erm .. to me it sounds like you 'might' be downloading fakes or something.

One way that might check this. Download a magnet link from here: + MagnetMix.com +: The Source for Good Content
See what type of speeds you get. If they are fast then the problem is nothing to do with set up or ISP, but probably the files you are choosing to download.

You say you still see a brick wall in front of blue globe at bottom of LW, then that might be an issue. It sounds like a firewall (software), else Router issue. Netgear generally have reliable UPnP support, however, there is the odd model that does not use it well. In that case, port forwarding is best.

Whilst 'some' people might be able to download ok whilst seeing a brick wall, from personal experience, when uploading well, my downloads & searches improve dramatically. That's from my personal experience in past and present using different routers also.