Speed

onShore employs dedicated T1s for high speed data transfer. Our MDN customers can experience speeds of 1.5 Mb/s (192 KB/s) for each T1 in their building. Most of our buildings have multiple T1s; inquire with your management or contact us to find out how many T1s are in use by your building. Additional T1s are provisioned as needed per negotiation with your building’s management.

Network speeds can slow significantly during peak hours (early evenings, weekends) and other times of heavy use. These slower periods are usually brief and are not necessarily indicative of a larger network problem. If you receive slow speeds frequently and/or for an unreasonable length of time, try the troubleshooting tips below, submit a trouble ticket or contact us.

Data Size & Rates

Bits & Bytes 1,024 bits = 1 kilobit (kb) 8 kb = 1 kilobyte (KB) 128 KB = 1 megabit (mb) 8 mb = 1 megabyte (MB) 1,024 KB = 1 megabyte (MB) 128 MB = 1 gigabit (gb) 8 gb = 1 gigabyte (GB) 1,024 MB = 1 gigabyte (GB)

Troubleshooting Speed Issues

To diagnose a slow connection, you must first make sure your computer is operating efficiently. Close all non-essential programs that may be slowing down your computer’s processing speed. Is your computer slow to boot, or do you experience lag when using non-internet applications (office tools, graphic or media programs, etc)? If so, something may be slowing down your computer. Check that your hard drive has enough available disk space and delete files to free up space if necessary. Clear your browser cache and your temporary internet files. Empty your trash and run a disk defragmenter. Finally, make sure your security software is up to date, and run a scan for viruses and spyware.

If you experience slow speeds only while online, try to isolate the problem. Shut down any peer-to-peer or other file transfer programs that may be eating up bandwidth, and disconnect from any VPN software. If you are connecting wirelessly, disconnect your wireless router and plug directly into the wall with an Ethernet cable.

Remove all network devices that may be slowing down your connection—this includes routers, hubs, switches, and VoIP adapters. For best results, you should be able to clearly trace the connection from your computer to the Ethernet jack in your wall (or in a cable or DSL building, to your DSL or cable modem). If you have an extra Ethernet cable, you may try replacing this also.

Disable all network connections on your computer except your Local Area Connection (on a Macintosh, turn off your airport and switch to Ethernet). Reboot your computer and test your speed again.

In the case of a DSL or cable building, slow speeds may be caused by a malfunctioning modem. Try rebooting your modem and check your connection again. You may also try connecting your modem to a different coaxial cable (for cable users) or phone jack (for DSL users). If the problem persists, you may need to replace your modem. Some buildings, such as 180 N Jefferson, keep a stock of spare modems at the front office. If your building does not keep spare modems, contact onShore for a replacement.

If your connection is still slow, take a bandwidth test at Speak Easy and/or Bandwidth Place. Open a trouble ticket here and paste your results. An onShore technician can look into the issue and contact you.

Mac Users: Slow Downloads?

Some new Macintosh computers are having issues with only download speeds. User will have great upload speeds, but downloads will be slower than normal. To solve this issue, one must force the Ethernet connection to negotiate at 100/Full. To accomplish this, follow these steps.

1. Pull down the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
2. Click Network.
3. In the drop-down Show:, select Built-in Ethernet.
4. Click the Ethernet tab.
5. In the drop-down Configure:, select Manually (Advanced).
6. In the drop-down Speed:, select the speed 100baseTX.
7. In the drop-down Duplex:, select full-duplex.
8. Click Apply Now.
9. Quit System Preferences.