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Guy Hart-Davis

"CNET Do-It-Yourself PC Upgrade Projects"


Now that you??™ve maxed out your memory, and maybe turbocharged performance
using ReadyBoost, your PC should be running well. It??™s time to turn your attention to
your Internet connection??”is it fast enough, and if not, could it be faster?
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Project 2
Get the Fastest
Possible Internet
Connection
What You??™ll Need
Hardware: Modem, router, or satellite dish
Software: None
Cost: $10??“50 U.S. per month
To get the most use and enjoyment out of your PC these days, you??™ll want to connect
it to the Internet. And not just with any old connection??”preferably with the fastest
connection possible.
This project discusses your options for choosing a fast Internet connection and
shows you how to proceed.
Step 1: Find Out How Fast Your Internet Connection Is
First, find out how fast your Internet connection is??”if you haven??™t already checked.
You can find various utilities and sites on the Internet for checking connection speed
and throughput. Here, we??™ll use one of the easiest sites, the CNET Bandwidth Meter.
To use the Bandwidth Meter, follow these steps:
Launch your web browser and go to http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_
7-0.html (see Figure 2-1).
Type your area code in the Area Code text box.
In the Choose Your Current Connection Type area, select the appropriate option
button.
In the Select Your ISP drop-down list, choose your current ISP.


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