Flare Sci-Fi Forums: A very slow flame

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Posted by Jeff Raven (Member # 20) on :

Well, as I count the minutes that pass as a page loads, I am pondering my sanity.

My mother switched IPs when my aunt found another Internet provider in the area, and it was $5 cheaper than our usual account, and she paid for us a one-year service deal for a $100.

The problem is, the server never connects at 56k, even though it boasts it...its more around 30k. It is also very finicky when trying to connect. You have to load netscape in order for it to connect, and it likes to disconnect every now and then.

Sooo....my mother won't go back to our old IP, even though I offer to pay for it. GRRRRRRRR!

I can't wait to get back on my LAN!

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[This message has been edited by The First One (edited August 05, 1999).]

Posted by The First One (Member # 35) on :

Sorted that HTML tag for you. . . 8)

As for the speed, what are you looking at to tell that it's only doing it at 30K? I have a 56K modem, it's obviously faster than my old 33.6K, yet Windows 95 insists it's still a 33.6.

One thing to check is that you have the right dialin number. Many ISPs have two, one for older 33.6 modems and one for new 56K/V.90 modems. Plus, 56K lines are often more sensitive to line noise - I always had a problem in my old place, but it became chronic when I put the 56K in. Ask your phone company to up the gain.

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

The SLIP/PPP software will generally tell you what speed you're connected at.

See, over here in Connecticut, we've got SNET, the worst phone company in the country, with the possible exception of US West. You can never, ever connect at the full speed of a modem. 56K modems connect at 40Kbps, 33.6 modems connect at 30K or so, and 28.8 modems connect at 24K. And when we had our frame relay installed, SNET had to delay it for a month because the equipment wasn't capable of supporting it, being 1950's-era!

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http://frankg.dgne.com/
"I received an emotional letter of complaint after a strip in which Dilbert used the expression 'jeepers cripes.' The writer chastised me for using the Lord's name in vain. I can only pray that the almightly Gosh will not darn me to heck for offending his son, Jeepers." - Scott Adams

Posted by HMS White Star (Member # 174) on :

I am a lucky SOB I guess. On my old system I only got a connection to 56Kb Line once, and but that was a 48Kb connection. But I have now left the sins of the telephone line and have gone to a CABLE MODEM, with normal connection speeds of 44KB and it is a lot faster sometimes. I love Road Runner, HA HA to slow connect people. Hey why is there a little red dot on forhead? *wrack*

"In the news today HMS White Star was shot by a crazied sniper, the sniper when asked why he shot HMS White Star, he replied, "I had a really slow connection to the internet and this White Star fellow started to brag about his fast connection, so that sent me over the edge, so I shot him."

"Fortunely the HMS White Star will recover because the sniper used a foam rubber dart from a Nerf weapon. HMS White Star has been arrested for mentally harassing the sniper with the slow connection."

No seriously I know about slow connections I used to have connection that was 28.8 and hanged my up every hour or so, and was difficult to connect to. So I got Road Runner and I am not looking back. Hell they have to shoot me many times before I give this up.

"Wait put the gun down please NOOOOO."

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HMS White Star (your local friendly agent of Chaos:-) )

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

Cable modems are evil. Actually, around here, the cable modem service was so slow that a bunch of customers sued TCI (not the best cable company, either).

I really hope DSL is available soon...

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

I have a cable modem, and have a very fast connection, 64Kb (8 Kilobytes/second) is very common. Just this morning I downloaded an AVI with a speed of about 80Kb (10 Kilobytes/second). My connection has a 'top speed' of 100Kb (12.5 Kilobytes/second). This is at home, not at work!

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"Okay! No more mister knive guy!"

- Jim West, Wild Wild West

[This message has been edited by Altair (edited August 05, 1999).]

Posted by Jubilee (Member # 99) on :

We call SNET "Snail" at my house.
But I use Earthlink over here, and I'm currently connected at 50,000 bps. So that's pretty fast for a hick town connection. *LOL*

My college roomate has a cable modem, and she says she can't use ICQ or anything with it becaue the programs say that she doesn't have a modem. I'd hate to have to go without ICQ!! .... She may connect faster, but at least I can message people!

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"It is important to get up when you fall...for this much I know to be true: That thing we call Failure is not in the falling down, but the staying down."

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

Just to rub it in: The company is working on an even faster cable connection!

*evil grin*

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"Okay! No more mister knive guy!"

- Jim West, Wild Wild West

Posted by HMS White Star (Member # 174) on :

errr I IRQ well I think I can if anyone sees I am online you can try (no one has every messaged me *sniff*, actually AOL instant messager works perfectly)

to Frank: your just jealous that cable modems are so much faster , Hell the funny thing is I my cable modem goes down, less that my ISP did and I actually get good service from cable company, strange as that may sounds.

to Altair: are sure that's right, went I said "with normal connection speeds of 44KB" I meant 44 KiloBytes not 44 Kilobits, actually 56 Kb sounds like a ISDN line, cable modems should be running at about at least 5-10 times faster than a 56K modem. For the record the fastest download I ever got was 104KB which was fast as hell. Finally what cable company do you use, I use Road Runner.

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HMS White Star (your local friendly agent of Chaos:-) )

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

Bah! My frame relay is nearly as fast as most cable modems would be, and it's only 56K. Plus I can do stuff like run more than one computer off it without extra software. :P

Posted by Jeff Raven (Member # 20) on :

Yeah, my connection software tells me what speed I connect to.

The two IPs in the area are Xcalibur, and Localnet. We switched from Xcalibur to Localnet.

Xcalibur connects ALWAYS at 48k or better.
Localnet has yet to connect higher than 33k.

Localnet constantly disconnects.
Xcalibur rarely disconnected, and if it did, normally it was from someone picking the phone up.

I could connect to Xcalibur first, without having to load netscape, and run other programs...
Localnet will only connect when you load Netscape, and then fails to work when I shut it down.

*takes frustration out on something*

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

I get connected automatically whenever I start something that needs to be connected.

Shadow: I connected a friends computer to mine, and to our surprice, he could connect to the internet too. We played Quake2 without a problem (I very handy to be able to talk to each other, in stead of to type it where everyone can see it. )

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"Okay! No more mister knive guy!"

- Jim West, Wild Wild West

Posted by The First One (Member # 35) on :

Yup, it's gotta be line noise - that'll slow down the speed and disconnect you. As for this one that will only connect when you use Netscape. . . do you have a Dial-Up Networking session for it? And if so, it doesn't work unless Netscape is open? I'd recommend deleting the DUN settings and recreate them from scratch. If, on the other hand, Netscape always tries to connect using that DUN session, then it must be a setting in NN itself.

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

Altair: Could you specify an IP address for both computers or did you have to use DHCP?

Posted by HMS White Star (Member # 174) on :

Come on Frank you know the real advantage a cable modem is download speeds (and upload speeds). However I had a cool web caching software that actually loaded pages almost as fast as the cable modem, however my cable modem doesn't like it *sniff* O well.

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HMS White Star (your local friendly agent of Chaos:-) )

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

I don't know exactly how we did it, we're still trying to find out. I do know that we used only one IP for Internet use (given to me by my provider), and 1 IP each for the TCP/IP connection between the PC's, these 2 IP's were made up by us.

We think, at the moment, that it has to do with the LAN my friend has at home, in which he can get to the Internet on every PC, in combination with something build in my Windows 98.

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"Okay! No more mister knive guy!"

- Jim West, Wild Wild West

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

Well, I need a connection that can support multiple actual IPs, so most cable-based ones wouldn't help. That's why I'm waiting for real DSL...

Posted by Coddman (Member # 10) on :

Ohhh, I love Vancouver. We have full ADSL capability here! And new phone lines. Hehehe.

Personal ADSL Package...
Setup: $50 (CAN)
Monthly: $39 (CAN)
Speed: 1.5MB/Second
-2 dynamic IP addies, 5 email addies

Pro ADSL Package...
Setup: $175 (CAN)
Monthly: $64 (CAN)
Speed: 2.5MB/Second
-5 dynamic IP addies, 10 email addies

(Tee hee)

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Don't you hate it when you can't think of a signature?

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

See, but that's no good, because the IP addresses aren't static.

Posted by Coddman (Member # 10) on :

The host names are, though..

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Don't you hate it when you can't think of a signature?

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

That doesn't really matter, especially if you want to run a DNS server...

Posted by Dani (Member # 57) on :

Altair, sorry to burst your bubble, pal...

I get 80+kbsp with my cable modem, the fastest I've ever gotten was 212kbps. But this is really not a good indication of speed as when you get a connection like this you're not actually downloading the file from the website it's located on.

Cable is a HUGE scam. The trick of the matter lies in the fact that your cable company caches many popular sites and programs that the users download. It is WAY faster for you to download something direct from the cable company that to go through them (as a proxy) and THEN download the material. It's fast, yes, but not as fast as you think it is.

I'm still on cable for the moment as I can only get a 28.8 connection out of my house. ADSL is now available in town, but I have to be within 5-7 KM from the switching station and I'll be damned if I'm a couple more kilometers further than that. *sigh* Soon.

As for your work connection, I have an OC3 connection at the ISP I work for. It's WAY faster than cable. Blazing. Amazing. Ooh...ahh...

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"You're just about as useful as .JPGs to Helen Keller."

- Weird Al (It's All About The Pentiums)

Posted by Dani (Member # 57) on :

Oh, and Cody...I get ADSL for $30 a month, and I get a free modem. Damn, I love working for an ISP...now I just need to move to where I can GET ADSL...couple more months before I move again.

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"You're just about as useful as .JPGs to Helen Keller."

- Weird Al (It's All About The Pentiums)

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

I'm paying about $27,50 (NLG 60,-) per month, including renting the modem.

I know about that cache thing (things like a Proxy server). I turned if off the second time I ever logged onto the Net at home. It didn't work right. I never turned it on again.

I took these as proof to convince a friend what speeds I get at home. The files are (as you can see) trailers from SciFi-art.com. Trailer 2 was online only half a day when I started downloading.

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3

The displayed speeds are KBytes/sec, not Kbits/sec.
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"Okay! No more mister knive guy!"

- Jim West, Wild Wild West

[This message has been edited by Altair (edited August 07, 1999).]

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

This one is taken just a few minutes ago. These are part of SciFi-art's trailer3.

Pic 4

Total download speed: 11.3 Kbytes/sec (90.4 Kbits/sec)
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"Okay! No more mister knive guy!"

- Jim West, Wild Wild West

[This message has been edited by Altair (edited August 07, 1999).]

Posted by Dani (Member # 57) on :

Altair: Looks like you're getting jipped by your cable company...that's not very fast at all. If I was at home I'd show you a couple of my screenshots...

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"You're just about as useful as .JPGs to Helen Keller."

- Weird Al (It's All About The Pentiums)

Posted by Dani (Member # 57) on :

And proxy/caching isn't the same thing. The proxy server is the machine you go through to access the net. I don't know about you, but my cable connection automatically configures this, which is probably why it got screwed up when you turned it on manually.

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"You're just about as useful as .JPGs to Helen Keller."

- Weird Al (It's All About The Pentiums)

Posted by Dani (Member # 57) on :

Okay, Charles found one I sent him...

Screenshot

Not the fastest I've ever gotten, but a rather demonstrative picture nonetheless.

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"You're just about as useful as .JPGs to Helen Keller."

- Weird Al (It's All About The Pentiums)

Posted by Charles Capps (Member # 9) on :

Note: That's KBps, not Kbps...

*ENVY*

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Avon: "You really do believe in taking risks, don't you?"
Tarrant: "Calculated risks."
Avon: "Calculated on what? Your fingers?"
-- Blake's Seven, Ultraworld

Posted by Elim Garak (Member # 14) on :

Yikes. I only ever get up to 30 to 50 KB/sec.

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Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

Well, the fastest my profider can 'deliver' is 12.5 KBytes/sec

. BUT, next year they are going to upgrade to COM 21, which can handle speeds of about 300 KBytes/sec

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"Okay! No more mister knive guy!"

- Jim West, Wild Wild West

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

Ignore this, bad joke.

[This message has been edited by Altair (edited August 10, 1999).]

Posted by Dani (Member # 57) on :

I'll only be using cable as long as I have to...I'm just DYING to get on ADSL.

1-4 Mbps DL, and 240+ KBps UL.

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"You're just about as useful as .JPGs to Helen Keller."

- Weird Al (It's All About The Pentiums)

[This message has been edited by Dani (edited August 10, 1999).]

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

Hmmm...
http://www.com21.com/products/ss02.html

quote:
The speed programmable ComPORT cable modem delivers up to 10 Mbps to a user's PC and transmits upstream via RF at up to 2.56 Mbps, ...

These are Mbps, that translates to: 1280 KBytes/sec download and about 330 KBytes/sec upload speed.

(Added quote marks, I finally know how to do that.)
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"Okay! No more mister knive guy!"

- Jim West, Wild Wild West

[This message has been edited by Altair (edited August 09, 1999).]

Posted by Dani (Member # 57) on :

Yes, but would your provider support that? Isn't that like trying to connect at 56K with an ISP that only does 33.6?

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"You're just about as useful as .JPGs to Helen Keller."

- Weird Al (It's All About The Pentiums)

Posted by HMS White Star (Member # 174) on :

Well actually ASDL is slower than cable modems (I had a huge supported post to prove it but the post window timed out).

Here are two articles one pros and cons of cable modems and ASDL
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,318938,00.html

http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2155287,00.html

Ha this is what I was looking for
http://www.zdnet.com/zdtv/callforhelp/answerstips/story/0,3650,2255790,00.html
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/story/story_2627.html

Ok the fastest I ever downloaded anything off the Internet is 160KB (KiloBytes not KiloBits) per second, or for a refrence sake I downloaded the demo for Descent Freespace 2 off the internet in 6 minutes (that's a 59.8Meg file) {start time was 10:14am, finish time was 10:20 . Try to beat that .

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HMS White Star (your local friendly agent of Chaos:-) )

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

Raw speed generally isn't an issue, though, since your connection will only be as fast as whatever you're transferring stuff to and from.

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The Molybdenum Home Page

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

Dani: They will probably support these speeds, because COM 21 isn't just the modem, it's the whole network.

The fastest I ever downloaded was 5 files at just over 40 KBytes/sec each at the same time, but that was at school, in the evening.

The fastest I ever saw, was at the helpdesk at my school, about 300 KBytes/sec continues speed, one single file.

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"Okay! No more mister knive guy!"

- Jim West, Wild Wild West

Posted by Dani (Member # 57) on :

I downloaded Netscape Communicator (15+ MB) in 37 seconds...*L*

Oh, and Whitestar, you find me a cable company that will give me a faster speed than ADSL and I'll be right there.

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"You're just about as useful as .JPGs to Helen Keller."

- Weird Al (It's All About The Pentiums)

[This message has been edited by Dani (edited August 10, 1999).]