Virgin 20mb broadband Speed!

[skillz007]

Hi There!

First of all let me say that this is a fantastic forum and site, keep up the good work!

I currently subscribe to Virgin Media 20Mb service. After conducting some speed tests at speedtest.net, I found the following:

Download is 14783 kb/s
Upload is 525kb/s

Does anybody have any tips or things I might try to improve my download and upload speed?

My cable modem is plugged direct via Ethernet.

Here is my TCP/IP Analyzer results as well:

TCP options string = 020405b40103030401010402
MTU = 1500
MTU is fully optimized for broadband.
MSS = 1460
Maximum useful data in each packet = 1460, which equals MSS.
Default TCP Receive Window (RWIN) = 1027840
RWIN Scaling (RFC1323) = 4 bits (scale factor of 8)
Unscaled TCP Receive Window = 64240

RWIN is a multiple of MSS
Other RWIN values that might work well with your current MTU/MSS:
513920 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 8)
256960 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 4)
128480 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 2)
64240 (MSS x 44)
bandwidth * delay product (Note this is not a speed test):

Your TCP Window limits you to: 41114 kbps (5139 KBytes/s) @ 200ms
Your TCP Window limits you to: 16445 kbps (2056 KBytes/s) @ 500ms
MTU Discovery (RFC1191) = ON
Time to live left = 50 hops
TTL value is ok.
Timestamps (RFC1323) = OFF
Selective Acknowledgements (RFC2018) = ON
IP type of service field (RFC1349) = 00000000 (0)

Have a nice day! I look forward to your help and advice!

Skillz

[trogers]

Try the following with TCP Optimizer:

General Settings tab:
Custom settings - check
Modify All Network Adapters - check
network adapter selection - your NIC
MTU 1500
TTL - 64
TCP Receive Window - 513920
MTU Discovery - Yes
Black Hole Detect - No
Selective Acks - Yes
Max Duplicate ACKs - 2
TCP 1323 Options:
Windows Scaling - checked
Timestamps - uncheck

Advanced Settings tab:
Max Connections per Server - 10
Max Connections per 1.0 Server - 20
LocalPriority - 1
Host Priority - 1
DNSPriority - 1
NetbtPriority - 1
Lan Browsing speedup - optimized
QoS: NonBestEffortLimit - 0
ToS: DisableUserTOSSetting - 0
ToS: DefaultTOSValue - 80
MaxNegativeCacheTtl - 0
NetFailureCacheTime - 0
NegativeSOACache Time - 0
LAN Request Buffer Size - 32768
Then select "Apply Changes" and reboot to take effect

[skillz007]

Thanks very much!

[skillz007]

Sorry forgot to mention the new speeds!

Here are the new results:

Download 15084 kb/s
Upload 705 kb/s

Speedguide Results:

TCP options string = 020405b40103030301010402
MTU = 1500
MTU is fully optimized for broadband.
MSS = 1460
Maximum useful data in each packet = 1460, which equals MSS.
Default TCP Receive Window (RWIN) = 513920
RWIN Scaling (RFC1323) = 3 bits (scale factor of 6)
Unscaled TCP Receive Window = 64240

RWIN is a multiple of MSS
Other RWIN values that might work well with your current MTU/MSS:
513920 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 8) <-- current value
256960 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 4)
128480 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 2)
64240 (MSS x 44)
bandwidth * delay product (Note this is not a speed test):

Your TCP Window limits you to: 20557 kbps (2570 KBytes/s) @ 200ms
Your TCP Window limits you to: 8223 kbps (1028 KBytes/s) @ 500ms
MTU Discovery (RFC1191) = ON
Time to live left = 50 hops
TTL value is ok.
Timestamps (RFC1323) = OFF
Selective Acknowledgements (RFC2018) = ON
IP type of service field (RFC1349) = 00000000 (0)

Is that the maximum settings for speeding up my connection?
My internet is much faster than before!

Thanks for your help!

Skillz

[trogers]

Do a tracert to www.yahoo.com and post.

To do a tracert, click 'Start' and then 'Run'. Type "cmd" into the box and click 'ok'.

A DOS black screen will appear. Type after the C:\>

tracert www.yahoo.com

and press enter key

When test is completed, move mouse cursor to the DOS black screen, click right and choose 'select all'.

Move mouse cursor to the Quick Reply box of this forum, click right and 'paste'.

[skillz007]

Ok this is what it says:

C:\Documents and Settings\Riaan.UNDISCOV>tracert www.yahoo.com

Tracing route to www.yahoo-ht3.akadns.net [87.248.113.14]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 7 ms 10 ms 14 ms 10.132.128.1
2 7 ms 9 ms 8 ms 62-31-64-161.cable.ubr06.brad.blueyonder.co.uk [
62.31.64.161]
3 38 ms 20 ms 27 ms pc-62-30-251-41-ro.blueyonder.co.uk [62.30.251.4
1]
4 24 ms 20 ms 20 ms pc-62-30-251-2-ro.blueyonder.co.uk [62.30.251.2]

5 24 ms 20 ms 21 ms 194.117.136.213
6 25 ms 19 ms 14 ms 194.117.136.169
7 19 ms 19 ms 23 ms 194.117.136.166
8 20 ms 21 ms 26 ms ge-2-0-7.lon11.ip.tiscali.net [213.200.78.37]
9 31 ms 34 ms 32 ms so-0-0-0.dub20.ip.tiscali.net [213.200.80.42]
10 33 ms 32 ms 44 ms yahoo-overture-gw2.dub20.ip.tiscali.net [213.200
.67.202]
11 32 ms 32 ms 30 ms ge-1-2.bas-b1.ird.yahoo.com [87.248.101.9]
12 35 ms 34 ms 33 ms f1.us.www.vip.ird.yahoo.com [87.248.113.14]

Trace complete.

C:\Documents and Settings\Riaan.UNDISCOV>

[skillz007]

Thanks for all your help!

Is that the info you needed?

[skillz007]

I hope I did it right!

Anyway thanks again so far for all your time my internet was way slower before!

Regards!

[trogers]

Ok this is what it says:

C:\Documents and Settings\Riaan.UNDISCOV>tracert www.yahoo.com

Tracing route to www.yahoo-ht3.akadns.net [87.248.113.14]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 7 ms 10 ms 14 ms 10.132.128.1
2 7 ms 9 ms 8 ms 62-31-xxx-xxx.cable.ubr06.brad.blueyonder.co.uk [
62.31.xxx.xxx]
3 38 ms 20 ms 27 ms pc-62-30-251-41-ro.blueyonder.co.uk [62.30.251.41]
4 24 ms 20 ms 20 ms pc-62-30-251-2-ro.blueyonder.co.uk [62.30.251.2]
5 24 ms 20 ms 21 ms 194.117.136.213
6 25 ms 19 ms 14 ms 194.117.136.169
7 19 ms 19 ms 23 ms 194.117.136.166
8 20 ms 21 ms 26 ms ge-2-0-7.lon11.ip.tiscali.net [213.200.78.37]
9 31 ms 34 ms 32 ms so-0-0-0.dub20.ip.tiscali.net [213.200.80.42]
10 33 ms 32 ms 44 ms yahoo-overture-gw2.dub20.ip.tiscali.net [213.200.67.202]
11 32 ms 32 ms 30 ms ge-1-2.bas-b1.ird.yahoo.com [87.248.101.9]
12 35 ms 34 ms 33 ms f1.us.www.vip.ird.yahoo.com [87.248.113.14]

Trace complete.

C:\Documents and Settings\Riaan.UNDISCOV>

Uneven ping times at your modem in hop 1 suggested the modem is being affected by electromagnetic interference from some nearby electrical devices. Turn off power to the modem and relocate it until all 3 ping times at hop 1 become equal.

[skillz007]

I moved the modem around but I cannot get all the first settings to be exactly the same. Hera are the new settings. What different does it make to your internet speed? Where should I put the modem as not to get interference?


Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Riaan.UNDISCOV>tracert www.yahoo.com

Tracing route to www.yahoo-ht3.akadns.net [87.248.113.14]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 10 ms 7 ms 10 ms 10.132.128.1
2 9 ms 11 ms 12 ms 62-31-64-161.cable.ubr06.brad.blueyonder.co.uk [
62.31.64.161]
3 21 ms 19 ms 21 ms pc-62-30-251-41-ro.blueyonder.co.uk [62.30.251.4
1]
4 27 ms 20 ms 25 ms pc-62-30-251-2-ro.blueyonder.co.uk [62.30.251.2]

5 21 ms 20 ms 24 ms 194.117.136.213
6 95 ms 199 ms 208 ms 194.117.136.169
7 35 ms 19 ms 23 ms 194.117.136.166
8 24 ms 22 ms 56 ms ge-2-0-7.lon11.ip.tiscali.net [213.200.78.37]
9 34 ms 36 ms 30 ms so-0-0-0.dub20.ip.tiscali.net [213.200.80.42]
10 32 ms 35 ms 32 ms yahoo-overture-gw2.dub20.ip.tiscali.net [213.200
.67.202]
11 34 ms 39 ms 42 ms ge-1-4.bas-b2.ird.yahoo.com [87.248.101.15]
12 32 ms 31 ms 32 ms f1.us.www.vip.ird.yahoo.com [87.248.113.14]

Trace complete.

C:\Documents and Settings\Riaan.UNDISCOV>

I dont know if it will help but my modem is a: Scientific-Atlanta Cable Modem EPC1200.

[trogers]

Common sources of interference are:

Speakers and sub-woofer
Cordless phone
Router
Power supply box inside the comp tower
Coiled electrical and signal cables.

[skillz007]

Well I have moved it everywhere and still the same results. Will it affect my internet speed in any way if I leave it be as is? All I can think of could be tangled cables or monitors. Should the modem be plugged into its own power supply and how far should it be example in feet from speakers and devices and where would the best placement be under a table or on top etc.

Or is there any other settings or something I could do to further improve my internet speed!

[trogers]

Well I have moved it everywhere and still the same results. Will it affect my internet speed in any way if I leave it be as is? All I can think of could be tangled cables or monitors. Should the modem be plugged into its own power supply and how far should it be example in feet from speakers and devices and where would the best placement be under a table or on top etc.

Or is there any other settings or something I could do to further improve my internet speed!

If the table top is congested with devices, place the modem under the table, unless it is also a combined wireless router unit and should be placed in an elevated position.

Try rearranging your cables into straight bundles. It is coils of wires that generate electromagnetism.

Another possible cause for uneven ping times at the modem is the presence of spyware/malware.

Turn System Restore off and scan with SpyBot, Ad-Aware 2007 and a-Squared Free:

Control Panel -> System -> Tab to System Restore and set accordingly

[skillz007]

I use webroot spysweeper on a regular basis and have no spyware, but I will try and do a scan without system restore with the programs you mentioned.

Will see what I can do about the cables, but will it matter speedwise if the ping times are uneven? I want to try and tune my system speed to the max.

I have my speakers on both sides, monitor and keyboard in the middle, pc tower on the floor and modem on the table slightly behind my right speaker to the left. My wires from my cable is coiled up as it is quite long, was like that when engineered installed cable broadband. Power extension plug is on the floor. Pc is plugged into it as well as the speakers and monitor. Next to that is my cable line in the right hand corner on the floor running into my pc.

I hope that helps!

[trogers]

Will see what I can do about the cables, but will it matter speedwise if the ping times are uneven? I want to try and tune my system speed to the max.

I have my speakers on both sides, monitor and keyboard in the middle, pc tower on the floor and modem on the table slightly behind my right speaker to the left. My wires from my cable is coiled up as it is quite long, was like that when engineered installed cable broadband. Power extension plug is on the floor. Pc is plugged into it as well as the speakers and monitor. Next to that is my cable line in the right hand corner on the floor running into my pc.

I hope that helps!

Ideally, we hope to achieve a clean and clear signal line in order to maximise speed.

Uncoil your wires and lay them with 2 U-bends a distance apart if you cannot trim off the extra lengths. Electric current passing through a coil produces electromagnetism as taught in high school.

Read through experiences of some of our members:

http://www.speedguide.net/read_articles.php?id=117