How download speeds drop so drastically

S

skynarc

Active Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Messages
72
Reaction score
0
Can anyone please explain to me how I can go from almost 200kb/sec to a disgusting download speed of 1.5kb/sec?

It baffles me and if there is something I can do about this I would like to do it.

Many thanks,
James
 
Hi Chicken Boo,

This is normal FTP and HTTP downloads.

Seriously, I checked it again and when it crashes, I can resume the download. It starts at 3Mb/sec and then drops to a crazy slow download speed of average 5kb/s!

How do I get a proper download speed?

Cheers
 
I presume it is only you using the line?

Using a download manager?

I would think it has to the cache/proxy server.
I have seen this happen to me as well.
 
Dear OP. You are not the only one on the internet. Get used to it. Server capacity and how many people download from it usually dictates the speed you'll receive. Not all hosts can afford 1Gbps links to satisfy all the hungry downloaders with 10mb/s lines out there. Thus, some hosts are inclined to LIMIT the rate at which you download if they perceive you as a possible threat that would impact other's experience who might be looking to browse to their site/server.

It's more than likely that this is what is happening.
 
Wow AcidRaZor...

Thanks for your wisdom. I am merely trying to figure out how I can get better download speeds when I am downloading backed up databases and sites for my clients. Yes, I am not the only one on the internet but perhaps you could give a more straight answer in future for the less technical people out there. Maybe it is just that I am so frustrated when I know my friends in the US and UK are on line speeds phenomenally faster than our Telkom lines. Lines which we the citizens have paid for and are milked every day for.

MacGuywer, thanks for your answer I will look into this.
 
Seriously dude. 8 Posts in and we still have no idea which ISP/package you're talking about.

Protip: Accurate question -> accurate answer.
 
@skynarc, It would help a lot if you let us know what ISP you using and the line speed.
If you do not know, MWEB as done away yesterday with their paid local peering links, so if you on MWEB and your costomers on Telkom, it would make a HUGE diffrence is DL speed, as it would be routed via international now.
 
Thanks guys.

I am talking in ISP speeds in general here. I have not been part of the MyBroadBand following and wish I had been so I am having a general spat because my line speed is this slow today at work.

- Our ISP is Ensync (which we will be changing as soon as we can because we have nothing but problems with them)
- I have no idea what the line speed is but I am assuming it's the fastest one because we are a web company and this is what we do for a living.
- I am not sure what ADSL package we're on either.

My download finished in the end so I have calmed down some, so excuse my frustration earlier. It just gets my blood boiling when I know South Africans are being milked for every penny because we're on the internet and the rest of the world is so far ahead of us.

I know that things have improved in recent years but is feels like we are still so far behind and there's no reason we should be.

Is there a specific post I can follow here on new develoments/news?

Cheers

-
 
@wetkit

If you do not know, MWEB as done away yesterday with their paid local peering links, so if you on MWEB and your costomers on Telkom, it would make a HUGE diffrence is DL speed, as it would be routed via international now.
Click to expand...

I am not quite sure what you mean here and I have called Mweb 5 times now only to have the technical contact number kill over on me. It sounds positive. Can you tell me a bit more about this please?
 
skynarc said:
Is there a specific post I can follow here on new develoments/news?-
Click to expand...

The front page of mybroadband.co.za is the best place to follow all the latest developments/news regarding South African 'broadband'.
 
Hi,

The site you are copying your database backups from MAY BE implementing burst control on their network.

Burst control means that you get full line speed for a certian period of time, after which your download is slowed down drastically.
Changing your bandwidth provider will not solve the problem as the problem is on the SOURCE side.

Phone the people that host the databases and ask them before you try to solve the wrong problem.
 
@Tick

Thanks very much. Who is the group fighting for better ADSL in South Africa and are their efforts paying off quickly enough?

@Dave

I've emailed the ISP and asked them why I am getting such crappy download speeds. I will see what they have to say.

I watched a show on Special Assignment where they were asking how South Africa can grow as quickly as South Korea has in the past 60 years. Now I doubt very much that if our government said we were in debt and need to pay our debts off that South Africans would queue to sell their jewelery like the South Koreans did so many years ago but one of the outcomes of this massive growth spurt of theirs is their extremely fast move in the technology field. So much so that this year they will implement a network which will download the movie Avatar in 12 seconds flat!

I am nowhere near informed enough about this topic and I am sure this is why this forum exists, but I would love to know how far from this kind of network South Africa is. How many years are we behind and what will it take to get there much quicker?
 
skynarc said:
Can anyone please explain to me how I can go from almost 200kb/sec to a disgusting download speed of 1.5kb/sec?

It baffles me and if there is something I can do about this I would like to do it.

Many thanks,
James
Click to expand...

people make things overly complicated and technical...

the internet connectivity in south africa simply put,

SUCKS B@LLS!!! :D
 
skynarc said:
@Tick

Thanks very much. Who is the group fighting for better ADSL in South Africa and are their efforts paying off quickly enough?

@Dave

I've emailed the ISP and asked them why I am getting such crappy download speeds. I will see what they have to say.

I watched a show on Special Assignment where they were asking how South Africa can grow as quickly as South Korea has in the past 60 years. Now I doubt very much that if our government said we were in debt and need to pay our debts off that South Africans would queue to sell their jewelery like the South Koreans did so many years ago but one of the outcomes of this massive growth spurt of theirs is their extremely fast move in the technology field. So much so that this year they will implement a network which will download the movie Avatar in 12 seconds flat!

I am nowhere near informed enough about this topic and I am sure this is why this forum exists, but I would love to know how far from this kind of network South Africa is. How many years are we behind and what will it take to get there much quicker?
Click to expand...

South Africa/Africa in general is below the world average in terms of Broadband and 90% of anything relating to technology. This is mostly because of the corruption within the Government and because of our stinginess to follow European methods(ADSL over Fibre/Cable).

Most of our big companies that bring in broadband-like services including Telkom and VodaCom all have strong ties(share-holders, original founders, ceo's etc) to people in Europe, meaning these companies come in South Africa and milk us dry. It is no secret they are all making a ***** load of money from us because if we want internet, we have no choice but to pay whatever prices we have in front of us...

Telkom is the scum of all Telecom/Broadband companies we have...and I am sure you will learn of this very, very soon. Hopefully something of a miracle happens in 2011 and maybe Telkom will have another Telecom company come in as a competitor(Government would have to allow) but it's highly unlikely.

For anything to really change, the majority of South Africans(africans in general) would have to be informed that they are being taken advantage of but most of them have no idea because they have no idea what the prices and real conditions of broadband are in N.America, Europe and Asia.

Until the general public learns that they are being scammed and until we all gather as one and demand a change through the Government, things are likely going to move like snail sperm, disgustingly slow.
 
VioAdmin said:
Telkom is the scum of all Telecom/Broadband companies we have...and I am sure you will learn of this very, very soon. Hopefully something of a miracle happens in 2011 and maybe Telkom will have another Telecom company come in as a competitor(Government would have to allow) but it's highly unlikely.
Click to expand...
I've been hearing the same thing since 1990... Neotel was supposed to be the saviour SNO, but realistically failed to compete on the last mile residential front. So what grounds do you base your assumption on that in 2011 we'll have any hope of seeing another Telecom company that actually gets it right? I'm just holding hopes for a new technology (something like LTE which has had lots of hype about performance and latency), or that somehow all the digging and orange fibre-laying that's been going on all over the city and in my neighbourhood is going to bring some kind of surprise/reward in the near future... anything other than that seems hopelessly dead right at this moment xD
 
Go to www.speedtest.net and run a test ... If it shows IS Internet Solutions then you are in their stupid top 20% and being throttled into submission ... Hope that helps identify the issue ...
 
Try downloading from a few different sites and see if you have the same problem on those sites.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X