Mendocino Community Network

How Fast is It? | What Gets Accelerated? | How Does It Work? | System Requirements

How Fast Is the MCN Accelerator?

With the MCN Accelerator, Web pages load up to 5 times faster.
The more you visit specific Web sites, the better the performance you will receive.

Here is an example of tests run with and without the MCN Accelerator:

*Average time calculated based on loading the home page. First time visit to a Web page loads on average 2 times faster.  Subsequent visits to the page load, on average, 3 times faster.

 What Gets Accelerated?

Most Web content will be accelerated, but there are certain exceptions:

What will be accelerated	What stays the same
All text - HTML, markup and javascript	Secure pages, such as those used for online banking and credit card forms and pages accessed over VPN.  Why is this actually a good thing?*
Most graphics & photos - including jpeg and gif images	Streaming media, and audio and video files**
All browser-based emails	Files downloaded outside your browser using ftp
POP3 and IMAP protocol emails and attachments
Outgoing SMTP email - especially acceleration of large messages with pictures or attachments including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files
MP3 files, executables & other files - when downloaded from within your Web browser (depending on the quality of your connection).

*Why doesn't MCN Accelerator accelerate HTTPS?
Technically, to accelerate HTTPS it would have to be circumvented by actively breaking the protocols in use and spoofing the desired destination site. However, doing this would create a break in the security of the HTTPS protocol, potentially allowing the logging and clear text visibility of the user's private data, such as credit card numbers, PIN codes, and bank access information. MCN Accelerator does not accelerate HTTPS traffic because this level of security risk would be unacceptable to our end users.

** Why not compress streaming media?
MCN Accelerator does not compress streaming media because video files and audio files delivered in the streaming format have already been compressed to the greatest extent possible. To attempt further compression would degrade the streaming media past an acceptable level.

How Does It Work?

MCN Accelerator is designed to provide maximum acceleration for all Web sites and additional acceleration for the Web sites you visit regularly. So, the more you surf, the faster your favorite pages will load!  Specifically, MCN Accelerator speeds up the delivery of Web pages five ways:

• Compression. Images and other graphic objects are compressed by removing some of the image detail. This results in dramatically smaller images that are delivered to your computer much quicker. Set your own default level of graphic compression through the MCN Accelerator Icon Menu. You may also right click on any image or Web page and select the menu item to refresh in the image or Web page in full quality.

• Caching. MCN Accelerator intelligently retains and reuses Web pages and page elements that have previously been sent to your desktop.

• Persistent Connections. MCN Accelerator optimizes the communication between your modem and our network of servers. This eliminates the time wasted re-establishing and closing TCP/IP connections.

• Chunk Encoding with Parallel Connections. When a user begins to download a file larger than 100KB, this feature downloads different segments of the same file from different locations.

• Optional Content Filtering. MCN Accelerator lets you block unsolicited content, such as pop-up ads and in-page ads. Blocking these ads causes Web pages to load faster.

• Pop-up Windows. (Windows Only). MCN Accelerator can block pop-up and pop-under windows that clutter your screen and slow down your surfing.

• In-page Ads. MCN Accelerator can block most advertisements that appear on Web pages. When an ad is blocked, it is replaced with a light gray box on the Web page to make sure that Web pages maintain their intended design. You can easily view blocked ads by right clicking on the gray box. As with pop-up blocking, you can turn this feature on and off any time you like.

System Requirements

MCN Accelerator Software Utility Download Information

MCN Accelerator Overview

MCN Accelerator Set Up Instructions

MCN Accelerator User Guide

MCN Compatibility Table

MCN Homepage