Internet Speeds.

[btbam]

Hey folks. i wanted to get some input on internet speeds. Basically i am with comcast and i am paying for 12mbs speeds. in every speed test i've done, i know my speeds cap out around 5mbs. I know it is not reasonable to expect 12mbs all the time, but to consistently test at less than half the speeds i'm paying for is not right. I just really want to know what could impact my speeds so adversely, and if there is anything i can do boost this speed. Comcast has awful customer service and i'd rather not go through them with this issue if its something i can solve myself. They'd probably charge me 30 bucks just to call em.

[The Black Wolf]

When they first install it, they're supposed to check your internet speed. I bet the problem is on their end.

I have metrocast and it's great. It has excellent customer service and reasonable prices. If you ever decide to drop comcast, I definitely recommend Metrocast.

[btbam]

When they first install it, they're supposed to check your internet speed. I bet the problem is on their end.

I have metrocast and it's great. It has excellent customer service and reasonable prices. If you ever decide to drop comcast, I definitely recommend Metrocast.

well i live out in the boondocks so i basically have the choice between Comcast, AT&T, or Brighthouse

[The Black Wolf]

AT&T should be pretty good too.

My grandmother has comcast and she has a LOT of trouble out of them.

Another internet option is Hugh's Net. It's very expensive but very fast. It's satelite internet or something, it can reach people in rural areas.

[keefy]

Is this theough phone lines?
The dstance you are fromt he local telephone exchange has the greatest impact on your overall speed add to that with the line quality and there you have it.
I live abotu 1KM form my exchange was paying for 24Mbit but only ever got 16Mbit max.

But now I have Fibre to the cabinet the signals only travel the last 400M or so through copper wires so speed drop is less.

[btbam]

Is this theough phone lines?
The dstance you are fromt he local telephone exchange has the greatest impact on your overall speed add to that with the line quality and there you have it.
I live abotu 1KM form my exchange was paying for 24Mbit but only ever got 16Mbit max.

But now I have Fibre to the cabinet the signals only travel the last 400M or so through copper wires so speed drop is less.

It's brodband cable.

[MATRIX 2]

Hey folks. i wanted to get some input on internet speeds. Basically i am with comcast and i am paying for 12mbs speeds. in every speed test i've done, i know my speeds cap out around 5mbs. I know it is not reasonable to expect 12mbs all the time, but to consistently test at less than half the speeds i'm paying for is not right. I just really want to know what could impact my speeds so adversely, and if there is anything i can do boost this speed. Comcast has awful customer service and i'd rather not go through them with this issue if its something i can solve myself. They'd probably charge me 30 bucks just to call em.

You do realize powerboost messes up speedtest results, right?

I'm not sure if you have a regon specific internet plan, but afaik there is no plan with ~5-6Mb speeds and powerboost.

[btbam]

You do realize powerboost messes up speedtest results, right?

I'm not sure if you have a regon specific internet plan, but afaik there is no plan with ~5-6Mb speeds and powerboost.

powerboost? no idea what your talking about. these are the facts that i know.

I pay for an advertised price of 12mbs. i know that is the "peak speed" and that i won't have 12 all the time, but testing over several months at random intervals shows i consistently have 5-5.5mbs. I do not expect to get 12, but shit i'd like 10 at least. What i want to know, is what could be causing this slow internet speeds and what i can do to fix it.

[keefy]

No sure how cable works exactly but surley the length of the line makes a diference too?

[MATRIX 2]

powerboost? no idea what your talking about. these are the facts that i know.

I pay for an advertised price of 12mbs. i know that is the "peak speed" and that i won't have 12 all the time, but testing over several months at random intervals shows i consistently have 5-5.5mbs. I do not expect to get 12, but shit i'd like 10 at least. What i want to know, is what could be causing this slow internet speeds and what i can do to fix it.

Powerboost is a service by comcast that speeds up a small part of your uploads/downloads.

What is PowerBoost?
What is PowerBoost?
PowerBoost is a patent-pending Comcast network technology that enables you to experience faster connection speeds while you are downloading and uploading large files to the Internet. PowerBoost leverages an additional capacity that is already built into Comcast's advanced network.

How long does the PowerBoost burst last?
PowerBoost provides bursts for the first 20 MB downloading and the first 10 MB uploading of a file respectively on Comcast's 6Mbps, 8Mbps, 12Mbps, 16Mbps or *22Mbps High-Speed Internet services.

Will PowerBoost work with all customers' modems?
Comcast PowerBoost technology is compatible with DOCSIS 1.1 cable modems and above. DOCSIS 1.1 cable modems have been a standard for a number of years. *22Mbps tier requires a DOCSIS 3.0 modem.

Will PowerBoost increase my monthly rate?
No; PowerBoost is FREE to all 6Mbps, 8Mbps, 12Mbps, 16Mbps or 22Mbps residential Comcast High-Speed Internet subscribers.

Will my eMTA work with PowerBoost?
As long as you are a 6Mbps, 8Mbps, 12Mbps, 16Mbps or 22Mbps Comcast High-Speed Internet subscriber, you will have the PowerBoost enhancement. PowerBoost will work on your eMTA/CDV device just as it would on a standard DOCSIS 1.1 modem. *22Mbps tier requires a DOCSIS 3.0 modem.

What happens after the PowerBoost burst?
Once the PowerBoost burst is complete, your download will continue at your normal provisioned speed of up to 6Mbps, 8Mbps, 12Mbps, 16Mbps or 22Mbps.

What do I need to do to get PowerBoost?
Nothing. PowerBoost has already been deployed in your area. If you suspect that you are not getting PowerBoost, simply reset your modem by unplugging it for 60 seconds and plugging it back in.

Where is PowerBoost available?
PowerBoost is currently being deployed on a market-by-market basis.

Is PowerBoost available with the 4 Mbps service?
PowerBoost is not available with the 4 Mbps service.

How will customers know that they have experienced the PowerBoost speed enhancement?
Customers will notice an increase in speed when they are downloading and uploading large files such as software, games, music, and photos.

Will Comcast do anything for PowerBoost customers who own older modems?
For customers who lease modems from Comcast, they will swap your old modem for a newer one, free of charge. *22Mbps tier requires a DOCSIS 3.0 modem.


6Mbps customers should see temporary bursts up to 12Mbps, while 8Mbps customers should see temporary bursts up to 16Mbps.

No sure how cable works exactly but surley the length of the line makes a diference too?

That's an issue for DSL.

Not so for cable. For cable it is the amount of users online at a given time that affects speeds.

[keefy]

That's an issue for DSL.

Not so for cable. For cable it is the amount of users online at a given time that affects speeds.

So would you say that the network is over subscribed? 9 or 10 I could accept but less than half no way.

[btbam]

So would you say that the network is over subscribed? 9 or 10 I could accept but less than half no way.

exactly my sentiment. i would be satisfied to have consistent 9s, but 5-5.5 is not satisfactory for me. It is possible it is over subscribed comcast has the lions share of customers where i am from with AT&T at a distant 2nd.

assuming powerboost is screwing with my speed readings how can i get an accurate reading?

[MjW]

exactly my sentiment. i would be satisfied to have consistent 9s, but 5-5.5 is not satisfactory for me. It is possible it is over subscribed comcast has the lions share of customers where i am from with AT&T at a distant 2nd.

assuming powerboost is screwing with my speed readings how can i get an accurate reading?

A healthy torrent will always max a network connection to the absolute limit. It might take a a couple of tries to find one but it will work.

[MATRIX 2]

So would you say that the network is over subscribed? 9 or 10 I could accept but less than half no way.

It isn't the load on the network, its powerboost. The info I posted is the same thing happening to btbam.

exactly my sentiment. i would be satisfied to have consistent 9s, but 5-5.5 is not satisfactory for me. It is possible it is over subscribed comcast has the lions share of customers where i am from with AT&T at a distant 2nd.

assuming powerboost is screwing with my speed readings how can i get an accurate reading?

That's the thing, you cant. The best that you can go by is what comcast tells you your non powerboost speed is, which seems like ~6Mbps.

[btbam]

It isn't the load on the network, its powerboost. The info I posted is the same thing happening to btbam.



That's the thing, you cant. The best that you can go by is what comcast tells you your non powerboost speed is, which seems like ~6Mbps.

ok, well assuming i am at 6 we are still back to the original problem. what can i do to increase these speeds to reasonable levels for what i'm paying for?

[spytech]

Hi,btbam
You can increase the speed of your internet by following this simple steps
1)Clear all the caches and history of your Browser.
2)Try to use browsers like Firefox and chrome,This browsers docent use any flash scripts this may help you to over come the internet speed.
After following this simple steps check your internet speed using the site ScanmySpeed.com .Because this site docent requires flash scripts,this may helps you to know the exact speed of your connection.

[Aramil_Caelan]

ISPs have a limited amount of bandwidth to work with, so it is likely that they just have too many people and are throttling you.

[keefy]

ok, well assuming i am at 6 we are still back to the original problem. what can i do to increase these speeds to reasonable levels for what i'm paying for?

Write to your MP/congress person and Get your government to impose competition laws to allow competing companies to use each others networks to give the consumer a better product.
It is competition that drives companies to improve their products.

It isn't the load on the network, its powerboost. The info I posted is the same thing happening to btbam.



That's the thing, you cant. The best that you can go by is what comcast tells you your non powerboost speed is, which seems like ~6Mbps.

After reading info of Powerboost you posted it Sounds like a very outdated and shady technology to me. "The first 20MB" will last about 20 seconds at 8Mbit which is useless when downloading a game from steam or PSN that is 10+GB. Hell even Counter strike map files are up to 80MB
Powerboost might have been amazing tech 10 years ago but in 2013 this is the best they can offer their customers?

[MATRIX 2]

Write to your MP/congress person and Get your government to impose competition laws to allow competing companies to use each others networks to give the consumer a better product.
It is competition that drives companies to improve their products.

No way that is going to happen, the telecom lobbyists are very influential. You are lucky if you get 2 options for home internet service. (There is an uprise in 4G wireless data service, but the data caps are fairly low and it tends to be provided by the same couple of companies that give you home internet service).

And there is no way the Govt. is going to mandate a company like Verizon "unbundle" its fiber optic lines to competitors like what happened in the UK.

The best thing for competition we have is Google Fiber, in the few cities it is in/being rolled out to.

The biggest issue with home internet connections is the physical geography of the USA (mostly regarding size and how spread out people are) which makes it very expensive to roll out physical copper/fiber optic limes everywhere.

After reading info of Powerboost you posted it Sounds like a very outdated and shady technology to me. "The first 20MB" will last about 20 seconds at 8Mbit which is useless when downloading a game from steam or PSN that is 10+GB. Hell even Counter strike map files are up to 80MB
Powerboost might have been amazing tech 10 years ago but in 2013 this is the best they can offer their customers?

As long as people remain clueless about internet technologies and can only go by speedtests (which tend to be artificially inflated, due to powerboost) that will likely remain the case.

It doesn't help that a company like comcast merged with NBC to become an even bigger company with more power and influence.

It doesn't help that DSL service (even upgraded variants like att's uverse) lags far behind the speeds offered by cable internet and Fiber Optics (typically provided by Verizon - FIOS (you may have seen it mentioned in Iron Man 3)).

[keefy]

I forgot that BT was government owned and the government eventually privatised by selling all its shares but not before they forced BT to allow other competitors to use their networks.