DSL Problems

[Tool]

Well I've had DSL for about 2 weeks now. And I've had a few problems that I thought I'd ask you guys about before I call into Qwest.

Ok, so for my upstairs kitchen phone it's a wall mount. So I put the wall mount filter on it and plugged my phone in. But it seems whenever I use that phone it disconnects me for about 30 secs which is an annoyance. Also, I signed up for the 1.5 mb/sec download 896 k/sec upload package but it's actually like 160-200k/sec and 50k/sec.... Is there any possible ways I could get it higher or know if it will get higher in time as more people get DSL in the area? Any help would be appreciated.

[Foog]

Umm...could a firewall or some such program be limiting your bandwidth? I don't know of more DSL users increasing the speed. Why do you have to use the filter with the phone? Isn't it just for the computer?

[Obfuscate]

Your upload and download times are affected by both the number of people sharing the DSL connection in your area along with the available bandwidth of the website you are attempting to upload or download from. The thing that none of these DSL or cable companies tell you is that the more people in your area that sign up the smaller the piece of pie each of you will get. Unless of course they stay way on top of the user growth.

[Tool]

@Foog: The phone filter is what tells your phone line the difference between a phone call and the DSL connection.

@Sinners: Well I was reading the back of my DSL modem box and it was saying that it was only Cable that did that and not DSL. So... Now I'm skeptical.

[CheshireCat]

Try broadbandreports.com and find the tweaks section. Follow the instructions there and you should be able to improve your speed significantly. As for the phone kicking you off the net, Have you made sure you installed a filter on every device in your home that uses the line? If you have a home alarm system, it could affect it since it uses the phone line to alert the alarm company or police dept about a break-in, most alarm companies test the line once in a while. Also, some satellite receivers and cable TV receivers connect to the phone line so you can order movies. Check EVERYTHING that might be using the phone and install a filter if you can. If there is a phone connection but no way to install a filter, call the company of whatever device it is and ask them if it could be messing with your DSL.

[Tool]

Hmm. I think I may have some phones that aren't filtered... I dunno, I'll check. Thanks for that tweaks link, though, I'll check it out.

[Edit]
Took your advice... Did some tweak test thingy... This is what it gave me. When it says Kbit... How many Kbits are in 1.5MB? ~1500, right?

[Nubli]

Check the status of the phone line in and outside of your house. My DSL connection has been severed and reattatched in the past, so it randomly goes out in rainstorms or wind, not to mention phone calls disconnect me sometimes, and the overall speed of the DSL is fractional to what it should be.

[Tool]

Ok, so I had a phone plugged in that I didn't know about but it sucks so I just unplugged it. Now if Chesh would just tell me if there's a way to speed my shit up based on the test done above.

[xDBD]

Well, first off, you realize 1.5 mb/s is actually 1 and a half megaBITS a second, not megabytes? Most 1.5mbit lines are actually 1.56 mbit lines, so in theory, your line cna only handle 195 kb/s. That's because 1.56 megabits is 1560 KILOBITS. There are Eight kilobytes for every one Kilobit. 1560/8=195.
The same applies for your upload.

*I Realize you probably knew that already, but alot of people expect to download at a full one and a half megaBYTES a second.

As far as something messing with your connection when the phone is used, make sure ALL of the phone jacks have filters, including the one your DSL modem plugs into. Every active phone jack MUST be filtered to ensure no problems. Take note, if some jacks aren't filtered, it doens't mean it will interrupt your connection. It does mean, however, your speed will be affected. Alot. I had an unfiltered line that was used for *something*, and was inactive alot, but once filtered, I noticed ~30 KILOBYTES/second increase in download, and about a 10 kb/s increase in upload.

If all of your phone lines are filtered, and the actual quality of your phone line is good, and you STILL get connection issues, I'd say calling your ISP is a must. Also, if you're on a router, that could hold a huge detour in connection quality and speed if not set up correctly.


DSL lines are infact shared. On a big network scene, that is. You're essentially using the same DSL line as everyone else. The unique thing is, though, the internet you're actually using is like.. a PORTION of the whole. Only you actually access this for internet surfing. So congested areas won't affect your speed. What will affect your speed, however, is your location from the DSL main headquarters. The further you are, the slower your speeds. Likewise, if you're closer, you download faster. Usually, speed differences due to distance are VERY minimal, if noticable

[Tool]

Wow, thanks. I'ma give you 10k points for that. I did not in fact know that mb was megabit. l0l Thanks. And as for the filtering thing, I don't think I've been disconnected since I disconnected the phone I didn't know about. At least not while I've been at the comp. And the DSL install thing said not to put a filter on the modem jack. Anyway, thanks.

[CheshireCat]

According to the test, everything is where it should be. Nothing I can recommend.

[Silent_killers]

Look at my leet download speed.

[Foog]

2005-04-20 20:28:32 EST: <big>1258 / 318</big>
Your download speed : 1288888 bps<b><big>, or 1258 kbps</big></b>.
A 157.3 KB/sec transfer rate.
Your upload speed : 326530 bps<b><big>, or 318 kbps</big></b>.

man, you leeted my ***.

[CheshireCat]

2005-04-20 22:55:53 EST: <BIG>1243 / 307</BIG>
Your download speed : 1272840 bps<B><BIG>, or 1243 kbps</BIG></B>.
A 155.3 KB/sec transfer rate.
Your upload speed : 315228 bps<B><BIG>, or 307 kbps</BIG></B>.

And this PC is on DSL using a wireless conection, the router is in my naeighbors house across the street.