How To Make your DSL faster

Level of difficulty: Intermediate

Broadband or high speed Internet does not really go as fast as we want it to go probably because most of the packages offered by Internet Service Providers (ISP) operate on a bandwidth sharing scheme which unfortunately makes the actual connection speed lower than what you had subscribed to. There are a number of factors that can affect the performance of your DSL connection which include multiple simultaneous file downloads, route taken by the data packet, multiple simultaneous users, number of hops between the servers, and even electrical interference in some cases. Essentially, the speed of the DSL connection is defined by the ISP using DSLAM which effectively limits the accessible bandwidth to what the customer has subscribed to. The condition and configuration of the computer system used to access the Internet must also be taken into consideration because the slowdown may be happening at the part of the user and not from the side of the DSL provider.

Materials Needed:
- Modem
- Internet connection
- Web browser
- Computer
- DSL tweak tool
Step 1
To address issues of electrical spikes and interference which can affect the performance of the DSL modem as well as the router, it would be wise to purchase a reliable AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulator) along with a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) unit to eliminate this problem. A regular power strip with surge suppression cannot provide the same amount of protection.
Step 2
Having eliminated the electrical issue, it is first important to establish exactly the speed of your DSL connection. Launch the Web browser and go to the Speedtest.net website.
Step 3
Click on the appropriate server location relative to your area to initiate the testing.
Step 4
Take note of the resulting speed clocked by the website. This will serve as your baseline to accurately know whether there is an increase or decrease in your DSL speed.
Step 5
Download and install the DSL tweaking program DSL Speed from the dsl-speed.net website. You will need an extraction application that can handle ZIP format to completely decompress the contents of the archive.
Step 6
Launch the DSL Speed software. From the pop up window choose Process followed by Advance Optimize.
Step 7
Select the Process option again. Close all open windows and restart your machine.
Step 8
After completion of the reboot process, launch the Web browser and go back to the Speedtest website. Compare the resulting speed with your initial figure. The DSL connection should register a significant increase.
Step 9
Additional things that can be done is to clean up the browser cache regularly or emptying its contents on exit. Check the help file of your browser on how to do this.
Step 10
Installing a download accelerator program can help in speeding up downloads but not surfing. This program can be useful if the user frequently downloads files from the Internet.
Step 11
Contact your DSL provider for information on Proxy Server configuration. Your DSL provider will assist you on how to set this up.
Step 12
The last possible way of speeding up your DSL connection is to upgrade your subscribed speed. Of course this would mean paying additional to your provider.