Download speeds slow on some sites, but normal on others

[Japlex]

I've been having troubles with my internet for awhile now. My internet is advertised at around 5mbps, but I can only get that when downloading from some websites. Most download websites (mediafire, rapidshare, etc.) I download at around 50-100KB/s. But, Cnet allows me to download at like 500-700KB/s. Also, when downloading from steam, I get 600-700+KB/s. I understand that some websites don't exactly have the bandwidth Steam does, but I think this is a little bit ridiculous. With download speeds that slow, those websites wouldn't be very popular. It's not just those websites, either. Almost every other website I download from goes that slow. There's only a few exceptions. I've been struggling with this for quite some time. I have tried calling my ISP, but they've basically been no help. Can anyone help with this problem?

Thanks,
Japlex

 

[Carobthomp]

I work for an ISP, so I can tell you for a fact, they can't really do anything here, it is their job just to provide you with the speed to your modem. If you are connecting over WiFi, this is normal because WiFi speeds are completely inconsistent.

If you are hardwired, then that makes it a bit easier. Keep in mind that 5Mbps is Megabits, not Mega Bytes, so if you are referring to KB as Kilabytes, not Kbps, then that number does start to make sense. It also has a lot to do with the connections coming from the servers, and there is no way to guarantee any sort of dedicated speed.

The 5Mbps you get from your ISP is an up-to speed, so at maximum, that is what you will download. If you find it's not doing it for you, I would try maybe upgrading your internet speed, or if using WiFi, do some troubleshooting to improve that WiFi speed.

 

[navysealbrian]

Well, sites like rapidshare throttle their service. Download sites like that HAVE to throttle speeds because if they allowed everyone to download at their max speed, they would have service issues. Some download sites let you pay to unlock certain features like uncapping bandwidth restrictions and how many things you can download at once.

 

[Japlex]

I work for an ISP, so I can tell you for a fact, they can't really do anything here, it is their job just to provide you with the speed to your modem. If you are connecting over WiFi, this is normal because WiFi speeds are completely inconsistent.

If you are hardwired, then that makes it a bit easier. Keep in mind that 5Mbps is Megabits, not Mega Bytes, so if you are referring to KB as Kilabytes, not Kbps, then that number does start to make sense. It also has a lot to do with the connections coming from the servers, and there is no way to guarantee any sort of dedicated speed.

The 5Mbps you get from your ISP is an up-to speed, so at maximum, that is what you will download. If you find it's not doing it for you, I would try maybe upgrading your internet speed, or if using WiFi, do some troubleshooting to improve that WiFi speed.

I get that it's an up-to speed, but why is it slow for some downloads, whereas others it's perfectly normal. I get the speed as advertised at all times when downloading on Steam or something, but that is not the case for most other websites. I am aware of the kilobytes vs. kilobits thing, and I am wired. But, I just want to know why it's normal for some websites, but not others.

 

[Carobthomp]

^Navysealbrain makes a good point, it's not really that there is an issue, it's more that with Steam it's going to work great, but with file share sites and other sites related to that will lock you out at a certain point.

 

[Japlex]

I get that it will go slow for some sites, but it goes slower than it should. Other people get faster download speeds than I do at the websites that go slow for me. I know it's some other problem, but I don't know what's causing it or how to solve it.

 

[navysealbrian]

Listen, you are getting your advertized speed, your Steam download speeds proves it. If you are getting slower speeds elsewhere, then that means that there is throttling from the server you are downloading at or there is large distance between you and the server (latency), both of which you have no control over. I haven't used any download sites in quite some time, but I remember there being a very low cap on some of them, I remember going as slow as 100 KB/s if not slower. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/02/to-reduce-piracy-rapidshare-throttles-download-speed-for-free-users/

 

[Kewlx25]

Listen, you are getting your advertized speed, your Steam download speeds proves it. If you are getting slower speeds elsewhere, then that means that there is throttling from the server you are downloading at or there is large distance between you and the server (latency), both of which you have no control over. I haven't used any download sites in quite some time, but I remember there being a very low cap on some of them, I remember going as slow as 100 KB/s if not slower. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/02/to-reduce-piracy-rapidshare-throttles-download-speed-for-free-users/

The Steam download doesn't "prove" it, but it does show that his line speed is working. His ISP could have a local Akamai CDN that is giving him fast Steam patches, but otherwise speed issues for other services. I do overall agree with your post, I just wanted to point out that your "absolutist" statement is still a grey area.

 

[Japlex]

I just want to point out how slow the speeds are. On many websites, when downloading various programs, my speeds go lower than 50KB/s. I recently got an "upgrade" to my internet that was supposed to change the speed. As stated earlier, this worked with Steam and a few other websites, but the other websites, which used to download at over 100KB/s, slowed down to 50KB/s or lower.

 

[Kewlx25]

You could try doing a trace route or ping to the server from which you are downloading, while you're downloading. This would give you an idea if the path is congested.

It's relatively easy to figure out if your network connection is bad, because it negatively affects everything you do. What's hard is trying to figure out if your ISP is purposefully throttling your connection to specific routes or services.

You could try using BitTorrent and downloading a popular Linux ISO from http://linuxtracker.org/ That would let you know if you're getting your full download to the general internet.

 

[Japlex]

You could try doing a trace route or ping to the server from which you are downloading, while you're downloading. This would give you an idea if the path is congested.

It's relatively easy to figure out if your network connection is bad, because it negatively affects everything you do. What's hard is trying to figure out if your ISP is purposefully throttling your connection to specific routes or services.

You could try using BitTorrent and downloading a popular Linux ISO from http://linuxtracker.org/ That would let you know if you're getting your full download to the general internet.

I started the download of "openSUSE-12.3-DVD-x86_64.iso" and got around 600-700KB/s. I started a download of the AMD Catalyst beta driver, (242MB) and it went at a speed of 50-90KB/s. I did a traceroute, and nothing seems to be out of the ordinary in terms of traffic. I did six hops, all pings were below 100ms.

 

[Kewlx25]

You could try this site to see if it claims you're getting throttled. It has tests for different protocols. Probably select HTTP.

http://broadband.mpi-sws.org/transparency/bttest.php

I'm not sure how accurate it is, but I've seen it recommended in the past by many tech sites.

 

[Japlex]

I did the HTTP test, but it said my ISP was not throttling me. If they're not, what could be the reason for my internet being so slow on some websites?

 

[Kewlx25]

May want to try downloading with another machine to rule out it's not your computer doing something.

 

[toniyammine89]

I've been having troubles with my internet for awhile now. My internet is advertised at around 5mbps, but I can only get that when downloading from some websites. Most download websites (mediafire, rapidshare, etc.) I download at around 50-100KB/s. But, Cnet allows me to download at like 500-700KB/s. Also, when downloading from steam, I get 600-700+KB/s. I understand that some websites don't exactly have the bandwidth Steam does, but I think this is a little bit ridiculous. With download speeds that slow, those websites wouldn't be very popular. It's not just those websites, either. Almost every other website I download from goes that slow. There's only a few exceptions. I've been struggling with this for quite some time. I have tried calling my ISP, but they've basically been no help. Can anyone help with this problem?

Thanks,
Japlex

I have the same problem i also have a 5mbps wifi speed but some sites restrict their download speed to gain more money (in this case you should subscribe to their premium account to get your full speed) so don't worry it's not your
problem.In case you never get a speed above 300-400 kb/s in any download this will be a problem with maybe your hardware or your service provider in this case you can contact them and get help.

sorry for my bad English.