A few Internet Connection/Modem Questions...

[MrGeePee]

1) Is there a program for Mac that will tell me my connection speed and signal strength ?

2) I pay for upto 8MB Internet (My ISP is BT). I just took a speed test online and i get 1940 kb/s (1.9 MB). If i upgraded my wireless modem router to a new one, will i get a faster connection ?

Thanks.

 

[JG271]

On finder, under the "Go" menu, select network utility under the utilities menu, then select your connection type (en0,en1 etc)

 

[MrGeePee]

On finder, under the "Go" menu, select network utility under the utilities menu, then select your connection type (en0,en1 etc)

Thanks mate

Just tried it, i get 54 Mbit/s This is probably because i have an old Belkin modem

If i upgraded it, will i get a much faster connection? rather than 1.9 MB ?

 

[JG271]

No problem, 54 megabits is the speed that most airport cards are, and won't be affected by how good your router is. My mac mini's inbuilt card is 54 megabits/s.
Try http://www.speedtest.net/ to see roughly how fast your internet connection is.

 

[xUKHCx]

It is up to 8MB/s. Your speed will depend on the distance from the distribution point + number of people on that distribution point etc.

54 Mb/s is > 1.9MB/s so chances are you are getting full speed.

You could connect via ethernet to your router and do the speed test again to see if you can get faster speeds.

Unless you have a new mac you are basically limited to 54Mb/s wireless.

 

[MrGeePee]

It is up to 8MB/s. Your speed will depend on the distance from the distribution point + number of people on that distribution point etc.

54 Mb/s is > 1.9MB/s so chances are you are getting full speed.

You could connect via ethernet to your router and do the speed test again to see if you can get faster speeds.

Unless you have a new mac you are basically limited to 54Mb/s wireless.

Ok thanks.

I have the new iMac.

The wireless modem i use at the moment is a Belkin Wireless G Router (2.4 Ghz 802.11g)

Would it be worth upgrading to a Wireless N Router ?

 

[xUKHCx]

From the numbers given I don't think it would be worth upgrading, to test though connect the mac via an ethernet cable and do the speed test again ( a couple of time and take the average), this will give you an indication if the 54Mb/s is the bottleneck.

Do you only have one computer as the N router gives you some other advantages.

 

[MrGeePee]

From the numbers given I don't think it would be worth upgrading, to test though connect the mac via an ethernet cable and do the speed test again ( a couple of time and take the average), this will give you an indication if the 54Mb/s is the bottleneck.

Do you only have one computer as the N router gives you some other advantages.

Thanks allot, il try that.