Problems with Internet Connection

I have been having severe problems lately with my Internet connection. My ISP is AOL and I am supposed to have a download speed of ~4Mb/sec. I would be quite happy to have a constant download speed of between 65%-80% of that figure, but take a look at this table. It shows the speeds that I have been getting. Notice that the Upload speeds vary (min 157, max 382). I am not so much bothered about that as I, like most home users, send far less information than I receive. However, take a look at the download speeds and how they vary (min 2, max 4254). I would be perfectly happy with a minimum of 2500, however what I am getting is totally unacceptable. The QoS also varies (min 3%, max 100%).
Incidentally, I have had my router since using Windows XP Pro (SP2), and have not made any changes to its configuration.

It would be interesting to have your views on this, and what you recommend my next steps to be. If I do decide to change my ISP (which, judging from this table, is highly probable), how do you go about it?

The following information was obtained via Top 10 Broadband » UK Broadband Comparison - 150+ Deals & Offers. Broadband ISP, ADSL, Cable & Mobile Broadband
This shows my current line capabilities:

This would probably be my choice should I switch:

That can't be a dsl connection... cause it's looking like a cable connection where the ISP has placed too many customers on your loop. If it's dsl... start shopping. Europe has insane internet speeds relative the the US; no reason in the world you should be putting up with this.

ps... remind me later (after you're able to laugh about this) to give you a hard time about choosing AOL.

Hi Fumz,

Thanks for the reply. Yes, it's DSL (or, rather, ADSL). I know that domestic broadband has a contention ratio (CR), but that does not give the ISP any excuse for performance like that. Given that my speed should be ~4Mb/sec and that I have been getting much less (2Kb/sec on occasions - see table in my previous post), this would seem to indicate a CR of 2000:1 which is totally unacceptable. It is interesting to note that my actual connection from the telephone exchange to my router is constant at ~4500(+/- 100)Kb/sec down and ~450(+/-50)Kb/sec up. I also don't have any problems in accessing the configuration data on my router.

Dwarf is you area not cabled?

Dwarf said:

It is interesting to note that my actual connection from the telephone exchange to my router is constant at ~4500(+/- 100)Kb/sec down and ~450(+/-50)Kb/sec up. I also don't have any problems in accessing the configuration data on my router.

Click to expand...

Thats the odd part. Normally, because of noise, it's the box to the house (small wires) or the inhouse box to the appartment/condo connections that causes the problems; thus, the need for fatter cooper and/or fiber... but, in your case, it seems there's absolutely nothing you can do. Box to the house is maxed out. Its from the box to the tel co that's the problem.

I'm actually shocked this is European DSL. One of my best online friends, whom I've known for ~10 years (my wife and I visited a year ago) is in Germany. He gets ~30MB/s dl... what's shocking is that he pays less for his 30MB line than I do for my 3MB/s line.

... **** it... i'm moving in with you. i'll let the wife know later. she's in canada at the moment, so how much can she really care? pm me your addy baby... we got lots o crap to store!

John: I believe that certain areas are, but we don't have cable for anything at home. We have Freeview for the TV and use the standard telephone line for the phone and Internet connection.

Fumz: My probable choice (see my earlier post) is about half of what I am currently paying.

The O2 deal is one of the best adsl deals around atm for standard DSL, have you checked any of the adsl2 providers?

The performance seems to be greatly improved today. Compare this table with that of my first post in this thread. I shall leave the router powered up to see if that makes a difference (normally I switch both PC and router off at night). However, I am still considering switching providers, particularly on the grounds of cost.

I have left my router switched on overnight to see if that made any difference. At first, I thought it had when my periodic speed checks gave a download speed of 3500+ Kbps all day yesterday (14th). However, today is a different story. My current results, although not quite as bad as earlier when I first started this thread, are certainly very poor and not at all good value for money, especially what I am paying at the moment. Incidentally, it does not make any difference whether I plug the phone line into the socket that I usually use or if I plug it into the test socket at the main point where the line comes into the house.

These latest figures have decided it. I had thought with my results yesterday that things were beginning to look up, but I am not prepared to put up with this poor performance any longer. As soon as I receive my MAC code, I shall change ISPs.

Hi Dwarf,

Check this out. They cost around £15 to buy - but if you harass your ISP enough, they may send you one

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2008/09/10/iplate-boosts-broadband-connections-by-60/

SIW2

Thanks SIW2, but as I mentioned in my last post I was constantly getting a download speed of 3500+ Kbps all day yesterday (14th) from 1-30 PM to 10-30 PM (UK time) AND the phone did ring several times without any negative effects on the tests.
Here is another check that I have made (I have removed my MAC address). Note that my IP addresses are dynamically assigned by AOL and therefore do change.

Notice the %Loss at Hop 2 which is my current 'Gateway IP Address'. If you cannot decipher it, it is 20%.

If you follow this link: thinkbroadband :: Search and then enter 'aol' into the 'Words to search for' box followed by clicking on 'Submit' you will find a lot of reports on similar issues to what I am having - slow download speeds. Nothing is mentioned about this on the AOL site - it has nothing to report under 'System Status'.

I have just applied for my MAC code. Look at these figures. Bearing in mind that I was on the phone to them at that time, don't you think that it was a bit of a coincidence with the last test (9:00 PM)?

I am now with O2, and the Internet feels much more responsive already. I was actually connected yesterday afternoon (11/11/08). I left the router on overnight to allow the connection to stabilise, hence the difference in speed between yesterday and today. This shows the benefit of leaving the router switched on, even if the rest of the system is turned off.