# [SOLVED] Good internet speed, bad download speed



## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

Hi everybody,

We may have to move this thread around so forgive me if it's in the wrong place. I'm on a wireless modem provided by Centurylink, I believe it's a PK5000 somethin' or other. I can get you that info later if it's necessary. Anyway, up until about a couple weeks ago everything was fine, but lately youtube or any flash video site doesn't load according to the speed I'm supposed to have (1.5Mbps) and even downloading reletively small audio files (Last one was 64mb) can take up to an hour. 

I know you guys aren't dentists and probably prefer not to pull teeth here...but I'm not even sure where to go from there. There are several (5-6)devices that connect to the modem, but even when one of my computers is the only one on it still lags in the DL department. Even still, I've been looking into bandwidth control with this modem via the QOS option in the modem control panel but I guess I don't have that option. I have QOS but for some reason options that work for other modems don't work on mine. I know that should've been a given but I've become desperate here...

But since my computer is the only one on, I don't think it has anything to do with anyone else hogging bandwidth. I called my ISP and they swear they aren't throttling me. We don't have any computer hooked up via ethernet cable and haven't for a long time, but this problem only started recently. 

So I'm at a loss. Please help me because this is driving me insane.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

And basically, a 10 minute flash video takes about 20 minutes to download...if I'm lucky.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Been running internet speed tests. Results are interesting.

With centurylink's, which I figured could be shady since it's in it's best interest to tell me what I want to hear, is actually providing worse results than bandwidthplace much of the time. Last results there 791Kbps down and 716Kbps up.

First result looked like it was soaring past 1.56Mbps...and then the result posted is 0.66Mbps down. Which I would GLADLY take over the .20Kbps downloads I'm actually getting. It's even slower right now...at .10Kbps.

Second test was the same thing, soaring past 1.56Mbps...only to settle at 0.56Mbps. Uploads are not effected at all. I can upload until my heart's content which is actually a really good thing since it's necessary for my work. 

Still, this is driving me nuts. I know it all sounds so trivial but I've literally traded in cable for my internet connection. I don't DL torrents or anything but I do watch a lot of online video. I really doubt that even with all the other people hooking into my connection that we've gone over a 150GB limit...but could we have and they're just not telling me about it?


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Tried changing the channel from 11 to 6....no good. It also says 1 is a good channel to change it to but...

I'm really looking forward to some input here. I'd really appreciate it.


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## Xeneth (Mar 11, 2009)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

since your wireless, Likely interference.

Follow this and post back.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Thanks so much, I'll get back to you. Unfortunately it might be later because I have to go to work in a couple hours.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*



> Who is your Internet Service Provider (ISP)?
> US Providers - Comcast, Charter, AT&T, Verizon, etc...
> UK Providers - BT, talktalk, Virgin Media, etc...


Century Link (qwest)




> What type of broadband are you using?
> Dial-up, DSL, Cable, Satellite, Fios or T1


DSL (1.5 Mbps)




> What is the exact Make and Model of your Modem, Router or Modem/Router combo - Linksys, D-Link, Netgear, TP-LINK, etc.


Zyxel pk5000z, provided by Century Link/Qwest




> What is the Name of the Anti-Virus, Security or Firewall Software installed from the problematic computer - McAfee, Norton, Eset, Webroot, Zone Alarm, etc.


_Computer*s*_, plural.

Both use Avast and the Windows Firewall (alg.exe)


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

It just keeps getting slower and slower....


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

I'm thankful for forums like these and I truly appreciate the people here who help out, and I hope I don't seem impatient or worse, being completely out of line for saying this but...why is no one replying? If I'm on my own on this one, I'd like to know. Or if this is simply in the wrong place or even if it's just because it's a lower priority than the other problems posted in this subform, someone just dropping in to let me know would really help.

I'll check back in tonight and if there's still nothing, then I guess I'll just figure you're all at as much of a loss for this problem as I am.


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

You have a strong signal and the only other WAP in range is on ch 1 . . you could change yours to 9 or higher.

A USB wireless adaptor can be slower than a PCI adaptor. Is this a desktop PC? How high is the adaptor and is there anything between it and the modem? ( e.g. mirrors . . appliances . . microwave? brick walls?

Is it possible to connect a pc with an ethernet cable and run the speed tests. 

Did the ISP run a line quality test?


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Also, for the speedtests, try dsl reports . . Speed Test : upload and download | DSLReports.com, ISP Information

run it on several sites


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

If nothing has changed in your setup then a good place to start is with your phone.

Are there any crackling or hissing noises on it ?

Have you tried different microfilters if you use them ?

Is the router plugged into the master socket (which it should be) and not an extension ?

If plugged into the master socket, if it has a faceplate you can remove, then plug just the router with a microfilter into the test socket that is behind that and check for any improvement.

Are you able to borrow another router to try ?

Speedtests should be done both wired and wireless together at different times of the day to eliminate peak usage and local interference with any difference in speeds being noted.

Also try changing channels (which should be at least three away from anyone else) as Old Rich has suggested which should counter any local interference issues as well as asking your ISP to do a line test.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*



Old Rich said:


> You have a strong signal and the only other WAP in range is on ch 1 . . you could change yours to 9 or higher.


I plan on changing it back to channel 11, which it was on before when this all started.




> A USB wireless adaptor can be slower than a PCI adaptor. Is this a desktop PC? How high is the adaptor and is there anything between it and the modem? ( e.g. mirrors . . appliances . . microwave? brick walls?


I have 2 PCs this is occurring on, one a desktop and the other a laptop. The adapters are 3-3 1/2 feet off the ground and the modem is higher, probably at about 4 - 4 1/2 feet. There is a mirror and a wall but the mirror is not facing it, rather it's looking outward with the modem. It's always been like that though and the download problems started just recently. I'm going to try and move it anyway.




> Is it possible to connect a pc with an ethernet cable and run the speed tests.


That's tricky...this modem is in another room and to do so I'd have to run a wire through the wall. I'm pretty sure I have an old ethernet cable but I'm going to have to tear this place apart to find it. 




> Did the ISP run a line quality test?


Not sure, but they said from their end everything is fine, I wasn't being throttled and that I should be getting the target speed which is 1.2Mbps.




Old Rich said:


> Also, for the speedtests, try dsl reports . . Speed Test : upload and download | DSLReports.com, ISP Information
> 
> run it on several sites


I have. All sites give different results and sometimes it's fast but still the download/flash video lags. I could get 1.2Mbps and yet when I go to download something it only give me 10-30Kbps.









This one was especially slow.

bandwidthplace.com is giving me:
424Kbps down
700 up

Qwest/Centurylink:
0.56Mbps down
068Mbps up

On channel 11-
DSLreports:
178 kb/s down
625 Kb/s up

Bandwidthplace:
544 Kbps down
729 Kbps up

Qwest/Centurylink
0.84 Mbps down
0.71 Mbps up

Given that everyone uses a different system to guage speed this is just more confusing to me...kigobits vs. kigobytes etc. I work in Pharmacy and I understand grams/miligrams/micrograms vs grains and all that but computer jargon is extremely confusing to me. The one I understand the best is qwest's and if that were the actual DL speed I were getting I'd be happy even though it's not what I pay for.

Actual download speed I'm getting when trying to download an 84 MB file is 25-35KB/s which takes about 45 minutes. No change there between the channels.




Tomken15 said:


> If nothing has changed in your setup then a good place to start is with your phone.


There is one cell phone in the house and it isn't mine. It does charge in the same room as the modem but it always has.




> Are there any crackling or hissing noises on it ?


Not that I'm aware of but I rarely use it.




> Have you tried different microfilters if you use them ?


I have no idea what that is.




> Is the router plugged into the master socket (which it should be) and not an extension ?


I think it's plugged directly into the wall but even if it weren't...why did this just start happening? It is by a window, is it possible there''s some new outside interference?




> If plugged into the master socket, if it has a faceplate you can remove, then plug just the router with a microfilter into the test socket that is behind that and check for any improvement.


I'm going to have to google all that, see if it's possible and then get back to you.




> Are you able to borrow another router to try ?


No.





> Speedtests should be done both wired and wireless together at different times of the day to eliminate peak usage and local interference with any difference in speeds being noted.


OK, I'm going to have to move heaven and Earth to find an ethernet wire. We have a lot of crap. We haven't done any spring cleaning since about 2006. So there's a garage full plus my hideous closet. If I can't find it, I'll have to buy another one and looking at prices online that might have to wait till payday.




> Also try changing channels (which should be at least three away from anyone else) as Old Rich has suggested which should counter any local interference issues as well as asking your ISP to do a line test.


On qwest's troubleshooting guide they said the channels 1, 6, and 11 are best. But earlier it was said that 9 and up could work...shall I just flip channels to 9 and 10 and see if it gets any better?

Again, thanks for the attention and forgive my impatience as this is proving to be be extremely complicated to deal with. There's so many outside factors. We may have to keep this thread open for weeks. Tonight or tomorrow, depending on my roommates schedule and desire to help out, I'm going to try moving the modem/router to a different location in the room. I'll also try and find an ethernet cable...but I'd still appreciate a reply to this post to let me know if I've missed anything, to give another suggestion or whatever you feel is necessary.

Thanks again and I'll get back to you either way.


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

I would go ba k to the ISP and have them run a line quality check . . You have a strong signal, but that does not preclude interference from somewhere.

Without having a wired connection to compare speeds to makes it hard to nail down what is going on


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

The channels to avoid are 1 & 2 if you ever use cordless phones, as those are around the channels they work on and phone bases should never be sited near routers.

Channel 9 is also another one to avoid as it's about the equivalent that a microwave oven works on.

I've never had any problems running on channel 4, but it depends on who else is around you.

Unless you have an ADSL faceplate fitted to the wall socket (one that has separate sockets for phone and broadband) then you will need a microfilter to plug into the wall socket which you would then plug your router into, so it can split the broadband signal from the phone, but as this is just a recent issue, then you must one or the other.


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## Wand3r3r (Sep 17, 2010)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

channels 1, 6 and 11 are the preferred since they don't overlap with the others.

Google Image Result for http://www.tech-juice.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2.4_GHz_Wi-Fi_channels_802.11bg_WLAN1.png


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*



Tomken15 said:


> Unless you have an ADSL faceplate fitted to the wall socket (one that has separate sockets for phone and broadband) then you will need a microfilter to plug into the wall socket which you would then plug your router into, so it can split the broadband signal from the phone, but as this is just a recent issue, then you must one or the other.


Yeah, we don't have that type of phone. There's one cell phone and that's it. And there's been no change around here, this just started happening out of the blue.

Ok, this is getting worse by the day, now even the net itself is slow and qwest's speedtests are giving me .40Mbps. Good news is that I found my ethernet cable. Before I plug her in, is there anything I have to do? If I remember correctly you don't just plug it in and get internet. Can someone walk me through the steps? And shall I unplug my wireless card completely or is just disabling it good enough?


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

You can just turn of ff the wireless . . all you should have to do is connect the ethernet cable.

Have you had the IPS do a line quality test?


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

No, not yet. I'm going to turn off the wireless now and try to get a connection. Be back in a few.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

OK, ethernet's hooked up and I'm getting 0.56Mbps down on their speedtest.

And I think I should have mentioned this first hand, in case you don't know how qwest/centurylink works. They give you a modem that looks like a wireless router...but it's a modem, and a router, or whatever. Anyway I guess that receives a signal from somewhere else and that's how their internet works.

Should I still inquire about a line quality test or does that even apply to me?

*EDIT:* 0.68 Mbps down now...

Should I try restarting the modem? Think that would work?


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

The Modem is connected to the phone line?

I would have them run a line quality test . .


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

On the phone with them right now...I'll get back to you in a few.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Supposedly they ran every test imaginable and gave me the option of either having a tech come out and check around the home, but if he had to come inside it would cost me $80. Or, they could send me another modem for free so...I should be receiving that on Saturday and if that doesn't work then I'm screwed because I don't have $80 to spare.

If this is happening on 2 computers then it's gotta be the modem, right? Or am I going to be very disappointed on Saturday or Monday?

The waiting game continues. Thanks again to all who helped me out. I'll get back to you either Sat on Mon.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Oddest thing...

I tried downloading something with uTorrent and the speed, while not great or anything, is a hell of a lot better than anything I'm getting directly. 50-100 KB/s.

What does it all mean?! :banghead:


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

I think downloads from uTorrent are assisted by others who stay on for a while with their uploads.

I had exactly the same problem a few months after I joined TalkTalk as you have and no matter what their 2nd line techs suggested, nothing worked.

I can't remember now if it cleared up on its own or if on that occasion it was down to old clamps in the cabinet, it was certainly nothing that TalkTalk did or at least owned up to and a change of router a couple of times just gave me a couple of extra routers to play with.

If you do have a test socket you can plug into with just a microfilter with your computer wired and there's no difference even after trying the replacement modem, then the fault has to be on the line.

Didn't quite understand your explanation of your ISP's setup.

Is it a separate modem and router or a modem router, if it's the former can you wire directly into the modem to see if that makes any difference ?


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Just been having another look at your Post #7, if all those AVs are on both computers and they're all active, even though this is a recent problem, then they will give you problems.

While the the others may just be used as scanners (not familiar with) both McAfee and Norton are active AVs and will conflict.

Uninstall at least the McAfee (cos it's rubbish) and any of the others that are active and just retain the one active you prefer.

To uninstall McAfee you first use the Add/Remove then run its Uninstaller as well as the relevant uninstallers for the other active AVs (having first used the Add/Remove with each), which you can find on Antivirus Uninstallers

Also if it isn't already set to this, then set the ADSL mode to just G.Dmt

See what it's like after that clean out.


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## rnangool (Jun 8, 2012)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

by Kbps and Mbps is it Mega Bytes per second or Mega Bits? I believe that Mega bytes per second is MBps. Correct me if I'm wrong...


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*



rnangool said:


> by Kbps and Mbps is it Mega Bytes per second or Mega Bits? I believe that Mega bytes per second is MBps. Correct me if I'm wrong...


As I understand it, if it's upper case B then it's Bytes and lower case are bits.

HowStuffWorks "How Bits and Bytes Work"

SpeedGuide.net :: Bits/Bytes Calculator


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## Xeneth (Mar 11, 2009)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

It applies. DSL uses phone line to carry a signal. If the line get's damages, it can affect your speed. If the quality is good after they test, chances are it's not that.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*



Tomken15 said:


> I think downloads from uTorrent are assisted by others who stay on for a while with their uploads.


Yes, I don't usually use torrents because everything you do with them is so easily tracked. Plus I'm not really into the "latest thing" that most seeders of torrents cater to. Example: I just saw the "Lord Of The Ring" triology a couple years ago, long after the last movie came out. 

It's also that I prefer not to download directly to my harddisk for various reasons, space being the main one. There are plenty of streaming sites with online video that cater to my "needs", if you can call them that with a straight face. Examples: stansdad.com for South Park or Tubeplus.me for practically anything reletively new. The problem really lies there as direct downloads from my browser are what's suffering, giving me 30.0 KBps max if I'm lucky. Hell, I'd take that right now and shut up about it if it were consistent. Now it's giving 10.KBps from 2am to 5am which is just miserable. On streaming sites this makes it nearly impossible to watch anything as waiting for a 20 minute video to load could take an hour or more.

Prior to this it averaged 60.0 to 90KBps and it wasn't exactly lightning fast but I wasn't complaining.

Right now I'm trying to DL a 45(?)MB (45807.29KBytes) audio file with K-Meleon which takes a different approach than Opera, apparently. As it downloads at decent speeds until it can't any longer then it terminates the download before it's finished. I find that if I then redownload the file and overwrite the existing unfinished file on my hard drive it quickly shoots up to the percentage completed prior to termination at light speed and then resumes at uh...let's check it's recent progress...40.0KBps! It appears fortune smiles upon me at the moment! It will soon pass and become miserable shortly, and then I will repeat this process until the file is finally finished. 

I'm actually slightly happier with this arrangement so I might stick with K-Meleon despite it being terribly outdated. 




> I had exactly the same problem a few months after I joined TalkTalk as you have and no matter what their 2nd line techs suggested, nothing worked.


Great.  Oh well, I can't throw down my internet and walk away, unfortunately, as I do actually need it for work related reasons. Uploads are fine and aren't suffering at all. 




> I can't remember now if it cleared up on its own or if on that occasion it was down to old clamps in the cabinet, it was certainly nothing that TalkTalk did or at least owned up to and a change of router a couple of times just gave me a couple of extra routers to play with.


Lovely, more good news! What exactly do you mean by "clamps in the cabinet?" Forgive me, I'm American...we speak the same language but so very differently. :tongue: 




> If you do have a test socket you can plug into with just a microfilter with your computer wired and there's no difference even after trying the replacement modem, then the fault has to be on the line.


I don't even know what a microfilter is. I'll have to look into that and if it's something I must purchase it will have to wait until payday. Maybe. If it's possible. I cant afford to lose anymore weight, I'm skinny enough as it is.




> Didn't quite understand your explanation of your ISP's setup.
> 
> Is it a separate modem and router or a modem router, if it's the former can you wire directly into the modem to see if that makes any difference ?


Yeah, it's new to me, as well. It's a modem/wireless router combination, basically. It plugs directly into a phone line and you can connect directly with an ethernet cable, which I've done. And that's the computer I'm on right now and there's no progress, it's no better than it was with wireless.




Tomken15 said:


> Just been having another look at your Post #7, if all those AVs are on both computers and they're all active, even though this is a recent problem, then they will give you problems.
> 
> While the the others may just be used as scanners (not familiar with) both McAfee and Norton are active AVs and will conflict.
> 
> Uninstall at least the McAfee (cos it's rubbish) and any of the others that are active and just retain the one active you prefer.


Okay, this is news to me if either Norton or Mcafee are on either of my computers. There are other devices that use the connection through wireless but I can't see where you got that from. I only use Avast, myself. 

I know the other computer that uses the wireless appears to be off most of the time and has been since I've started this thread. In other words, it doesn't appear, to a novice like me anyway, to even be a factor at the moment. Where exactly did you get that from? 

I also know, for a fact, that the default setup for that computer has a trial version of McAfee on it and whenever he's come to me in the past complaining of computer issues one of the first things I do is get rid of the numerous useless programs on his computer. Not sure if he's had a reinstall since then, which was about a year ago, as we quite hate each other and do our best to keep distance. Of course, if you're seeing that I believe you I'd just need to know where you saw it as I've looked at post#7 with it's attachments and I'm not seeing it at all, only where I mentioned that I used Avast. I can pass a message along for him to get rid of that useless AV and if he can't do it, or won't, I'll have to once again and if that's not possible then I'll find a way to kick him off the network entirely. 




> To uninstall McAfee you first use the Add/Remove then run its Uninstaller as well as the relevant uninstallers for the other active AVs (having first used the Add/Remove with each), which you can find on Antivirus Uninstallers


Yes, I know how to do it, although it is a bit trickier on Vista, as he has, but again...I'm not seeing where you're getting that from.




> Also if it isn't already set to this, then set the ADSL mode to just G.Dmt
> 
> See what it's like after that clean out.


I'm sorry, I don't know what ADSL mode is or G.Dmt for that matter, but I do appreciate all of this attention to my problem you've given and anxiously await your response to this post as now it feels we're getting somewhere.

Thanks again.


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

First of all apologies about the AVs, it's the way the post is laid out answering the stickies and where it asks what AVs you are using, thought they were your answers and didn't realise they were eg.s.

This Kitz article will explain what I meant by the test socket if you have a wall socket similar to any of those, whereas if you have an ADSL faceplate fitted, that's the one with V10 on it and with separate sockets for the broadband and phone, you don't need microfilters. ::. Kitz - Improve your adsl connection speed .::

You need either a filtered faceplate or microfilter to separate the phone signal from the broadband.

Have a read through the rest of that Kitz article (when you get the time) using the side menu, as it's quite educational regarding broadband.

If you have something like this then the modem/router would plug directly into that whereas if the socket is like the first one, then you would need a microfilter which plugs into that single socket and you would plug your phone and router into the respective jacks on the box at the end of the short cable. Microfilters - how and why

In the UK the phone lines come from the exchange into a green metal cabinet in the street and from there, the phone lines are fed via telegragh poles to the respective homes and into the back of the master sockets, so if you were connected to the test socket, then in effect you are connected directly to the pole and isolated from your own internal wiring or filtered faceplate.

If this improves the connection in any way, then that would point to a defective faceplate or microfilter if used (as they are in the UK).

In the UK ADSL users generally use a combined wireless modem router except when they have fiber installed, which then goes into a modem before a wireless router, although some still use the modem and router set up for ADSL that they've probably had for years.

In the router there will be a section which deals with the ADSL modes which will look something like this snip from my router.

To set it just for G.Dmt you would leave just that ticky box checked, as that mode is a lot better for longer lines regarding connectivity/stability and have they done the line test yet.









I think I've covered everything for now that you've pointed out and if there's anything else that comes to mind, I'll post it.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

OK, since I've been messing with this all the sudden I'm listed twice with 2 different MAC addresses on this computer and there's a total of 7 devices that use it. Eve if they're inactive can they still be an issue with dropping the DL speed?


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

OK, I want to start messing with this...but I don't want to screw up my network. I now suspect someone is leaching. I'm going to wait for some advice before hand, though.


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Did you get the new modem? Do you have security set up on the wireless?


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

The reason why you are listed with two MAC addresses is because one is for wireless and the other is for the ethernet.

If you look at your ipconfig /all you will see that the ipv4 preferred IPs for wireless and LAN correspond to those listed against their respective MAC addresses.

To ID the remaining devices listed in the DHCP table, once the lease times get down a bit, just plug in/switch one on at a time then check that against the new lease time, but they should have their own names to ID them and if a stranger turns up, then you'll know your being leached.

The other devices when not in use will not be drawing on the bandwidth.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*



Old Rich said:


> Did you get the new modem? Do you have security set up on the wireless?


Not yet, I'm waiting for the delivery. Should be here today.

And I set the security to the best options available an changed the password to something incredibly complicated. I found out the only other devices that use the wireless are iPhones...but one of the devices listed is simply called "unknown."

I really doubting that this new modem is going to clear up any of these issues. To say I'm a bit fed up and angry would be the understatement of the century. To me, it's just magical how this is all working out...upload are fast, internet is fast, torrents are fast but direct downoads? Slow as hell. No youtube or YT clones and no direct downloads of audio, PDF or...whatever kind of files. 

And, of course, they won't admit to doing anything. The bill usually comes in at the end of the month but the billing cycle supposedly is in the middle according to the "courtesy emails" I get from them. So if it miraculously clears up on the 15th then I'll know the deal. Why they would throttle me will always be a mystery since there's absolutely no way I could ever go over their 150GB a month limit. It's literally impossible. 

And right now they're the only game in town. So all I can do cry and beat my hands on the crib like a baby. Murderous rage...oh so murderous.

I'll get back to you once I get the new modem/router combo arrives. It also just dawned on me that to test whether someone is leaching is to just turn off wireless and try using the wired connection and see if anything improves. So I may give that a shot later, as well.


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Frankly, torrents often come with "issues" . . which is why we do not support their use.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*



Old Rich said:


> Frankly, torrents often come with "issues" . . which is why we do not support their use.


Yes, I'm well aware of those "issues" and I usually don't use them...but they aren't giving me a whole lot of options, here.


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

You should really switch the wireless off when doing wired speedtests, otherwise wireless will still figure as the router will be requesting and acknowledging both the IPs.

The easiest way is to click on the wifi icon in the taskbar then click on Disconnect rather fiddle with the Function keys.

Can you tie the "Unknown" MAC down to any paticular time frame/device and did its lease renew when/if you switched your devices on one by one ?


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Just a belated thought, if you switch off the wireless then none of the other devices using wifi will work either.

Probably better to tie the MACs down by elimination.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*



Tomken15 said:


> You should really switch the wireless off when doing wired speedtests, otherwise wireless will still figure as the router will be requesting and acknowledging both the IPs.
> 
> The easiest way is to click on the wifi icon in the taskbar then click on Disconnect rather fiddle with the Function keys.
> 
> Can you tie the "Unknown" MAC down to any paticular time frame/device and did its lease renew when/if you switched your devices on one by one ?


See, that's the thing...my wireless card is disabled on that computer and yet it's still showing up in my DCHP reservation list. Even after I've remove it several times, and I haven't turned it back on since.

And short answer to the MAC question...no. 



Tomken15 said:


> Just a belated thought, if you switch off the wireless then none of the other devices using wifi will work either.
> 
> Probably better to tie the MACs down by elimination.


I know that, I just want to see what happens...if I all the sudden get some speed back. I got the modem but I have a meeting to go to in an hour so I'll catch back up with you guys tonight and let you know ho0w all this goes. If, as I suspect, there's no improvement either way then I think it's a pretty safe bet my ISP's violating the terms of our contract. Unless you can think of some other reason? I'm pretty sure that's what it is. Maybe they got a bunch of new customers in the neighborhood and they're punishing me for it...I don't know. I'm furious about this. I wish I didn't need the net for other reasons because centurylink would get dropped. And I've been very happy with them up unitl this last couple weeks.


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

In my router, I only have the DHCP or the ARP Tables to view any connections that have are/been on mine and I don't have the facility to remove them.

Even though I'm wired at the moment and with the wireless disconneted, the wireless is still showing because of the remainder of its 24hr lease.


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

May be worth checking with the neighbours to see if anyone else is having the same problem which then would ID it as an ISP issue rather than your equipment.


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Came across this program PassMark WirelessMon - Wireless 802.11 WiFi monitoring software when I was reading through a mag.

Have a read through what it says it can do and use it to confirm your setup.

It's a paid for prog but with a 30 day free trial.

I haven't used it myself as everything is okay on mine at the moment and some of these type of progs can remember if you've used them before, so I'll hang on until/if my connection gets buggy.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Alright...here goes nothing. Disabling wireless...running speedtest....

0.62 Mbps :banghead:

I've been doing that for about a week now. Between that and the vodka I must only have about 3 working braincells left.




Tomken15 said:


> May be worth checking with the neighbours to see if anyone else is having the same problem which then would ID it as an ISP issue rather than your equipment.


The neighbors I know either don't have qwest/centurylink or internet at all. Most people use Cox which is a far superior service. I used to have Cox but dropped them after having a dispute with them over their cable tv, they wanted to charge me an insane amount out of the blue for something I didn't even order and threatened to send me to collection if I didn't pony up. So I paid them and dropped them. Qwest/Centurylink is just a little cheaper and a little slower but the speed wasn't bad at all. I've had absolutely no complaints until recently. 1.5 (Target 1.2) is perfectly acceptable for me because like I said, I'm not a heavy downloader.




Tomken15 said:


> Came across this program PassMark WirelessMon - Wireless 802.11 WiFi monitoring software when I was reading through a mag.
> 
> Have a read through what it says it can do and use it to confirm your setup.
> 
> ...


I'll look into it. I've also got wireshark downloaded...don't know exactly what it's supposed to do. I think it sniffs out if any packets are coming from malicious programs that may have weaseled their way on to my computer.

I don't know. I have this new modem sitting here and I'm just shaking my head. I'm almost positive there will be no improvement. I'm not some noob to the net and I've tried everything. It's happening on two computers and they both are showing the same kind of shady behavior when it comes to downloads. In K-Meleon, for instance, I'll start DLing a file and it will just cut off out of the blue. If I'm able to catch it within 30 second and hit the download link again it FLIES (we're talking 3000+KBps) at insane speeds to catch back up to the previous percentage completed and slowly throttles down with many pauses in between...still, it speeds up the download. So I've been siting on it and when it slows to a crawl I'll close the DL box and hit the link again and it speeds back up and then throttles back down again but by the time it throttles down I have another good percentage completed. This is happening on both computers, one wired, one not. It's a pain in the butt, however it's effective.

Can you make anything of that?

Anyway, I've got the modem but I don't really want to put it on until I have a phone handy. Someone else has the house cellphone right now. I might put it off until Wednesday to do it when she'll be home and I won't be inconveniencing anyone by taking the phone just to yak with some customer service guy for an hour. She works at the Prison which is a little outside of city limits, in the desert, so I'd really rather she had the phone in case she needs it. Break downs, hostage situations...you never know what might happen out there in the wild wild West. We're still dodging arrows in a lot of ways. :tongue:


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

I've just tried that program, it promises a lot but can't really see what extra it delivers of practical use compared to Xirrus or inSSiDer and certainly doesn't justify paying for it.

If this new router doesn't improve the situation and your ISP can't/won't do anything for you, then it may be best to "bite the bullet" and go back to Cox when you can (contract permitting ?).

Years ago I had a dispute with an electricity coy over local tariffs and them not applying a new cheaper one to existing customers (I won via OFGEM), but thought, if that was the way they were going to treat their customers, then they could stick it.

After trying a couple of other suppliers, I'm back with them because they're the cheapest for the area and I think this is something similar you should consider, rather than :banghead::banghead::banghead: with or without the vodkas, should there be no improvement.

I have no explanation for why the downloads should behave in that way, other than doing a defrag and perhaps uninstalling little used or forgotten about programs which may free up some virtual memory and you could try increasing the size of the cache (?).


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

When you contact your ISP, if the line test is clear there are two more things you could ask of them.

The first one is to reset your port, I think this just refreshes your line but not sure and the second is what we in the UK know as a Lift 'n Shift.

This is to move you from one port to another and ISPs will normally only do this as a last resort because I think it costs them money if they're leasing the line at the exchange from another coy, but they may not do this until an engineer has visited you to test the line from your end as well as your set up but worth asking.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Thanks for your replies, Tomken. I'll answer in detail either tomorrow or Thursday and let you know the result of the new modem. I had to take today off as far as messing with this stuff. I experienced a slight speed change for a very brief amount of time in the early morning (40-50KBps) but that didn't last long. This was after I turned off wireless for a while and when I put it back on I disabled SSID. Don't know if that had anything to do with it, but I had to turn it back on because then my laptop couldn't get on. 

If someone _is_ leaching off me they're A.) Smarter than I am with this stuff and B.) There's probably nothing I can do about it other than stop broadcasting my wireless signal. But that might just anger them and they might lock me out completely, lol. I'm actually doubting that's the issue now. I'm at a loss and just pointing fingers in every direction at this point. 

I'm going to change the router tomorrow. For some reason I can't even access "Modem Status" when I try to get into the modem, which is strange. But it does that sometimes. It's either "wireless status" or "modem table" that can't accessed usually but whenever I try later I can usually get in.

Anyway, talk to you tomorrow or Thursday. Thanks again for your attention.


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

This is a UK free broadband monitor Use Our Free Broadband Download Monitor | Broadbandchoices.co.uk which you could use to monitor your usage and if it records downloads at particular times when you're not on or isn't commensurate with what you're doing, then that would be proof of you being leached.

These are a couple of paid for versions with free trials.

Not sure if you can only try this one for the one day Top Selling Recording & Monitoring Software

And this one which has a 30 day free trial period Internet Filtering Proxy Server - CyBlock Proxy

But other than that, with these new connectivity problems, then it maybe the router (?)


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Forgot about this program you could try to see if that picks up on any of the connectivity problems Farbar Service Scanner Download


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

OK, here's the closure for the thread...not closure for me, but it's about what I expected. Got the modem and was directed to a setup page that told me to enter a username and password at a link that took me to "quick setup". _So's I clicks on it_ and no dice. No banana. I'm thinkin' great way to start off!...

But we had internet anyway, which from here on out I will be referring to as the intern*u*t...because it's making me nuts! So first place I go is to the speed test and the test was like 0.29 down or something abysmal like that. So I call customer service, which is always just such a pleasure, I get a nice girl on the phone who honestly sounds as if she has downs syndrome and she proceeds to tell me things I've already told her, like that I am connected to the internut and I think she even informed me where bears go to the bathroom...the woods, of course. She then proceeded to tell me that water was, indeed, wet and the pope was, indeed, Catholic. I thanked her for this vital information and we moved on...

So one speedtest...0.3 down...another after a reboot...0.35 down or so. Then she tells me that from where she sits I'm getting what I pay for! Well, it was like that scene in the exorcist where the girl's head spins and she starts spitting pea soup...yeah, I've got a mess to clean up now. I wouldn't actually know where to go from here as Satan took over and directed the rest of this phone call, but luckily he left me a detailed account of what happened so I could relay the story to others. 

So after she informs me that the speed is what I pay for, I say "You callin' me a liar, heh?" and she assures me that isn't the case. But then proceeds to do this several times. She then suggests that I contact the "network technician"...who just so happens to be me, to see if something is wrong on my end. I tell her I've been doing that for 2 weeks and that compared to her, I am a computer GOD and she has no right to insist it's something on my end. So I ask her if they'll send a technician out to check on the outside lines and get this...SHE SAYS NO! NO! That it's not them, it's me.

So I tell her that in a month we'll be changing our TV service and since we'll be doing that, I might as well drop their internet as well and go back to the company that sounds like a vulgar reference to genitalia...it rhymes with "rocks". So she thanks me and I say "No, thank you it's just been an absolute pleasure." 

Oh that Satan, the father of lies...no, it wasn't a pleasure. It was an exorcise in futility that only lead to further frustration and a hatred for equal hiring policies directed in favor of the handicapped. 

So that's that. I'm playing with the security settings now and having a bit of customer service remorse as I was a tad viscous, but hey from my perspective I'm getting ripped off, openly, while Corky from _Life Goes On_ tells me that what I see going on right in front of me isn't actually happening. All while thanking me after every sentence and generally trying my patience at ever turn with their over the top customer service jargon. 

So whenever we change our cable service, in the next month or so, we're going to do as you suggested and bite that bullet.

I just want to stress that up until now I had absolutely no complaints about Qwest's DSL internut service...but seeing as how DSL is run through a phone line there are obviously outside circumstances that neither you nor they can deal with. Circumstances for which neither you or they are prepared, or should even have to, deal with. And they could arise from any number of issues...I suspect heat is the culprit here. It started happening just as we started breaking 100 F. Still, they should do better in shading their connection box if that is indeed the case.

So now tonight we're having not only vodka, but were washing down some xanax with it! I'm prescribed 1mg...but we're takin' 2mg for good measure. And if I die before I wake, do not weep because I am obviously a complete jerk. But I've had it. Two weeks of this aggravation. 

Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone here for their valiant effort to help me. I've appreciated it immensely. I really have. You guys are always great. Even if we can't always get the resolution desired, the effort is always FAR above that of Qwest technical support.

Thanks again and you can do whatever you like with this thread.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Actually, keep this open, please...as I'm still messing with it. I understand if this thread is of least priority.

I ran a diagnostics test from my wired connection and the Ethernet FAILS while everything else passes. And apparently it's not supposed to do that.

Ethernet:	FAIL
DSL PHY:	PASS
Encapsulation Type: ATM
Encapsulation Test:	PASS
PPP Type: PPPoE
PPP Authentication: PASS
DNS Resolve: PASS
DNS #1: PASS
DNS #2: PASS

It is a long Ethernet cable...probably about 50 feet. And it really doesn't make any difference since this problem started on the wireless and I only hooked it up to run speed tests for customer service. I'm obviously online with it right now...just wondering what it means.


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Post an ipconfig report


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

IPconfig report attached:

Windows IP Configuration



Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : whatevah

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . : 

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No



Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 6:



Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : 

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : D-Link DFE-550TX 10/100 Adapter

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-05-5D-F9-78-10

Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.2

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Thursday, June 14, 2012 5:01:41 PM

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Friday, June 15, 2012 5:01:41 PM


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

The ipconfig looks good . . As long as it iw working, I would not worrry about the fail message


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

I swear to god it gets worse by the day. Recent download speed is between .05 and 10KBps.


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Did your ISP run a line test?


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Supposedly they've tried everything. I had to hook the old modem back up because someone decided to give the new one a shower and it's ruined. Seriously, the whole thing was soaked, even the cord. No one's taking the blame for it.

Basically, at this point if I get over 5.0 KBps I'm lucky. Right now I'm at 3.5 and it keeps dropping before the file's complete, too. Say it's a 60MB file, it will cut off at 10MB and I have to restart the DL.

What a nightmare. Basically, no downloading for me until I can get back with Cox. You know, there was a time when I did more reading online than anything else...it wasn't so bad. And there's *other* ways to get video...ways that I do not condone and rest assured I'd never do. 

So I guess that's that. I don't think I could take another moment of troubleshooting this wretched thing.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Now downloads start at anywher from 10-20 KBps and slowly decline to .01Kbps...and then stop. Then I resume DL and it does it again.

I think I've asked this before, but is there ANY reason why I can surf the net and upload just fine...but downloads would still give me all this trouble? And it seems like the more I've messed with it, the worse it's gotten. Seriously, the speeds that I was originally complaining about I'd gladly take right now.


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*



Tidalwaves said:


> Now downloads start at anywher from 10-20 KBps and slowly decline to .01Kbps...and then stop. Then I resume DL and it does it again.
> 
> I think I've asked this before, but is there ANY reason why I can surf the net and upload just fine...but downloads would still give me all this trouble? And it seems like the more I've messed with it, the worse it's gotten. Seriously, the speeds that I was originally complaining about I'd gladly take right now.


This article seems to give some insight into download speeds slowing when downloading videos, but don't know if the diagnostic program is any good Helpful Hints to Improve Download Speeds


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## TheCyberMan (Jun 25, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

1. Is the centruryLink fiber optic broadband or cable(down the phoneline)?

2. Check in the modem logs for LCP down if it appears it could indicate a fault on the line coming into you or at the exchange and is an issue that the ISP needs to resolve.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

It was the heat! The heat! The heat! The heat! That miserable, hideous star of ours...

See the attachments.

So that leaves one question, how can I get them to shade their stuff right? Because I live in _a desert_. And July approaches like a hungry predator. Not that June hasn't been miserable enough...

And youtube and clones are flying like F-16s. I'm like a kid in a candy store today...so much to do!

I love you all. I love everyone! I even love qwest...if they'll address this issue. Think they will?




TheCyberMan said:


> 1. Is the centruryLink fiber optic broadband or cable(down the phoneline)?


I'm not sure. A round phone-like cord goes from our modem/router combo to the phone jack...so probably numero dos. 




> 2. Check in the modem logs for LCP down if it appears it could indicate a fault on the line coming into you or at the exchange and is an issue that the ISP needs to resolve.


I'm not sure how to do that but I think I can figure it out. And that, right there, must be the issue. That line is, no doubt, out in our Tucson sun where lesser objects often just burst into flames. Sometimes you'll see a small animal walking down the street and BOOM...spontaneous combustion! 

I hate Summer, in case you can't tell. Is it still Spring in normal parts of the country?...because we only get 2 seasons here. Summer and Spring. I thought the seasons Fall and Winter were mere myths until I took a business trip to Nebraska in January, 2002. 

Anyway, it's got to be the heat and therefore it's on their end. Getting them to acknowledge that will probably be another issue entirely.


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## TheCyberMan (Jun 25, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Desert hot by day cold in the night brrr...

Sounds as though down the phoneline do you have a micro filter you should have to seperate the phone line from your DSL broadband if not the phone will cut off your broadband connection.

LCP down please check your modem logs it could inidcate a fault on your line or at the exchange and only ISP can resolve this.


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## Tomken15 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

High temperatures and wet weather can have its effects on the copper wire.

In the UK, it's the latter which would be more often the case and we've had mostly lousy weather so far this year :sad:


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

103F today and my downloads are still fast. So much for that little theory. 

Things mysteriously picked up on the first day of the new billing cycle and after 2 calls where I threatened to go back to Cox. They swear they don't throttle customers but seriously, that's the only explanation that makes any sense to me right now. Last bit of tinkering I did had no effect and I went to sleep with glacial speeds...we're talking 0.1-5KBps. And then yesterday I woke up and everything was magically working again. The only reason I know it wasn't all just a bad dream is because this thread exists.

I looked for logs relating to LCP and found nothing. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right place, I don't know. I'm still mad about this. I'm glad to have my DL speeds back but still, I know they were up to something. I just want them to admit it. I have no problem with a 150GB cap because I'm NOT a big downloader. I don't know, maybe the phone company was repairing another person's issue and I was just unfortunate to get caught in the crossfire.

Still a mystery. But I'd bet on throttling. It's way too convenient that my speed returns after numerous complaints and threats of leaving them for another service provider.


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## TheCyberMan (Jun 25, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

The threat of losing business usually makes their ears prick up meaning lost revenue.

No LCP down maybe it simply wasn't there and that is good.

They may never admit to throttling but monitor your speeds over the next few days or week or so to ensure they have stabilised, if they drop again go straight back to them.

Otherwise if you are happy you can mark this thread as solved using thread tools at the top of this thread.

Please let us know either way.

Thanks for posting the update.


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## Tidalwaves (Feb 18, 2011)

*Re: Good internet speed, bad download speed*

Thanks again, I appreciate it. I'll go ahead and mark this resolved as there's certainly others with bigger problems than this. If anything else happens I update it but it's out of all of our control, apparently.


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## TheCyberMan (Jun 25, 2011)

Yes anything to do with the ISP we cannot control if it re-appears and you want some advice you can pm me and i will mark the thread unresolved for you.

I am glad we have been a help to you enjoy the rest of your evening surfing at speed:grin:


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