boosting cable

[piski]

Hi, just moved into my new apartment and the cable speed is a little lagged..i was wondering if there was anyways to boost the speed? i read somewhere about a splitter but if someone could help me out that would be awesome..thanks
kyle

 

[Rhi]

Kyle you're probably outta luck. You could call and request a system tech to check the signal level and make sure installation was proper, (did you do a self install?). Other then that, just complain about poor speed and see what remedy they offer.

The "signal level" doesn't have much to do with your speed...if your modem synchronizes and doesn't have intermittent loss of synch, then the bottleneck is either the network in your neighborhood, or the head-end. Good luck.

-Rhi

 

[Workin']

Rhi, I know you are a contract installer, so you'll probably enjoy this -

I have Road Runner cable modem service through TIme-Warner Cable. I don't have cable TV, so a contract installer came out to get me connected. He got the cable installed and connected the modem, it synched up after a minute or two, then he scribbled a bunch of numbers on the work order and left. While I was helping him route the cable, and asking some basic technical questions (i.e., what frequency, levels, etc.) he said he didn't have a meter with him, but if the modem synched then we were OK.

So anyway, he just pencil whipped some numbers in the signal strength boxes on the work order. No big deal, I thought. Then I started having problems losing my connection, and a Time-Warner RF tech came out for a look-see. Soon, I noticed a very puzzled look on his face, so I asked what the problem was. Seems he had spent the last 1/2 hour trying to figure out why my return signal was a fraction of what was shown on the original installation. After I told him what the installer did, things made more sense. The problem turned out to be that the original 3Com "tailfin" modem died. He gave me a new Motorola and it's been working fine ever since.

The other point is I'm just verifying what you said, that if the modem synchs there is nothing you can do to increase the speed. It either works, or it doesn't.

 

[Rhi]

Heh. Good 'ol Sharkfin. I like the Motorolas the most...very reliable, and they have an easy configuration utility where you can check signal levels and other fun stuff. http://192.168.100.1

-Rhi

 

[Rhi]

On a related note...maybe I should post this as a sperate topic, but anyway...rumor has it that Comcast is considering disallowing routers and related equipment. They want you to lease your additional IP's to increase their revenue stream. ACK! Everyone stand up and riot! Heh. I wouldn't expect a move like that to have any success though...all the small details aside, (customers' hardware investments, etc...), how would an ISP even KNOW you had a router? Wouldn't they have to capture and analyze individual packets?

-Rhi

 

[Workin']

<< rumor has it that Comcast is considering disallowing routers and related equipment. >>

I'm glad I don't have Comcast. Time-Warner (at least in my area) doesn't even care if you run a server. They don't block any ports, so you can run ftp, http, e-mail, game, any kind of server. They also don't care if you have a router - of course they'd rather you didn't, but at least at the moment they don't freak out if you say you are using one. Their tier 3 support even offered to help me configure my router in an effort to get my service working before we figured out the 3Com modem was bad.

There's no way for them to determine if you have a router, other than analyzing traffic. And most home users with networks aren't going to generate so much traffic that it would be obvious, anyway. They'll just scare off the technically illiterate folks by saying they prohibit routers, etc. Besides that, Time-Warner RECOMMENDED using a hardware firewall if you have the technical skills to plug it in.