Help - why does my modem only connect at 33.7kbps?

[goot]

I have a Conexant SmartHSFi V.9x 56k PCI modem (on my phone line). However, when I connect to the internet, it only connects at 33.7kbps. If I use an external modem I can connect at 56kbps.

My maximum port speed is set at 115200bps and I cannot increase it any more than that.

Anyone know why I am unable to connect at the full 56kbps?

 

[NeoPTLD]

It's your phone line. I'm afraid there's not much you can do about it.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

The reason phone modems have never been made past 56k is because phone lines can't handle 56k. At the very best, they can handle 53k under perfect conditions. Most people get between 25-35k over phone line connections. Where my parents live out in the bonnies, I can get around 51k.

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

Originally posted by: AyashiKaibutsu
Most people get between 25-35k over phone line connections.

In my experience, most people usually get 40kbps or higher.

 

[John]

Anyone know why I am unable to connect at the full 56kbps?

90% of the time it's your phone line w/ the issue, not your modem.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

If your computer is below Pentium 133, software modem can't connect at over 33.6K.

 

[techwanabe]

Originally posted by: Kingofcomputer
If your computer is below Pentium 133, software modem can't connect at over 33.6K.

Isn't it more a UART issue?

The reason phone modems have never been made past 56k is because phone lines can't handle 56k. At the very best, they can handle 53k under perfect conditions. Most people get between 25-35k over phone line connections. Where my parents live out in the bonnies, I can get around 51k.

I'm curious, if phone lines cannot handle 56k, then why can Verizon provide me broadband DSL service of at least 250k over the exact same phoneline?

 

[Jeff7]

I wound up buying some 4-conductor cable and wiring from the outside box directly to my computer room. This boosted my speeds by about 10kbps, but the wires that were in the house were pretty old, so they were probably introducing noise. That, and we've got a lot of phones, so there's a lot of wires on one phone line. This might not be a fix-all either; it very well might not help you at all. Just a possibility to consider.
A note about the wiring though - don't use the flat wiring for extended runs. It can introduce noise, and absorb it, because the wires are parallel, therefore untwisted, and also unshielded. I bought some of this, which doesn't run the lines parallel; it's made for longer runs. They used to have twisted pair phone wire, which I would have used, but they sold out before I could get any.

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

Originally posted by: techwanabe

I'm curious, if phone lines cannot handle 56k, then why can Verizon provide me broadband DSL service of at least 250k over the exact same phoneline?

That's dsl, not dial-up. They work differently. Dial-up takes data and turns it into sound that travels over a normal phone line. The word "modem" is actually short for modulator/demodulator, because that's what it does (turns data into sound and back).

Dsl travels at different frequencies than normal sound, and is digital end-to-end. My knowledge of it past that is a little vague though.

 

[tallman45]

All 56k modems only connect at 33kbps. It is a modems compression feature that will get you up to 56k but only on downloads.

Next issue, you external modem is a true hardware modem, your internal is very likely a Win modem or software based modem. Performance is always better with a hardware based mode. They do make PCI based hardware modems but they cost around $100.

To get better connection rates try putting a filter on your line, they go for about $10 and are found everyplace.

 

[Nick5324]

Originally posted by: BingBongWongFooey

Originally posted by: techwanabe

I'm curious, if phone lines cannot handle 56k, then why can Verizon provide me broadband DSL service of at least 250k over the exact same phoneline?

That's dsl, not dial-up. They work differently. Dial-up takes data and turns it into sound that travels over a normal phone line. The word "modem" is actually short for modulator/demodulator, because that's what it does (turns data into sound and back).

Dsl travels at different frequencies than normal sound, and is digital end-to-end. My knowledge of it past that is a little vague though.

modulator/demodulator..... interesting. I learned something today!!!

 

[oldfart]

Originally posted by: tallman45
All 56k modems only connect at 33kbps. It is a modems compression feature that will get you up to 56k but only on downloads.

Next issue, you external modem is a true hardware modem, your internal is very likely a Win modem or software based modem. Performance is always better with a hardware based mode. They do make PCI based hardware modems but they cost around $100.

To get better connection rates try putting a filter on your line, they go for about $10 and are found everyplace.

Ummmm.....no. Modems DO connect @ 56K. X2, K56, KFlex, V.90, V.92 are all modem standards that connect at speeds above 33.6 on the downstream side.

 

[wetcat007]

Better modems connect at better speeds generally from my experiences, you need a good modem to connect at 56k, under not perfect conditions.

 

[imported_Phil]

Originally posted by: oldfart

Originally posted by: tallman45
All 56k modems only connect at 33kbps. It is a modems compression feature that will get you up to 56k but only on downloads.

Next issue, you external modem is a true hardware modem, your internal is very likely a Win modem or software based modem. Performance is always better with a hardware based mode. They do make PCI based hardware modems but they cost around $100.

To get better connection rates try putting a filter on your line, they go for about $10 and are found everyplace.

Ummmm.....no. Modems DO connect @ 56K. X2, K56, KFlex, V.90, V.92 are all modem standards that connect at speeds above 33.6 on the downstream side.

Actually, they're limited to 53kbps by the FCC (IIRC). 53kbps is the most you'll ever see if the modem's reporting the correct speed.

 

[oldfart]

Originally posted by: DopeFiend

Originally posted by: oldfart

Originally posted by: tallman45
All 56k modems only connect at 33kbps. It is a modems compression feature that will get you up to 56k but only on downloads.

Next issue, you external modem is a true hardware modem, your internal is very likely a Win modem or software based modem. Performance is always better with a hardware based mode. They do make PCI based hardware modems but they cost around $100.

To get better connection rates try putting a filter on your line, they go for about $10 and are found everyplace.

Ummmm.....no. Modems DO connect @ 56K. X2, K56, KFlex, V.90, V.92 are all modem standards that connect at speeds above 33.6 on the downstream side.

Actually, they're limited to 53kbps by the FCC (IIRC). 53kbps is the most you'll ever see if the modem's reporting the correct speed.

Actually, they are not limited to 53.3. That is a common misperception. There is no speed limit. There is a transmit power limit which in theory, would limit a connect to 53.3K. Look at the init and connect strings and you will see 56K is supported and allowed. Here is one from a USR V90 modem:

HKR,Responses,"<cr><lf>CONNECT 56000/ARQ/V90/MNP/MNP5<cr><lf>",1,2,3,C0,DA,00,00,00,00,00,00

The modem actually has 57333, 58666, 60000 as well.
57333/ARQ/V90/LAPM/V42BIS<cr><lf>",1,2,3,F5,DF,00,00,00,00,00,00
58666/ARQ/V90/LAPM/V42BIS<cr><lf>",1,2,3,2A,E5,00,00,00,00,00,00
60000/ARQ/V90/LAPM/V42BIS<cr><lf>",1,2,3,60,EA,00,00,00,00,00,00

I spent a year working for one of the countries major ISPs, and ran a network of ~ 50,000 RAS ports. During that time, I saw plenty of V.90 53.3 connects and did see V.90 connect speeds of 56K on a couple of occasions. It is very rare to get it and extremely difficult, but is supported, allowed and possible.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: techwanabe

Originally posted by: Kingofcomputer
If your computer is below Pentium 133, software modem can't connect at over 33.6K.

Isn't it more a UART issue?

No, in this case, it would be a processor issue. A winmodem would need too much CPU time above 33.6K, if KoC is right.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

I'm curious, if phone lines cannot handle 56k, then why can Verizon provide me broadband DSL service of at least 250k over the exact same phoneline?

If your line can't reach 53K by modem, you won't get over 384K by DSL.

How much are you paying for the 250K DSL?
If you're paying over $30 and can't get 1.5M DSL for your line (because the tel line is old or living too far from the hub), you're wasting your money.
Cable is a better solution for people with old tel line which can't connect at 53K by modem or get 1.5M DSL.

 

[Eli]

Because your phone line sucks.

Get cable.

 

[imported_Phil]

Originally posted by: oldfart
Actually, they are not limited to 53.3. That is a common misperception. There is no speed limit. There is a transmit power limit which in theory, would limit a connect to 53.3K. Look at the init and connect strings and you will see 56K is supported and allowed. Here is one from a USR V90 modem:

HKR,Responses,"<cr><lf>CONNECT 56000/ARQ/V90/MNP/MNP5<cr><lf>",1,2,3,C0,DA,00,00,00,00,00,00

The modem actually has 57333, 58666, 60000 as well.
57333/ARQ/V90/LAPM/V42BIS<cr><lf>",1,2,3,F5,DF,00,00,00,00,00,00
58666/ARQ/V90/LAPM/V42BIS<cr><lf>",1,2,3,2A,E5,00,00,00,00,00,00
60000/ARQ/V90/LAPM/V42BIS<cr><lf>",1,2,3,60,EA,00,00,00,00,00,00

I spent a year working for one of the countries major ISPs, and ran a network of ~ 50,000 RAS ports. During that time, I saw plenty of V.90 53.3 connects and did see V.90 connect speeds of 56K on a couple of occasions. It is very rare to get it and extremely difficult, but is supported, allowed and possible.

I stand corrected

 

[NokiaDude]

Get DSL for $10 more than Dial-up and be happy.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: BingBongWongFooey

Originally posted by: AyashiKaibutsu Most people get between 25-35k over phone line connections.

In my experience, most people usually get 40kbps or higher.

That's because your experience is in an area of decent phone lines. My portable (used to be a laptop) gets 33+ here in Tucson - but in L.A. and San Jose, CA (when travelling) I get 48 to 50. It depends on how dirty your phone lines are.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: BingBongWongFooey

Originally posted by: techwanabe

I'm curious, if phone lines cannot handle 56k, then why can Verizon provide me broadband DSL service of at least 250k over the exact same phoneline?

That's dsl, not dial-up. They work differently. Dial-up takes data and turns it into sound that travels over a normal phone line. The word "modem" is actually short for modulator/demodulator, because that's what it does (turns data into sound and back).

Dsl travels at different frequencies than normal sound, and is digital end-to-end. My knowledge of it past that is a little vague though.

Normal phone lines are capped with a low-pass filter at about 4Khz (this is why telephones sound like crap; you can't reproduce any high frequencies or harmonics on them), basically because back when they first built the phone networks this was all they could manage, and now it's too expensive to change all the 30-year-old hardware and lines. This severely limits the amount of data that can pass over a voice line (see also: Baudot's Theorem, sampling theory).

In a DSL system, the phone company installs a splitter at their end of the line connecting to your house, so that when you're using DSL, you can bypass the filter and access the entire bandwidth of the wire (generally much higher than 4Khz). That's how you can get those higher speeds. However, you eat up more of the phone company's backend bandwidth, which is why they charge you more for it than just a regular phone line.

 

[tallman45]

Originally posted by: oldfart

Originally posted by: tallman45
All 56k modems only connect at 33kbps. It is a modems compression feature that will get you up to 56k but only on downloads.

Next issue, you external modem is a true hardware modem, your internal is very likely a Win modem or software based modem. Performance is always better with a hardware based mode. They do make PCI based hardware modems but they cost around $100.

To get better connection rates try putting a filter on your line, they go for about $10 and are found everyplace.

Ummmm.....no. Modems DO connect @ 56K. X2, K56, KFlex, V.90, V.92 are all modem standards that connect at speeds above 33.6 on the downstream side.

Those protocols that you reference are related to data compression. For example fax modems are only able to connect at 33.6. Line connection speeds is only 33.6

 

[techwanabe]

Originally posted by: Kingofcomputer

I'm curious, if phone lines cannot handle 56k, then why can Verizon provide me broadband DSL service of at least 250k over the exact same phoneline?

If your line can't reach 53K by modem, you won't get over 384K by DSL.

How much are you paying for the 250K DSL?
If you're paying over $30 and can't get 1.5M DSL for your line (because the tel line is old or living too far from the hub), you're wasting your money.
Cable is a better solution for people with old tel line which can't connect at 53K by modem or get 1.5M DSL.

DSL is available to my residence, and according to Verizon, the signal is very good. I'm not actually sure of the speed tho.

I use Time Warner - Road Runner Cable and am paying $29.95 / mo for the next year.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: tallman45

Originally posted by: oldfart

Originally posted by: tallman45
All 56k modems only connect at 33kbps. It is a modems compression feature that will get you up to 56k but only on downloads.

Next issue, you external modem is a true hardware modem, your internal is very likely a Win modem or software based modem. Performance is always better with a hardware based mode. They do make PCI based hardware modems but they cost around $100.

To get better connection rates try putting a filter on your line, they go for about $10 and are found everyplace.

Ummmm.....no. Modems DO connect @ 56K. X2, K56, KFlex, V.90, V.92 are all modem standards that connect at speeds above 33.6 on the downstream side.

Those protocols that you reference are related to data compression. For example fax modems are only able to connect at 33.6. Line connection speeds is only 33.6

No, that's not compression; compression would be something like Netzero/AOL's new bandwidth accelerator tools, or if you want to be old school, something like v.45bis. Fax modems are 33.6 limited because 56K was a technological fluke; it takes advantage of the fact that ISPs have digital lines to the central office, so this allows a few tricks to be played to pull a little more bandwidth out of the phone system, which you can't do on a straight analog connection. Fax modems, of course, are office to office, which means that it's either all analog, or usually 2+ digital exchanges.