A slight question on speeds

[johnroach1985]

Hiya all,just have a question on my internet connection .I bought an 268adsl even tough it says its 268 it downloads to a max of 20-22kb per sec.i have an apache modem which is connected to a switch(my brothers computer supposed to be hooked up to it but he is not here at moment so ther e is only one connection and thats me) and my comp is hooked up to the switch as well.Anyways just wanted to know if this slow connection is due to my switdh or is it supposed to be liked this if you want any more info to answer this question please ask...

[JANINE]

Hiya all,just have a question on my internet connection .I bought an 268adsl even tough it says its 268 it downloads to a max of 20-22kb per sec.i have an apache modem which is connected to a switch(my brothers computer supposed to be hooked up to it but he is not here at moment so ther e is only one connection and thats me) and my comp is hooked up to the switch as well.Anyways just wanted to know if this slow connection is due to my switdh or is it supposed to be liked this if you want any more info to answer this question please ask...

i think its more than likely to be your switch here rather than the modem.
try connecting to the modem directly without the intermediate need for the switch and then see if the download rate improves.

if you wanted to connect more than one PC to this modem - lob out the switch for now (hypothetically speaking) and go get yourself a 4 port router. if you can get one that also has wireless capabilities then go for that as this will help if you want to hook up a lappy at any time (provided you have a wireless PCMIA card):)

can you siupply more info on your network layout and i'll try and help you more if i can.

[mikeandike22]

dont rule out that it might just be the place you are downloading content from (unless this happens everywhere). and the 268 doesnt mean that is how fast your downloads are going to be it is like bandwidth or similiar. my opinion is that adsl is crap and you should just get a better connection prob at least 768.

[JANINE]

certainly a possibility

[johnroach1985]

ok a slight question what the difference between a switch and a router?

[JANINE]

A router is the main object used in the network whereas a switch is like a secondary router. you can connect a switch to a router then connect a group of pcs or other switches to that. A standard router can take upto 256 computers but it'll need the aid of switches to help it along.

for a more detailed approach google ur question. i've only put a very brief description here

[kc0arf]

Hello,

First, your 268 adsl is measuring bandwidth in BITS, and reporting to you a download rate in BYTES. There are 8 bits to a byte. Also realize that is a therotical maximum, and doesn't account for protocol overhead, or the speed of the sender. If you are connecting to a site that is linked to the internet via a modem, you are only going to get a fraction of that speed as part of your download.

A switch is a network device that operates at Layer 2 of the OSI model. It is used to connect a number of devices into a star topology. The switch maintains an internal database of the IP number and MAC address of all the computers connected to it, so that traffic can be directed properly to each computer device, without talking to them all. A switch, therefore, has some logic inside it to make small routing decisions.

A Hub is a network devices that operates at Layer 1 of the OSI model. Unlike a switch, a hub re-transmits what it hears to everyone else on the network, generating more network traffic, and possibly creating collisions. Hubs are less expensive than switches, and can be useful in certain troubleshooting steps.

A Router is a network device that operates at Layer 3 on the OSI model. It is programmed and configured to inspect packets, and determine the proper flow (routing) of them to the destination. Because it is inspecting a lot of materials, it is slower than a switch. A router is also configurable to route different protocols different directions, and can provide firewalling solutions. A router also joins two different networks together, whereas a switch has to be on the same network (here I am talking IP numbers).

Give you some examples:

WIRELESS CABLE MODEM ADAPTER --> This is a router. The cable network is a different set of IP numbers than "inside" the house. It routes traffic back and forth. It is programmable.

LINUX COMPUTER WITH 2 NIC CARDS --> Could either be a router, or simply a computer. Depends on how it is configured. Listed to show that you need to look inside the box to see what role the computer is playing. Do not judge a computer by her case!

It may be easier to explain this with graphics. Hope this helps.

Christian

[JANINE]

ok heres a more in depth description of it for you

http://www.pcplus.co.uk/tips/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=15950&subsectionid=383&subsubsectionid=91

[JANINE]

thanks christian.

[johnroach1985]

thanks you all for explanations got it all now...

[JANINE]

thats ok

[kc0arf]

Hello,

Just a correction to JANINE --

A router can take on a whole more than 256 computers. Enterprises (meaning large companies) have routers that connect all of their computers to other networks.

As an idea, think of the router that manages the connection from the Pentagon to the internet.

Christian