internet connection as slow as dial-up during the day

Hi Rosie,

During other times of the day (early morning or after 5pm) are you accessing the internet exactly the same as between 10am - 5pm? (You might be accessing the internet through a VPN for work, for example.) Here are a few other factors that influence speed:

• Secure Your Home Network – An unsecured Wireless Network can allow others to get on the Internet using your connection
• Wireless vs. Wired Computer Connections – Computers connected wirelessly to the Internet experience slower speeds than wired connections; for heavy downloading of files, use a wired connection when you can
• Lots of Applications Running – The number of applications that are running at the same time can slow your computer and Internet connection
• Heavy Traffic on a Website – The website you are visiting can experience heavy use or issues than can slow down access and loading of the website
• Heavy Use on Your Home Network – Several computers (or other devices) that share your Internet connection, especially when performing bandwidth-intensive activities, can slow you all down; plan around that when you can
• Viruses and Spyware – When infected, your computer and surfing can slow to a crawl; Trojan viruses can partially control your computer and send files and information without your knowledge
• Optimize Computer and Router Settings – It’s important to optimize such settings as TCP/IP  for fastest surfing and file transfer; info and TCP Optimizers are available online
• Memory and Operating System – Not enough memory and/or older computer operating systems can be incapable of faster speeds or need configuration changes
• Wireless Standard – For your home network, use 802.11N routers for fastest speed and ensure that your wireless adapters match that speed (a slower 802.11G adapter with a faster 802.11N router will only get “G” speeds); wireless routers that use the older 802.11b or g standard are not optimized for and may not achieve the faster speeds offered on the Cox network
• Browser Add-ons –  Multi-media and other browser add-ons can be bandwidth hogs, especially when used at the same time
• Clear Browser Cache -- Delete cookies, history, and temporary internet files

What equipment do you have and how old is it?

Rosie,

   I'm having the same problem except I get it between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. (also when I need it the most)  my speeds drop from 20 Mbps to less than 200 Kbps (slower than dial-up).  You should go to Testmy.net and run an "Auto Test".  This will help you identify by exactly how much and what times the internet is slowing down.