Way slow broadband

[Mala]

I'm having awful problems with lack of speed on my wireless broadband. I'm wondering if it might conceivably be a setting on my computer that's the problem.

Here's my system: I have a G4 15" PowerBook running Panther. I'm using mostly Safari and Eudora. The broadband comes from an antenna on the roof pointed at the Guinness tower in Dublin.

I downloaded Speed Download to try to measure the kind of speeds I'm getting, and it's showing my download speeds as an average of about 5k/s for a game demo I downloaded, and then after my broadband provider tweaked my settings, about 27k/s from the Apple site for...something, not sure what it was. iCal maybe.

The support guy in my provider found that he could push 220k/s through my system - but meanwhile from this end my system is as slow as ever. He's calling in the big guns - but on the other hand, I don't want to waste their time if it's possible that the problem is with my computer's settings or system.

Is there anything I should do to speed the system's connection to the internet?

 

[Les Kern]

Probably not you.
I have wireless also. There were only two times I EVER had any problems is when I patched everything into a 100BT hub. For some reason it wouldn't allow the free flow of packets and I was losing 10-30%. Once I switched to a router all was fine. If you are plugged directly from the converter to your Mac, it is NOT you.
Second, I was having some connection issues and it was found that my channel was incorrect, that some crossover noise was being generated. I went from ch 11 to 9 and it now flies. I get 2,500 down (!) and 500 up.
My guess is it's the channel. Or maybe there is a lag when it has to translate from english to irish!

 

[Mala]

Les, thanks for this. They've speeded up my service a fair bit, but it's still not *super* fast yet. I'll call what you said to my provider's attention.