> * The bandwidth appears slower
Ran a speedtest, or is that too challenging?
www.adslguide.org.uk or
www.speedtest.ndo.com if youre in the UK / have decent ISP transit links to
here.
>
> * The "activity" lights on the cable modem and on the firewall blink
> constantly, even when the computer is turned off
Normal automated port scans. My DSL line has traffic all the time even when
there are no users on my web server
>
> * Almost everytime I put in a URL in my broswer, the page is delayed a
> second or two as the notice "resolving host" appears
>
Run a ping to a known fast host. clarity.jolt.co.uk is usally a good one
here, try a large host wherever you are.
A tracert will provide you with the source of your bottleneck.
> Obviously, I'm wondering if the constant WAN activity is normal, even when
> the computer is off. I never had the hardware firewall's activity light
> blinking until I got the cable modem. Is this normal?
>
It is
> My second question is about the apparent DNS resolution. Why does it
> constantly delay websurfing in order to "resolve" the host?
Because:
1. You have an incorrect subnet on your LAN if you have externally assigned
IP addresses, and the router is having problems creaing a valid route table.
2. Your router / you have specified incorrect DNS server addresses
3.Your ISP's DNS servers SUCK
hamman