My external 56k modem= only average 2.5 k/sec!!!! why-why-why?

[kareem]

While downloading a file with my new external 56k modem. I noticed that the dload speed is incredibly SLOW----at about 2.3 kb per second.

What can I do? Shouldn't it be at about 5 or 6 k/sec?

[commodsquad]

There are a number of reasons why,why,why LOL ...check out www.56k.com (http://www.56k.com) there is lots of info there that might clear up your inquiry and may even help you speed things up...



[This message has been edited by commodsquad (edited 12-19-1999).]

[Axel]

Lets check the two easiest answers and go from there.

Check out your dial-up networking settings properties and see if the "typical" install from your ISP is to set the connection speed low to conserve their band-width. my computer - dial-up networking - your isp's connection - <right click> - select properties.

If that is maxed out, - then check you're modem's dial-up properties in device manager and check your connection speed there.

Are you sure you are dialing your ISP's 56 K access number and not the 14.4 line?

Also, what else is running on your system when you are connecting? - Might be something running in the back-ground on your side.
Top suspects are - antivirus software and seti@home client software.
Also, if you don't have much RAM in your system (32MB or less) - it might be because your system can't accept the data-stream as fast as the modem is bringing it in and has to write to the disk swap-file.

Another thing to check is your cache file size.

[Axel]

Another thought comes to mind - what's the stats on your systems UART chip? - is it a 16K+ or an 8K+ UART chip -

[UncaDanno]

2.5K????? That's SMOKIN' compared to what I usually get. As mentioned before, there are a lot of factors that come into play. Some, which you cannot directly control, involve line noise, traffic at the ISP, traffic on the 'net, and traffic at the other end.
Sometimes I can download from a couple of BBs @ ~2K. Other times (like "prime time") it can drop to 200. Yep, that's two HUNDRED. That's with the same modem, same settings, and sometimes the same session.

I have even noticed that, even with a 28.8 connection, the downloads are faster than when I get REALLY lucky and connect at 46.

[Todd Beck]

If the above suggestions don't help, try these two sites:
http://www.3dspotlight.net/tweaks/modem/index.shtml
http://www.tweak3d.net/tweak/modem/

[Tuba]

Line quality is another factor here, though it's quite often one of the overlooked ones... If you connect at speeds lower than 33.6K your line is very likely to be in a rather bad condition. This doesn't just affect the speed of the connection, but also the number of lost packages (ie packets that need retransmitting from the server due to bad CRC's). Don't mind the technicality of the above, it basically means that if it's the copper (the phoneline) that's the problem, there's nothing to do about it...

[Red Rage]

A way to track down the problem...

Try downloading a file from your ISP's Web Server. Say about 1mb in size and see what the average is. On a good connection you will probally get 4-5k on a great connection you'll get 5+.

If you get those speeds then chances are the problem is not with your connection it is either your ISP is having a bandwidth problem or just plain old Netcongestion.

If you get 2-3k then your not connected at 56k speeds for what ever reason.

If you can post more info about your modem such as Brand/model and what your average connect rate is, I may be able to help more.

~Red

[Tom Denny]

Assuming that there is no technical problem with your computer (a big if) then you have a line problem. If you send at higher speeds than you send then the problem is most probably in your local exchange. The line attenuation means that the signal is more esily corrupted when incomming. A complaint to the local phone company will often produce a result within a few hours. if you send slower than you receive then unfortunatly the problem is too far away to resolve. Tom