Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Question about different ISPs connection to the internet!!!!

Sep 1, 2005 11:18PM PDT

Hello,

This summer I purchase a slingbox which uploads a tv signal onto the internet such that you can remotely view your television programming from anywhere in the world. The slingbox is located in my parents house in Texas and I live in the middle east. I thought this was the perfect solution for a college football fan. My problem is that my stream bitrate that I am getting from the box in my parents home is around 150k at best; not very good picture quality. However, when I log into a slingbox in oregon (customer support center), I attain bitrates of 300k+.

My question is: is the path that the tv signal uses to get to my home in the middle east vary so much such that the signal could be so different. My parents have SBC DSL with up to 400k of upload bandwidth. It views well if located in the US.

My second question is: would another ISP(is RoadRunner) have access to a different backbone such that the path to me could be different. Or does any internet signal leaving El Paso, Tx eventually flow through the same line?

Thanks in advance,
Marc

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
No guaranteed bandwith ...
Sep 1, 2005 11:31PM PDT

anywhere on the internet, except the ADSL between your ISP and your computer.

Why not try on a few other computers in the neighborhood with different ISP's? Friends, colleagues, work, school, library, internet cafe, anything you can imagine.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Kees

- Collapse -
Thanks, Kees.....
Sep 1, 2005 11:36PM PDT

I understand that bandwidth can't be guaranteed. Assuming that my DSL bandwidth is sufficient between the ISP and my home and that the signal is getting caught up somewhere else, is there any reason to believe that a different ISP would allow the routing to be different, i.e. tapping into a different backbone.

Thanks,
Marc

- Collapse -
Nope. . .
Sep 2, 2005 11:42PM PDT

The backbone of the internet uses a protocol and a machine called an ATM. Asynchronous Transfer Mode. This is a procedure that breaks the data transmission into packets (Packet Switching), assigns overhead and addresses to the packets, then finds the fastest route at the moment through the network/internet. There are so many routes available, and so much is involved, that unless you are paying for a dedicated connection, this is the best available. At the moment.

Stay tuned as FTTP, Fiber to the Premises, is just around the corner.

- Collapse -
Thanks Cory...
Sep 3, 2005 5:56AM PDT

how do you explain why video from oregon or from MLB.com comes through perfect but only half as fast from Texas? What can I do? I have also noticed additional degredation in my bitrates since New Orleans was shut down. Coicidence?

thanks.

- Collapse -
Different times of the day. . .
Sep 3, 2005 6:03AM PDT

server load, your ISP, tons of things will affect the transmission.

Pat answer? I wish I had one.

- Collapse -
Thanks Wayne....
Sep 3, 2005 12:35PM PDT

This is what I am using www.slingmedia.com.

Is there any reason to think switching to cable would help? Again, when I connect to the company's unit in oregan, 300+k, in El Paso, 150k. SBC says my line has 500k of upload capacity. The company logged into my unit in EP and supposedly got 300k. This was all withing the span of 5 minutes.

What do you recommend?

Thanks again.

- Collapse -
Well. . .
Sep 4, 2005 12:33AM PDT

Cable will have faster speeds, generally. Upload speed is what you're looking for and if SBC ADSL says you have 500K upload, that's close to cable. I have Comcast cable and I get 4.6 Mb/s down and around 386 Kb/s upload. But again, depending on the time of day, these speeds will vary.

You might go here http://www.broadbandreports.com/ and on the left side, do some speed tests.

Looking at your numbers, it looks like someone's backbone is a little shy on resources. Changing providers probably won't help.