DSL FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Questions

1. I am having trouble getting to just one specific website, but I know the website is up because other people can get to it. What's wrong?
2. I went to a bandwidth testing website and it said I'm only getting 93kbps, but my DSL is supposed to be 1500Kbps! What's the deal?
3. I am using Windows XP, and the software that came with my DSL modem doesn't work!

Answers

1. I am having trouble getting to one specific website, but I know the website is up because other people can get to it. What's wrong?

   For the technically inclined, Cisco has a great description of the issue here. Basically, what's happening is that the website you are trying to access has firewall rules that are too restrictive. Specifically, it is not letting what's called "Path MTU" information across. This information tells the server computer what size chunks of data (called packets) should be sent to your computer. The webserver is using a default value that is incompatable with your DSL connection. Still, there is a client side fix available. You can view Cisco's instructions on how to change this value here.

2. I went to a bandwidth testing website and it said I'm only getting 93kbps, but my DSL is supposed to be 1500Kbps! What's the deal?

   These bandwidth tests are notoriously inaccurate. In fact, just for fun, we ran one from here at our office where we are directly connected to major backbone networks. We are connected via high-speed DS3 and DS1 lines, yet the test reported the our speed to be much less than the actual bandwidth available.

   Test running.........
   ** Speed 227(down)/80(up) kbps **
   (At least 4 times faster than a 56k modem)
   Logged result.
   Finish.
   

   ...which is not even remotely close. If you really want to find out how fast your DSL line is, try downloading something from our website, like the IPass Software available here Also, you can try downloading something from someone that you are sure has plenty of bandwidth available.

3. I am using Windows XP, and the software that came with my DSL modem doesn't work!

   Windows XP has the software needed to use your ADSL connection built-in. The software that came with your ADSL modem will not work, and there are easy-to-follow instructions available here. Please be patient while this page loads. There are many illustrations that will make it as easy as possible, but each one takes a few seconds to download.