I just got a new internet service (on account of moving across the country) through AT&T DSL. Ever since I set it up (~2 weeks) it's been going really.... really slow. Like, 200kbps down, when I should be getting 1.5Mbps minimum. And my ping is usually around half a second.

After numerous phone calls with AT&T speaking with technicians of varying levels of English fluency, they sent out a technician to my apartment complex. The line and everything checks out - he even plugged his laptop into my modem and he got decent speeds. Plug my laptop back in, and the speed goes back down.

The tricky part is, my speed is fine with any other internet provider I've had before (both wireless and through ethernet). I got a wireless router to double-check, and my speeds were the same on the router as they are through ethernet. But they're fine when I go to a wifi hotspot downtown. So it almost certainly isn't a hardware problem (modem works, cables work, network card and wireless cards work). But I can't for the life of me figure out what is the problem. AT&T has given up on helping me, and I'd rather not switch providers if I don't have to (there's only one other choice of provider, and I hear they suck).

I feel like I've tried everything obvious by now: updating drivers, reinstalling the modem, reinstalling ethernet and wireless card drivers... anything else?

Too bad you told us nothing about your computer or the operating system.

Have you scanned for malware?

anything else?

Cables? Malware? Bad network interface?

Plugging directly into the DSL modem - that is, not using wireless or a Ethernet router - check your speeds here: Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test and post the results.

Sorry.

Laptop: Clevo W870CU
Windows 7 Professional
i7-720qm
2GB RAM
GTX280m
Network card: RealTek PCIe GBE Family Controller
Wireless card: Intel WiFi Link 5300 AGN
DSL Modem: Motorola SM56

Yeah, I scanned for malware using Vipre antivirus and AdAware. However, if malware was the problem, it shouldn't be affecting only AT&T.

SpeedTest results:
Ping: 679ms
Download: 0.32Mbps
Upload: 0.06Mbps

And yes, that is plugged straight into the modem.

Well, the first thing I would try is another cable - simply because they cost just pennies, but also because they are very low-tech and not very robust - they cannot take much abuse from trips and yanks.

Any errors in Device Manager?

However, if malware was the problem, it shouldn't be affecting only AT&T.

Since this problem started, have you connected via Ethernet to other networks and had good speeds?

I have tried other cables (I have 2 on hand). There are no errors in Device Manager.

I haven't connected to anything else via Ethernet since the problem started, but just a week before I connected to AT&T, I was connecting through Ethernet just fine.

before I connected to AT&T, I was connecting through Ethernet just fine.

Even though it worked a week ago, I would verify it still does - mainly because nothing obvious is working thus far.

You might try flushing the DNS too. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. Right-click on it and 'Run As Administrator'. Type the following and hit enter:

ipconfig /flushdns

You should see: Windows IP Configuration. Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.

This looks to me like it's a dial up modem and a cheap one at that. Are you sure that you purchased DSL? Although they both use a phone line dial up isn't the same and is a lot slower. Can you use your phone at the same time that you are connected to the internet:? If not then you are using a dial up connection.

Have you made sure that every device in your home that connects to your phone line has a DSL filter? I made that mistake going from Cable to DSL when I moved. The Sky box did not have one and was causing all sorts of problems with speed, ping and connectivity.

Thats a good point and worth trying however everything I saw on the modem when I research it pointed to DIAL UP!!!