Possible router problem

Question

Hi all
I have a Netgear DG834G wireless router and iam not sure if i have a problem with it. I have a 8mb BB line. When I log in to the router it tells me I have a downstream speed of 5400 kbps which I think is quite good the upstream speed is 448 kbps which again I think is normal. For the last few days safari seems to be working slow as in loading pages ect. I have tried a BB speed test and it tells me my conection speed is only 1500 kbps. so what gives. It looks to me that the problem is with the router as iam getting high speed at the router but a slower speed at my mac. It makes no difference if i connect wireless or with an ethernet cable. I have checked all my settings and they are all ok. So any ideas I dont mind buying a new router if thats the problem but I dont want to throw it away if its ok. Prehaps someone could advise me of a good router to buy.
Thanks Rob
Powermac 2.7   Mac OS X (10.4.8)  

Answer 1

Don't junk the router. Speak to your ISP as a first step. Send him your test results as attachments, but ensure they have been derived from a router connection direct into the BT Master Socket. Try both the socket on the front of the box and then into the socket behind the removeable lower section of the Master Socket, that is where the "BT Domain" starts. Use BTs speed test page.
What the router says is the connection speed (what I assume is the meaning of your first refernce to speed) is a sort of theoretical maximum speed derived from a sort of test that does not exactly replicate normal data transfer usage.
The actual data transfer speed would vary from that according to the number of spiders in the junction boxes and other transient variables and there is also a matter of contention.
The ISP can only grouse to BT if there is such a deficiency that they can argue an actual FAULT that BT could correct. They probaly would try but could not force the issue.
If there is a fault other than as above it is that ISPs speak about speeds such as 8MBPS that no one has ever got. You might try a "Trading Standards Complaint" along those lines. The ISPs will say that they only promise speeds of "UP TO 8MBPS" and that means anything from one bit per second to 8MBPS unless you could get a court to say otherwise.
The Netgear router will not be at fault.