Why is download speed one tenth of what my provider says?

[CAaronD]

Alright, this is a very "noob" question 😛 But suppose I am paying for a 5MB internet connection, and whenever I download anything I only get up to around 700KBPS at MOST. No matter where I download.
Why does this happen? Is it just me?

 

[CAaronD]

Nevermind. Found out the difference between megabyte and megabit ... Lol.

 

[Kaarel_K]

Maybe a stupid question are you sure you have the units right? B stands for byte. b stands for bit. ISP speeds are often in bits. 1 byte is 8 bits.

 

[techgeek]

Kudos for you for researching and getting the answer on your own.

One piece of advice, if you ever have a concern about your bandwidth, try going to this site:

Speedtest

Pick a server to test that is closest to your location (your ISP may even have a server set up with them) and run the test. It will give you a result for your upstream and downstream bandwidth to compare with what your ISP is supposed to be providing you with. I do this periodically just to keep my ISP honest. Actually caught problems twice that way.

 

[Technowars]

Slow DNS servers could have an affect. Try restarting your modem and router, then try changing your DNS settings.

 

[stephenward]

Check your computer connection sometimes it maybe the cause and try to re-start router and computer it will help boosting speed. Which close down the running programs on your computer and get bit more speed. Hope it helps!