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General discussion

Where is all my bandwidth going? And how do I tell?

Dec 13, 2013 7:13AM PST
Question:

Where is all my bandwidth going? And how do I tell?


I don't have fiber to the home, so I am limited to my cable Internet connection. I'm currently paying for the fastest residential Internet my cable provider offers. Using Speedtest.net, I routinely get 20Mbps down and 4Mbps up. Advertised speeds exactly. We have TWC/Road Runner in the San Antonio area.

We have wired Gigabit Ethernet in the house.
iMac (Mavericks) (on all the time)
Sony PC (Windows 8.1) (on all the time)
HP LaserJet P2055dn (on all the time)
Two DirecTV HD DVRs (standby or on all the time)
Apple TV
Xbox 360

Two "Smart" TVs
Pioneer AV Receiver (AirPlay)
Two Sony BluRay players (one is a combo AV receiver)
Apple Gigabit Router (on all the time)
File Transporter (on all the time)

All of these are wired. Occasionally we'll connect a laptop, usually a MacBook Air or Pro, to the Ethernet instead of just connecting wirelessly. We have two iPhones and an iPad connected wirelessly to the network when they are home. We rarely connect the laptops to the network wirelessly -- usually just pick up the iPad. Then of course there are the apps (that I know about) that are running on the desktops. Dropbox, SkyDrive, FileTransporter, and iTunes. We hope to eliminate (or consolidate) and only use SkyDrive, once our workplace adopts it/allows it in addition to Dropbox. Until then, we are using all three Dropbox-style apps.

I think the performance issues we are having are community-related, and not necessarily our own doing. I have taken the time and effort to go around and unhook each device and retest. I really thought DirecTV was the hog, but disconnecting both simultaneously did nothing to the network speed. At various times tonight, after 6 p.m., the network seems to really slow down. Netflix, for example, will often go from a nice near-HD resolution to really bad, pixelated/JPEG artifact-looking quality to keep up. A DirecTV on demand that comes through the Internet might take 30 minutes before we get the "ready to watch" prompt. Off the satellite, voila, instant movie.

Even during this time, Speedtest shows advertised speeds. Hmmm. Download something and it sure seems slow.

Is it me, or my cable provider, reaching capacity?

Thanks.

-Submitted by: Jack P.

Discussion is locked

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It is all relative
Dec 16, 2013 12:37AM PST

Cable internet speeds are affected by a wide variety of factors. One of the primary factors is that cable is a shared medium, i.e., you are sharing the 20 Mbs with everyone else who is on your segment of cable. Cable runs are shared by multiple end points, the number depending on population density and the capabilities of the head-end hardware. What this means is that the more end points that are active at the same time reduces your slice of the bandwidth that you get. The heaviest internet usage in the U.S. is usually in the evening hours. At one time, the rest of the world could tell when Americans got off work and got on the internet, because their bandwidth would suddenly start decreasing (at one time, all internet traffic went through the U.S. internet backbone. This is no longer the case.)

Other factors include the number of hops your traffic has and the throughput speed of the hops your internet traffic takes. Each hop potentially has different speed bandwidth and utilization. Some of the hops may have a lot of bandwidth but also be heavily utilized, while other hops may not have a lot of utilization, but not have as much bandwidth. The ISP's, regional NAP's, and backbone providers use routing protocols and network design to try to balance the utilization of internet segments as much as possible.

Another factor that has been alluded to above is the bursty nature of internet traffic. Network utilization is never steady but varies widely at any moment in time. It is easy to see when you are downloading a large file. If your download manager tracks the download speed, you will see the speed fluctuate, sometimes by large amounts. There is nothing that can change that.

One final factor is the server/s that you are connected to and how many people are on them at the same time. Most sites have multiple servers running in multiple locations and/or use Akamai to insure that all users get good performance at all times. However, there are times and circumstances where a particular site's servers can get overloaded and response times and download speeds go in the toilet (Healthcare.gov anyone?). All you can do then is just wait until the problem is fixed.

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Where is everyone's bandwidth?
Dec 16, 2013 3:56AM PST

So your speedtest shows your getting your paid for rate, thats better than most.
You seem to have a pretty good clue about your in-house network.
Is all the hardware, modem and switches, up to current released updates, firmware etc?
One thing I'll mention, try to stick with the same name brand for network hardware, same model would make it real easy but that is not always possible.

But as already mentioned "most" ISP do throttle internet services, not all but most, only a small % actually admit they do.
And as already mentioned cable internet service all depends on what your surrounding neighborhood is like, density of the population, relative geekness, and the quality of the cable strand on your street.
Being in San Antonio area I believe everything is buried service? No phone poles with hanging wires.
When you buy a home its ALL about location.
As far as actual "test" equipment, I'm guessing you had to make some of your own wire runs, or paid someone to do it.
I'd test the longer runs, sometimes if they are run too close in parallel with electric feeds that can cause issues.
Those issues if connected right back to a main router/switch will effect the whole network.
Otherwise, keep in mind how many people are now "cutting the cable" for TV.
True internet speed is a two way street, you to your distend "site" and back.
The back part is only controlled by the distend site.
I too have started to cut the cable, I've learned that needing everything in HD means waiting longer.
So depending on the time of day/night, I'll opt for SD instead of the HD and it seems to be much smoother.
Do a little research on the internet service in the US compared to the rest of the world, you may be surprised.

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Your bandwidth is in the hands of everyone
Dec 20, 2013 7:23AM PST

Ever since Iphones appeared I have experienced unexpected slowdowns, and it continues to get worse. I don't have many nodes in my house, so I haven't bothered to pay for faster speed; because I doubt it will make any difference. The way the speed tests work, I suspect that they do not show the kind of load that all those phone downloads are creating. Just my opinion, but I have been on the Web for 15 years now, almost all day everyday.

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Fiber to the Home
Dec 20, 2013 7:35AM PST

Fiber to the home is pure marketing. That will not give you any faster speed than cable can. Both are faster then DSL, however. FTTH and Cable companies give you the speed that the market will use and buy. Its all controlled by their software and the hardware you have.

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DSL can sometimes help...
Jan 7, 2014 9:33AM PST

Because if it is highspeed fiber, you have a dedicated line going a farther distance before it hits more switches and other infrastructure; but by then the load fans out into something that can load balance, and it is closer to the backbone for information going way outside the local cloud. So sharing the load with other subscribers happens down the pipe, so to speak. For cable subscribers, you can sometimes end up sharing the load with others as soon as it hits the final loop out on the pole! The way your ISP wires the network will make the biggest difference; but most companies I've studied do it that way.

Many providers are going to gigabit speed on DSL in our area, and this can't help but speed things up for the subscriber - especially since they are also putting more "pipes" in the infrastructure to handle the large streaming loads that are being predicted for the near future. I'd say that future is now; but luckily we are not going to be charged more for this new capability because we, the customers, own the telco association that is building this in our area - we also fortunately own a big chunk of back bone, so that won't become a bottle neck for our area anyway. I would think this is the attitude US wide, with Google, Amazon, and others promising more capabilities in their future. Competitors will have to step up to the plate or die on the vine, and get shoved over in the battle for the bandwidth.

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One Obvious Problem
Dec 20, 2013 8:02AM PST

While everything mentioned thus far can be factors, I haven't seen anyone make mention of viruses or other malware. Additionally checking the router configuration to make sure that no one is leeching of your connection. Someone mentioned how many programs can update in the background all the time, well the same can be said of malware that it may be running in the processes and eating up your bandwidth. One good tool that you might want to look into can be found here http://www.wireshark.org/download.html
Wireshark can show you all the incoming and outgoing traffic to various IP addresses, which may help you to pinpoint the issue. one by one if you do a WHOIS IP lookup and find something that you don't know why you would be connecting to it that would be a good place to start. Another nice app can be found here http://www.surfright.nl/en/hitmanpro/
While no one virus detector is 100% I have found using the free 30 day license on this to work pretty well. It's a very fast scan in comparison to most of them and is pretty good about picking up things that others miss as well. An additional idea if you are using a cable internet one common thing I have seen that will cause intermittent bandwidth is a bad splitter. Or if your cable company uses filters on the outside of the building, both of these kinds of things can be semi functional but not really up to par. Usually when a splitter for example goes bad you still have a signal that works but you don't get the full bandwidth coming through constant. Just a few more ideas for you to consider.

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As long as..
Jan 7, 2014 9:45AM PST

he is using encrypted wireless, that won't be a problem; but if not, they you are right. It is common in my neighborhood for bandwidth suckers to leech off free open wifi connections here. Even if the household uses Ethernet cable primarily, it only takes one open wifi router to clog up the bandwidth. The sad thing is some folks don't even know what they are doing. They seem to think wireless internet comes free with the wind, and because their connection is setup to auto connect, they may be using a different neighbor's router each time.

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Result of business decisions?
Dec 20, 2013 8:02AM PST

Jack,

Interesting problem you've been seeing. I note that you tend to notice the most problems with streaming services like Netflix and DirecTV on demand, which triggered a memory of reading an article about this over on Ars Technica a few months ago:

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/07/why-youtube-buffers-the-secret-deals-that-make-and-break-online-video/

The article is long, but a great read if you have 30 minutes or so. It looks at some of the reasons you might be experiencing some of the slow downs you've been seeing, including the fact that, to get good streaming performance, tier 1 and 3 providers set up peering agreements with each other (ie, agreements to share data between their networks). Often times, money is involved, especially if the data sharing needs of one provider are greater than those of the other. And sometimes peering negotiations break down, shared links don't get upgraded quickly enough and get saturated by traffic, with the end effect being that subscribers see that congestion manifest as streaming issues or lower-quality images.

Time Warner, who I notice is your provider, is specifically called out in the Ars article as refusing to allow Netflix to installed caching equipment (which would bring Netflix content closer to your geographical location) in their data centers, so I could see that as being a potential source of your problem.

In the end, you can only really ensure the quality and connectivity of your home network. Sites like speedtest.net, etc, can give you an idea about what's going on outside your home, but even if they were to identify problems, they probably wouldn't be able to tell you about the source of the problems...

Hope this helps.

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Antit-trust Law violations!
Dec 20, 2013 4:33PM PST

Assuming you're even half-right with your post, phendrics (and I have little doubt you're MORE than half right), what's going on in cases such as this is a CLEAR EXAMPLE of a violation of U.S. Anti-Trust laws, wherein a monopoly (in this case, a local cable company, which generally has a legal monopoly on the local broadband service via an agreement with the local government) is DELIBERATELY impeding the ability of its customers to view content which they have PAID FOR through OTHER services, because they view those other services as competitors, even though they have a LEGAL REQUIREMENT to be "content neutral" as per whatever streaming content a customer chooses to view.

In such a case, not only should a local provider be STRIPPED of its license, it should be fined the maximum amount allowable under the FCC!
Jeff Hayes

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Well one thing for sure...
Jan 7, 2014 9:37AM PST

I hate places like Time Warner, AT&T, and Comcast. They are a bunch of greedy junkers as far as I'm concerned. Angry

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Cable Modem up to speed?
Dec 20, 2013 8:56AM PST

I would make sure your modem is using the DOCSYS 3.0 protocol. Versions prior to that are limited to about 20Mbs down and 1 Mbs up. I am on the middle tier on my cable service and I was getting 20Mba down and 1Mbps up until i bought my DOCSYS 3.0 modem and now I get around 65 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up. (speedtest.net)

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Check number of bonded channels
Dec 20, 2013 4:04PM PST

fbranson is on to something. Comcast in my area offers 8 bonded cable channels with a DOCSYS 3.0 protocol. The more bonded channels you get with your ISP the greater the chance that more people on-line in your neighborhood will not mean slower speeds.

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System overload...
Dec 20, 2013 9:10AM PST

Jack, it seems to me that there's far too much going on in your home, and your incoming signals just can't keep up with the demand - I should imagine that when you have all of your appliances booted and running, the streetlights in your road dim considerably!
I'd be inclined to look at each aspect of your installation one by one, and find out by a process of elimination which of the many functions is most affected by this problem, and work down through the list to ascertain the most reliable - or least-affected - piece of kit.
Streaming video is one of the worst bandwidth hogs known to mankind - no matter what sort of "p" it's supposed to be, so that will affect other systems on your setup pro-rata; however one writer mentioned PC downloads - in paticular, Adobe systems which is renowned the world over for bringing PC's to a shuddering overrun situation.
Sadly you're at a disadvantage to begin with in that your PC runs Win8, which is NOT a desktop OS and is a memory hog in its own right; however you can still disable any "updaters" that are running (by default, normally) if for no better reason than to take them out of the list of suspects for your problems.
If your apps need updating, then it's up to you to download and install them - if you feel it's necessary - as and when YOU want, not when Adobe, Microsoft or any other sharks feel like doing it for you.
It's all down to following a set routine of testing to find the culprit - and there may be more than one - but always remember to start at one end and follow it through from there.

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Don't forget the streamer
Dec 20, 2013 9:16AM PST

First off you have a lot of stuff on all the time. No one needs to debate me because I see both sides, but I am of the school if you are not using it turn it off. Saves BW and Power.

Many times the streaming provider may be the culprit. They can get bogged down and over subscribed at times. Especially if they are having any kind of server issues. I have run tests when X streaming provider is slow, but I find Y streaming provider is still fast, so it is not me or the ISP.

Sadly, the US is not streaming ready yet. Not enough bandwidth all around for all the things they want to sell you. It is a good thing there are still people not up to date technology wise yet else with the current infrastructure all internet would seemingly be back to the 56K stoneage.

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network speeds
Dec 20, 2013 9:20AM PST

When you live where you can only get a 1.2mb/.67 speed, you learn a few things. flrhcarr made a very good point. Adobe updater will suck the life out of a computer. If you have bandwidth to spare you might not notice it. But it will jam my laptop on 16/3 speed when I have an occasion to use it. I work where I can get 12-16 down on my laptop and adobe is right there to suck the life out of the laptop. Im not sure if its sucking bandwidth or what, but it uses a lot of the processor also. Turn off the adobe updater and you will be surprised. I also turn off window/Microsoft updates to help solve the draining problem. I know a lot of people feel you need these updates to keep a computer safe, but so far I have been free of the nasty stuff. I do keep the virus protection on auto update and occasionally manually update windows/Microsoft. For me I would also turn off apps that are not being used. We have two Hoppers, 1 with a Slingbox, with 4 Joey's, security cameras, printer, three desktops, ipad, two iphones running every day at different times. The weekends gets the Xbox added and 2 more phones. So we do manage with a lot of frustration, but my point is you should not have these issues with a tuned system. You also mention "after 6pm". I tend to lean towards a period of high usage in your area. Some also suggested Speakeasy.net for speed tests. This is a good choice also. Keep digging and good luck. (we are updating to 6mb/2mb speeds in about 2 weeks)

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Want to see what's using your bandwidth?
Dec 20, 2013 9:34AM PST

The Sophos UTM can be installed on your network, and configured to track all your inbound and outbound traffic so you can see exactly how much traffic is passing, and where it's going.

Sophos has a product called a UTM - short for Unified Threat Management. They give away the home version (software version), for use with up to 50 IP's, for free.

You'll have to provide a dedicated computer to run the software - use an old one. The computer will need to have two (or more) NIC's installed - at least one for inbound, and one for outbound. But the UTM will do what you need, and tons more, and it's totally free for everything - upgrades, updates, definitions, everything.

Google or Bing Sophos UTM.

Also, their user forums, which you will need, are terrific.

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Test @ pingtest.net and Use QOS for your streaming
Dec 20, 2013 9:37AM PST

I would test your Internet connection at www.pingtest.net .
Use Pingtest.net to determine the quality of your broadband Internet connection. Streaming media, voice, video communications, and online gaming require more than just raw speed.
If you get poor results tell your ISP and see if they can do anything about it.

Next enable QOS or Quality of Service on your router to dedicate a percentage of your total bandwidth to the streaming devices (either by MAC address or IP address).

Let me know if you have better results. ihfwt@yahoo.ca

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All good ideas but will not fix the problem
Dec 20, 2013 10:48AM PST

What is happening, the time of day is prime time and all servers and routers are linked to capacity. Therefore signals from the point of origin across the good ole US of A cannot be speeded up to facilitate the recieving end. I live in the San Antonio area as well and have the same problem as you have. Therefore, if you want to watch a special movie from netflex, download it to your DVR during the night and watch it the next night after work. I, too, have 2 TVs on most of the time, 2 DVRs cable converters on the same, 4 cable converters only 1 on sometime, 2 laptops, 2 desktops sometimes 3 on, 1 ipad, 2 cellphones connected to wifi using a D-Link 835 dual band (one video, one data) router on one Motorola high speed cable modem. My bandwidth is 20 Mbs down and 4 Mbs up. I don't have much of a problem except with data slowing down starting about 6 PM and lasting until after 10 PM. To top it off, there are only 2 of us living here but we run a real-estate business on part of this equipment and it's on 24/7. You may have several offspring coming in from school in the after noon and then the slowdown begins.
The slowdown is nation wide and not just local......

Good Luck

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You have 20 Mbs down and 4 Mbs up...
Jan 7, 2014 2:18PM PST

and it takes all night to download a Netflix movie? I only have 6 Mbs down, and I watch them in real time! Very perplexing! Confused

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Blame it on ....
Dec 20, 2013 10:17AM PST

Here's my simple explanation. Since you have cable, the provider brings only a certain amount of bandwidth to a neighborhood, so its divided up among everyone. Netflix and other online streaming uses 50+% of bandwidth, especially in the evening hours.

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/05/14/sandvine-netflix-owns-one-third-of-north-american-traffic-at-peak-has-doubled-its-mobile-share-in-12-months/#!qnxtK

So, your slow speeds are due to a limited amount of bandwidth and many people streaming it at one time. Oh, remember Speedtest.net uses only a brief burst of activity in its analysis on connection speed.

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Speed and performance monitoring
Dec 20, 2013 10:40AM PST

I use DSLReports.com for speed and performance monitoring. They have a few "freebies" but I have subscribed so the more sophisticated tools are available.

In addition to speed tests they have a line monitoring service that looks at your network (ISP to Home) on a timed basis and provides you with graphic reports. They also have a "tweak tool" that helps you properly configure the network stack in your PCs.

I don't need it often but every once in a while I run a test series just to get baselines. Of course when things get slow then I take a very close look.

My ISP is Comcast Cable (25MB), I have my own cable modem (SURFboard SB6120) which supports DOCSIS 3.0 which is needed to support the higher speed cable link.

My router is Cisco/Linksys EA4200. With the exception of one PC and the HP Printer everything else is via Wi-Fi. Physically, I'm located on the north side of San Jose and because of the location I see 7~12 otrher Wi-Fi networks.

One suggestion is, DO NOT broadcast your SSID as this will result in your Wi-Fi getting hammered as devices try to connect.

I will occasionally run out of network when I watch a movie on my TV from Amazon Prime but this is a rare occurrence.

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Bandwidth problem
Dec 20, 2013 10:42AM PST

I noticed no one here mentioned file sharing here. I would check to see if there are computers connected that are running file sharing programs, or programs that use the "torrent" file sharing protocol. File sharing can suck up a LOT of bandwidth, especially if it's running 24/7. I assuming your network is secured? If not, and if your network signal is really strong, your neighbor could possibly be connecting to your network, stealing your bandwidth.

There's my 2 cents,

Kenneth

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Had great bandwidth and bad perfroamcne several times
Dec 20, 2013 11:13AM PST

The first time it was an issue with the DSL provider DHCP servers. The DSL hardware was 90% of the bill and the DHCP 10% so refunds for lack of service was a negligible cost to the provider. It went on for a year until a big user group sued the DSL provider and then everything cleared up.

The second time I had an old router that was getting tempermental. When I bought a new router as a splurge buy, all my connection problems cleared up.

The third time the DSL provider was running a massive expansion program with new members getting 1/2 price. The network overloaded for 6 months until they expanded to support the new network load.

Recently I got tired of overpaying for low bandwidth D$L (3Mb down) and went to Cable (30Mb down). Service was great for 3 months, then got flaky. Intermittently web pages will not load for 20-30 seconds or I might even have to close the browser and reopen it. Sometimes switching between browsers works (IE, Firefox, Chrome), I have no idea why. If I tried to surf and a page hung someone else in the house would have their smoothly playing movie stream interrupted. Every time this happens I immediately run Charter Speed Test and Speakeasy. If the speed tests will load (it's a web page after all) bandwidth is excellent from the local area test servers. The ping varies from 20-30 msec. BUT, the further away a test server is the worse the bandwidth. Bandwidth drops down to as low as 50% below what I am paying for. Chicago is consistently terrible, the east coast varies, west coast isn't too bad. Check your bandwidth to the various servers on Speakeasy.
The punch line:
1) It could be my router getting old again, so I will try another when I have some time off to reconfigure everything. Try a different router if you can borrow one. I doubt this is the cause in my case because -
2) The router should not affect bandwidth to different parts of the country. That is solely an issue with the Cable provider's backbones not supporting the total customer base required bandwidth. Note - various Video streaming services are fed from all over the country so expect some videos to stream better than others based on backbone performance. Netflix is better for me in North TX than Hulu. Note I never had an issue streaming HULU on my old 3Mb DSL = better backbone. If your 20Mb drops in half to a distant server and you are doing 3 HD streams you can expect drop out issues.
3) Web page delays (this started in Sept, way before the Christmas shopping flooded the internet) are an issue with the Cable provider DHCP server routing response. Charter is doing a massive customer push and contrary to their commercials they have not updated their 30 year old infrastructure completely, especially not in my service are where I have lots of friends having issues. Aside from performance issues, I have had 10 documented total outages in 8 months, usually following a weather change, several lasting 4-8 hours. The cable carrier signal (modem connect light is green) is still present during these outages but I can't connect to anything. This is another indicator of DHCP server issues even though when working the bandwidth is great.
4) When downloading huge update files from distant servers my bandwidth is usually very good, but I have seen it drop off as some downloads progressed. An indication of bandwidth throttling. Try large downloads (or heavy streaming) at different times of the day. Bandwidth will usually get throttled between 6-11 PM local time. We have video issues mostly between 5-9PM. Daytime streaming is much smoother.

A parting comment to those using wireless for streaming in the house and having issues - download InSSIDer for free, it sniffs wireless activity. I have up to 9 2WIRExxxx (ATT Uverse brand) routers stomping all over my WIFI. My neighbors mostly have Uverse, the Cable pedestals are all empty and the satellite dishes are getting removed. Every time I adjust channels to unused ones the 2WIRE routers auto change frequencies back on top of me. Arrrgh! So I installed 3 cheap access points in the house and it has helped some. I was doing good with one low power wireless router before the Uverse stuff started showing up.

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DHCP has nothing to do with it
Dec 21, 2013 9:19PM PST

DHCP stands for "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol", and is responsible for giving your systems their IP connection information - most likely just your external modem. Even if the DHCP server is down, if you can connect to ANYTHING outside your home, then you have an IP, and it's not the problem.

Have you tried reconfiguring your wireless settings? I have networks broadcasting all around me, and mine works flawlessly.

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Where's My Band With....Me Too
Dec 20, 2013 11:29AM PST

I'll make this short....I have the very same problem. I have Fios fiber, top speed, top PC. I watch Netflix and it slows down...reloads the movie at with poor screen...no more HD. I have also done speed test and they show good. I have no clue as to why. I thin Fios is cutting back. Tony Cassara

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Unlimited NOT
Dec 20, 2013 11:52AM PST

I have the bad luck to be living in a country where the government owns the main Internet service provider, and has 89.9% ownership in the only competition, so there is no competition.
Their monthly limit, although when you sign the contract states unlimited, is actually only 25 gig. If you watch a lot of movies even in normal definition you will run out of steam before the end of the month. Our maximum here is only 8 meg, but you are lucky if you get 6. So as you get closer to your 25 gig limit the the Internet slows, and once passing it, gone. When using their speed meter it still shows 5, or 6 meg, but using the Cisco speed test it falls to one meg or below, and on some occasions you are lucky if you can turn pages on the Internet. The other thing I found out was, in the summer season, hotels get priority over the citizens.
I doubt very much you have the misfortune of having a situation like this, but I have proved that using the company speed test, tell you only what they want you to know.
Another interesting thing. When they have reduced your down width, the up suddenly rockets from approximately 606 to 700 kbps, to anything up to 3.8 meg. That would be a great feat in reality, but not when the incoming is below half a meg. My point here is, always use an independent speed gauge, and not the one that's on your ISP's site

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I have just the answer! Jesus Christ! hehe
Dec 20, 2013 3:46PM PST

Well, I joke around a lot however I hope I can provide some insight too. I have wireless as well as wired. When I connect wireless to my laptop it lags horribly. However when I connect wired it streams beauty! haha I think that the signals are so complex and so many because there are so many wireless transmission going on. I know I have at least 8 neighbours who have wireless transmission going on at the same time. So interpreting which is yours can be confusing to your router.

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Download speed
Dec 20, 2013 5:47PM PST

Poor thing, here in the UK I'm paying for 10mbps and getting 2-3! My heart goes out to you Mischief

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The PRIMARY ISSUE, overall, I see...
Dec 20, 2013 5:53PM PST

Is that when the Obama Administration pushed for "universal broadband internet access" a couple years back, what they ACTUALLY DID, in effect, was capitulate to the WIRELESS TELEPHONE INDUSTRY'S priorities for higher "broadband" access for THEM, by giving them, among other things, HUGE CHUNKS of what used to be the UHF TV spectrum for expanded use for 3G and 4G wireless "broadband," which isn't really "broadband," at all, as for as all of us primary home users are concerned.

At the time, I was very active in a thread about this topic at the AVS Forum, and I, among many others, was literally SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY ALL-CAPS POSTS that was REALLY needed to be done was a much more ROBUST build-out of fiber-optics to all rural areas of the country (similar to the 1930s Rural Electrification Act -- the "Wireless Broadband" did NOTHING for most rural folks), PLUS a massive push to INCREASE capacity for wired broadband nationwide, so we could at least come within SHOUTING DISTANCE of the MUCH FASTER, MORE RELIABLE broadband available in other nations, such as South Korea, Japan and Norway, to name just a few.

But NOOOOOOOOOO, that's not to be! The cable and DSL companies are too busy raping customers at their current rates, while giving them only a FRACTION of their advertised speeds during peak times. If you look at the ads, and/or agreements you sign with any cable or DSL subscriber, they ALWAYS SAY "... speeds UP TO ... 30 Mbps," or whatever. Therefore, WHEN you get your 30 Mbps, you can count yourself LUCKY. And when half your neighborhood is also in heavy use, and you do good to get 3 Mbps, well, they never PROMISED you'd get 30 Mbps all the time. And then, of course, in the fine print they also say you're capped to, in my case, 250 MB per month. But OOOOOOOH, I can't carry that over. If I go six months and download only 10 MB per month, I can't suddenly download, say, 1,690 MB in one month... NOOOOO, doesn't work like that! Never mind they get the same, huge bill every month!

And, of course, since the local cable company has a monopoly, there's NO competition to force them to do any differently. A few years back, AT&T finally brought U-Verse and their high-speed DSL into our area, but even their highest speed DSL doesn't match Charter's lowest-speed. These "legal monopolies" need to be done away with. There needs to be OPEN COMPETITION in local broadband markets. Then, and ONLY THEN, will things finally improve. Perhaps the only way to do that is for the local governments to buy the infrastructure and then have the companies LEASE it from them. That way, several different companies could use the same infrastructure and compete against each other.

I don't know... just a thought. But at present, we're all just getting a slow, uncomfortable SCREW.
Jeff Hayes

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(NT) Welcome to the end of net neutrality...
Jan 7, 2014 2:29PM PST