[ale] Diagnostic help needed

Sat Jan 14 14:06:06 EST 2012

Keep in mind that cable modem speed is heavily impacted by subscriber count
use on your cable leg.  100 users watching tv is the same bandwidth as 100
users watching netflix or downloading DVDs.  The advantage of dsl is your
speed is mostly constant.  With cable it can vary wildly based on your
neighbors activity.  Watch your speeds drop when school gets out @ 3pm!
On Jan 14, 2012 12:48 PM, "Ron Frazier" <atllinuxenthinfo at c3energy.com>
wrote:

> Hi Sean,
>
> I'm have Comcast service.  I just ran a test at
> http://www.speedtest.net.  You can use them but I would stick to speed
> testing and not use their PC optimization tests, etc.  I got 21 Mbps
> down and 4 Mbps up, which is pretty typical for me.  Regarding your last
> sentence, the technician should KNOW where to look when he comes.  Once
> he's gone, you can do some further testing yourself.  One basic strategy
> is to eliminate everything between your PC and the cable modem.  First
> make sure you have a software firewall running in your PC.  I would
> never recommend connecting a PC DIRECTLY to the internet without a
> firewall running.  Take the PC down near the modem if possible.  Turn
> off or disconnect any wireless connections.  Using the prefab LAN cable
> (as opposed to homemade) that came with the cable modem, connect the
> cable modem DIRECTLY to your PC.  Your PC should get an IP address from
> the modem and have direct unfettered access to the internet.  Then, run
> your speed test.  You may also wish to check that the coaxial cable
> running from the cable modem to the wall outlet is tight on both ends,
> not crimped, etc.  Actually, the connectors should be crimped on, the
> wire should not be crimped or severely bent.  If the speed test works
> then, you can start moving your PC further away from the modem.  Try
> connecting it with a LAN cable to a port on your router.  Then, try
> wireless, etc.  If, at some point, performance suffers dramatically, you
> may have found the culprit.  Be aware that cable internet performance
> will vary depending on how many users in the area are online.  However,
> in general, you should get numbers similar to mine if you're on the same
> pricing package.  Also, be aware that the speed may drop down to about
> 16 Mbps for long downloads and that depends on whether the remote server
> can keep up that speed.  I've downloaded many Ubuntu ISO's where the
> remote server could only send 1-2 Mbps and I knew my system was working
> fine.  (In that case, find a better mirror server.)
>
> By the way, I had a scenario once where my download speed was
> fluctuating widely and occasionally dropping badly.  It took 4 visits
> from the techs and me INSISTING that something was wrong.  Finally, they
> found a nail had been driven through the cable out on the power pole.
> Depending on the wind, it would either work or not.  Once that was
> replaced, everything was fine.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Ron
>
> On 1/14/2012 9:27 AM, Drifter wrote:
> > Abandoned Speakeasy and its DSL connection through Covad and AT&T.
> > Went with Comcast as the (slightly) lesser of evils -- the other being
> > AT&T.
> > Comcast technician was scheduled to arrive between 9-11 am on Thursday.
> > He arrived at 10:55 and insisted he was on time.
> > I was not amused.
> > Technician did his job: installed a cable "modem" that provides internet
> > and VOIP, thus allowing us to cut all our ties to Ma Bell.  When the
> > installer left Thursday at 1 pm  Speed tests showed 20 mbs down and 3.7
> > mbs up. Much better. :)  That was Thursday afternoon.
> >
> > Friday morning a friend came over and helped me rewire the cat-5 cable as
> > I needed to move the router down next to the cable "modem." (Friend is
> > MUCH better at wiring new plugs on the end of cat-5 cable than I will
> ever
> > be.)  When my friend left Friday afternoon a speed test still showed
> > similar numbers throughout the house. All seemed good.
> >
> > After lunch Friday I noticed that download speeds seemed to be lagging so
> > I ran another test (using Speakeasy's test). Speeds had dropped to<3
> > coming down but had increased to>4 going out.  WTF?  By Friday night
> > download speeds had dropped to<2 and uploads were humming ~4.
> >
> > I am clueless.  I whined and Comcast is sending out another technician
> > late this afternoon.  Only guess I have is that the "modem" has a fubar
> > component.
> >
> > Thoughts would be appreciated.  It would be nice if I knew where to tell
> > the Comcast guy where to look.
> >
> > Sean
> >
> >
>
> --
>
> (PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to
> call on the phone.  I get about 300 emails per day from alternate energy
> mailing lists and such.  I don't always see new messages very quickly.)
>
> Ron Frazier
>
> 770-205-9422 (O)   Leave a message.
> linuxdude AT c3energy.com
>
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