Coolant

Thanks for the link. I was actually on that site a couple weeks ago and was trying to find it again today but couldn't. Hopefully there's some options on there.

That's just it, there is NO one else! It's a monopoly. I live in Seattle and I've been checking online for other internet service providers. Qwest is like the only one I can find and they suck too. There are some providers that provide super fast speeds but I don't need speeds that fast, nor do I want to pay that much either. Does anyone know of any decent internet providers in Seattle not named Comcast or Qwest?

I think that too, zalternate. This problem started almost immediately after I canceled my phone service with them and downgraded my TV service (about 3 weeks ago). Just a coincidence? The woman rep I talked to about it was trying to sell me all this extra stuff and actually seemed a little pissed off that I still insisted on canceling the phone, etc. I just don't buy that they can simply check over the phone and their computer to see that everything is working correctly, obviously that isn't the case. What a horrible company, if they didn't have such a monopoly on things I wouldn't ever use them for anything. It was amazing that the guy I talked to tonight did virtually nothing to try to get me to keep their internet service, great customer service! This is about the 5th or 6th rep I've talked to over the last few weeks.

Alright, so I tried connecting the splitter directly right into the modem. No difference. Comcast really fucking sucks, I've had it with those guys. I just called them (I was out of town last week), explained everything I've done, including testing another computer which had the same exact download speed (150-200 kbs). The Comcast rep stated that everything looked fine, including the modem, etc. and that he couldn't send anyone out based on that. He then stated it had to be "my equipment", I said "Nope!" unless that other computer (which is a year old) is also not working correctly! Looks like I'll have to get another internet provider, no way am I paying $30 a month for download speeds that slow, which is what I told him before hanging up.

OK, so I tested my connection with a friend's computer. The same exact download speed (150-180 kbs), I think it's safe to say the problem isn't with my computer. Any guesses on what it could be? I'm calling Comcast tomorrow and if they can't fix it, then I guess I'll just have to get my internet from someone else.

Thanks again for the tips, guys. Ca3le, I don't even know what some of those things are! I'm not much of an expert on most of this stuff. My connection is straight into the modem. It'll probably take a couple of days to check with another computer but I'll definitely try it. Is the D-mark the box where the cables go? That's out in the hallway of my apartment. There are two cables coming out of the modem and cable box behind my TV that go into a splitter and into one cable, but that's probably not what you're referring to. Mudmac, I disabled the time machine a few days ago. I've been using Firefox, but I did try using Safari a couple times and there wasn't a difference in the download speed. I guess I can try it again. Could the USB ports on my computer be causing a slow down? The Magicjack is plugged into one, there's a usb splitter in another (with 4 usb ports, all connected) and the third USB is connected to a USB preamp for garageband.

Thanks for the info. As far as I know I i have no online backup programs running. The only thing that is connected is a Magicjack, but that is supposed to take up very little bandwidth. The download speed tests have been all consistent on here, I've done 4 tests now. It's saying I'm getting about 22% of host averages.

Looks like it didn't work. I appreciate the tips, guys. I don't know what else to do at this point. I even changed my DNS server numbers. What's bizarre is pages seem to load fast, it's just the download speed that is slow. The only other thing I can think of is when I turn on my computer there's a warning about Time Machine backup disk being unrepairable or something like that.

Yeah, I've rebooted the modem several times. I believe it's a 2007 or 2008 iMac. I have no other computers on the network. I just noticed a very small crack on one end of the ethernet cable so I'm going to get a new one today and hopefully that is the problem. What are the odds that is the problem? Not very good?

Hi, first post. I've been having pretty slow download speeds for the last two weeks on my iMac. I have Comcast internet and the official connection speed is supposed to be 1.5 MBs, but for the last two weeks it's been around 150 to 180 kbs. I have no idea why this is happening. I've called Comcast, they said the modem seems to be working fine (I have no router). I've scanned the computer for spyware, viruses, etc. I just did a download test on here and it accurately reflects the slow speed I'm getting right now (unlike speedtest.net or other sites). Any tips or suggestions? I have no idea what to do next. I'm going to call Comcast one more time and if they can't fix this I'm just going to have to get DSL.