Slow 1megaBYTE connection. Almost dial-up -_-

ZeroShadow · 02-15-2007, 04:30 AM

The scenario:
Ok, I'm officially in the mood to murder a few people.(=D)

We've just recently called our interenet company TWICE. They said they would call us back TWICE, but never did. The first time we called, I had a short conversation with a guy who seemed pretty "legit" and nice. I specifically asked him "Are you sure we're paying for a 1megaBYTE connection and not a one megaBIT connection? Because there is a difference", he then replied and said "Yeah, it's a 1megaBYTE. Can you do a bandwidth check for me?". So, I do a bandwidth test online, and the result is (ZOMG!) 107.6 kilobits/per second. He then says "Ooh... that's pretty low. It should be about 1,000KB/S.". Then, he checks his computer and asks "Did your modem go offline?", and I reply "No, I'm actually using my browser at the moment.". He sounds surprised and asks me to unplug my modem and unscrew the cable from it and wait a few seconds. I do so, then replug everything. Once my connection is online again, he asks me if I plugged everything back and I reply "Yeap". He tells me yet again "Hmm.. It says your modem is offline on our computers. That's weird. Can you look on the bottom of your cable modem for a white sticker and read me the Cable RF Mac Address number?". I check the number and read it to him, then he enters it into his computer(I'm guessing) and tells me that the number isn't even their system. I read it to him yet again so we can double check, but to no avail, it seems as though my modem number isn't even in their system. He then tells me they'll call me back tomorrow, because I'd need to speak with someone else, but they never call back. We call the next day, and he says yet AGAIN "This time I'll mark it as urgent and they should call you back within 2 hours.". But guess what? They never call.

What my connection should be:
Now note: 1megaBYTE connection is equal to somewhere around a 8-10 megaBIT connection. That's a pretty good connection for a home connection. And 107.6 kilobits a second is barely a 10th of the speed I should be getting.

Why I'm suspicious:
A 1MB(Byte) connection should have a pretty fast download speed. The fastest my downloads have EVER gone was 150Kb/S. No matter what source, or what file. My friends who download the same games as I do, download 10 times faster than me, with connections slower than mine(One has a 4megaBIT connection. 1megaBYTE > 4megaBITs). Now, that's not the entire reason I'm suspicisous. I would understand if my connection would be whacky and the download would drop at random times to random speeds, HOWEVER, my downloads act the the same way, always in a pattern. I'll start downloading a file at around 105kb/s or slightly over, then at about exactly 15 minutes later, the download will drop to 20-25kb/s, ALWAYS. It'll ALWAYS drop at the same time, to the same speed. It even does this on limewire. I can't keep a steady download rate without it dropping to 25kb/s on average. Does this mean that my connection is capped? Something fishy is going on.

Is there a possible way I'm being "hijacked" by someone else who's stealing my bandwidth?

**hwm54112** · 02-15-2007, 09:50 AM

The reality is that all connections are capped in up/download speed and maximum bandwidth used, and that is based on average use. Not your average use but the public in general. Total available bandwidth is not infinitely unlimited. And every user shares in the total available from the ISP. So their rates (monthly charge) and caps are based on what the ISP believes the average account uses. If all accounts were allowed to download at maximum speed 24/7, the ISP's capacity would be exceeded and all users would not be able to get the share they are paying for. So caps are put in place according to how much you are paying. To prevent you from using up the total bandwidth you are paying for early in the billing period, the isp cuts your download speed after (in your case) 15 minutes. This also assures that no one user will be using up all available resources at any one time and depriving others. While you may not like that scenario, it is to your benefit, not something fishy going on. There are ISP's that will let you download your maximum bandwidth and then cut your access entirely until your next billing period starts. It's kind of like gasoline. The faster you drive, the more you consume, the more often you have to buy more. So no one is stealing your bandwidth, the ISP is averaging your use.

Quote:

It even does this on limewire

The site you are downloading from is only part of the speed equation. My understanding of limewire is that some of the files are very large so you are likely to see a cut in speed for the reasons stated above.

There are literally millions of mac addresses and it is possible that the modem mac is not readily visible in the "system". Some modems have three or 4 different mac addresses. It's possible yours is registered under another mac. That could also be your speed issue. google "find your ip address". Next time you call your ISP, see if they can find your modem from the ip address

crazijoe · 02-15-2007, 10:03 AM

I would watch what you say when posting information in this forum. We at TSF do not condone p2p apps because of the illegal use.

Quote:

We believe that the main purpose of P2P programs is to illegally download and use copyrighted material of whatever description. We further understand that there may be legal uses for P2P, but as we are not able to assess a user's intent when he/ she asks for help, we do not support P2P software and we will not assist any user in this regard. This includes but is not limited to Bearshare, Kazaa and many others.

Another moderator may close this thread because of it.

IMHO, When the tech tells you that "they'll call me back tomorrow, because I'd need to speak with someone else". That throws up a red flag and is a signal to call back and find a competent tech or just switch to a different ISP.

ZeroShadow · 02-15-2007, 06:00 PM

1. I don't get how this makes sense. I'm paying $40 for a connection that is faster than my friend's connection, who lives in a MUCH larger town than I do, yet his speeds are ALWAYS high. Mine are pretty much NEVER above 105kb/s with a 1megabyte connection, and it is always capped at about 25kb/s. How is that normal? I'm paying for a 1megabyte connection, and I NEVER get a 10th of that speed. How exactly would I go about actually getting fast speeds? This makes absolutely no sense at all.

Sorry for talking about limewire, but I never really claimed to download anything illegall from it.

**hwm54112** · 02-15-2007, 10:55 PM

It obviously is not normal

Quote:

it seems as though my modem number isn't even in their system

Since your ISP can't find your modem by mac address, something may be wrong with the provisioning.

Quote:

It's possible yours is registered under another mac. That could also be your speed issue. google "find your ip address". Next time you call your ISP, see if they can find your modem from the ip address

That is the first step to resolving your issue. If they can't find your modem with the info they have at hand, how are they going to fix the problem? If it's not provisioned properly, there is nothing you can do to fix it except give them the IP address. They will find your modem and be able to re-provision it if the provisioning is wrong. Stuff happens. There are a dozen different things that could be wrong, including the mac, but the IP address is never wrong and is an essential component of provisioning. Once the provisioning is done, if your speeds aren't what they should be, then you can look at other issues

ZeroShadow · 02-16-2007, 12:11 AM

Hmmm. I guess we'll have to call them back yet AGAIN, and give them my IP address.

Another odd thing: When my Modem is not working, and is acting as if it's offline, instead of having no ip address at all, I get a weird IP starting with 191., and my internet only works when my IP is 24.xx.xx.xx.

02-15-2007, 04:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
ZeroShadow Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 3 OS: Windows Media Center Edition 2005	Slow 1megaBYTE connection. Almost dial-up -_- The scenario: Ok, I'm officially in the mood to murder a few people.(=D) We've just recently called our interenet company TWICE. They said they would call us back TWICE, but never did. The first time we called, I had a short conversation with a guy who seemed pretty "legit" and nice. I specifically asked him "Are you sure we're paying for a 1megaBYTE connection and not a one megaBIT connection? Because there is a difference", he then replied and said "Yeah, it's a 1megaBYTE. Can you do a bandwidth check for me?". So, I do a bandwidth test online, and the result is (ZOMG!) 107.6 kilobits/per second. He then says "Ooh... that's pretty low. It should be about 1,000KB/S.". Then, he checks his computer and asks "Did your modem go offline?", and I reply "No, I'm actually using my browser at the moment.". He sounds surprised and asks me to unplug my modem and unscrew the cable from it and wait a few seconds. I do so, then replug everything. Once my connection is online again, he asks me if I plugged everything back and I reply "Yeap". He tells me yet again "Hmm.. It says your modem is offline on our computers. That's weird. Can you look on the bottom of your cable modem for a white sticker and read me the Cable RF Mac Address number?". I check the number and read it to him, then he enters it into his computer(I'm guessing) and tells me that the number isn't even their system. I read it to him yet again so we can double check, but to no avail, it seems as though my modem number isn't even in their system. He then tells me they'll call me back tomorrow, because I'd need to speak with someone else, but they never call back. We call the next day, and he says yet AGAIN "This time I'll mark it as urgent and they should call you back within 2 hours.". But guess what? They never call. What my connection should be: Now note: 1megaBYTE connection is equal to somewhere around a 8-10 megaBIT connection. That's a pretty good connection for a home connection. And 107.6 kilobits a second is barely a 10th of the speed I should be getting. Why I'm suspicious: A 1MB(Byte) connection should have a pretty fast download speed. The fastest my downloads have EVER gone was 150Kb/S. No matter what source, or what file. My friends who download the same games as I do, download 10 times faster than me, with connections slower than mine(One has a 4megaBIT connection. 1megaBYTE > 4megaBITs). Now, that's not the entire reason I'm suspicisous. I would understand if my connection would be whacky and the download would drop at random times to random speeds, HOWEVER, my downloads act the the same way, always in a pattern. I'll start downloading a file at around 105kb/s or slightly over, then at about exactly 15 minutes later, the download will drop to 20-25kb/s, ALWAYS. It'll ALWAYS drop at the same time, to the same speed. It even does this on limewire. I can't keep a steady download rate without it dropping to 25kb/s on average. Does this mean that my connection is capped? Something fishy is going on. Is there a possible way I'm being "hijacked" by someone else who's stealing my bandwidth? Last edited by ZeroShadow : 02-15-2007 at 04:31 AM.

02-15-2007, 06:00 PM	#4 (permalink)
ZeroShadow Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 3 OS: Windows Media Center Edition 2005	1. I don't get how this makes sense. I'm paying $40 for a connection that is faster than my friend's connection, who lives in a MUCH larger town than I do, yet his speeds are ALWAYS high. Mine are pretty much NEVER above 105kb/s with a 1megabyte connection, and it is always capped at about 25kb/s. How is that normal? I'm paying for a 1megabyte connection, and I NEVER get a 10th of that speed. How exactly would I go about actually getting fast speeds? This makes absolutely no sense at all. Sorry for talking about limewire, but I never really claimed to download anything illegall from it. Last edited by ZeroShadow : 02-15-2007 at 06:18 PM.

02-16-2007, 12:11 AM	#6 (permalink)
ZeroShadow Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 3 OS: Windows Media Center Edition 2005	Hmmm. I guess we'll have to call them back yet AGAIN, and give them my IP address. Another odd thing: When my Modem is not working, and is acting as if it's offline, instead of having no ip address at all, I get a weird IP starting with 191., and my internet only works when my IP is 24.xx.xx.xx.