Upload much faster than download!

[JPsDad]

COX cable says their service is good, but my service is very bad. Download progress is like stop-and-go rushhour traffic. The router is a Linksys E-1000N. We get very good signal strength but poor throughput. How do I keep it flowing?

 

https://testmy.net/stats/?&t=u&d=01272013&x=1&l=20&q=JPsDad

 

JPsDad

 

 

[Pgoodwin1]

If you haven't tried re-booting the modem, try that. Power it down. Sometimes mine (different model than yours) gets quirky and erratic. Many times clearing the memory by powering it down and back up again has resolved the problem.

If that doesn't cure it, try plugging a laptop directly into the modem (other stuff disconnected) and see whether the performance is better. If it is, you probably have an issue with your equipment. If it's the same, then it points to either the cable modem, or their signal integrity. Signal strength doesn't guarantee that it will work right. The signal can be too big as well as too small and cause problems. If you do have the problem when plugged directly into the modem, call Cox back. Usually on repeat performance issue calls they will first try to help you over the phone, and if that doesn't resolve it they will send a tech out to troubleshoot. More than once Time Warner has found problems with their equipment outside at their amplifiers and switches.

[CA3LE]

What package do you subscribe to? With cable simply changing out your splitter can help. They go bad and can cause noise that will cause packets to drop. I'd also check the coax going into the modem and from the D-Mark (where the splitter is) to the wall plate (if applicable). Even the little barrel connector on the wall plate can do that. You're responsible for the wiring from the demarcation point on. Eliminate any splitters with a barrel connector and if you find improved signal, call Cox and have them come out to swap out the splitter. DON't BUY COAX components from your hardware store. There is a big difference between antenna and cable splitters. Antenna splitters won't pass the high frequencies needed for data... They also aren't shielded well... They don't need to be, it doesn't hurt an antenna signal to get bleed from the air... But cable components have to be shielded from that. Especially apparent if you hook an antenna splitter to analog cable... The picture ghosts because it's getting signal from the air and cable company and they're mixing. ...this bleeding happens across all frequencies. So, if you find that it's a bad splitter, outside your home, call Cox. If you want to buy it yourself you need to get one that passes 5-1000 MHz, don't buy gold components for cable... good for antenna, bad for cable. If they have to come in the house they may charge you for a service call so before you call. Make sure that your wiring is good inside before calling them. If you need a 2 way splitter or a length of cable you can pick these up in the Cox store. Just tell the rep that you have an issue and think that a new cable or splitter may fix it. They shouldn't charge you for it, they should just hook you up with one of their quick connect kits. If you need more than a 2 way, you have to call.

That's the first things I would check before calling. You basically want to try to eliminate any variables, then add them back until you see the speed drop. Try to go directly from the wall to the modem, modem to the computer... better still is to go from the street to the modem like I said but it's not always an option. If you get improved speeds them you know that the problem has to do with one of the things you eliminated. ..... Note that everyone's wiring is different. For instance, sometimes you need to lower the signal on purpose. Super high signal levels are actually a bad thing. There is a happy medium. So for you to get proper signal levels you might need a splitter or a DC-6 / DC-9 to drop the signal levels. So eliminating some things may has an adverse effect.

Don't be afraid to call Cox. They'll schedule the service call like they're going to charge you but if the problem is outside, your drop to the house for instance, they won't charge you. The tech should hook you up with anything that you think you might need, a splitter or cable for inside for instance. Here's a little trick to make sure you're being serviced by an experienced tech. When you call request an "in house" tech. There are subcontractors that are very experienced but there are also a lot of inexperienced ones too. They also often don't have tools and signal meters as good as the in house techs. Contractors want to get in and out and get to the next house to maximize the money they make. In house techs aren't as rushed and are more likely to pull out a pick axe to bury a new drop and go the extra mile to make sure your happy. They're also highly trained by Cox. I know this because I was an in house tech for Cox and ran on many calls to fix the things contractors did wrong. Saw it every day... But I knew some really good ones too. You're just better off with a real Cox tech. Used to be that they would only do installs it I've heard of them subcontracting for service calls too.

Good luck!

[Pgoodwin1]

CA3LE...good call on the "in-house" tech. Yes, they are night and day different from the regular installation techs. They'll also figure out the problem pretty quickly.

[XANAVirus]

So do other cable companies have 'in house' techs too?

Say, Suddenlink?

 

Alot of companies nowadays are outsourcing everything and subcontracting everything to other businesses. This is the first I heard of techs trained by the cable company and not just hired by them to do something for you.

[JPsDad]

Would the inhouse wiring and splitters etc. affect the downspeed far more than upspeed? The upspeeds appear to be correct, but the down speed is absurd.

:::.. Internet Speed Test Results ..:::
Download Connection Speed:: 928 Kbps or 0.9 Mbps
Download Speed Test Size:: 704 kB or 720896 bytes
Download Binary File Transfer Speed:: 116 kB/s
Upload Connection Speed:: 3426 Kbps or 3.4 Mbps
Upload Speed Test Size:: 2 MB or 2016 kB or 2064384 bytes
Upload Binary File Transfer Speed:: 428 kB/s
Tested At:: http://TestMy.net Version 13
Test Time:: 2013-01-27 16:04:01 Local Time
Location:: San Juan Capistrano, CA, US
Validation:: https://testmy.net/db/R5Efuws.Cf6nTVA
More Stats:: https://testmy.net/quickstats/JPsDad https://testmy.net/compID/6283658957
User Agent:: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Ubuntu; Linux i686; rv:11.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/11.0 [!]

 

My System Monitor>Network History shows a rate of 2.2Mbit/s for a few seconds then falls back to near zero. On bigger download tests, I see a series of peaks with a  lot of valleys in between. In a 1.4M upload test, the upload peak was about 4.3Mbit/s for a few seconds.

[CA3LE]

So do other cable companies have 'in house' techs too?

Say, Suddenlink?

Alot of companies nowadays are outsourcing everything and subcontracting everything to other businesses. This is the first I heard of techs trained by the cable company and not just hired by them to do something for you.

For sure. They have to have at least a small force of in house techs. They at least have a group that follows up on some jobs done by contractors to make sure that they're doing things right. Usually they only sub out overflow and easier jobs. They also sub stuff like conduit installs (where they install a pipe from the street to your house for the cable to go in).

 

Would the inhouse wiring and splitters etc. affect the downspeed far more than upspeed? The upspeeds appear to be correct, but the down speed is absurd.

:::.. Internet Speed Test Results ..:::

Download Connection Speed:: 928 Kbps or 0.9 Mbps

Download Speed Test Size:: 704 kB or 720896 bytes

Download Binary File Transfer Speed:: 116 kB/s

Upload Connection Speed:: 3426 Kbps or 3.4 Mbps

Upload Speed Test Size:: 2 MB or 2016 kB or 2064384 bytes

Upload Binary File Transfer Speed:: 428 kB/s

Tested At:: http://TestMy.net Version 13

Test Time:: 2013-01-27 16:04:01 Local Time

Location:: San Juan Capistrano, CA, US

Validation:: https://testmy.net/db/R5Efuws.Cf6nTVA

More Stats:: https://testmy.net/quickstats/JPsDad https://testmy.net/compID/6283658957

User Agent:: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Ubuntu; Linux i686; rv:11.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/11.0 [!]

My System Monitor>Network History shows a rate of 2.2Mbit/s for a few seconds then falls back to near zero. On bigger download tests, I see a series of peaks with a lot of valleys in between. In a 1.4M upload test, the upload peak was about 4.3Mbit/s for a few seconds.

I believe that it could. Eliminate the home network first, connecting the modem directly to the computer. If you see no improvement move on to the wiring. Could be the coax, could be the cat-5 from the modem to the computer (or to the router when you have it hooked up). Look for kinks in the coax. Coaxial cable needs to maintain the proper diameter. If the line has a big 90 degree kink in it the signal will actually reflect off the bends and echo inside the line. This is why when you see a line on the outside of a house going into the wall... there will be a loop of cable. It gives the tech a length to work with later on but it also ensures that there isn't a sharp turn. ... I also often saw where people had stapled to baseboards or under carpet and it caused problems. Either the staples pinched the cable or the cable was pierced by the carpet tack board... a tack or staple that's going into the cable is basically a miniature antenna that's leaking in outside signal. Which causes noise. Which will degrade quality.

All things to look for. If the coax or cat-5 is questionable, swap it out. Also look at the connectors. The copper core should rise above the edge of the connector about 2-4mm... longer is bad, shorter is really bad. Looking down into the connector you'll see a white insulating core that surrounds the copper core. This is called a dielectric insulator. That should be flush with the base of the connector. If it dips too low or rises higher than it should be it can degrade quality. The coax cable should be RG-6, thinner RG-59 is far from ideal. If you have a wall plate that you're plugging into, check the connectors behind the plate as well as the barrel connector. If you get into that and see any gold fittings or the barrel connector is gold, call Cox. You may want them to rewire. Cable companies will never use gold fittings, if you see that it means that the cable company had nothing to do with how that line was run... which means that there may be more issues with that drop. Sometimes all it takes is a couple new fittings and a new splitter to bring you up to standard.  Sometimes, like if the cable is RG-59 and copper insulated the whole line will need to be re-run. If you originally did a self install of your service and the cable company didn't actually do the install... you might be better off calling them out to check the lines.

I assume that you've tried this on more than one computer and had similar results... right? Have you taken your home network out of the equation yet? What package do you subscribe to? Wasn't that Cox connection actually your neighbors, I was just talking to you in PM about that... right? If yes, how are you getting it over at your house, wifi? Is he seeing the same issue at his house?

[CA3LE]

CA3LE...good call on the "in-house" tech. Yes, they are night and day different from the regular installation techs. They'll also figure out the problem pretty quickly.

 

Yeah, they have more time on their hands and tend to care more about the customer.  Subcontractors want to hurry up so they can get to the next job to make more money.

 

Here's a good example.  I went out on a job in North Scottsdale AZ... there had been 6 previous calls to this mansion before I got the call.  All the previous 'techs' were subcontractors.  I could see work that had been done to the drop and the side of the house... but inside I notice that there is a very old connector behind the wall plate... and the cable is RG-59, with copper shielding.  Already off to a bad start.  I go up into the attic (huge by the way, I could stand up with about 6 ft of headroom... straight up mansion) and see a litteral rats nest of cables.  Chewed all to shit by mice.  Some were so bad there was 10 feet of cable with nothing but the core left.  I thought to myself, "how the hell did they not see this!" it was instantly obvious as soon as you popped your head in there  ... because they weren't doing their job, that's how.  I called my dispatcher and had her give all my other jobs to my buddies because I had an all day job on my hands.  I ended up doing a nearly 30 outlet rewire on this place.  Luckily the attic was big and easy to work with.  The lady was cool too, she hooked up a big blower fan at the entrance to blow A/C in there for me.  So the job went really smooth.

 

... we charged her nothing for the entire job.  These days, they'd charge for every single outlet.  But obviously, if you have 30 outlets... money isn't a problem for you.     -- Funny thing is, if the contractors had seen and repaired that, they would have made BANK.  Probably a couple grade for that job.  But they were too lazy to get into it.  You should have seen the D-Mark.  I had a two way splitter, split to two 6 way amps, split to a bunch of 3 and 4 way splitters.  By the time I left she had one of the best pictures I'd ever seen on analog.

 

Contractors don't care about the customer in my experience.  They care about how many easy jobs they can knock out real fast.  I'd hear them talking to each other at the office as I got my equipment from the warehouse every day, "Dude, I did 20 data installs yesterday!" --- sorry but if you knock them out THAT fast, something isn't being done right.    ... and here comes the in house tech to clean up the mess.  Having said that however, Cox does follow up on them and holds them accountable for mistakes.  Some of them lose their contracts, but just because they lose their contract doesn't mean that there isn't a bunch of houses out there with mis-wired cable that they did.  It's not like firing them fixes all the issues they caused.

 

Also, prewired coax done by homebuilders is crap.  Brand new houses I'd go to that were getting service for the first time... first thing I'd do is cut off ALL the fittings that they did and throw them and the crap splitters they used in the trash.  Electricians know electrical, not cable.  I really just wished that they would just run the lines and leave the fittings up to me, hell it would save themselves money too.  They almost always did it wrong and it was just easier to do it all over and not risk a callback.  Probably one of the reasons my callback rate was one of the lowest in the state.