Wireless Internet Speed Question

Hi everyone! I got a tricky question for ya. So we have Verizon DSL. The internet speed is really slow and disconnects a lot. We have the 1mb/s connection but have only gotten a max of 300kb/s from a download. (this is the max ever and the average we get is probably 100kb/s.

Here is the question. A lady from Verizon said we are not technically eligible for the speed we have and so we get slower speed. She said if we downgraded the internet connection we would get faster speed.

Anyone know if this would really work this way? Should we downgrade the speed of the internet to get faster speeds?

Thansk so much for your time

 

Most high-speed internet companies go by Megabits per second (Mbps or Mb/s); not Megabytes per second (MB/s).

In your situation:
1 Mbps (Megabits per second) = 1000 Kbps (Kilobits per second) = 125 KB/s (Kilobytes per second)

Your internet speeds seems normal for what you are paying for. Sometimes, it'll be a little faster and sometimes, it'll be a little slower. I hope this makes sense.

 

1Mbps = 1024/8 = 128Kbps

 

I was just rounding it off to make it easier for him to understand. Computer technical people would understand it easier as 1024. For example, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, etc. But, I guess now he should understand that there is nothing wrong with his internet speeds.

 

The speed you are getting from Verizon really sucks. I would drop them the first chance I got and go with someone else if possible. Are you paying 29.95 a month for that setup. If so do some research on other IPs. I have DSL Extreme and there rate for three time faster is 24.95 a month. I have the 7 mbps package at 44.95 a month and consistently get 6.5 mbps.

 

Remember that there are some serious line-length and s/n considerations for dsl.

Also with dsl if the isp tries to drive a marginal line at too high a speed, the bit error rate will overrun the available throughput and make the apparent throughput appear way less than it should be.

So yah, in a convoluted way the tech support recommendation for purchasing a 'slower' dsl package could in fact result in better service.

Unless you're willing and able to push the telco, dsl provider, and isp to do an end to end line diagnostic (including the lines inside of your house), try going for the slower dsl service tier.

BTW, what kind of dsl modem do you have now and can you access the line diagnostics (usually via a web page)??

 

I have a westell versalink. Ill try accessing the diagnostics now. Thanks for all the help everyone! Thats why I love this site.

 

It's what newsposter wrote- with given attenuation you line can achieve slower speeds but not disconnect or higher speeds but it will disconnect.
So your connection won't be faster when/if you downgrade but it will be stable.

That said I agree that you should consider another ISP. 1mbps can be achieved on anything but a rusty barbed-wire so if they can't provide even that and are not willing to do anything about it, it's probably time to move on.

 

I am in densely populated West Los Angeles and have Verizon DSL with a westell 7500 router. I am paying for speeds up to 7 mbps, but am only getting 3. So I had a Verizon tech guy come to my house to measure my line speeds. Turns out I am getting a bit over 6 mbps at the NIB outside my 5 unit townhouse building. So the problem is with the old copper wiring inside my c. 1980 building. If I want to switch to CAT 5 wiring, it would do the trick, but that would be expensive. Other option for higher speed would be to switch to Time Warner cable, which I am not eager to do. Or wait for Verizon FIOs to come....

 

Not near as expensive if you pull your own wire or cable.