29 replies to this topic

[poksixas]

My internet download speed 3.5 mb

[TriRan]

we're going to need a few specifics before we can even attempt to help you, what type of connection do you have? Cable, DSL, satellite? try doing a few tests while logged into your account so we can see where your at (speed wise). andddddd are you located inside or outside the US?

~ TriRan

[mytestsfailed]

3.5 Mbps and still you're not satisfied. Hehe. Mine is just 2 Mbps and its pretty decent.

[mudmanc4]

mytestsfailed, on 24 November 2011 - 02:37 AM, said:

3.5 Mbps and still you're not satisfied. Hehe. Mine is just 2 Mbps and its pretty decent.

I can appreciate your comment entirely. Remembering back when all we had was 56K dial up , it was fantastic !  Loved every minute of it.  Then came DSL and a whole new world opened up. An old saying comes to mind , we don't appreciate what we have until it is gone. So true. Quite possibly this is what drives the human race forward. Or what we like to call or think is forward.

[wenfinger]

Hi gang,  if I need to repost as a new thread, I will . . .but looking for increased speeds/what's wrong with my connx since I routinely avg 5.5Mbs and pay for 10   Also running a Mac and not sure which optimizer, if any, is necessary before I start hounding the cable co.

Thanks in advance!

[CA3LE]

wenfinger, on 06 December 2011 - 09:05 PM, said:

Hi gang,  if I need to repost as a new thread, I will . . .but looking for increased speeds/what's wrong with my connx since I routinely avg 5.5Mbs and pay for 10   Also running a Mac and not sure which optimizer, if any, is necessary before I start hounding the cable co.

Thanks in advance!

The best cleanup and optimization software I've found for Mac is MacKeeper.  << There's a little video on that page about it...

With a 10Mbps line you should at the very least see 6Mbps.  Most providers agree that there's a problem if you're delivered under 60% of the quoted speed.  Although, looking at your hosts recent test history (Gci.net) I'm not seeing anybody who's getting 10Mbps delivered from them.  By the way, I'm only displaying a small sample for that ISP, I have much more data on them that I'm not showing... and people don't get those speeds from them.  Where are you located?

What are your internet options in your area?  Sometimes the best solution is a new solution.  

[wenfinger]

CA3LE, on 06 December 2011 - 10:26 PM, said:

The best cleanup and optimization software I've found for Mac is MacKeeper.  << There's a little video on that page about it...

With a 10Mbps line you should at the very least see 6Mbps.  Most providers agree that there's a problem if you're delivered under 60% of the quoted speed.  Although, looking at your hosts recent test history (Gci.net) I'm not seeing anybody who's getting 10Mbps delivered from them.  By the way, I'm only displaying a small sample for that ISP, I have much more data on them that I'm not showing... and people don't get those speeds from them.  Where are you located?

What are your internet options in your area?  Sometimes the best solution is a new solution.  

Thanks CA3LE . . . I think about 40 of those tests for GCI are from me since I moved in, on wireless and then on my craptastic RCA DCM425 modem starting on 23 Nov (new service).

I'm in Eagle River, Alaska (outside Anchorage).  Just moved here from amazing speeds and no data cap in LA so it's taking a bit of getting used to.  While I'm no network or IT profauxional, I know about connection issues and the basics regarding distance and hops, nodes, bumps on the head, what-have-yous that can interfere with speeds and ping.  I called today and asked them for SNG if they could identify issues with my line and was told "lots of noise and errors from the modem" and to reset.  Of course, they direct me to a speedtest.net variant (shocker) and "can only guarantee speeds from [their] server.  With those other sites (btw, one of which I named "speedtest" and the "tech" had no clue) you could be testing in...in..China or somewhere".  To which I replied that the internet is server-based world-wide and NO ONE sends all date through one little magical port, especially in Alaska.

He was belligerently telling me that the speeds on his test site are accurate (and yes, speedtest shows me at 10.09) and that I MUST have a virus.  I laughed.  He said that was all there was.  Bad modem or virus.  I told him I disagreed and that a routine approach would be to check the line itself for leaks, interference, etc.   Eventually I hung up and tried again.

The second fellow was more helpful.  Ran a line test, told me I was having a loss at receiving "but still within limits" and that the modem was making noise.  I reset, playing the good little consumer, and didn't have a difference.  Well, I gained 2Mbps then, but it dropped off.  This gent tells me I'm only on a 36% load for this node (which even I understood to be be very good) and asked why my speeds were such crap.  Again, I mentioned this site, speedtest, etc, and he again hopped in quickly with the forced "YOUMUSTUSEOURSITE!!" nonsense.  I told both guys that regardless what their pretty little flash-based "test" was showing, I had horrible performance and wasn't paying for that.

A tech is coming out tomorrow. What should I mention to him?

And the only other option here is MTA, which is dsl.  Their highest speed is 10Mbps.  GCI touts 22/2 as the highest provided speed.    Thanks again!!  Outstanding product and I've stuck by it for 3-4 yrs (only a member since 2009 tho).  Just hard to get those knuckleheads to listen...

[TriRan]

wenfinger, on 06 December 2011 - 11:08 PM, said:

Thanks CA3LE . . . I think about 40 of those tests for GCI are from me since I moved in, on wireless and then on my craptastic RCA DCM425 modem starting on 23 Nov (new service).

I'm in Eagle River, Alaska (outside Anchorage).  Just moved here from amazing speeds and no data cap in LA so it's taking a bit of getting used to.  While I'm no network or IT profauxional, I know about connection issues and the basics regarding distance and hops, nodes, bumps on the head, what-have-yous that can interfere with speeds and ping.  I called today and asked them for SNG if they could identify issues with my line and was told "lots of noise and errors from the modem" and to reset.  Of course, they direct me to a speedtest.net variant (shocker) and "can only guarantee speeds from [their] server.  With those other sites (btw, one of which I named "speedtest" and the "tech" had no clue) you could be testing in...in..China or somewhere".  To which I replied that the internet is server-based world-wide and NO ONE sends all date through one little magical port, especially in Alaska.

He was belligerently telling me that the speeds on his test site are accurate (and yes, speedtest shows me at 10.09) and that I MUST have a virus.  I laughed.  He said that was all there was.  Bad modem or virus.  I told him I disagreed and that a routine approach would be to check the line itself for leaks, interference, etc.   Eventually I hung up and tried again.

The second fellow was more helpful.  Ran a line test, told me I was having a loss at receiving "but still within limits" and that the modem was making noise.  I reset, playing the good little consumer, and didn't have a difference.  Well, I gained 2Mbps then, but it dropped off.  This gent tells me I'm only on a 36% load for this node (which even I understood to be be very good) and asked why my speeds were such crap.  Again, I mentioned this site, speedtest, etc, and he again hopped in quickly with the forced "YOUMUSTUSEOURSITE!!" nonsense.  I told both guys that regardless what their pretty little flash-based "test" was showing, I had horrible performance and wasn't paying for that.

A tech is coming out tomorrow. What should I mention to him?

And the only other option here is MTA, which is dsl.  Their highest speed is 10Mbps.  GCI touts 22/2 as the highest provided speed. Thanks again!!  Outstanding product and I've stuck by it for 3-4 yrs (only a member since 2009 tho).  Just hard to get those knuckleheads to listen...

i'm assuming your on DSL, considering the time of year especially the temps in alaska right now that could be why your having issues, over the 6 years i had dsl i noticed that weather seems to seriously effect dsl in a negative way

[CA3LE]

wenfinger, on 06 December 2011 - 11:08 PM, said:

Thanks again!!  Outstanding product and I've stuck by it for 3-4 yrs (only a member since 2009 tho).  Just hard to get those knuckleheads to listen...

I hope that you get it sorted out.  I dream of a world where everyone has a minimum of 1000Mbps... even in Alaska.  It will happen, only a matter of time.

Thanks for your continued patronage, I really appreciate everyone who's stuck by TestMy.net over the years.  

[wenfinger]

TriRan, on 06 December 2011 - 11:28 PM, said:

i'm assuming your on DSL, considering the time of year especially the temps in alaska right now that could be why your having issues, over the 6 years i had dsl i noticed that weather seems to seriously effect dsl in a negative way

TriRan, nope, GCI is cable . . . someone is coming out today, hope they know what they're doing . . .

[TriRan]

wenfinger, on 07 December 2011 - 01:18 PM, said:

TriRan, nope, GCI is cable . . . someone is coming out today, hope they know what they're doing . . .

aha well thats good have you thought about trying a motorola surfboard?

[wenfinger]

Thought about that . . . I know the RCA modem they gave me could be the issue, but figure it can't be THAT bad as to bottleneck my access . . . and would like to try to optimize things first before buying one

[TriRan]

wenfinger, on 07 December 2011 - 01:48 PM, said:

Thought about that . . . I know the RCA modem they gave me could be the issue, but figure it can't be THAT bad as to bottleneck my access . . . and would like to try to optimize things first before buying one

i used to think that way till i replaced the modem my old ISP gave me, i went with a zoom ADSL modem over what they had given me and saw speed and response increases. you never know though i'd wait to see what the tech says after he runs a line test... you could always have him run a new line too while hes out just to be sure also make sure he checks all the fittings and makes sure they are tight and i don't mean hand tight

and you could always have him run a line specificly for the modem removing splitters etc can help improve signal quality and reduce noise

[wenfinger]

TriRan, on 07 December 2011 - 02:06 PM, said:

i used to think that way till i replaced the modem my old ISP gave me, i went with a zoom ADSL modem over what they had given me and saw speed and response increases. you never know though i'd wait to see what the tech says after he runs a line test... you could always have him run a new line too while hes out just to be sure also make sure he checks all the fittings and makes sure they are tight and i don't mean hand tight

and you could always have him run a line specificly for the modem removing splitters etc can help improve signal quality and reduce noise

Good call on the direct line.  Not sure about how it comes into my studio, but there may be a splitter or two from the run into the main house.  I have a new cable modem at home i purchased a few months ago and never connected.  I think it's NetGear,  let me verify before I figure out how bad it is lol

[wenfinger]

So, the tech just left.   Absolutely nothing done.  He said the drop was good, signal was fine . . . diagnostic on the modem seemed fine.  And we talked about TMN.  He wanted me to test on there instead of the speedtest site.  I appreciated that   The only issue was that I was even slower!! 4.5Mbps . . .

**I just came back to this and realized I never hit "send" and that was 24 hrs ago.      To finish this, I have been running an auto test and just don't get the disparity between speedtest and here.  Oddly, I tried the wireless connection from the main house (supposedly not the same as mine since I'm in the rental unit) and it seems as though GCI bumped up the speeds to the whole house.  Before, when I did speedtest, the wireless was 1.5 and it was confirmed here (almost all of the lowest scores I have were from the wireless test).  When the tech left, though, speedtest showed that miraculous 10Mbps but I only pulled 1.5 (or less) here!.  Whiskey.  Tango.  FOXTROT.  

Any ideas on how to approach this next?  I found my modem, it's a Linksys CM100, new, never used.  Worth a shot?

[TriRan]

wenfinger, on 08 December 2011 - 07:53 PM, said:

So, the tech just left.   Absolutely nothing done.  He said the drop was good, signal was fine . . . diagnostic on the modem seemed fine.  And we talked about TMN.  He wanted me to test on there instead of the speedtest site.  I appreciated that   The only issue was that I was even slower!! 4.5Mbps . . .

**I just came back to this and realized I never hit "send" and that was 24 hrs ago. To finish this, I have been running an auto test and just don't get the disparity between speedtest and here.  Oddly, I tried the wireless connection from the main house (supposedly not the same as mine since I'm in the rental unit) and it seems as though GCI bumped up the speeds to the whole house.  Before, when I did speedtest, the wireless was 1.5 and it was confirmed here (almost all of the lowest scores I have were from the wireless test).  When the tech left, though, speedtest showed that miraculous 10Mbps but I only pulled 1.5 (or less) here!.  Whiskey.  Tango.  FOXTROT.  

Any ideas on how to approach this next?  I found my modem, it's a Linksys CM100, new, never used.  Worth a shot?

definately, that will rule out any issue the modem might be having... worst comes to worst you can always go back to the old modem. did you ask him about the splitters? did he happen to tell you what your signal levels were?

[wenfinger]

Oops, forgot to mention he said splitters seemed fine, and I have the diagnostics from the modem itself after he gave me a new one for SNG . . .<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/46597645@N08/6479957019/" title="Screen shot 2011-12-07 at 4.35.12 PM by Will Phalange, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6479957019_c64eb74b2b.jpg" width="500" height="377" alt="Screen shot 2011-12-07 at 4.35.12 PM"></a>

[TriRan]

SnR seems a tad high, but its still acceptable. your signal strength and power level are perfect though

[wenfinger]

So . . . try my modem and go from there? (glad you could see that, not sure if it posted the image right)

[dann0]

Actually those levels look pretty darn good. The SNR cannot be too high, I would love to see 39dB SNR myself, just one time . The higher, the better. (20 years RF experience). But, just because the levels look good does not mean there is not some other problem. There are many factors such as how much traffic on your particular interface (this being the point at the head end/hub site where your particular node interfaces with the CMTS). At some point the data traffic funnels down to a congestion point (yes, even the God given, beloved FTTH has a point where it all comes together) and that is where we may be slowed down. All we can do sometimes is just keep on complaining until some manager says "re-configure this node so this guy stops calling and/or writing". So, keep it up, that me be your best bet.