Internet / router / modem question.

[roscoe]

OK, we have slow speed DLS running at 1-2 Mbps.
we do not use the phone line for telephone calls.

We have 2 tv's with Roku, 1 Mac, 1 pc laptop, and one smartphone.

There are times when all 5 devices are in use at the same time, but usual usage is 3 devices at a time..

We occasionally run into buffering issues, even when only one device is powered up.

We have a new router that should be able to handle our needs.

So, a couple of questions.

The modem is the cheap free one provided by the phone company, probably 8-10 years old.

Would there be any advantage to replacing this modem with a new one?
I see them anywhere from $39 - $139. If so, which one?

Would there be any advantage to connecting 2 modems and 2 wireless routers to one phone line? Assuming this can be done.

It would be nice to have the redundancy, but would it increase our internet speeds any?

 

[roscoe]

ROUTER IS A LINKSYS EA3500 N750 Wi-Fi Wireless Dual-Band+ Router

 

[Scott Danforth]

your choke point is probably the 8 year old $5 modem. (ok, its closer to $9) my experience has been that this is the case on 3 occasions. Currently fighting a cable carrier supplied modem again myself.

 

[littlerayray]

The carriers modem and your Internet speed I am on cable with 20 maps

 

[NYBo]

I doubt you can hook up more than one modem to the line. Contact your carrier's tech support. I recently had a glitch with my wireless connections dropping (combo modem and wired/wireless router). Once they heard the build date (August 2011), the tech just sent me a new one, free of charge. Of course, if you own your modem outright, you will have to pay for the replacement.

 

[littlerayray]

Maps and we got usually 2 rvs running netflix 2 smartphones and a tablet running at the same time off 2 routers one the cable company suplied and one I purchased for 100$ so I could get increased range

 

[littlerayray]

Their are times where I want to pull my hair out because I find the Internet slow how have you not taken a sledge hammer to that thing yet

 

[tpenfield]

Upgrading the modem may help, but the DSL line is probably your next choke point.

 

[jbcurt00]

Does your provider offer a higher mbps DLS line?

1-2 mbps is as you initially described it: S L O W

I cant recall the site, but you can ping your service for free online. It'll tell you what up and download speed your actually getting.

IIRC, googling ISP ping should pull up tbe site.

Pingtest.net

Might be the 1 I was thinking about, its java based so it isnt setup to use/test from my cell.

Speedtest.net

Is another

 

[southkogs]

I agree the modem is a starting point. I had to upgrade mine a few years ago. I've got the hottest speed package the cable company in my area offers, but I'm usually working with big files across the net and I have 3 teenagers ... we can eat bandwidth like cheap pizza.

One thing that helped for us quite a bit (and I was surprised at how much) was grabbing an Apple Airport Extreme. It seemed to speed up the delivery of content from the cable pipeline to the individual devices. It wasn't grossly expensive either.

 

[JASinIL2006]

You can use speedtest.net to check and see if you're getting the speed you expect from your DSL line. If you're experiencing buffering issues for streaming content from the Internet, it almost certainly is your DSL speed. A new modem might help, but I would expect that the modem you have is more than capable of handling those speeds. A router might help if you're transfering/streaming shows within your home network, but I don't think it will do anything to improve delivery of streaming content from the web. You need a bigger pipe coming into the house, not a bigger faucet, IMHO.

 

[rbh]

+6 on the speed test, turn the rest of the gadgets off.
Depending on how far you are from the CO/Dslam and the gauge of the wire and how old the splices are (OHMS resistance) these play a big factor.
we are 3.5 KM from the co/Dslam on a 22GA cable and we are getting 1,65 +- MBPS

 

[roscoe]

Ok, all good info, thanks.

This is all we can get for dsl here. Nothing faster.
No cable or fiber available.
Can't see the pipeline getting bigger for a very long time.
We had satellite before dsl was available, performance was worse and unreliable, and is totally
cost prohibitive at this time with the usage we have.

Speedtest usually returns results in the 1.5 - 2.2 range.
Phone line from modem to network box on outside of house was replaced.
Line from house to pod at the road is old.
No info on the phone companies equipment.

Actual performance isn't really too bad, considering.

What gets me most, is the buffering when only one device is turned on.

Maybe I will pick up a new modem, just to see.

 

[bruceb58]

Cant' have more than one modem. IP address allocation issue.

I am not surprised you have buffering issues with your bandwidth if you are streaming.

Certainly can't hurt to get a new modem. The signal processing in the newer modems has improved over time and can work better with lower signal strengths and noise on the line.

Not sure how your modem is connected but if you can run a dedicated line from where the service enters your house, that is the best thing you can do to improve your signal quality vs tapping into your existing line that runs all over your house.

The router is not the bottleneck and having another one will not help. Its wired bandwidth is likely 100x what your input bandwidth is and wireless at least triple.

I always prefer to use a wired connection to devices that I stream movies from especially if its a G connection. An N connection is way faster.

 

[rbh]

How old is the drop coming into your house from the pole?
The old stuff was a flat cable with 2 wires (19-GA) the new stuff is twisted 2,4,6 PR 22-GA cable, as well the protection blocks in the housing outside your house may be corroded and giving a high resistance.
The line/cable pair going into your home may not be dedicated to your house, that means it could be spliced the entire length of the cable (end of the RD sorta thing) this would put your loop length way out there, dropping the signal down.

Get a tech from the telco in to see if these are some of your issues.

 

[roscoe]

Cant' have more than one modem. IP address allocation issue.


Not sure how your modem is connected but if you can run a dedicated line from where the service enters your house, that is the best thing you can do to improve your signal quality vs tapping into your existing line that runs all over your house.

.

OK, only one modem.

I ran a new cable from the network box outside, to the one and only jack left in the house, did this last year when I drywalled two rooms and removed the excess jacks. I also disconnected the cable that ran to the garage.

From the network box to the road, is buried.
I've been here 18 years, and those wires didn't look new when I moved in.
So they may be 40+ years old.

The wires buried along the road, from pod to pod, are just as old, maybe more.

I asked a telco tech a few months ago, if running a new cable from the house would be any help.
He said maybe, but that the company wouldn't do it.

I suggested that I could do it, if they would come out and connect it in their pod, without charging me a fortune.

His response was to just stare at me.

Maybe he was hinting that I connect it myself, don't know.

 

[roscoe]

How old is the drop coming into your house from the pole?
The old stuff was a flat cable with 2 wires (19-GA) the new stuff is twisted 2,4,6 PR 22-GA cable, as well the protection blocks in the housing outside your house may be corroded and giving a high resistance.
The line/cable pair going into your home may not be dedicated to your house, that means it could be spliced the entire length of the cable (end of the RD sorta thing) this would put your loop length way out there, dropping the signal down.

Get a tech from the telco in to see if these are some of your issues.

Wires coming into network box are 22ga.

Not sure what you mean by not dedicated to my house?
There is a pod/post directly in front of my house. Other pods are located every 3-4 houses up and down the road, 6-8 houses in each direction.
Had my front yard scanned by diggers hotline before planting trees.
Wire runs directly from house to pod.

Anyway, thanks for all the responses, maybe will try a new modem. Any suggestions on which one?

Would this one be worth trying??


http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Broadband-ADSL2-Plus-Modem/dp/B0085MRFVW

 

[Limited-Time]

roscoe, I would keep checking with the service providers. I was told several years ago by AT&T that due to my location DSL service was all I would ever receive. I called last year to report issues I was experiencing. The tech asked if I would be interested in up grading to AT&T u-verse, I said I was told it would never be available at my location. He informed me it was in fact available but not at the advertised speeds. He said if I could "settle" for 6Mbps they could change me over next week. The best speed I ever recorded on DSL was 1.76 Mbps. Now I'm at a constant 6.85Mbps. And it is a few bucks a month cheaper.

 

[bassman284]

As far as I know, 3 mbps is about the max for DSL and that's assuming good quality wires. A new modem might help a bit but it sounds like you're getting most of that now. I'd say the buffering is due to the speed. I remember that when I had copper wire DSL even a short YouTube video would take forever.

 

[roscoe]

Update--- Ordered this modem, [h=1]TP-LINK TD-8616 ADSL2+ Modem, $23.[/h]
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0034JSYZ2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

Plugged her in and presto.
No more buffering issues.

It keeps up with Netflix when streaming 3 Rokus on 3 tv's.

Still some slow internet on the computer at times, but doable for now.

Also checked with everyone I could for a faster internet connection, no such luck.