I don't know about you but I hate it when websites load real slow. Since Time/Warner took over Adelphia my web browser experience was pretty dismal. How so you say? After all you have broadband speed with your cable modem... Well yes that is true, but there is more to fast website access than raw bandwidth. There is this thing called DNS otherwise known as Domain Name Service that can affect how long it takes to access a website.
Let me explain how it works and what you can do to speed up your website browsing experience.
Domain Name Service translates a url address into an ip address. As an example DNS translates the url address www.dailykos.com to the ip address 69.9.161.200. Domain names are just a convenient way for us (carbon based units) to remember urls and such when visiting various sites, but routers (as in routing traffic) are only interested in the ip address. Each time you enter a website address in your browser your computer has to look up the ip address from a DNS server before your browser can access the website.
So what? Well the problem is sometimes the DNS server your PC is setup to use is slow or slowed down because of heavy traffic. Usually this is because your service provider has anemic DNS service. So, you may have 1.5 mega bits per second (or better) DSL or cablemodem service , but your browser feels like it's on dialup.
What to do? Setup your computer or wireless router or firewall/router to use a different DNS server. I have experienced a marked improvement (your mileage may vary)in my bowser response time since making the switch. The DNS service I now use is through www.opendns.com which is free to use by anyone. They have instruction on their website as to how to use the service. Slow browser response isn't always caused by poor DNS service, but in my experience it frequently can be.
If you have been experiencing slow website access I hope this diary will helpful in improving your experience.