# Steam settings help—downloading shuts down our connection
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-settings-help-downloading-shuts-down-our-connection/633096
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 30, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-settings-help-downloading-shuts-down-our-connection/633096 "2012-08-30T01:22:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-settings-help-downloading-shuts-down-our-connection/633096/1 "2012-08-30T01:22:33Z")
When I run a test at [speedtest.net](http://speedtest.net), I typically get values between 15 and 20 Mpbs for download speed. These plummet to .32 Mbps when I have a Steam game downloading to my library. Steam’s self-reporting says that the game is downloading at 1.2 MB p/s, so it’s not like it’s eating up all the bandwidth. Everything else net-related is running very slowly. If I pause the download, tested speeds (and basic observation on other sites) jump back to what we’re used to. As soon as I resume the download, things return to a crawl.
Is there some setting or whatnot I’m missing?
Thanks,
Rhythm
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-settings-help-downloading-shuts-down-our-connection/633096/2 "2012-08-30T01:36:33Z")
Adjust the settings in Steam \> Settings \> Downloads + Cloud?
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### Author:  [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-settings-help-downloading-shuts-down-our-connection/633096/3 "2012-08-30T02:41:25Z")
Well, 1.2 MB/sec (megabytes) is about 9.6 Mbps (megabits), so that’s half your available bandwidth right there. Where’d the other 5 or 10 Mbps go, you ask?
Some possibilities:
1. The speed test maybe isn’t accurate? Some ISPs ([Comcast, notoriously](https://secure.dslreports.com/faq/14520)) give you a faster speed at the beginning of a download and then throttle it down to normal after a few minutes or so. What do you actually pay for?
2. Do you have a really cheap router? Sometimes they can get overwhelmed by packets (or connections) if you have a faster internet connection and you’re downloading and uploading a bunch, but typically I’ve only seen this with Bittorrent and other multi-peered downloads.
As an aside, I’m surprised Steam leaves you ANY bandwidth at all. Mine happily gobbles up all 50 Mbps whenever I download games, and I’d have it no other way… fast, unqueued downloading is half the reason I use their service at all.
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-settings-help-downloading-shuts-down-our-connection/633096/4 "2012-08-30T03:18:43Z")
When I checked, nothing under the download/cloud settings seemed applicable. I changed the approximate speed to basic cable/DSL (2M), though it had been at 10M prior.
Speaking of prior, this feels like a relatively new thing (for certain definitions of new). I haven’t had time to download play a game in about seven or eight months, but I’ve never noticed an overall slowdown before, nor such a huge hit on speedtests–hence the thread.
I mentioned speedtest results (and thanks for picking up on the different capitalizations) as a relative thing, not expecting absolute results. But the test results are consistent over time. That is, I can run one throughout the course of the day (I started keeping track for this thread around noon or so) and get fairly consistent results. And every time I started Steam I’d see the results plummet–and jump back up again after quitting.
The house network is a bit complex (for certain definitions of complex). There are a couple switches in addition to the router, a couple A/B boxes managing two broadband connections (I need to untangle the port forwarding on the DSL side of things before I can compare), and lots of cable. But it’s all quality cable. Not $10,000 Pear cables, but since when I first started running wires throughout the house I wanted loooong-term upgradeability–they’re all Cat-6. All switches are Gigabit-enabled, and either D-Link or Linksys (router is a 310N).
There could be a problem (heck, the router could be on its last legs), but it seems like the only variable is Steam.
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### Author:  [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-settings-help-downloading-shuts-down-our-connection/633096/5 "2012-08-30T20:10:51Z")
Supposedly there is a limit in Steam under Settings, Downloads. I don’t have Steam handy so I can’t verify it.
Otherwise the standard method seems to be using a program called [NetLimiter](http://www.netlimiter.com/).
You could also try downloading a big file from another source; download a Linux ISO file through your browser or something, see if that does the same thing to your network.
Also, here are the ports Steam uses: [Steam Support :: Required Ports for Steam](https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8571-GLVN-8711) Download ports are TCP 27014 to 27050.