1GB Internet Very Inconsistent

[ProPain]

Yes but I will not run any faster than the speed your ISP gives you on your internet.

Correct .... Top-Tier ISP fibre optic broadband network provider are good - we get very low 2 ms PING here in switzerland ;o)

1'000 DOWNLOAD Mbps
1'000 UPLOAD Mbps

 

[eidairaman1]

Correct .... Top-Tier ISP fibre optic broadband network provider are good - we get very low 2 ms PING here in switzerland ;o)

1'000 DOWNLOAD Mbps
1'000 UPLOAD Mbps

However it is not 1,024 Mebibits pers second.

 

[ProPain]

Yup .... sadly it fluctuates every time !@!

Mbps stands for Megabits per second. MBps stands Megabytes per second. The two terms are similar, but Mbps is used to specify Internet connection speeds, where as MBps is used to specify how much of a file is downloaded/uploaded per second.

Server dependent

100% correct

 

[eidairaman1]

Yup .... sadly it fluctuates every time !@!

Server dependent

 

[Durvelle27]

Did you get your speeds figured out yet?

Yes i did

The drop outside coming from the node was bad and had to be replaced

If you work for a company such as AT&T or comcast you're going to want to use a patch cable that's pre-made because management wants the gripe and moan all the time, because a technician is moving too slow supposedly yet they want quality last I recall slow is smooth smooth is fast

I was once a Comcast tech years ago and management never complained about time with making cables, Hell as a tech i never used pre-made cables always made my own. The issue was always tech making shitty cables which introduced problems for customers systems from suckout or noise. So it was a smarter move to just use pre-made cables as it cuts down on the possibility of tech roll backs aka trouble calls.

Not if you factor in the labor you are paying the technician. It is significantly cheaper for my customers to just use a pre-made cable when possible than to pay me to make a cable for them. The same goes for comcast techs. Making a coax cable is quick, but RJ45 can be a pain, even with pass-thru style connectors. Any good tech is going to carry a box full of pre-made cables.



This is the only time crimping makes sense. I wouldn't try to pull a pre-made cable through a wall.

However, Comcast an AT&T both don't deal with network cables. They get the signal to their equipment and that's it. After that, it is the customer's responsibility to connect all their devices to the gateway.



It's a decent router, I just don't know if it will do 1Gbps. It has the same CPU as my RT-AC3200, and that wasn't able to do 1Gbps, it would max out at about 850Mbps with CTF enabled and only about 400Mbps with CTF disabled. I don't know if the Nighthawk AC1900 supports CTF.

Plus, I wasn't a big fan of the security risks related to enabling CTF. That's why I build a pfSense box.

Well i guess at this point i can just test it and see once it arrives. Caught it for $50 online

Had to register to chime in on this. A little background, I've been a tech for a major comm provider on the east coast for over 20 years. Its a shame that folks on a tech site like this dont know better than to complain about a (seemingly) slow internet connection. Based on the speeds reported on the first page, your service is obviously provisioned correctly (BANDWITH). I go out on troubles like this everyday. I've also made 100 bucks for my company on all but three visits in the last 5 years. You do realize that the internet is a PUBLIC NETWORK and that your internet service provider's responsibility ends at the gateway router. We (service techs) could care less what your speedtest results are as they are internet based. Whatever service you are connecting to is also normally routed through an ISP. Data speeds from them are limited by the bandwith they (service provider) dedicate to the service divided by number of simultaneous connections they handle. Then that data still has to traverse the internet before getting to you. Once your data hits your home router it gets even more complicated. Normally after I've used our internal tests to check a customers provisioning and their bandwidth to our gateway router, I ask the customer about the capabilities of the equipment they are using to connect. 95% of the time they have no idea about any of it, i.e. 10/100/1000 ethernet??, what versions of the wifi standard does the adapter in the device your using to connect support?? Crickets! Then I leave and bill them. Folks have to realize that your are being sold/paying for bandwidth, and that is not a speed guarantee.

Don't know better, are you serious

So what you are stating that me as a customer shouldn't complain to my ISP as i'm paying them for a service that i'm not receiving. Why pay for 1000Mbps but only actually receive 25Mbps. I have every right as a customer of a paid service to complain to the provider when i am either not receiving the service i paid for or my service isn't working. My issue went far above oh it's just a speed test server issue. Than you stated that their responsibility ends at the gateway, fyi testing with my meter directly off the RG6 coax the internet still showed signs of a problem which was suckout caused by a bad drop which in turn caused poor speeds and constant internet drops. Also all the equipment in my house supports either AC or Wired GB.

Judging by your post i see why so many people complain about techs who come out and how unhelpful they are with bad customer service. Part of being a tech is making sure the services being installed are functioning to their full capacity and that the customer is satisfied. You as a tech are not superior to the customer just because you are tech. Humble yourself

However it is not 1,024 Mebibits pers second.

 

[ProPain]

.... very nice bro ! 1.1 is Big ....

View attachment Swiss Alps' Matterhorn.jpg - ( 5616 x 3744 )

Important information: Part of the Alps' Matterhorn Is in Africa

 

[eidairaman1]

Yes i did

The drop outside coming from the node was bad and had to be replaced


I was once a Comcast tech years ago and management never complained about time with making cables, Hell as a tech i never used pre-made cables always made my own. The issue was always tech making shitty cables which introduced problems for customers systems from suckout or noise. So it was a smarter move to just use pre-made cables as it cuts down on the possibility of tech roll backs aka trouble calls.


Well i guess at this point i can just test it and see once it arrives. Caught it for $50 online


Don't know better, are you serious

So what you are stating that me as a customer shouldn't complain to my ISP as i'm paying them for a service that i'm not receiving. Why pay for 1000Mbps but only actually receive 25Mbps. I have every right as a customer of a paid service to complain to the provider when i am either not receiving the service i paid for or my service isn't working. My issue went far above oh it's just a speed test server issue. Than you stated that their responsibility ends at the gateway, fyi testing with my meter directly off the RG6 coax the internet still showed signs of a problem which was suckout caused by a bad drop which in turn caused poor speeds and constant internet drops. Also all the equipment in my house supports either AC or Wired GB.

Judging by your post i see why so many people complain about techs who come out and how unhelpful they are with bad customer service. Part of being a tech is making sure the services being installed are functioning to their full capacity and that the customer is satisfied. You as a tech are not superior to the customer just because you are tech. Humble yourself


View attachment 129262

Been there with bad drops, i worked with a ex comcast in 2013, he said they would complain too.

Recalls sucked.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Not if you factor in the labor you are paying the technician.

I did.

Once a tech makes a few dozen cables, it doesn't take long to make one of the right length. And like I said, factory made cables are often poorly made and defective from the start - but sadly, are often assumed to be good. That means they are often over-looked when troubleshooting adding to the technician's time.

Who wants a rat's nest of extra long cables dangling behind their desks collecting dust and getting tangled up in their feet? I sure don't. Why should my clients have to deal with it?

Any good tech is going to carry a box full of pre-made cables.

Maybe that's the difference between a tech who works for an ISP, and a tech who works for himself, a consultant, or an independent installer. I keep a hand-full of short patch cables at the ready - in part because they are often included with routers and modems and residential gateway devices. But I always test them too. If making lots of cables, I recommend "investing" in a good tester (and crimper) but even an inexpensive tester like this can save valuable time.

And note I did specify here and my post above, a "good" crimper. I learned that lesson years ago after wasting money on cheap tools. "Investing" in quality tools from the start will save you money in the long run - not just from having to eventually buy quality tools in the end, but for all the wasted connectors (and lost time) the cheap crimpers ruined.

The issue was always tech making shitty cables

I don't understand this. If a tech made and then used a bad cable, that just indicates a lazy tech, or an arrogant tech who assumes he or she could not make a bad cable. It takes 10 seconds to test a cable - even with a cheap tester.

My biggest problem has always been I cut the wire twice and it was still too short!

Had to register to chime in on this.
Its a shame that folks on a tech site like this dont know better than to complain about a (seemingly) slow internet connection.
Folks have to realize that your are being sold/paying for bandwidth, and that is not a speed guarantee.

And its a shame when folks feel compelled to register to chime in, then post without reading the entire thread first to understand what has already been said (often many times) by those advising in that thread. For example, nobody said anything about guaranteed speeds. In fact, it was mentioned at least a half dozen times that service contract speeds are noted as "up to" those speeds.

I ask the customer about the capabilities of the equipment they are using to connect. ...

Crickets! Then I leave and bill them.

I don't assume they know which wifi protocol their hardware supports, or whether they have 1Gbps Ethernet or not. Why should a "normal" customer know if their notebook uses 802.11g, 802.11n or 802.11ac? Or if on 2.4GHz or 5GHz or which channel? Or if on 100Mbps or 1000Mbps? This is especially true with integrated network adapters in factory made wireless devices (which include Roku streamers, notebooks, tablets, smart phones, etc.) or with ISP provided wireless routers and gateway devices.

IMO, they shouldn't have to know any more than they need to know the horsepower or how many cylinders their car engine has, or the BTU rating of their air conditioner. I look to see what they have, then, if they wish to know, I take a moment to explain it to them.

 

[John Naylor]

This is the only time crimping makes sense. I wouldn't try to pull a pre-made cable through a wall.

I live / work in a 175 year old dairy barn. It's post and beam construction, with the beams 8" thick locust wood ... aka "Iron Wood". After drilling thru the 1st beam at floor level, I "went high" and tucked it behind the ceiling moulding

A wall of Text won't get read here.

I can't agree as I find explanations preferable to "because I said so". I'd rather read a dozen detailed explanations, evaluate the validity and references associated with each and come to my own conclusion. Just A symptom of the twitter age I imagine.

 

[phoneboy]

I don't assume they know which wifi protocol their hardware supports, or whether they have 1Gbps Ethernet or not. Why should a "normal" customer know if their notebook uses 802.11g, 802.11n or 802.11ac? Or if on 2.4GHz or 5GHz or which channel? Or if on 100Mbps or 1000Mbps? This is especially true with integrated network adapters in factory made wireless devices (which include Roku streamers, notebooks, tablets, smart phones, etc.) or with ISP provided wireless routers and gateway devices.

IMO, they shouldn't have to know any more than they need to know the horsepower or how many cylinders their car engine has, or the BTU rating of their air conditioner. I look to see what they have, then, if they wish to know, I take a moment to explain it to them.

Intent was to offend and if I missed info in part of the thread my apologies. I have to disagree about a "normal" customer knowing what your equipment supports. If you only have a laptop with a g capable wifi adapter and purchase 1Gb worth of bandwith and call in to complain that you are not getting what your paying for who's bo bo the fool? Thats like buying are racecar and thinking you'd be able rive it at 200mph when your town only has cobblestone roads and then complaining to the maker of the car. There used to be a commercial on tv that stated "An educated consumer is our best customer".

 

[Space Lynx]

Had to register to chime in on this. A little background, I've been a tech for a major comm provider on the east coast for over 20 years. Its a shame that folks on a tech site like this dont know better than to complain about a (seemingly) slow internet connection. Based on the speeds reported on the first page, your service is obviously provisioned correctly (BANDWITH). I go out on troubles like this everyday. I've also made 100 bucks for my company on all but three visits in the last 5 years. You do realize that the internet is a PUBLIC NETWORK and that your internet service provider's responsibility ends at the gateway router. We (service techs) could care less what your speedtest results are as they are internet based. Whatever service you are connecting to is also normally routed through an ISP. Data speeds from them are limited by the bandwith they (service provider) dedicate to the service divided by number of simultaneous connections they handle. Then that data still has to traverse the internet before getting to you. Once your data hits your home router it gets even more complicated. Normally after I've used our internal tests to check a customers provisioning and their bandwidth to our gateway router, I ask the customer about the capabilities of the equipment they are using to connect. 95% of the time they have no idea about any of it, i.e. 10/100/1000 ethernet??, what versions of the wifi standard does the adapter in the device your using to connect support?? Crickets! Then I leave and bill them. Folks have to realize that your are being sold/paying for bandwidth, and that is not a speed guarantee.

not with fiber optics it doesn't slow down ever, so it doesn't stop at the router/modem as you say. maybe for your inferior telecom company whose CEO's enjoy yacht club memberships perhaps it does stop, but not for pure fiber optic companies like MetroNet and Google Fiber

 

[Bill_Bright]

Intent was to offend

Then that is pretty lousy customer service and I would expect you would never be called again, and they would tells their friends who not to call too. And deservedly so.

I have to disagree about a "normal" customer knowing what your equipment supports.

Well, then you would be wrong.

If you only have a laptop with a g capable wifi adapter and purchase 1Gb worth of bandwith and call in to complain that you are not getting what your paying for who's bo bo the fool?

First, "what ifs" don't make the rule. Second, ignorance and naivety just indicates a lack of knowledge and experience. It does not suggest one is being a fool.

It is NOT at all like buying a race car. What a silly analogy. Normal people don't buy race cars, expect, or even want to drive 200MPH. Since you like to use "ifs", "IF" the customer spent $3700 on a gaming notebook and opted for an 11g wifi adapter, then okay, that would be foolish. But folks who spend that kind of money for a notebook are not normal and surely would have a good idea of the specs of their hardware. People who spend $500 may not, or soon would forget.

 

[newtekie1]

I did.

Once a tech makes a few dozen cables, it doesn't take long to make one of the right length. And like I said, factory made cables are often poorly made and defective from the start - but sadly, are often assumed to be good. That means they are often over-looked when troubleshooting adding to the technician's time.

Who wants a rat's nest of extra long cables dangling behind their desks collecting dust and getting tangled up in their feet? I sure don't. Why should my clients have to deal with it?

Even if it takes 2 minutes to make a cable, that's $4 just for my labor. That's an expensive ass network cable these days. Especially if you start to compound that by say 100 cables.

Maybe that's the difference between a tech who works for an ISP, and a tech who works for himself, a consultant, or an independent installer. I keep a hand-full of short patch cables at the ready - in part because they are often included with routers and modems and residential gateway devices. But I always test them too. If making lots of cables, I recommend "investing" in a good tester (and crimper) but even an inexpensive tester like this can save valuable time.

And note I did specify here and my post above, a "good" crimper. I learned that lesson years ago after wasting money on cheap tools. "Investing" in quality tools from the start will save you money in the long run - not just from having to eventually buy quality tools in the end, but for all the wasted connectors (and lost time) the cheap crimpers ruined.

I have good tools. I even use the nice pass-thru jacks and crimpers that make is way easier to put ends on a cable. It still is more economical to just pull out a pre-made cable and use that. I used to sit in my living room and just crimp 1ft jumpers for patch panels while watching TV, because there were no good pre-made ones out there. Then test every single one with my tester. Now, I get them for $0.20 ea from my supplier, I get 3ft cables for $0.30 6ft for $0.40 and 10ft for $0.50. And in the 5 or more years I've been using pre-made cables instead of making them myself, I think I've had maybe 5 that were bad out of the packaging. I still test every single one before putting them into service, there's no reason not to. But when I'm on site and need to install 100+ cables, it's way cheaper to use pre-made. When I'm setting up an office and need ~50 1ft cables between the patch panels and the switches in the rack, and another 50 to connect the phones and computers to the jacks in the walls, I'm not wasting half a day making custom cables. It's a waste of my time and a waste of the customer's money.

Yes, I will admit, that from time to time if I run out of 1ft cables for the patch panels in the racks, I'll make what I need. Because it is annoying to have a nice patch panel with perfect short cables ruined by two 3fters dangling off the rack. But other than that, I've never really had a problem where if a 3ft was too short, then a 6ft was just too long and in the way. If you need like a 4 or 5ft cable, then a the extra foot on a 6ft cable isn't really going to get in the way. Just coil it up either at the jack in the wall, or the back of a computer and put one of the twist ties that it comes packaged in on it to hold the coil out of the way.

 

[Makaveli]

Do you guys think the Nighthawk AC1900 is a decent router

If you are referring to the Netgear R7000 its abit older now but still good and supports open source firmware.

The stock firmware is junk.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Even if it takes 2 minutes to make a cable, that's $4 just for my labor.

Well, $120/hour for labor is expensive - at least around here. But for new projects, we would accept a RFP and make a bid then do the project by the job, not hour. So if it takes a couple extra minutes to make a cable, that is not costing the client any more money.

Especially if you start to compound that by say 100 cables.

If you have to make 100 6-foot cables, for example, then your business is MUCH bigger than mine. I'm winding down my business and only keep my long time smaller clients - mainly because they have become old friends. But If I had a project that needed dozens of same length cables, then sure, I have a local company we contract with that will do just that. But these days, my largest client involves 12 or 13 Ethernet connected computers in a small business/small office environment.

I will often use those pre-made cables that comes with a device. For example, to connect a PC to a wall port, I might use an Ethernet cable that came with a network adapter. But as you said, it is always tested. My point about pre-made cables was more about those cables folks buy at Walmart or Best Buy. I don't trust them because I have seen too many shoddy ones. And again, if a 17 foot cable is what is needed, I would rather make a 17 foot cable then buy a 25 foot cable and leave an extra 8 feet to collect dust, become a tripping hazard, or get tangled up in someone's feet under a desk - even if it takes me a few extra minutes to make it.

 

[Durvelle27]

So far everything has been good

Wired has not dropped below 900Mbps

But I’m voting to eventually change up my network with much better hardware. I’ve been looking into commercial grade switch and fully widening every room with 4 Ethernet ports each then only the mobile devices will be on WiFi

 

[newtekie1]

Well, $120/hour for labor is expensive - at least around here. But for new projects, we would accept a RFP and make a bid then do the project by the job, not hour. So if it takes a couple extra minutes to make a cable, that is not costing the client any more money.

I actually charge $130 an hour, and that's low in my area. My main competitor charges $150 an hour for "normal business hours" and $250 for any work outside of business hours(which you probably know there is a lot of in this line of work). I charge a flat $130. We don't do flat bids for project, we give an estimate of hours with the customer understanding(because we put it in writing) that it is just an estimate and unforseen issue might raise the actual billable hours.

If you have to make 100 6-foot cables, for example, then your business is MUCH bigger than mine. I'm winding down my business and only keep my long time smaller clients - mainly because they have become old friends. But If I had a project that needed dozens of same length cables, then sure, I have a local company we contract with that will do just that. But these days, my largest client involves 12 or 13 Ethernet connected computers in a small business/small office environment.

I will often use those pre-made cables that comes with a device. For example, to connect a PC to a wall port, I might use an Ethernet cable that came with a network adapter. But as you said, it is always tested. My point about pre-made cables was more about those cables folks buy at Walmart or Best Buy. I don't trust them because I have seen too many shoddy ones. And again, if a 17 foot cable is what is needed, I would rather make a 17 foot cable then buy a 25 foot cable and leave an extra 8 feet to collect dust, become a tripping hazard, or get tangled up in someone's feet under a desk - even if it takes me a few extra minutes to make it.

If you only have to make one or two cables, yeah I can see that. But I'm rarely doing that. And for longer cables, I can see that too. Using a 25ft cable when you only need 11ft is kind of a pain in the ass. I'd cut the 25ft in half and put an end on for sure if I only needed one.

If you want an idea of what I work on, this is what I was working on friday. Not a new install, just doing some work on it, but I did install all of this. Sadly, it is a little bit messier than I prefer. But this is a business that runs 24/7 dispatching their drivers, and I can't take everything down to tidy up. And this doesn't even show their wireless network, that's on an entirely different PoE switch off to the right of all of this, because I'm out of room in the rack.

So far everything has been good

Wired has not dropped below 900Mbps

But I’m voting to eventually change up my network with much better hardware. I’ve been looking into commercial grade switch and fully widening every room with 4 Ethernet ports each then only the mobile devices will be on WiFi

I'd spend the money on a good router before a "commercial" switch. For the most part, gigabit is gigabit when it comes to switches in the home environment. Unless you plan to use VLANs, which is usually unnecessary in a home environment, a decent dumb gigabit switch will serve you just as well as a commercial smart switch.

 

[Durvelle27]

I actually charge $130 an hour, and that's low in my area. My main competitor charges $150 an hour for "normal business hours" and $250 for any work outside of business hours(which you probably know there is a lot of in this line of work). I charge a flat $130. We don't do flat bids for project, we give an estimate of hours with the customer understanding(because we put it in writing) that it is just an estimate and unforseen issue might raise the actual billable hours.



If you only have to make one or two cables, yeah I can see that. But I'm rarely doing that. And for longer cables, I can see that too. Using a 25ft cable when you only need 11ft is kind of a pain in the ass. I'd cut the 25ft in half and put an end on for sure if I only needed one.

If you want an idea of what I work on, this is what I was working on friday. Not a new install, just doing some work on it, but I did install all of this. Sadly, it is a little bit messier than I prefer. But this is a business that runs 24/7 dispatching their drivers, and I can't take everything down to tidy up. And this doesn't even show their wireless network, that's on an entirely different PoE switch off to the right of all of this, because I'm out of room in the rack.
View attachment 129482



I'd spend the money on a good router before a "commercial" switch. For the most part, gigabit is gigabit when it comes to switches in the home environment. Unless you plan to use VLANs, which is usually unnecessary in a home environment, a decent dumb gigabit switch will serve you just as well as a commercial smart switch.

I think i'm going to stick with what i have

How i now have my network setup

House is covered by the Comcast XB6
My Office is covered by the TP-Link AC1750 in AP mode

So it goes House XB6 wireless than a dedicated cat5e to AC1750 in my office which is than wired to all my devices.

So far it's been working great wile also give the house which is 1700SQft perfect coverage. Speeds wired in my office have been 800+Mbps consistently. Wireless i see 400-600Mbps throughout the entire house