DSL connection

[Guest]

I hope this is the correct discussion group as I was directed here from
another. I have a Compaq SR1230NX Presario, AMD 3200+ Athlon XP, 1 gig Ram,
an A7V8X-LA motherboard, a Speedstream 5100 modem, running XP Home Edition
OS. There are no routers and this is the only connected computer.

I originally had the system connected with a DSL download rate of 1.5 Mbps
(maximum) that realistically gave me about 1.2Mbps dowload speed. I feel
that was logical for the time loss in the modem transfer. I more recently
upgraded to a different speed (3.0 Mbps maximum) from the same ISP. When we
first ran a speed check after the ISP supposably had made the new connection
all that could be obtained was 1.4.

I called the ISP to investigate the problem. After much wrangling they
finnally replaced a card or two on their side and got the rate up to 2.4
through my modem and into their technician's laptop. When the cable was
connected to my CPU (an on-board NIC) all we could get was a 1.9 download
rate and the connection seemed to be slugish at times. I don't have any
security systems that would interfere with the signal and I purchased a
10/100 PCI Dynex DX-E101 NIC. I installed the new NIC and tested the rate
several times after rebooting the system. I went through the Control Panel -
Network and made sure it saw the card and there were no conflicts.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what might be done to correct this, or
is there some hardware restrictions that won't allowa faster rate? Have I
provided enough information to make an assesment? I appreciate any
assistance in advance.

 

[Chuck]

I hope this is the correct discussion group as I was directed here from
another. I have a Compaq SR1230NX Presario, AMD 3200+ Athlon XP, 1 gig Ram,
an A7V8X-LA motherboard, a Speedstream 5100 modem, running XP Home Edition
OS. There are no routers and this is the only connected computer.

I originally had the system connected with a DSL download rate of 1.5 Mbps
(maximum) that realistically gave me about 1.2Mbps dowload speed. I feel
that was logical for the time loss in the modem transfer. I more recently
upgraded to a different speed (3.0 Mbps maximum) from the same ISP. When we
first ran a speed check after the ISP supposably had made the new connection
all that could be obtained was 1.4.

I called the ISP to investigate the problem. After much wrangling they
finnally replaced a card or two on their side and got the rate up to 2.4
through my modem and into their technician's laptop. When the cable was
connected to my CPU (an on-board NIC) all we could get was a 1.9 download
rate and the connection seemed to be slugish at times. I don't have any
security systems that would interfere with the signal and I purchased a
10/100 PCI Dynex DX-E101 NIC. I installed the new NIC and tested the rate
several times after rebooting the system. I went through the Control Panel -
Network and made sure it saw the card and there were no conflicts.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what might be done to correct this, or
is there some hardware restrictions that won't allowa faster rate? Have I
provided enough information to make an assesment? I appreciate any
assistance in advance.

How are you testing your download speed? Are you using the same tool /
destination server that the ISP tech used?

You state that you have no router, nor any security systems that would interfere
with the signal. Which means that you don't have any security to protect you
from malware. I recommend:
# Setup a layered defense for your computer.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/please-protect-yourself-layer-your.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/please-protect-yourself-layer-your.html
# Check thoroughly for malware.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/dealing-with-malware-adware-spyware.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/dealing-with-malware-adware-spyware.html

After you do that, we can look for stable and reliable ways of measuring your
download speed.

 

[jimbo]

I hope this is the correct discussion group as I was directed here from
another. I have a Compaq SR1230NX Presario, AMD 3200+ Athlon XP, 1 gig Ram,
an A7V8X-LA motherboard, a Speedstream 5100 modem, running XP Home Edition
OS. There are no routers and this is the only connected computer.

I originally had the system connected with a DSL download rate of 1.5 Mbps
(maximum) that realistically gave me about 1.2Mbps dowload speed. I feel
that was logical for the time loss in the modem transfer. I more recently
upgraded to a different speed (3.0 Mbps maximum) from the same ISP. When we
first ran a speed check after the ISP supposably had made the new connection
all that could be obtained was 1.4.

I called the ISP to investigate the problem. After much wrangling they
finnally replaced a card or two on their side and got the rate up to 2.4
through my modem and into their technician's laptop. When the cable was
connected to my CPU (an on-board NIC) all we could get was a 1.9 download
rate and the connection seemed to be slugish at times. I don't have any
security systems that would interfere with the signal and I purchased a
10/100 PCI Dynex DX-E101 NIC. I installed the new NIC and tested the rate
several times after rebooting the system. I went through the Control Panel -
Network and made sure it saw the card and there were no conflicts.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what might be done to correct this, or
is there some hardware restrictions that won't allowa faster rate? Have I
provided enough information to make an assesment? I appreciate any
assistance in advance.

First, ISPs rarely deliver the advertised speed. They may come close
at 2 AM, but well below at 6 PM.

Second, what you use to measure the speed can give different results.
The fact that the ISP's tech's laptop got 2.4 mbps may or not be
significant.

Third, you might try another computer connected in exactly the same
way, to determine if there is really a problem with your hardware.

Fourth, go back to the 1.5 mbps service. You won't notice much
difference, even if you get the speed up to 3.0 mbps.

Good luck, jimbo

 

[Guest]

Chuck:

First and foremost, I appreciate your response.

The method of testing the speed was using the same server as the ISP did
with his laptop. It was bookmarked for that very reason.

It is true there is no router and I will probably attain one within the next
few days. There may be a misunderstanding about the security system I spoke
about. What I meant was our home is not protected by a home security system.
The ISP state that many of those sytems send out high frequency waves that
interfer with their DSL connection. I have Norton and other security
programs for firewall, worm, spyware etc. in place for the computer.

Thanks again,
Bob

 

[Guest]

Jimbo,

I want to thank you for your reply and information. I will try to get
another computer to see if it is the hardware. Which leads into another
question. Does this other computer have to be identical in its hardware and
software? Can it be a laptop instead of a desktop?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[Chuck]

Chuck:

First and foremost, I appreciate your response.

The method of testing the speed was using the same server as the ISP did
with his laptop. It was bookmarked for that very reason.

It is true there is no router and I will probably attain one within the next
few days. There may be a misunderstanding about the security system I spoke
about. What I meant was our home is not protected by a home security system.
The ISP state that many of those sytems send out high frequency waves that
interfer with their DSL connection. I have Norton and other security
programs for firewall, worm, spyware etc. in place for the computer.

Thanks again,
Bob

Bob,

OK, it's good that you do have some security in place. A personal firewall is a
good start. It's a portion of a layered security strategy, but only that.

Now, if you have an ISP telling you that a NAT router "send out high frequency
waves that interfer with their DSL connection", I personally would look for
another ISP. Either the modem that they supply is wonky, or their whole staff
is just that. Ask here, or in DSLR Networking, whether you should listen to
that sort of advice. Please ask somewhere.
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/sharing

And using the same server that the ISP used is a good start. Consistency is key
in testing. Do you know what server it is, and have you mapped its logical and
physical distance to your house? I recommend both PingPlotter and VisualRoute,
which will present 2 different and complementary views of the network, and any
server of interest.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/essential-tools-for-desktop-and.html#PingPlotter>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/essential-tools-for-desktop-and.html#PingPlotter
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/essential-tools-for-desktop-and.html#Visualware>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/essential-tools-for-desktop-and.html#Visualware

And, with all due respect to your security strategy, your symptoms are similar
to a malware problem. Keep an open mind, and check, if no other solution
presents itself.

 

[Chuck]

Chuck:

First and foremost, I appreciate your response.

The method of testing the speed was using the same server as the ISP did
with his laptop. It was bookmarked for that very reason.

It is true there is no router and I will probably attain one within the next
few days. There may be a misunderstanding about the security system I spoke
about. What I meant was our home is not protected by a home security system.
The ISP state that many of those sytems send out high frequency waves that
interfer with their DSL connection. I have Norton and other security
programs for firewall, worm, spyware etc. in place for the computer.

Thanks again,
Bob

Bob,

Anyway, hoping that you are still listening, I have 2 additional bits of advice.
1) The computer that you use does not, necessarily, have to be the same type
(desktop vs laptop) and / or CPU speed etc.
2) There are 2 key tuning elements that you may need to be aware of. These are
not unique to Windows XP, so I did not think of their relevance until just
recently.
# MTU. The maximum size of an individual packet that the distant server can
send to you.
# RWin. The size of the receive buffer (where multiple incoming packets are
stored), which your computer will let fill up until it sends a reply to the
distant server saying "Send more data".

I would bet that the technician's laptop was tuned to the correct MTU and RWin,
to allow a maximum transfer rate of the test file, giving him a favourable test.

I discuss MTU in my article.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/internet-connectivity-problems-caused.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/internet-connectivity-problems-caused.html

Tuning the RWin is something that I haven't done so often, but you can change it
using DrTCP (as used for changing the MTU). You will find a tool for
recommending an RWin change on the DSLR website, where you get DrTCP.
<http://www.dslreports.com/faq/2014>
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/2014

Please try tweaking both MTU and RWin before moving to another computer. I
suspect that both (or either) could have an effect on your situation.

I still recommend a malware examination though.

 

[Guest]

Chuck:

The address for the speed test is http://help.sbcglobal.net/dsl/speedtest/
and I used the same location as the technician (Elmhurst, IL)

The ISP wasn't saying any computer equipment would interfere with the
connection. They were saying a home security like Brinks, etc. which I took
for something totally different from an installed router on the modem.

Anyway, you have provided me with much information that will take me some
time to digest and try to implement. I unfortunately will be out of town for
about 6 days before I can get started.

greatly appreciated,
Bob

 

[Chuck]

Chuck:

The address for the speed test is http://help.sbcglobal.net/dsl/speedtest/
and I used the same location as the technician (Elmhurst, IL)

The ISP wasn't saying any computer equipment would interfere with the
connection. They were saying a home security like Brinks, etc. which I took
for something totally different from an installed router on the modem.

Anyway, you have provided me with much information that will take me some
time to digest and try to implement. I unfortunately will be out of town for
about 6 days before I can get started.

greatly appreciated,
Bob

Thanks for the update, Bob. I'll look forward to hearing from you, and whether
an MTU and / or RWin adjustment has any effect. DSLR Forums have good tools.

 

[jimbo]

Jimbo,

I want to thank you for your reply and information. I will try to get
another computer to see if it is the hardware. Which leads into another
question. Does this other computer have to be identical in its hardware and
software? Can it be a laptop instead of a desktop?

Thanks,
Bob

:

Any other computer should give you a quick idea if there is something
wrong with your hardware or your software settings. If a second
computer gets 2.8 mbps and your first computer still gets 1.5 mbps,
then you have some software tuning to do or maybe a hardware problem.

Most likely you need to reset your MTU and or TCP Receive Window
settings. I get good results with MTU set at 1500 and TCP Receive
Window at Windows default. But I have set the TCP Receive Window as
high as 513,920. I use a utility named Tweakmaster to make the
adjustments.

I used your speed test site and got over 10.0 mbps. My cable ISP is
only supposed to be 4.0 mbps.

Good luck, jimbo