my original question: Is it a hardware issue?  Is my PC just not equipped to have faster speeds?  Is it a DSL limitation problem?

[FurryNutz]

If you could answer some of the questions presented, this would help us get a bit more information from you and give you a better answer to your question.
Anything is possible.

What is your ISP Speed UP and Down that you pay for is another question you could answer for us?

[kashe]

I answered the majority of these questions in my initial post.

But again,

ISP is Cincinnati Bell DSL.  The Down speed is advertised at 5 Mbps and the Up speed is advertised as 3 Mbps.

If you could answer some of the questions presented, this would help us get a bit more information from you and give you a better answer to your question.
Anything is possible.

What is your ISP Speed UP and Down that you pay for is another question you could answer for us?

[FurryNutz]

Is the DSL modem running in bridged mode or have a bridge mode?
Are you speed results happening on both wired and wireless connections?
While testing speeds, it's only recommended to test via wired connections. There are to many variables for wireless to provide an accurate speed test.
Did you turn OFF Traffic Shaping and QoS to test?
Swap cables between modem and router?
Any other WiFi routers in the area? Link> Use InSSIDer to find out. How many?
Verified with your ISP that the signal going to the ISP modem is good and no signal issues? phone line filtered correctly?

Any logs on the Modem and Router when you notice this?

[FurryNutz]

May want to review this:
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/7125