Gridlock On The Net

Build a bridge, and people will cross it. Build a new highway, and traffic will fill it up.

Such is the case with the so-called "information superhighway," where everyone with a modem eventually encounters the dreaded World Wide Wait.

Also called latency, lag, or just plain "weather," the problem is the same: Internet traffic slows to a crawl or stops altogether. But what causes the lag and, more importantly, how to fix it remain a mystery for many. Find out here what's going wrong, and how the Internet may be on its way to fixing itself.

What's Going Wrong? Any number of factors could be affecting your response time. It's better to know when to log on, and when to stay off the Net.

It's Getting Better, Bit By Bit Experts say the Net's getting better in fits and starts. But the hike in performance may be too slight to notice. Here's why.

How's The Weather? Get a fix on the lag in your area with this cool tool that tests Net "weather" by locale. At least you'll know you're not suffering alone.

Written by Sean Wolfe. Graphic design by Dana Byerly