Try getting a better connection with a higher upload, or, if you've got wireless, try using a cable instead, might help somewhat
Pings test the speed between you and the remote server or device. Most of the time that will be out of your control since it will be going across routers on the internet and your ISP. Any device you go across introduces a small amount of latency, so the more devices you go through the longer the ping. You may want to do a tracert as well and see how many hops you are making between the two. It can also be dependant on the amount of bandwidth available as ping is ICMP and many QoS mechanisms will not prioritize ICMP traffic over other types.
