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| Thread ID: 61334 | 2005-09-01 07:31:00 | dialup speed puzzle (again) | mark c (247) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 385264 | 2005-09-01 07:31:00 | Hi, I have a 56K dialup connection and a Celeron 333mghz processor and 96 megs sdram. I've recently done a speed test at a NZ site (sorry i forgot the URL) but is was like a radio ham / CB enthusisasts site but they had a dilaup speed test and anyway the point is that it says I am running at... 0.76 KBps KiloBytes per second . I Know my computer is old and slow and my phone line is noisy and I live in a rural area but isn't this mind bogglingly slow? The "hover over the monitors" (Windows) shows whatever I set the modem at. Used to be set at 115 KBps but I thought that was not only an inaccurate reading but hopelessly optomistic. I reset it to 56 and that's what it displays when I "hover over the monitors" and I suspect that whatever I set it at then that's the connection speed it'll show. What gives? Could my connection really be that low? It seems pretty slow for sure but then that'd make connecting at 49KBps as I do on another comp I use seem like greased lightening which it isn't and certaily not 49 times faster to load the same page. (e.g.Pressf1) P.S. The second and third test I did came out a ittle bit faster but I understand that because some it is cached ( which seems like an odd oversight for speed test site developers.) Any observations, experiences, tips about this much appreciated........m :) |
mark c (247) | ||
| 385265 | 2005-09-01 07:56:00 | Try this speed test homepage.eircom.net |
Safari (3993) | ||
| 385266 | 2005-09-01 07:58:00 | computer is old and slow and my phone line is noisy and I live in a rural area You have answered your own question. |
pctek (84) | ||
| 385267 | 2005-09-01 08:03:00 | If you can spare the cash get yourself an ISA modem, which tend to have more resilience on dodgy lines. | Greg (193) | ||
| 385268 | 2005-09-01 08:21:00 | thanks pctek and Greg, appreciate both your points and [Safari did both those test and first came out at 1220 cps and the second GIF about africa came out at 1340 cps, not a lot of difference, Though struth knows why when you've got your head around kilobytes and kilobits per second they start talking about what I can only suppose is "cycles per second". I dunno. But thanks for the info so far. (Dialup connection speed has always been a puzzle to me ever since I learnt about the unreliability of the "hover over the monitors " trick. Doesn't seem to mean anything.) |
mark c (247) | ||
| 385269 | 2005-09-01 09:19:00 | The dial-up connection speed of 115 kbs means you dont have the optimum drivers installed, its reporting the speed that your PC talks to the modem, not the speed that the modem connects at. It does not necessarily reflect that the right drivers will help the speed given your location and environment but it can't do any harm. An external Dynalink Rural modem would likely be a good help, but they are quite expensive. |
godfather (25) | ||
| 385270 | 2005-09-01 09:26:00 | thanks pctek and Greg, appreciate both your points and [Safari did both those test and first came out at 1220 cps and the second GIF about africa came out at 1340 cps, not a lot of difference, Though struth knows why when you've got your head around kilobytes and kilobits per second they start talking about what I can only suppose is "cycles per second". its thousends of bytes/bits per second so 0.76 KiloBytes per second is equal to 6.08 Kbps witch is what internet conections are measured it but at that speed you probly wouldent be able to actualy brows the net with out timout errors |
sambaird (47) | ||
| 385271 | 2005-09-01 09:40:00 | Thanks GF that's a very helpful bit of info that kind of confirms what I was suspecting too, (Haven't updated the modem drivers but had thought that could do some good.) And thanks too sambaird, I do get timeout errors.................. Well it's been interseting meddling around with these old hand me downs but maybe time to get a real one. |
mark c (247) | ||
| 385272 | 2005-09-01 10:02:00 | what modem strings are you useing? if none then thats half the problem. firstly fix the phones lines if possible, 2nd use a hardware modem (most isa or serial external, rural modem are not always needed) as your pc proberly wouldn't handle a winmodem very well. lastly string the modem to run at the speed of the phone lines. |
tweak'e (69) | ||
| 385273 | 2005-09-01 10:11:00 | Thanks a meg tweak'e, will go away and find what modem strings are. ( Uh..have heard about them .) Part of the problem with the phone line, I fear, is that I laid it myself lying on the ground, but in 15mm alkathene, did have a Telecom subby here once said he thought it was probably legal but also probably dodgy, (in service.) Thanks 4 the help................m:) (Very helpful post, think I will start to fiddle around with the modem, speed set at, strings etc.,) ...m |
mark c (247) | ||
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