# Why is my 20meg line so slow



## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

Hey guys.

I was on a 6 meg line and just got a 20 meg line yesterday.
The thing is I was only getting 4000kbps when using speedtest with my 6meg line and then I checked it out with my 20 meg line and only get 4500kbps?? My upload is where it should be! from 128kbps to 1500kbps. But what is with the download rate??

I believe it could be what I own.

#1 I am on wireless.
#2 Adapter is Belkin 802.11g - 54mbps
#3 Modem is NETGEAR, also at 54mbps
#4 Router is also NETGEAR.

Perhaps it's time to invest in a new broadband setup?? Would you guys agree?? and what should I actually get??


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

Yeah the wireless is capping the downlaod rate. Try hard wiring an see what speeds you get.

Only way if you want wireless is to upgrade to a N router and receiver.


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## kyle2020 (Mar 14, 2009)

I was running wireless for 2-3 years until recently - paid for the internet cable to be moved into my room, seeing as im the one that uses / needs the internet the most.

The gains over wireless are incredible, especially during gaming. I have my PC and PS3 running wired, and my sisters laptop runs wireless. Its great.


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## DaveK (Mar 14, 2009)

Hard wiring is the best option, but I cannot do it, I use N wireless. Have an N router and dongle, also on a 20Mb connection, though only get around 15Mb. The Belkin router and dongle I have cost about €190-200. The router is a Belkin F5D8231-4 v5000, not sure what the dongle is.

If you hard wire or use N wireless and still get slow speeds you should probably contact your ISP. If they do nothing threatening to move to another company seems to work for others.


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

Other option is to use power line adaptors. Thats how Im connected to our modem


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

I can't do anything special other than buy new gear for it. My brother and mother use it almost all day long too just like me.

I just need some help picking out the gear!!
Can you guys show me the stuff I should buy please??


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

Do you want to use wireless or power line?

The latter is the best choice for desktop PC's IMO.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

Well I have 4 people in the house using the internet so wireless would be my only choice right?????


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

Not if they are all desktop PC's. Does your modem from your ISP connect via USB or etherent (I would guess the second one)


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## puma99dk| (Mar 14, 2009)

wierd, my Buffalo AirStation WHR-G125 do it very good for me at my fibernet connection, at cable i have about 36/38mbit and on wireless about 10/10mbit at the same time and sometimes more.

but i have also modded my router with DD-WRT firmware...


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

3 desktops, 1 laptop.

I use USB, my mum uses eternet.


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

You can get combined powerline and wireless routers.

Okay,

1, Where do you normally buy online in ROI?
2, Do you have an ADSL or cable connection?


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

I buy from komplett.ie

what is a powerline??

I don't know what I got, but I got a box connected to the wall in the living room and my modem is connected to it?? that help?


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

1, Do you use a modem given to you buy your ISP or your own
2, Is the modem connected to the phone line or a satellite type cable?

Powerline is a system which uses your House's internal wiring to transmit data. Its what I use, and its fantastic.


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

Hang on a sec, when you say you are connected through USB, is that a direct connection to something, or were you referring to the USB wireless dongle?


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

I was given the modem and router from my ISP " NTL Ireland " they are both from NETGEAR.

The modem is not connected to any phone line as we do not have a home phone. The modem is connected to the box which has NTL writen on it. There is a cable coming out of it and it is connected to the wireless modem. Not sure what that is but I know I need it!

By any chance can I use this powerline?? but everyone else has to be able to connect up to the internet too?? I just don't fully understand how this internet stuff works at all.

when I said USB I meant from my wireless dongle


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

Is it just you how needs to be able to take advantage of the fast broadband or everybody?

You have a cable modem from your ISP, which goes into a wireless router, by ethernet, I would imagine.


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## DaveK (Mar 14, 2009)

I can get a picture of my setup if it helps.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

Yes I have an ethernet cable that connects from the modem to the router.

A picture would be usful DaveK!


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## DaveK (Mar 14, 2009)

Right, here's my connection. Modem on the left, router on the right. Ignore the digi box lol.







And this is the cable box: (UPC own NTL)






This is the setup. Cable goes from box to modem, ethernet from modem to router. Router has wireless acess and can use ethernet for other people to hardwire. Your best option is to get an N router and an N dongle.


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

If you want just you on the powerline adaptors to get the full 20MB, you only need one pair.

If you want everyone on the faster broadband, its gonna start getting expensive, lol.


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## AUTOgod (Mar 14, 2009)

EDIT: ignore what i had here before lol (i read too quickly).

here is mine:





and to use the full speed of 20Mbit on wireless, you are going to need wireless N. but be careful with N, there are 2 versions. a slower draft 1, and a newer version that offers far more speed.

as far as a router for N goes, my D-link has been flawless and according to the router, has been up for 8 days straight, although i know it is far more than that.

the switch is because i have too  much networked stuff for a lowly 4 port router to cope.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

DaveK that looks very like my setup! Even that box is the very same but has NTL writen on it lol.

Alex, Using a powerline, would that require a cable to be connected to the router and my desktop?? I would get it for myself if it does not require a direct connection from my PC to the router!! My desktop is upstairs in my bed room.

AUTO, That router is the same as I got!
I suppose Wireless N is the best choice! Unless powerline is good enough for me!! if I can figure it out. I will just read what you sent and check it out! thanks.


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

If for example, it was just you who wanted to benefit from the connection, you would get this:

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=357093

And then you have one plugged in next to your router with an ethernet cable between, then the other in your room plugged in near your PC with an ethernet cable between.

Or you could get a wireless N router, then a N dongle for everyone who wants the 20mb connection increase.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

Ok I think I understand this powerline a little more clearly!!

Ok, lets see if I understand it perfectly!

If I bought that powerline, all I got to do is plug one of them in downstairs near the router+modem and one of them upstairs beside my desktop computer?? and is that all I need to do?? 

Or is there a cable that I need to use to connect it to the router? and maybe one to the desktop too??

Or is it all done wirelessly and there would be no need to wires?

have I got it nearly right?


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

Partly right, then you need an ethernet cable to connect the powerline adaptors to 1, the router, and 2, the PC.

Thats how mine is setup, took about 2mins to do so, and is 100% secure. Its literally plug and play.


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## DaveK (Mar 14, 2009)

You might need to call NTL and get a new modem or cable box. They replaced ours when they came out to fix our internet.


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

If you want to make sure the modem is okay, just take the laptop and plug it straight into the modem via ethernet, and then see what you get on Speedtest.net


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

Ok i will have to check that out.

Since i am using a desktop upstairs, would it be wise to get a new router?? would i need a modem too??


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

also if my brother wanted to use it too, would that mean we would need 2 powerlines downstairs too  and 2 upstairs???


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## niko084 (Mar 14, 2009)

alexp999 said:


> If you want to make sure the modem is okay, just take the laptop and plug it straight into the modem via ethernet, and then see what you get on Speedtest.net



That is really a bad site for checking "actual" bandwidth.
With comcast I get silly numbers even ranging up to 50-60mbps when my modem itself is only capable of 31mbps, let alone the fact that my line is only 12mbps.

Wireless G is perfectly fast enough for 20mbps as it's obviously 54mbps *considering you have a goodsignal*. Now remember a wireless access point or *router* at 54mbps is 54mbps *shared*, so if 2 guys are transfering a file and using 40mbps, you only have 14mbps left to use. If your signal is low or you have a few people using it, I highly suggest as was said and going with a new wireless N setup, and possibly some larger antennas on the wireless cards and router if needed.

Now to get to your speed, here are a few issues, just because you have it doesn't mean you will get it. You are probably not paying for "guaranteed" bandwidth which means if you drop down to 1.5/250kbps it doesn't matter. Also anything over the internet is also limited by any point in between, including the server load on the other side. Just because speedtest.net may load fast doesn't mean their servers are not loaded down at the moment.

If you want a good feel of how much bandwidth you are getting, start up a bunch of downloads from a bunch of different places *physical places to around the world and country if possible* and add them up to figure out what kinda speed you are running.

Lastly, as I said, check your wireless settings in the router and computer and see what your signal strength looks like and your connection speeds.


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## alexp999 (Mar 14, 2009)

Just cus it is labeled as 54mbps doesnt mean that is what it is capable, you would be pushing it sitting right next to the router to get a internet speeds of 2000kb/s+

If it was me, I would set up a powerline router and have the receivers at every desktop PC.

Or you can buy yourslef a wireless N router and 4 N spec dongles.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

Ok I see.

So I could just go for something like these:

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=365878

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=346151

Am I right??? Would I need a better modem to go with them???

Should I go for a more expensive router such as:

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=346150

if so, what is the actual difference?? considering the price range is doubled???


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## TheCrow (Mar 14, 2009)

Can ntl not supply you a new modem? Have you checked the one you have is capable of giving u full 20mb?

Over in the UK ntl only supply a couple of modem which can utilise the full 20mb connection.


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## Easy Rhino (Mar 14, 2009)

it could  be a billion things. i didnt read through all the posts so if part of this is redundant forgive me. you upgraded your broadband package. is your modem up to snuff for the new speed? generally your ISP will know if you got the modem from them. second, you are on a wireless connection which automatically means a slower rate. but it shouldnt be THAT slow. have you adjusted your router/switch to handle new traffic? usually when you first setup your router is measures bandwidth and makes the adjustments for QoS and what not. it may still be set for your old connection. your wireless radio on your router could be dieing. this happens all the time so i wouldnt be too surprised. finally call your ISP. did they come and upgrade any line or did they do it all over the phone? perhaps your neighborhood has older telecom equipment and they need to come out and test it. actually, if you complain enough they should come out and do a bandwidth test using their equipment.


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## AUTOgod (Mar 14, 2009)

in all honesty, personally, i would avoid netgear. i have had nothing but trouble from their equipment (excluding that switch i have, although a similar 8 port 1 kept knocking out the network). i went throughabout 14 different routers (linksys and netgear), problem being that the DNS kept refusing to work through xbox live (worked fine with a direct connection). then i got the D-link DIR-635 so that i could go up to N, and its the most stable router ive ever had. they are also significantly cheaper.

also, if your router is as i posted before (sorry, i edited the post and removed it: http://www.netgear.co.uk/wireless_adslrouter_dg834g.php)
then you will need a modem-router (a modem and router combined)
such as this: http://www.dlink.co.uk/cs/Satellite...95808621247&pagename=DLinkEurope-GB/DLWrapper

you will need to go into the settings and find the model (type 192.168.1.1 OR 192.168.0.1 into the address bar)

but as for those netgears, the cheaper one is likely to be draft 1 which is 170Mbps half duplex, but the more expensive one is likely to be draft 2 at 300Mbps half duplex (almost double the wireless speed).


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## niko084 (Mar 14, 2009)

alexp999 said:


> Just cus it is labeled as 54mbps doesnt mean that is what it is capable, you would be pushing it sitting right next to the router to get a internet speeds of 2000kb/s+
> 
> If it was me, I would set up a powerline router and have the receivers at every desktop PC.
> 
> Or you can buy yourslef a wireless N router and 4 N spec dongles.



With 70-75% signal strength I lock 36-48mbps and very well get that throughput even on cheap dlink and linksys routers, heck even cheap wireless dsl modems, not tested with the internet speed but with transferring large files over the network.

If you have a G router and can't get 2000kb/s with good signal you seriously need to start reconsidering the company you are buying your networking gear from.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

AUTOgod: That is the router I got! 
So I gotta go ahead and get a modem + router combo???

If I went ahead and bought that, I will need to buy new adapters also? What adapter would you suggest?

I have decided that I will go ahead and just buy new gear as what I own..I have had for 4-5 years now and they might as well be upgraded!!


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

Ok guys I picked these out, will these do the job?? I want to get full signal and no slow downs or anything! So I hope these will work perfectly??

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=337363

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=336044

Any suggestions?? or are these good enough?


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## niko084 (Mar 14, 2009)

I would personally stay away from USB wireless devices, they tend not to work out great when compared to standard cards, also your usb has a maximum throughput of 480mbps and adds the latency of another driver, so depending on what else you have plugged into usb you may have issues there... Most people wont run into that problem unless you use flash drives, or transferring files from a camera or something.

But when the option is there, go for the standard card every time over the usb wireless.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

Standard cards? what do you mean? I have no idea what standard cards are!! Could you show me?


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## Fleck (Mar 14, 2009)

I think I have the actual answer.

Windows won't receive more than 10mbit at default setting from a regular internet connection.  They should have sent you software that'll tweak the settings to open up the bandwidth, I had this problem with 20mbit FiOS.  I think I was using XP but I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same on Vista.  Verizon had a web page with an ActiveX script that would unlock the capabilities of Windows networking.  Ask your ISP if they know anything about this.


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## niko084 (Mar 14, 2009)

Irish_PXzyan said:


> Standard cards? what do you mean? I have no idea what standard cards are!! Could you show me?



A Pci card vs a usb card.


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## niko084 (Mar 14, 2009)

Fleck said:


> I think I have the actual answer.
> 
> Windows won't receive more than 10mbit at default setting from a regular internet connection.  They should have sent you software that'll tweak the settings to open up the bandwidth, I had this problem with 20mbit FiOS.  I think I was using XP but I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same on Vista.  Verizon had a web page with an ActiveX script that would unlock the capabilities of Windows networking.  Ask your ISP if they know anything about this.



Um.... If you were having that issue, somebody screwed up your system...

Windows will very well use more than 10mbit at default settings.
Although you can tweak the settings for different bandwidth amounts.

http://www.speedguide.net/


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## Easy Rhino (Mar 14, 2009)

yea you shouldnt need software to open up bandwidth.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 14, 2009)

Niko: I just downloaded the TCP optimizer and changed that slider from 2500 to 20000 and checked it out on speedtest. I got 4000 last time and now got 6800 which is a nice improvement! But it is still no where near where it should be.

Is there any other recommendations that I could check out?

EDIT: My signal on average was always only 18-24 and now it is at 36-48. I just moved it and am getting a constant 54 signal rate and now got 8300 in the speedtest. Just thought id let you know that too!


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## TheCrow (Mar 15, 2009)

Can you log into the modem and check your settings in there....



> OK, so you've browsed to http://root:root@192.168.100.1 and gotten your signal levels... to save any posts asking if their levels are OK here's a quickie guide as to real world acceptable ranges, rather than those dictated by the specifications for DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS.
> 
> Downstream Receive Power: Ideally +/- 3dBmV, cause for concern at around +/- 8dBmV, different modems handle the higher and lower levels differently however I'd expect to see service degredation at that point.
> 
> ...


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## niko084 (Mar 15, 2009)

Irish_PXzyan said:


> Niko: I just downloaded the TCP optimizer and changed that slider from 2500 to 20000 and checked it out on speedtest. I got 4000 last time and now got 6800 which is a nice improvement! But it is still no where near where it should be.
> 
> Is there any other recommendations that I could check out?
> 
> EDIT: My signal on average was always only 18-24 and now it is at 36-48. I just moved it and am getting a constant 54 signal rate and now got 8300 in the speedtest. Just thought id let you know that too!



Good deal, that's a lot better, but now as I said before, don't use speedtest.net... It's really trashy... Download a bunch of stuff from a bunch of different websites and see what your total download speed is by adding them all together.

Speedtest.net gives VERY inaccurate numbers, and limits your result to a single system's connection speed, you could be limited by something between you and that machine.


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## Fleck (Mar 15, 2009)

I told ya, I don't care what you know about networking, Windows comes capped at 10mbit for WAN connections.


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## niko084 (Mar 15, 2009)

Fleck said:


> I told ya, I don't care what you know about networking, Windows comes capped at 10mbit for WAN connections.



No sir it is not.... Maybe you should be the one in school for networking, or maybe even introduction to operating systems.

LOTS of us have internet connections that exceed 10mbit firstly and have modified nothing.
Second your computer doesn't know jack difference between your network and the internet, throughput is throughput period, a packet is a packet, tcp/ip is tcp/ip.

If what you are saying was true, anyone running a 100mbit network over tcp/ip, or a network domain, or a intranet would have HORRIBLE transfer rates.

Learn some about networking yourself before making yourself look un-educated.

Want a good show, try this-
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=windows+10mb+for+wan&aq=f&oq=

If it was even remotely true, or even a big rumor it would be all over the place.


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## Fleck (Mar 15, 2009)

niko084 said:


> No sir it is not.... Maybe you should be the one in school for networking, or maybe even introduction to operating systems.
> 
> LOTS of us have internet connections that exceed 10mbit firstly and have modified nothing.
> Second your computer doesn't know jack difference between your network and the internet, throughput is throughput period, a packet is a packet, tcp/ip is tcp/ip.
> ...



No if what I'm saying was true (which it is) then when people use a 100mbit network card to connect to a 100mbit network then Windows would tune that connection differently.

I don't know exactly how it works, but for some reason it's a widely known fact that FiOS requires a speed optimizer to actually give you 20mbit.  Don't know how or why, don't really care, it's just a fact, and it's not just me or 'something that messed with my settings', that's just how Windows is when it comes to specific connections.  Maybe if Windows detects or is configured specifically for 100mbit networking it automatically chooses different settings.  I am not 100% sure, but you don't seem to be either, so I don't think you have room to be telling anyone to go to school when you yourself don't seem to have any actual sold knowledge as to the contrary.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 15, 2009)

Would reseting the modem change anything?? if so..how can I reset it?? I have no idea how to do that!


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## DaveK (Mar 15, 2009)

Irish_PXzyan said:


> Would reseting the modem change anything?? if so..how can I reset it?? I have no idea how to do that!



There's usually a small button on the back or bottom that you have to press with a pin or something, I don't know if this will help though. I done this to my old Netgear router and it kinda broke it lol. Router was good but the NAT setting was set to Strict so I couldn't play on Xbox Live and got annoyed 

So it might reset the settings to default, which might be nothing. But it could wipe it, I dunno. I heard they have newer modems out, mine is Scientific-Atlanta or something I've heard they've god newer wireless ones or something. a modem which has the router built in or something.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 15, 2009)

I think I will leave my router alone so!

I think I will go ahead and buy the D-Link modem+router combo.

Should I go for a wireless USB dongle or a PCI-E chip??

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=336044

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=340590

Which would be the better choice?


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## mrhuggles (Mar 15, 2009)

http://espanol.verizon.com/enes/sdwww2/dverizon/help/fios_settings/learnmore.asp


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 15, 2009)

I have already downloaded the TCP optimizer and managed to double my network speed! But I am still not even getting 50% of my total 20meg line 

I am in need of a new wireless dongle or PCI-E chip!! But don't know if I should stick with the dongle or go for a chip!! 

Any suggestions please?


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## mrhuggles (Mar 15, 2009)

looks like from reading that fiber is super low latency and has a tendency to fill buffers too fast and then the buffers end up sitting around too long [not necessary reading: http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1323.txt ]

since you already ran that and your still having issues, guessing you already took your router out of the equation to check that right?


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 15, 2009)

Well what can I do with the router?? All I can think of is to reset it but am told it probably won't help any at all. I really believe that the main reason for my bad connection is due to my wireless dongle I got! it is only a Belkin 802.11g - 54mbps. It;s signal range is pretty poor and it never stays at 54mbps. it drops all the way down to 11mbps randomly and shoots right back up to 48-54!


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## mrhuggles (Mar 15, 2009)

sigh, these situations always make me wish company's were required to not lie, the maximum you will get out of a wireless G connection is 13mbit actual transfer rate or right around there, i get a little bit more than that but mine is well configured.

they connect at 54mbit, but they only get about 13mbit or so.

EDIT: hook your computer directly up to the modem and see if it doesn't go a lot faster and with lower latency too


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## IggSter (Mar 15, 2009)

I'm a Virgin media customer in the UK and have had the 2meg, 10meg, 20meg and now 50meg service. This is my advice to you:

Firstly call NTL and make sure your cable modem is capable of 20meg...when I upgraded from 10meg to 20meg Virgin had to send me a new modem (the older model was only capable of 12-14meg)

Secondly, if the modem is capable, buy a wireless N router, The Netgear WNR2000 is a superb choice (I have one courtesy of Virgin). I live in a large, old house and get a minimum connection speed of 216Mbps from the furthest corner of the house.  For connecting your PCs over wireless use the Netgear WN111 usb wireless adapter.

With this setup, my highest download speed so far has been 6008KB/s using my laptop and the USB wireless adapter.

Hope this helps.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 15, 2009)

Ok guys thanks for the advice.

I think I will just go ahead and buy the D-Link modem and router combo and pick up a wireless-N D-Link USB adapter and see what happens from there!!

This won't cause any issues now will it??? 
All I need to do is hook it up to the NTL BOX and that's it?? or will I need a disk and install it and then everything works fine?? or is it a lot more complicated than I think??


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## mrhuggles (Mar 15, 2009)

a proper router and knowing how to properly configure it would be a million times better.
before you run off and throw a bunch of money down the toilet you should probably be warned that those suck bad.

i don't think i have it in me to do so tho. heh


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 15, 2009)

How can I properly configure it?? why arn't they properly configured when I buy the bloody things!!

Well since they suck bad!! what on earth should I go and buy then??? POINT me in the right direction!!

I buy from http://www.komplett.ie/k/kc.aspx?bn=10273

Thanks.


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## mrhuggles (Mar 15, 2009)

cant really see anything good on that site sorry, it looks like its all SOHO stuff [small office home office]


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 15, 2009)

If you were to pick something out, what would you buy?? can you link me to what ever you would buy?


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## mrhuggles (Mar 15, 2009)

price range?


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## niko084 (Mar 15, 2009)

Fleck said:


> No if what I'm saying was true (which it is) then when people use a 100mbit network card to connect to a 100mbit network then Windows would tune that connection differently.
> 
> I don't know exactly how it works, but for some reason it's a widely known fact that FiOS requires a speed optimizer to actually give you 20mbit.  Don't know how or why, don't really care, it's just a fact, and it's not just me or 'something that messed with my settings', that's just how Windows is when it comes to specific connections.  Maybe if Windows detects or is configured specifically for 100mbit networking it automatically chooses different settings.  I am not 100% sure, but you don't seem to be either, so I don't think you have room to be telling anyone to go to school when you yourself don't seem to have any actual sold knowledge as to the contrary.



No, it would be nice if windows would automatically tune your settings a little.
But it has NOTHING to do with a 10mbit cap... Go read something you sound like an idiot talking out of your rear and it's no way to gain respect.

Take it from someone who just setup a network on a T3 line fyi 30mb/30mb guess what, it uses all the bandwidth... Hmm, funny, I didn't modify anything or run a speed optimizer... I plugged the systems into the switch that leads to the router.

This is a clean install of windows-




Hmm... Looks a shy bit higher than 10mbit...

Go learn something about networking and protocol.

PS- MCSA, A+, Network+, Security+.


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## niko084 (Mar 15, 2009)

mrhuggles said:


> sigh, these situations always make me wish company's were required to not lie, the maximum you will get out of a wireless G connection is 13mbit actual transfer rate or right around there, i get a little bit more than that but mine is well configured.
> 
> they connect at 54mbit, but they only get about 13mbit or so.
> 
> EDIT: hook your computer directly up to the modem and see if it doesn't go a lot faster and with lower latency too



If you are connected at 54mbit and are not getting that you have either too much noise or a bad card/access point.

We are all very aware that wireless G sucks, but it is very well perfectly capable of 54mbit/s of transfer speeds *minus overhead of course*

But if your connection is bouncing like that you have serious wireless issues, you probably have something that adds a lot of noise to the signal somewhere, or a bad card/router, that spread is a little too far to be random.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 15, 2009)

Price range would be 150-200 Euros!

What could be causing my signal to jump so badly?? I have no idea what could be causing my signal to just jump from 54 to 11 in a second!! makes no sense to me.


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## niko084 (Mar 15, 2009)

Irish_PXzyan said:


> Price range would be 150-200 Euros!
> 
> What could be causing my signal to jump so badly?? I have no idea what could be causing my signal to just jump from 54 to 11 in a second!! makes no sense to me.



Weak signals can do it and any type of interference. Microwave, some cordless phones, anything that can cause electrical interference.. Heck even a cell phone can cause some issues.

Moving to N would be of great help, stay away from the USB if at all possible.
I'm guessing that running wires isn't an option?


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## mrhuggles (Mar 15, 2009)

150-200 wow.,.. with that much money you could get some seriously awesome hardware... infact you could get some of the best hardware money can buy...

http://shop.gateworks.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=53 <--- bout as good as it gets
http://shop.gateworks.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=3  <--- totaly reasonable, higher end than any SOHO router

with a good os either would be completely awesome, the lower end one should be able to route 100mbit well, and the higher end one would be able to well, it would be able to do anything even handle deep packet inspection, altho personaly i think I'd definatly be happy with the lesser one, since you dont know what your doing i would find somebody that does and have them set it up for you, in the long run its worth it tho, its a FINAL solution, even when were running around with 1gbit internet it will route it just fine, and it can run ANY minipci wifi card, even in the future when wireless N is obsolete, you just switch the wifi card and your good, plus its got more than 1 mini pci port... they are those little ports that laptops have, it should be able to run anything for that you can find.


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## Gzero (Mar 15, 2009)

niko084 said:


> If you are connected at 54mbit and are not getting that you have either too much noise or a bad card/access point.
> 
> We are all very aware that wireless G sucks, but it is very well perfectly capable of 54mbit/s of transfer speeds *minus overhead of course*
> 
> But if your connection is bouncing like that you have serious wireless issues, you probably have something that adds a lot of noise to the signal somewhere, or a bad card/router, that spread is a little too far to be random.



Sorry, but I'm been to multiple locations with wireless networks and never seen anywhere near 54mbps on G.

I've even got 2 separate wifi points in my home (and 3 different routers) (one for my pcs, and one for the stupid nintendo DS). Neither of them have ever been able to produce over 24mbps. Sure windows and any other piece of networking software can tell me I'm connected at 54 mbps, and I can even sit right beside the router if I want. 

Could you post a screenie of your wireless network card connected at 54mbps(or even less ) with a throughput greater than 3000 kb/s(kilo bytes because the terminology is getting messy) up or down please.

I've just never seen it, but I would like to be shown to be wrong in this case (please bare in mind I'm talking about actual throughput, say transferring files and not just signal connection speed).


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## niko084 (Mar 15, 2009)

Gzero said:


> Sorry, but I'm been to multiple locations with wireless networks and never seen anywhere near 54mbps on G.
> 
> I've even got 2 separate wifi points in my home (and 3 different routers) (one for my pcs, and one for the stupid nintendo DS). Neither of them have ever been able to produce over 24mbps. Sure windows and any other piece of networking software can tell me I'm connected at 54 mbps, and I can even sit right beside the router if I want.
> 
> ...



I'm not going to bother.... Firstly I don't use wireless at home, although I do setup wireless systems for medical offices who send and receive large files from data servers over a wireless connection. I also use them at work and transfer well over 100gb of files over them daily, most of which are 10-30gb at a time...

I have also setup city wide wifi networks for ISP services in rural areas using wireless B and G in various areas, I can login to the mikrotik routers and see the throughput being used on them.

With wireless overhead and a good clean and strong signal you can get pretty easily 40-50mb/s.

I understand very well you are talking about throughput, in fact I had a netbook here the other day I moved 8GB or files from one of my wired systems over wireless G connected at 48mb/s *I set my router to lock at that speed, helps it not jump around so much*, it had about as perfect of a signal as you are going to get, the entire transfer took about 25 minutes. If you do the math on that one, you are running just around 5592kB/s of trasnfer rate, at 48mb/s connection your max would be 6144kB/s which leaves enough room and then some for overhead.

What I think you guys maybe coming down to is that you are on wireless networks that are stressed. If a wireless access point is G, that means any unit can connect at "up to 54mb/s" with a combined total throughput of "54mb/s". Yes it is true that you can connect at one speed and get a very different throughput speed, especially with G if it's constantly trying to re-negotiate it's link speed, exactly the reason I knocked my router to 48mb/s, everything I will ever use it for will connect solid at that and not jump around.

I should note here also that if you have any backwards compatibility turned on that will greatly cut your performance of your wireless system! My router is locked G mode only, as was the wireless card in the netbook, I also have all security disabled short of mac address filtering. The area it's in contains no extra electronic devices and was within 10ft of each other, too close and you pickup radio noise.

The abbv. kb/kB/mb/mB do get mixed up quite a lot although. 2000kB/s isn't a bad speed for a wireless G network, 2000kb/s however is horrible.

But non the less anyway you look at it in this case, he should surely be upgrading to Wireless N for obvious reasons.


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## Easy Rhino (Mar 15, 2009)

i dont know if buying a new N router will really be worth it. yea you will connect at a faster rate but that doesnt mean you will automatically get the speed you want outta your 20meg line. i guess it is worth a shot but buy it from a place that you can get a full refund if it doesnt work out the way you hope.


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## KBD (Mar 15, 2009)

Interesting thread, especially for a networking noob like myself 

In regards to FIOS, i also had to use Verizon speed optimizer to optimize my connection. This could be a FIOS thing as its somewhat different than other connection types. I also dont trust speedtest.net anymore, i just download or upload a file as niko said and use Verizon's own Speed Test. 

My current plan is 10 Mb/s down and 2 Mb/s up but Verizon speed test tells me that its actually 7.9 Mb/s down and 1.9 Mb/s up. It actually improved somewhat after running the speed optimizer (used to be around 6.5 Mb/s down) and web surfing also improved, became smoother & more responsive. But in reality i have never been able to download a file faster than 4.5 Mb/s. It was explained to me that are multiple factors that contribute to the slower download time, things like which website stuff is being downloaded from, time of day and amount of internet traffic and so worth. I'm on a wired connection, btw, pc is connected directly to the router via ethernet cable. I never tried to optimize the router, just dont know how to, all i did was encrypt as it also has wireless capability.


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## cdawall (Mar 15, 2009)

my wireless B gets better connection speeds than your G just get a new router....


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## 95Viper (Mar 15, 2009)

KBD said:


> Interesting thread, especially for a networking noob like myself
> 
> In regards to FIOS, i also had to use Verizon speed optimizer to optimize my connection. This could be a FIOS thing as its somewhat different than other connection types. I also dont trust speedtest.net anymore, i just download or upload a file as niko said and use Verizon's own Speed Test.
> 
> My current plan is 10 Mb/s down and 2 Mb/s up but Verizon speed test tells me that its actually 7.9 Mb/s down and 1.9 Mb/s up. It actually improved somewhat after running the speed optimizer (used to be around 6.5 Mb/s down) and web surfing also improved, became smoother & more responsive. But in reality i have never been able to download a file faster than 4.5 Mb/s. It was explained to me that are multiple factors that contribute to the slower download time, things like which website stuff is being downloaded from, time of day and amount of internet traffic and so worth. I'm on a wired connection, btw, pc is connected directly to the router via ethernet cable. I never tried to optimize the router, just dont know how to, all i did was encrypt as it also has wireless capability.



If you are not getting the speed you pay for call the fios solutions center and let them check your loop. Are you using the latest firmware for your router? Could be a fiber with some bad splices...

As for the fios speed optimizer, it sets tcp/ip and mtu to what verizon has chosen to be appropriate... for the average user. I have 15/2 and this is what I get 
View attachment 23843
 at:http://infospeed.verizon.net/fttp/speedtest9000k.asp


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## KBD (Mar 15, 2009)

95Viper said:


> If you are not getting the speed you pay for call the fios solutions center and let them check your loop. Are you using the latest firmware for your router? Could be a fiber with some bad splices...
> 
> As for the fios speed optimizer, it sets tcp/ip and mtu to what verizon has chosen to be appropriate... for the average user. I have 15/2 and this is what I get
> View attachment 23843
> at:http://infospeed.verizon.net/fttp/speedtest9000k.asp



Thnx, i will def give them a call and do as you said. I dont know about firmware for the router as this one was recently put in. Since i added FIOS cable service the techs insisted that my D-Link router had to be replaced with Verizon's ActionTeK because it has the port to connect the cable for FIOS cable service and my old one didnt. But even if i do find out that firmware is out of date i wouldnt know how to update anyway. 

Since you use their service did you have to optimize the router in any way to get better performance? also, what is your actual d/l speed, not the speed test? Mine does differ a lot as i sed.


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## niko084 (Mar 16, 2009)

Easy Rhino said:


> i dont know if buying a new N router will really be worth it. yea you will connect at a faster rate but that doesnt mean you will automatically get the speed you want outta your 20meg line. i guess it is worth a shot but buy it from a place that you can get a full refund if it doesnt work out the way you hope.



The only real reason I say it would be worth it is if the speed is driving you nuts. N has better range and doesn't have a lot of the same overhead and constant re-negotiation issues. It is known to hold connections are a faster rate over the same distance better.
Is it worth it or not, well that's another question.



KBD said:


> Interesting thread, especially for a networking noob like myself
> 
> In regards to FIOS, i also had to use Verizon speed optimizer to optimize my connection. This could be a FIOS thing as its somewhat different than other connection types. I also dont trust speedtest.net anymore, i just download or upload a file as niko said and use Verizon's own Speed Test.
> 
> My current plan is 10 Mb/s down and 2 Mb/s up but Verizon speed test tells me that its actually 7.9 Mb/s down and 1.9 Mb/s up. It actually improved somewhat after running the speed optimizer (used to be around 6.5 Mb/s down) and web surfing also improved, became smoother & more responsive. But in reality i have never been able to download a file faster than 4.5 Mb/s. It was explained to me that are multiple factors that contribute to the slower download time, things like which website stuff is being downloaded from, time of day and amount of internet traffic and so worth. I'm on a wired connection, btw, pc is connected directly to the router via ethernet cable. I never tried to optimize the router, just dont know how to, all i did was encrypt as it also has wireless capability.



Running it can very well improve your speed, there is no question about that. And it is true that windows is automatically tuned for a certain speed *that speed I don't remember exactly what is*. But it doesn't mean you "can't" transfer faster, it is by no means a "limit".

There is quite a bit you can do to improve not only your throughput, but your ping speeds as well.


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## Ptep (Mar 16, 2009)

Irish_PXzyan said:


> Ok guys I picked these out, will these do the job?? I want to get full signal and no slow downs or anything! So I hope these will work perfectly??
> 
> ***http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=337363***
> 
> ...



This would be the wrong bit of kit for you, the router has an ADSL (BT line based) modem built in. You want a wireless router WITHOUT modem - the modem itself is supplied and owned by NTL/VirginMedia.
You may well need to speak to NTL about a new modem if the one you have is not an (Ambit) NTL 200 or 250.

Also to the guy who said about Windows TCP/IP being capped at 10Mbit for WAN; it most definately is not, the FiOS optimization is purely for their services and does not apply (for the most part) to the majority of ISPs.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 16, 2009)

So I should just call NTL about the modem I am using??? and see if they can supply me a new one that can use the 20 meg line?

Also would it be recommended to get a new router too?? or does that even matter???

I will get a new wireless adapter as the one I got is simply not good enough!

Thanks for any help!


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## Ptep (Mar 16, 2009)

Irish_PXzyan said:


> So I should just call NTL about the modem I am using??? and see if they can supply me a new one that can use the 20 meg line?
> 
> Also would it be recommended to get a new router too?? or does that even matter???
> 
> ...



I would first off test your connection with a cable straight out of the modem into a laptop/desktop, and see if that is any faster. Id do that before i spent any money on anything!

To be honest though, I would say your best option is powerline adapters - quite a few other people have suggested them, and im going to throw my 2 pennies in and say they work excellently for everyone else in my house.... My gear is connected direct to my switch  But certainly no complaints from the rest and far better than the wireless system used before.


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## 3870x2 (Mar 16, 2009)

I wouldnt trust speedtest, It always says I have 200+ ping when i have 60 ping to a distance 10 times further, and when I can download at 2.4MBPS, when it says I only rate at 9000kbps....

Ive tried about 14-15 other locations, still the same crappy ping.

Only trust actual results.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 16, 2009)

My modem only has 1 ethernet cable. ummm..if I went for a powerline how do I connect it up to the modem?? or is it to the router?? How do I go about doing that??


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## Fleck (Mar 16, 2009)

niko084 said:


> PS- MCSA, A+, Network+, Security+.



HAH, that's just funny to an old-school hands-on techie like me.  I've actually experienced these rare phenomenons of which I speak.  You still can't properly explain why SOME internet connections DO need tweaking of Windows settings.


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## DaveK (Mar 16, 2009)

Do you really need all this equipment? I'm using a normal N router and dongle and get fine speeds, you probably won't get the full 20Mb speeds anyway, but still I get up to 2.2MBPS download speeds which is enough, upload is shite.

What are you going to be using it for? If it's torrents don't bother as they cap the speeds on that, if it's web browsing, download files from normal site and online gaming you should be fine. Also depends on what time/day it is, some days I get about 15Mb other days I get around 10Mb, only a few times when we switched to 20Mb did I actually get 20Mb but it doesn't bother me because I get enough speeds. I browse the web a lot, watch a lot of YouTube videos and play Xbox Live a lot and have never had any complaints about speed. A lot of sites I have downloaded from don't seem to be fast enough to get those download speeds anyway, a lot of sites never pass 1MBPS in download speeds.

Just did a speed test and got:

Download Speed: 14294 kbps (1786.8 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 1118 kbps (139.8 KB/sec transfer rate)
Latency: 48 ms


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## Ptep (Mar 16, 2009)

Fleck said:


> HAH, that's just funny to an old-school hands-on techie like me.  I've actually experienced these rare phenomenons of which I speak.  You still can't properly explain why SOME internet connections DO need tweaking of Windows settings.



MTU



Irish_PXzyan said:


> My modem only has 1 ethernet cable. ummm..if I went for a powerline how do I connect it up to the modem?? or is it to the router?? How do I go about doing that??



You would connect the modem to the router, then a powerline adapter to one of the lan sockets on the router, then a powerline adapter near each pc with an ethernet cable to the NIC.


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## Fleck (Mar 16, 2009)

Ptep said:


> He did... MTU



Yeah and at first he was saying it was impossible that it had to do with Windows' limitations.

Anyway, some expert HE is, that's all I'm saying.  Especially to be putting down others.


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## niko084 (Mar 16, 2009)

Fleck said:


> HAH, that's just funny to an old-school hands-on techie like me.  I've actually experienced these rare phenomenons of which I speak.  You still can't properly explain why SOME internet connections DO need tweaking of Windows settings.



Well, to give you a heads up I spent the last 15 years learning computers inside out and backwards before my certs, so I'm far from some kid who went to school for a few years and thinks he knows it all.

And there is no "phenomenon" with computers, it's a logical circuit and a logical piece of software, therefore there is a perfect explanation for anything that happens. The simple fact that you used that term tells me your knowledge is limited.


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## KBD (Mar 16, 2009)

niko084 said:


> There is quite a bit you can do to improve not only your throughput, but your ping speeds as well.



Could you point those of us that dont know what do in the right direction or explain?


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## niko084 (Mar 16, 2009)

KBD said:


> Could you point those of us that dont know what do in the right direction or explain?



The directions on speedguide.net pretty much sum up about everything you can do to tweak your network connection. It's not that it "limits" your connection, there is no "set" limit as Fleck is saying, it can cause issues for different people in different situations. For myself, tweaking it did next to nothing, and you can see my throughput.

Read these-
http://www.speedguide.net/read_articles.php?id=2678
http://www.speedguide.net/articles.php?category=93 *whatever ones apply to you*
Here is another good one-
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,1153606,00.asp

Playing around with them will help certain things and can harm other things.
Play around with them a bit and see what works best for you.

The only real limitation windows has as far as networking goes is somewhere around 1gb/s lan connections, systems can have issues literally getting the data to the card fast enough.

When we are talking about lan/wan connections there is a ton that comes into play on your performance. Why do you think we see such considerably different reviews of the KillerNic..

***
Fleck, I was not trying to be overly offensive, but your statement of windows "LIMITS" WAN at "10mb/s" is simply very untrue. There are things in certain situations however that "can" cause issues, but it is by no means a pre-configured "limit".

If you really want to go nuts on tweaking your network, there are books on advanced network configuration.
They are very long and very informative, you will also find a lot of information you will not need.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 16, 2009)

Ok for a powerline all I do is get 2 of them?
1 goes downstairs and connects up to the router, while the one is plugged upstairs and also connected up to the PC?? as in an ethernet connection?? or USB??

Sounds easy enough!


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## Ptep (Mar 16, 2009)

Irish_PXzyan said:


> Ok for a powerline all I do is get 2 of them?
> 1 goes downstairs and connects up to the router, while the one is plugged upstairs and also connected up to the PC?? as in an ethernet connection?? or USB??
> 
> Sounds easy enough!



Via ethernet at both ends, the powerline plugs are identical for all ends, and have a mains plug one side and an ethernet socket on the other. The only thing you must be careful with is to make sure that the adapter is plugged directly into the wall socket and not on an extension or multiway plug otherwise you might find they dont connect or run at a lower speed (they are tuned for the solid core wiring used inside the house, and dont play nicely with the stranded/twisted core used in extension cables!).


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 16, 2009)

Ahhh what a shame!! how on earth am I going to have a spare socket for this plug alone and then having all the plugs for my actual computer??? I have a spare one beside my bed which is unused. Can I use that?? it is about 3 meters away from my desktop???
Will that be fine??


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## Ptep (Mar 16, 2009)

Irish_PXzyan said:


> Ahhh what a shame!! how on earth am I going to have a spare socket for this plug alone and then having all the plugs for my actual computer??? I have a spare one beside my bed which is unused. Can I use that?? it is about 3 meters away from my desktop???
> Will that be fine??



Yep that will be fine!


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## 95Viper (Mar 16, 2009)

Here, look at these sites. I believe if you read thru them, you will get some insight...
IMO Trendnet makes excellent equipment.  If you do go powerline, make sure your adapters will be on the same phase, notplugged into a surge protector (they have their own built in, external protection will filter frequency neeeded for transmission of data).

http://www.trendnet.com/langen/support/kb/kbp_showproduct.asp?ToDo=browse&catId=537

On each page click on "Networking solution" to get an idea and picture of it's implementation...

http://www.trendnet.com/langen/products/proddetail.asp?prod=105_TPL-302E2K&cat=65

http://www.trendnet.com/langen/products/proddetail.asp?prod=110_TPL-110AP&cat=65

http://www.trendnet.com/langen/products/proddetail.asp?prod=120_TEW-637AP&cat=66

I use the powerline and access point to reach a laptop at the other end of my house.
A lot of walls between here and there, that affect wireless.

But all of this won't make your connection to the central office from your house any faster. The vendor or phone company needs to do that. 

Questions are like: 
How many feet out from the C.O. are you(whether it is a litespan, SLIC, or switch in the building) affects you on copper?
Any bridge taps?
Any loads?
Any shorts, grounds, high opens?
What did the line stress(noise in dbs)?

Coax has it's problems, as does fiber. In other words, the supplier of your service needs to get their stuff straight in the beginning.  So, I would call them and be nice or stern, but demand what you asked for and get it.

My rant.


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## Irish_PXzyan (Mar 16, 2009)

Thanks for those links!

Sounds too me that my best option would be to call NTL broadband and get them to get everything sorted out first!
then perhaps a new modem is needed, lets hope NTL will send me a new one.

if not..then just go and get one and perhaps one of those powerlines! I don't have any free sockets downstairs tho  So I really think I need a wireless dongle again. As long as I get 15000 out of 20000 then I will be happy enough I suppose!

But at least now I have a better idea as to what is going on!


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