Slooooow DSL speeds

muncybob

Running an average of less than 2mb/sec download speed in the evening which is when I want to stream Netflix...and can't.

Would a better modem make any difference?

honestaquarian

Nope
In SOME cases (*depending on your provider*) you can up the speeds,but in most you cannot.
DSL is not anywhere near as fast as cable and Fiber.
There are some new technologies which are supposed to make it as fast that I read about a few years ago,but I do not know if any of them have been implemented anywhere.
Netflix alone accounts for ONE THIRD of ALL internet traffic the the USA during peak periods believe it or not.
Check to see if your ISP (*Internet Service Provider*) is an open connect partner with Netflix. If not that would explain the problem.
Do you have any other ISP options where you live?

Check https://ispspeedindex.netflix.com/country/us/?small=True to see if your provider is on this list.

muncybob

I see Windstream is on the list. I have called them 4 times in 3 days and have spent about 2 hours on hold

tonyb

The plain truth is, DSL sucks for streaming. Barely good just for surfing the net. Change providers would be my suggestion.

muncybob

I would if I could, not any other options except satellite where I live.

D'prived

Is it wired or wireless?

muncybob

The streaming is wireless. I have thought about going wired to see if there is any improvement but it will be a PITA to do.

steveinaz

Don't forget 4G LTE---I was in the same boat as you. My Verizon 4G router was a lifesaver.

polrbehr

muncybob wrote: »

The streaming is wireless. I have thought about going wired to see if there is any improvement but it will be a PITA to do.

Wireless is great... for laptops and any iDevices that are portable and don't have an Ethernet jack.

But for anything else, LAN is the way to go. Is there any way you can run a cable to where you need it, even if it's only temporary, like across the floor? I've been adding devices to my home network with basic Cat5e cable (strictly DIY stuff for now) and
I noticed a significant improvement in, well, everything. Now, I have Cablevision as my ISP, so not sure if going wired will get you that much improvement, maybe @mantis will chime in as he knows a lot more than I do about this stuff.

D'prived

muncybob wrote: »

The streaming is wireless. I have thought about going wired to see if there is any improvement but it will be a PITA to do.

I had DSL 6MB downloads. I always run wired whenever I can. I streamed Netflix from almost the day the first Roku's came out. Some days were better than others but I'd say 90% of the time it worked decently. I believe if you get a wired connection you'll be better off. I switched ISP and have 100MB and I still stream wired.

As far as the wireless goes... get a program that searches the wireless connections in your neighborhood and look at what channel they're using. Say for example there are several on channel 6 and you're also on channel 6 try switching to channel 11. You can do this by logging in to your modem. Here's an example of what I'm talking about.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/21132/change-your-wi-fi-router-channel-to-optimize-your-wireless-signal/

EndersShadow

muncybob wrote: »

Would a better modem make any difference?

Are you hardwired or wireless? If wireless what device are you using and what router do you have?

The fastest wireless standards out there are N and AC, however depending on the layout of your house and walls/EM interference between the router and the wireless device upgrading to be able to use a faster wireless standard may not make a difference.

Alternately hardwiring is the best option. I understand your reluctance to run a Cat5e cable, so as a different solution, if looking to hardwire, perhaps look into powerline adaptors (example here). They allow you to use your electrical lines to conduct the signal and you could then hardwire.

However thats assuming the issue is your speed from your router to whatever device your using. If that the speed of your incoming DSL signal.... then you may need to increase the plan your on to account for a faster incoming speed.

So if you could let us know how everything is connected that would be very helpful.

rooftop59

steveinaz wrote: »

Don't forget 4G LTE---I was in the same boat as you. My Verizon 4G router was a lifesaver.

Yep if you're willing to pay for it, this is MUCH faster the DSL. You can get 25-30 mbps downstream this way, probably at least 5 times what you are getting now.

And yes, wired FTW. I run two long lenghts of cat5 from my router, through the wall and attic, and down to an ethernet splitter, one in the living room and one in the master bedroom. A little bit of a pain to set up, but I couldn't stream decently without it because of the size and layout of my house, and this is with 300mbps cable internet.

D'prived

Another solution to get hard wired to the room your streaming device is in is to connect a MOCA (if you have cable) or a DECA (if you have Satellite service). On the modem end the MOCA or DECA converts the Ethernet to coax and then on the other end coverts the coax back to Ethernet. In a nutshell the MOCA or DECA lets the signal travel over coax from source to device as long as you have a coax connection in the room you have your streaming device in.

The difference between the two is that a DECA transfers the signal on the lower bandwidth because DirecTV uses the upper bandwidth and a MOCA uses the upper bandwidth because cable companies user the lower bandwidth. Other than that they provide the same functionality.

honestaquarian

tonyb wrote: »

The plain truth is, DSL sucks for streaming. Barely good just for surfing the net. Change providers would be my suggestion.

While I agree,not everyone has the option/luxury of having another option when it comes to Internet Service Providers.
If you look at the list I provided a link to in my last post,some DSL providers actually have halfway decent speeds with Netflix. Although all of them are at the bottom of the list.

tonyb

If you don't have any other option, then move the router closer, or get a wired connection to the device. Either may take a bit of work, but there is no magic bullet.

rooftop59

honestaquarian wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

The plain truth is, DSL sucks for streaming. Barely good just for surfing the net. Change providers would be my suggestion.

While I agree,not everyone has the option/luxury of having another option when it comes to Internet Service Providers.
If you look at the list I provided a link to in my last post,some DSL providers actually have halfway decent speeds with Netflix. Although all of them are at the bottom of the list.

If you get a solid 4G LTE signal in your house, then you do have another good option.

muncybob

We live in a rural area and Verizon does not service this area yet. I'm waiting to hear from a local company that possibly has a microwave network available. I may have to put up some kind of a tower for a clear shot but it would be worth it. In the meantime I will look at a run of Cat5 for improvement.
I don't understand how that powerline adapter thingy works but for the cost it will be another option to look at.
Looked at the DECA link, says newer boxes have it integrated? Our DirecTV box is fairly new(has whole house option).

EndersShadow

The power line works like this:

Hook a Cat 5e cable from your router into it. Plug it into the wall. At the OTHER LOCATIONS plug the SECOND one into the wall and run a Cat 5e cable into your device.

It takes the digital signal, converts it and sends it over your copper electrical lines to the other unit which converts it to digital again so you can use Cat 5e to your device.

Make sense?

txcoastal1

EndersShadow wrote: »

The power line works like this:

Hook a Cat 5e cable from your router into it. Plug it into the wall. At the OTHER LOCATIONS plug the SECOND one into the wall and run a Cat 5e cable into your device.

It takes the digital signal, converts it and sends it over your copper electrical lines to the other unit which converts it to digital again so you can use Cat 5e to your device.

Make sense?

Good idea Ender
PLN "power line network"

rooftop59

Yes, I bought my brother in law a power line adapter for his birthday last year, and he says it works great! Honestly if my next house isn't already wired I might just try that first...

EndersShadow

The only thing to watch is the transfer speed. They make them in different versions that are slower or faster.

If it was me, I'd try to get a GIGABIT per second, or as close to it as possible. Would somewhat future proof your connection.

tonyb

How much line noise would a PLN pick up ? I would assume some, no ?

txcoastal1

tonyb wrote: »

How much line noise would a PLN pick up ? I would assume some, no ?

If you have a lot of florescent or motor like products running there would be a concern
Basic digital stuff not so much

EndersShadow

rooftop59 wrote: »

Yes, I bought my brother in law a power line adapter for his birthday last year, and he says it works great! Honestly if my next house isn't already wired I might just try that first...

Yeah, I thought about that, then looked at the cost to wire it myself and went with wiring it myself. That way I can run them to exactly where I want and make it look professional. Of course I also dont plan to wire the entire house.

Plus then I have the cable for when I upgrade to Fort Knox Security Camera mode

recoveryone

WINDSTREAM! do you live in the Arkansas area, I have a friend that complains endlessly about their service, if he's getting any service at all. And don't let a storm roll through, he says you can forget about service for days.

muncybob

Either PLN or hard wire will be at least an initial solution...thanks for the info.

I'm in PA and until recently I had no complaints about Windstream. Now it's as bad as slow as dial up after 7pm or so and trying to get somebody in tech support that isn;t reading from a script is impossible.