First off, have you verified that you are getting the full 384kbps?
Both cnet and dsl reports have tests you can run.
http://www.dslreports.com/tools
http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html?tag=cnetfd.dir
Make sure to use a site that is physically close to you to reduce the impact of network traffic.
Once you know that you do have the full 384kbps you can then review issues that impact download speed.
1. Number of users attempting to download the same or other files from the same site.
Each site that you download from has a finite bandwidth. If you are the only user accessing the site, you get the full bandwidth. If many users are downloading at the same time, they share the bandwidth.
2. Site limits.
The site you are downloading from may not have as fast a connection as you do.
You can't download a file faster than the site can upload the file.
3. Bottlenecks.
Just like on the road, there are traffic pinch points on the internet where everything slows down. If the path the file takes from the host site to your PC goes through a pinch point, the download will be slower than your maximum speed.
4. Your PC.
Any number of things can cause your PC to download files slower than your connection speed.
Windows often reserves some of your bandwidth for itself.
Spy-Ware and Ad-Ware programs may be using your bandwidth to both report home, and download ads to your PC.
If you have limited free RAM and hard drive space, downloads take longer because your PC has to work harder to reassemble the packets of data.
Chas
