Top 10 internet accelerators

With broadband now commonplace, internet accelerators have gone out of fashion somewhat with creaky old modems consigned to the bin. However, as broadband speed is often subject to wild variations depending on where you live, who your ISP is, how far you are from the telephone exchange etc, some people might find that there's still a place for internet accelerators in their lives. Here's a selection of the top 10 that cover broadband modems, dial-ups and network connections. None of these can guarantee to speed-up your connection and you should contact your ISP if you've got serious problems.

• Throttle - Boost your internet speed by 200%

• FastNet99 - Tweak DNS settings to increase your browsing speed

• BeFaster - Optimise your speed online and offline

• Internet Speed Up - Tests and configures your connection according to bandwidth

• Modem Booster - If you're still on a modem, this could increase speed by 300%

• WorldWebAccess Accelerator - Includes pop-up and spam killers

• Internet Accelerator - Optimises internet speeds over network connections

• TweakMASTER Pro - Tweaks everything from DNS settings to dial-up modems

• NetSpeeder - Optimises your TCP/UDP port settings

• Google Web Accelerator - Very simple accelerator that sits in your taskbar