What is slowing down my internet?

Question

I have ATT DSL and I used to be able to download stuff using firefox, etc. at 150-200 kB/s. However, now my internet has severely slowed down to 70-79 kB/s max. This is my max for both my laptop (which i connect to the wirelessly) AND my computer (which is connected to the internet by the wire). I've been trying to find out what is slowing me down but i can't find anything. I doubt anyone is using my internet because i have a password on it.

So i've been wondering, does the kind of wireless router or DSL modem affect your internet speed?

And do DSL modems and wireless routers slow down after a year or two of use? (i rarely turn them off)

Or is it my ISP or something else?

Can someone please help me with this issue? because it is really fustrating for me to see my internet speed cut like that. I want to get at least my comp to be able to run at the speed it used to go at, which was around 150 kB/s.

Answer 1

the problem may be your isp, many isp's have what is termed a fair use policy which means if you do a lot of downloading and I mean excessive downloading they may consider you've abused the service and reduce your speed at certain times of the day.

another thing which can affect your connection speed when using dsl is the condition of then phone lines it may just be a bad connection try cleaning the connectors a lot of phones say three or four or more connected to the line can also have an adverse effect on speed try disconnecting one or two to see what happens to your connection speed

if you still get no joy contact your isp and ask them what's going on

Answer 2

Reseting your modem/router could fix the problem