Tweaks for improved ADSL performance

BT Wholesale recommends an MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) setting of 1458 (bytes) and states that it is best suited to the performance of the broadband network. You may experience an improvement in performance for certain applications such as web browsing, FTP and peer-to-peer. The MTU defines the maximum size that a single piece of information ("packet") is allowed to be. It is important that MTU is not too large or too small because this can greatly reduce the performance of your ADSL line.

If you are experiencing slow throughput the Broadband Network Optimiser tool (developed by BT Wholesale) will enable any Broadband Customers using WINDOWS (Win 95, 98, ME, 2000 , XP and NT) to easily modify the MTU to 1458 bytes on the ADSL interface whether there is a USB modem or an Ethernet Network Interface Card. Early results have shown that if End Users utilise the tool it results in improved network performance for them.
 
BT Broadband Network Optimiser 
 
Alternatively try:
Broadband Reports .com: Tweaks : Is your PC configured for broadband? 
 
If your system is not running Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, or NT then DO NOT USE THE Broadband Network Optimiser. In these circumstances we suggest that you review how the MTU setting on your system can be changed to 1458 via one of the descriptions provided on the external website listed below;
 
MAC OS: http://www.broadbandreports.com/faq/allthingsmac/all#3743
 
UNIX: This is highly dependent on the operating system, refer to supplier websites for details. 
 
Disclaimer: Making modifications to the system registry or using this software is performed at your own risk. If you do not understand the implications, or how to recover from registry changes, you should not attempt the steps outlined above.