Explanation requested.

[Clipper]

Someone please explain to me what had happened that slowed my internet speed to a crawl and then left my modem completely inop.

The cable folks were here for an hour earlier. My computer simply got slower and slower and Saturday I had my laptop connected via ethernet cable. When I went to plug the modem cable back into the desk top, it would not access the internet.

According to the tech, Charter had changed something at their location that was an upgrade to my high speed service. Unfortunately my modem was not up the the task, and simply gave up the ghost.

They replaced some cable on the outside that may have been too small to carry an adequate signal from the pole across the street, according to the tech. Then they came in to reboot the modem. Couldn't get it to pull enough signal strength. Testing showed the old modem only drawing 2mbps. Changed the modem and plugged in a new upgraded modem. Now it is showing around 22-25 megabytes per second.

I have always had high speed internet service that was supposed to be 30 megabytes. He says my signal strength will vary between 20 and 60 megabytes with the new modem.

What does the modem actually do, that simply changing the computers around for a short time would effect the signal strength or modem? I have done it for quite a while and never had any trouble other than having to reboot a couple of times when the computer didn't recognize a new IP address.

[dave]

You'll get a more expert opinion from Ralph, but I have high speed also and don't think I ordinarily get 20 megabits per second (Mbps).

I just went to speedtest.net and it measured 11.41 Mbps download and 2.31 Mbps upload speed between South Carolina and San Francisco. When I first got high speed up north I was getting between 5 and 7 Mbps, but that was considered good then.

I don't know what on your PC would ordinarily change the performance of the router in the manner you described. The router is simply a device that takes what your PC requests and puts it up to the next higher tier on the Internet. (It also runs your home network, if you have one.)

Besides, from what you say the cable guys' attention has been on, it sounds like they're not getting sufficient signal strength into your house. A week connection causes your equipment to retry failed attempts to communicate and the result appears to be a slowdown.

The short answer is I don't know what your problem is, but the cable company should. And if it were me, I'd be logging my speed between Bristol and the west oast regularly and letting the cable people know the results.

If you have (and you should) a tech center available by telephone, they should be aware of what was done on your premises this afternoon and the results. Give them a call after speedtest.net and ask them what they think.

[dave]

By the way, a possible problem can be RF noise produced by a variety of devices. Wall transformers (so called 6 and 12 adapters), dimmers and even high intensity lamps all produce noise. So to do computers and even small LCD screens. If it gets in the router noise will interfere with data being passed back and forth, causing multiple retries and slowing down performance. I've seen this problem reported on router forums. Make sure you don't have a high intensity sitting on top of the router. And that all of the data cables and power wires are separated as much as possible, not wound or twisted around each other. Sometimes the router's wall adapter will begin to fail and produce even more noise. If you have a spare adapter swap it in temporarily. (check for same voltage and polarity and connector type. These adapters are almost all barrel connectors with the center positive. There should be a tiny drawing on the adapter.

I deal with this kind of noise all the time with my radios. Modern homes are full of devices that cause RF (radio frequency) noise. In my case I can hear the noise interfere with what I'm trying to listen to on sensitive radios.
I've had high intensity lamps sitting on top of a radio impart a distortion to audio, wall transformers spew out a variety noises and even a horse fence next door up north produce ticking noises on my radios.

[Clipper]

Thanks for the info Dave.

I no longer use a router. The Belkin router that I have didn't seem real compatible with Charter's service. It would screw up constantly and I would be on the phone first with Charter and then with Belkin in order to finally get it reset and back on line.

Now that I have some sort of signal strength I may try rebooting the router again. I have been simply plugging my laptop directly to the modem occasionally to keep the laptop's programs updated. Actually all I ever really used the router for was to sit in my chair, 5 feet from the computer desk and use the laptop, or to read my mail on the laptop from the kitchen while drinking coffee and watching the Today Show, lol. I normally only use the laptop to access wifi in the hotel when we travel.

Thanks for the reply. I will never really understand the electronic world or what really happens inside this little tower on my desk with the cobweb of cords and wires running to and fro, LOL.

[Ralph]

Ahhhh……the dreary modem, with a life of meaningless communication between man and giant company billing you forever.
A modem converts analog signals to digital, much like a converter box for your cable. An oft overlooked device until it craps out on you.

Then it is the Holy Grail to the internet.

Anyways…….sounds like your cable company was going through an upgrade and forgot to mention it to anyone………..including themselves. Occasionally it will cause all sorts of havoc as you saw. RF and other interference from the outside, as well as increased signal strength from the company itself and its many relays will need an upgrade of proper cables as well. Many times when they change equipment (such as when we change operating systems or different programs) older/different (as well as the programming for same) equipment is not 100% compatible, MAC addresses of modems are confused or lost altogether or some just plain shit the bed.
Many times it is much easier and cost effective to do the upgrade and then round up those poor misaligned pieces of equipment out there that won’t work with the new system than it is to distribute new stuff to everyone beforehand when they really don’t need to, such as I suspect happened in your case.

As far as upload and download speeds go……….welllllllll. Nothing is as good as promised; not the taste of the Twinkie, MPH of that new car, or your internet speed. So much depends on that old standby: location, location, location.


Did I mention time of day as well? Or when school is out?

How close you are to a network trunk or relay, how many PC’s you have online at one time going through your router/modem as well as how many people are accessing your particular provider and your closest relay/trunk affects your upload/download speed. Like the number of hoses you try and feed off of one spigot, more means less.

Keep in mind that no matter with the newer PC’s and their advanced Gb per second internet chips or card…you can only go as fast as the feed lets you. And keep in mind that while the general speed of desktops these days is 100 Mbps, most laptops (and netbooks) will only forage ahead at around 50 or so Mbps, so your laptop will always seem to drag a bit.

All that being said, what Dave is experiencing as far as up/down speed is pretty much the norm.
Around here I can tell when school gets out simply cause my DSL speed will drop at about the time the kids are out and home sitting playing their PC games and X-boxes online. In the dead of night I can’t find much difference in my DSL speed vs Time Warners!
I hope that sort of answers your question Clipper.

As far as your router. Well, if you want to add on a Roku box or some such streaming device a good dual band router will be a Godsend for you, and won’t drag as much on that dreary little modem that not only tries to sort out the diggiy anny signals but route them as well.
We upgraded this spring to a Linksys/Cisco Model E4200 that is used for distributing multi-media stuff for the Roku as well as the internet needed for the laptops. I love it!!! If I have to upgrade every 5-8 years that will be enough for me.

One note: If you are rebooting your router or modem most folks make the mistake of turning it off or unplugging it to reboot it. It will not always take on a new IP address or correct itself in this fashion.
You need to access the router though the IP address at the portal (online through your network) and then initiate the reboot function there in the routers settings for it to reboot correctly.

This is my third wireless router and fifth out of many we have gone through. One died and the rest have all been upgrades. All of our PC’s here (and our network hard drive) except for the laptops are hardwired into the router. A very secure system.

[dave]

That's good info, Ralph. And it makes me want to change the cheap Starbridge router the cable company gave me when I arrived here to the linksys router I brought with me. And yes, I have noticed less performance with our two HP netbooks, compared to my Lenovo PC.

Also, I need to make settings changes on my router for Echolink, a pc to radio program. I'll start another thread on that.

[Clipper]

Whew, I will be a day or so digesting all of that Ralph, hahaha. Thanks for the information. I need to have wifi here in order to use the laptop occasionally without disconnecting the desk top. When we went to Atlanta this weekend, my laptop was only behind my 48 updates to various programs. THAT took about the first 3/4 of an hour that we were in the hotel. I always boot it, and shut it off so the update prompt will kick in and start downloading.

I just shook my head when I went to shut it down and it said "don't shut off your computer. You have FORTY EIGHT updates. Your computer will shut itself down when finished" or something like that, hahaha. Maybe after the first of the year I will buy a better router. I may buy a new desk top also, or look into what sort of upgrades can be done to this cheap Emachine to soup it up and increase the RAM.

[Ralph]

You should have more than one output on your modem, at least a good portion of the ones that my friends have do.

But in any case, I try once a week or two to plug my laptop into my extra hard line and turn off the wireless connection so it can run updates.
Damn sight faster than letting the wireless connection do it!

[Clipper]

I don't see any second ethernet connection on the back of this modem Ralph. I won't need updating for day or three anyway. I will update again tomorrow and on Friday morning before we head for home. We are leaving in the morning to spend thanksgiving at Harrah's Cherokee Hotel. Kids are all in NY and Ohio so we aren't cooking a dinner at home, and we can get a free room for two nights and the Thanksgiving buffet for free at the casino. (FREE? Yeah right! LOL) Turkey and prime rib will probably be at least 50 bucks a pound, ROFL.

I tried the Belkin Router again and it simply doesn't want to interact and play nice with the Charter modem. It is an old and cheap modem that a friend sold me for 25 bucks. For now I guess I will simply plug into the modem direct and do my updates periodically.

Thanks for the suggestions at any rate. I always appreciate your assistance.