Today, Paul asks:

Is there a way to adjust ones download speed to be able to simulate what downloads will look like for slower providers?

Let me explain the need. I have Comcast, as you do, and presently get about 12MB/sec download. I’m often asked by people, “Will I be able to tell the difference between 12MB per second download and 1.2MB per second, as with most DSL providers.

I’d like to be able to set/gauge/throttle my Comcast download speed with an ‘adjustable digital knob’ to dial in from 28kb to full bandwidth, and while I have it selected to whatever upper max bandwidth I choose, browse the Internet, load Google News, download files, etc. A REAL LIFE EXAMPLE if you will, of what performance/throughput would look like from dialup usage to DSL to cable.

Well, to my knowledge the best bet rather than trying to do this at the hardware level with a router is to use a piece of Windows software called NetLimiter. Carrafix ought to work in the Mac world while Trickle should (untested by me in Ubuntu) get the job done for Ubuntu/Debian users. Hope this helps!

Do you have an IT-related question? Perhaps you are just burnt out on writing on the walls with crayons? Whatever the comments may be, drop me a line, and you too can “Just Ask Matt!”

Also, don’t forget to check out “Just Ask Matt,” Linux Edition!

[tags]router, traffic shaping, bandwidth[/tags]