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Matt_V

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One computer (PC, desktop) has a problem with loading webpages, download/upload speeds, but all other devices on the network are reading and loading correct/decent speeds.

My devices on the network:

PC (my desktop, connected via wireless USB dongle)

Laptop (connected by internal wireless card, occasionally hardwire ethernet)

Android phone (wireless, of course)

The problem:  The desktop, and desktop alone, is reading sub 3 mbps down and similarly small up times when on speedtest.net, connecting via Steam, or either Chrome or IE.  Occasionally other devices have had troubling speeds, but at the moment all the other devices on the network are reading and loading expected and acceptable speeds.  When the cable router was installed, I was reading normal speeds on the desktop but over the course of a week seemed to slow down, even though the connected speed in the connection's Win 7 network profile read a quite brisk and normal pace.  Both Steam and Chrome are used regularly, and Chrome is taking several seconds to load webpages, and download times on Steam are similarly abysmal.  I contacted Customer Support via web chat, since it was at least fast enough to allow web texting, and the rep sent a signal to reset the network router.  This fixed the problem immediately.

About a week afterward and the same symptom has crept up.  I have run virus scans, checked for registry problems, cleared browser caches, run speedtest (similar results as the first problem), looked for conflicting programs and found none.  I've ruled out the dongle and drivers by the results of the first fix, and I can find no software conflicts either, and even the network speeds are showing 130mbps.  Yet I am receiving only 1-3mbps when it comes to actual performance, and I can find no PC-based problem, and no reasonable explanation why, if it is the PC, the first problem was fixed so easily and quickly, remotely.  What is going on?  Is my PC being throttled by Cox?  I am helpless to diagnose a problem that evidently is easy for Cox to fix temporarily.  

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Tecknowhelp

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What router or gateway do you have? As in the model number. And do you know how the wireless is configured? Wifi G, Wifi G and N, Wifi N only. Also some gateways have two radios, one being 2.4Ghz and the other being 5Mhz. 

Also, what model USB adapter are you using? USB dongles are known for getting bad signal, because a lot of times they are plugged into the back, between a wall and a metal desktop. A simple USB exstention can do a lot by moving the adapter into the open.

Last, I find many times adapters have driver updates that can help with performance. Its better to get it from their support site instead of depending on Windows update, which can be behind the current.

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Matt_V

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The router I'm using: DDW365.  It's a Wifi-n config with a 2.4 GHz radio.  

The USB wireless adapter I'm using is a single-band Belkin N300.  

Now I'll admit I haven't checked for driver updates, so in light of your suggestion I'll certainly do that.

There are a few points I want to make, but I'm happy to provide any info you or other repliers need to assist in making an accurate and lasting diagnosis.

  1. Upon install, less than a month ago, the adapter was functioning correctly.  There is also open, line-of-sight connection between it and the router, distance being roughly 15 feet at most.  I don't use a rear USB port, I actually use a front-facing one, though switching up the USB certainly is a troubleshooting step I can take.  When Cox sent the reset signal, my speeds shot back up to normal levels - doesn't that rule out the router?
  2. What exactly did that reset do?  And why can I not replicate those results on the router itself?
  3. How is it that my speeds were normal right after that reset, and doesn't that rule out the PC itself?  Is there something about the sending of info packets to this computer?  Maybe I'll try forgetting the connection and then reconnecting, just to see.

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Matt_V

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Welp, I may have found the issue.  It's weird, given my above comments, but the USB port my adapter is connected to might be the real issue.  I just tried the one my headset is perma-plugged into and I was reading correct speeds.

Strange for a couple reasons: the refresh for the router shouldn't have worked, I'd think.  I'm not sure what's causing the "slowdown" effect I'm getting..

Even though I'm closer to a solution, I feel further away.  :(

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Matt_V

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That's not it either.  Speeds an hour later were sub 2mbps.   So now I'm starting to wonder if the adapter might be "cutting out" some of the data it's receiving.  Clearly the computer thinks the speeds are great, but internet tools and download speeds are disagreeing with it.

I am also considering the dire possibility that something is very, very wrong here and that the motherboard might be responsible.  That doesn't feel correct, so I'm trying to determine what else might be causing this.  I don't have a cable long enough to connect the router directly to the computer, maybe I should get Cox out here to look at testing the hardware connection route to the router.  If I have to purchase a long enough cable, it would probably have to be a good 30' to not be in the way.

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