Optimizing your network connections.
U might wonder about some of the less obvious settings Windows uses for its networking setups:
Depending on the type of connection — dial-up, broadband, etc. — some communications settings, such as ‘Max transmission unit,’ ‘TCP receiving window,’ ‘selective acks,’ and so on, have to be set for best results. What are these settings and how do we read the present settings, find the best values for the specific mode, and correctly set them? Good questions… and here’s the answers.
Windows uses generic default settings for its networking setups, and these settings usually work acceptably, but barely. Replacing the generic settings with settings that are custom tailored to your specific needs can yield a huge improvement in your online throughput speeds.
Several Web sites offer tools that can help you tune your online connections, one of the better ones is Broadband Reports (formerly DSLReports). The site’s Tools section is a gold mine. The Speed Test will let you compare your actual upload and download speeds to other users so you can get an idea of how well (or not) your system is doing online. The Tweak Test analyzes your online connection and makes specific recommendations as to what your ideal settings should be. Then, to implement the recommendations, you can download and use the free Dr. TCP tool, which provides an easy-to-use front end for modifying all of Windows’ essential networking parameters.
Figure 1. The free Dr. TCP tool makes it easy to change
Windows’ essential networking parameters.
It’s a great site. Highly recommended!
