Network Question

[Atomic Zombie]

Hi there!

After watching the recent hak5 show, i was thinking, since i have such a crappy internet connection (140-150 kb/s when downloading off steam), would it be worth me getting a better router? and how faster (if any) would it be?

I currently have a Netgear DG834g v4, i know it's crappy, but it was the one that came when i changed my ISP (i used to have around 50 kb/s. Could that of been because of my older crappy router?)

Thanks,

Atomic Zombie

[Sparda]

What speed are you 'paying' for?

[Atomic Zombie]

What speed are you 'paying' for?

I am paying for up to 8mb/s, but what I would like to know is if upgrading my router would help at all.

Atomic

[Sparda]

A new router may help, however, that is likely only to be the case if the router is having internal performance issues rather than connection limitations (determine this can only be done by testing with different equipment unfortunately).

How far are you from your phone exchange? This is ultimately the deciding factor. In order to use the full speed you are 'paying' for you need to be with in one or two miles of the exchange. The further you are form the exchange the more of a performance hit the connection takes.

[deleted]

Your connection speed can also depend on how many people are using the internet in your area.

I am now living in an area which is predominantly elderly, roughly the same distance from the exchange, and the speed at peak times is much much better :D

[digip]

I am paying for up to 8mb/s, but what I would like to know is if upgrading my router would help at all.

Atomic

Router maybe, but Modem, definitely. What Docsis version is your modem? My speeds went from 1.5mbit down 768k up, to like 30mbit down, 6mbit up after upgrading my modem. That partly is determined by the cap your ISP puts on your connection. My speeds were super fast for a while, but a few months later, were capped off by Comcast wher enow its 20mbit down 4.5mbit up. Its still MUCH faster than my previous modem, but I doubt for home use, that your router is the bottleneck in your network unless you have like 10 devices constantly on the network downloading stuff.

In Darren's case, I can see a need for a better router than an off the shelf low end router because like the previous hakhouse network, I'm sure he has a ton of stuff on his lan that sucks up bandwidth. QOS with a custom router will help him control the flow of bits and shape the traffic however he wants.

[Infiltrator]

Have you tried optimizing your tcp/ip stack, that usually could be the reason for slow speeds.

http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php

If after you have run the optimizer still no increase in speed, buy a new modem or update the firmware if you can.

Infiltrator.

[VaKo]

UK Based info, adjust as required:

A: Make sure your DSL modem is plugged into your BT master socket, which is where your phone line enters your house. This is the location that BT Wholesale support up to, anything beyond this is CPE and basically, your problem.

B: Make sure everything is filtered on your phone circuit.

C: Test and see if you get any improvement.

D: If not, remove everything else from your phone circuit, then unscrew the face plate on the BT socket and connect modem alone to the internal socket.

E: Try calling BT, complain about crackling on the line during voice calls and ask for the gain to be increased. Also ask for a SNR check for your DSL connection from your ISP.

[Atomic Zombie]

How far are you from your phone exchange? This is ultimately the deciding factor. In order to use the full speed you are 'paying' for you need to be with in one or two miles of the exchange. The further you are form the exchange the more of a performance hit the connection takes.

I am 0.56 Miles from the phone exchange, but there is a Housing estate between me and it.

Your connection speed can also depend on how many people are using the internet in your area.

Like i said, a housing estate is between me and the phone exchange.

Have you tried optimizing your tcp/ip stack, that usually could be the reason for slow speeds.

http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php

Infiltrator.

Tried, nothing. :/

UK Based info, adjust as required:

A: Make sure your DSL modem is plugged into your BT master socket, which is where your phone line enters your house. This is the location that BT Wholesale support up to, anything beyond this is CPE and basically, your problem.

B: Make sure everything is filtered on your phone circuit.

C: Test and see if you get any improvement.

D: If not, remove everything else from your phone circuit, then unscrew the face plate on the BT socket and connect modem alone to the internal socket.

E: Try calling BT, complain about crackling on the line during voice calls and ask for the gain to be increased. Also ask for a SNR check for your DSL connection from your ISP.

My internet is separate to my phone line, so 2 phone lines coming into the house, co it can't be the phones. Also, the place it enterers the house is directly behind my modem/router.

(Btw, I'm from the UK)

[Infiltrator]

Are you using a filter line between the phone and the modem, if not try buying one as it could be what is affecting your internet speed performance.

Another thing, how long is the phone line between the phone socket and the modem? If its very long, try a shorter one.

[eliminatebotnets]

Is it just Steam where you are basing your download speed? The only time I ever used steam was to play Half-Life 2 and Counter Strike several years ago. The speeds were awful at the time I used it. Maybe it's better now? I would try www.speedtest.net for a fairly accurate guage of your dl and upload speeds.

Your lucky you probably weren't around during the 56K era. It was exciting just to see a connection of over 40K and a ping less than 300 back then. Not to mention the connection losses. ;)

Edited June 19, 2010 by eliminatebotnets