Speedguide tweak help

[PardeGT]

My roadrunner cable connection has slowed to slower much of the time than my previous 56K modem. I contacted the cable company and was told to shut off the computer and unplug the modem and after a minute plug it back in and reboot. What does this do and why is it happening? Anyway it helps for a little while then slows again and is beginning to be very annoying considering the money I spend for it.

I read Reboot's post on using tweaks at Speedguide.net so I went to install the 98 speedguide tweak. I unzipped the file and highlighted the inf file as told and then under file hit install. I get an error saying:

A device attached to the system is not functioning

Any ideas on what I need to do?

Thanks guys.

[PardeGT]

Ok, well I moved the downloaded file and then tried to install it and it did.

I'm still wondering about what I was told by the tech saying that "this happens sometimes" like its somewhat of a common problem with having to unplug the modem and reboot.

[Xayd]

http://forums.prounreal.com/viewtopi...709&forum=1&21

You're being moved to AOL's network over a gradual process of about 18 months. It will never get better, only worse.

If DSL is an option for you I'd jump on it while you can.

Profanity warning for anyone clicking on the above link, but it's to be expected when you tell someone "hey, no more AT&T, you're going to AOL instead whether you like it or not" .

[PardeGT]

D*mn - that really sucks. What's worse is that they don't even bother to tell a person.

I believe I can get dsl but it is a little more costly. I went with the cable because I'd have to be wired for dsl and buy a modem. Also, after my reading it seemed that dsl really depended on your location from the central office.

Once the migration is complete will it be any better, by better I mean faster than its currently slowed speed? Will rr subsribers be subject to the same bulls**t that aol subribers are?


What do you mean by jumping to dsl "while you still can"? And why was there a switch - I would think there are many who use rr and pay enough to make it profitable?

Man this really pisses me off.

[Xayd]

Well, DSL imho is the better option at this point, because broadband as it exists right now won't survive. The upstream bandwidth that you use costs more than what your ISP charges you, they lose money.

At least with DSL more often than not you're dealing with telco, so another T3 at a CO doesn't cost them as much as it'd cost anyone else.

Think about it this way...

I have DSL at 40 dollars a month, 1500 down and 128k up. The cheapest I've seen an ISP get upstream bandwidth is 150 dollars per megabit, do the math. I pay less than a third of what my available bandwidth costs. The solution to this is to oversell. Broadband providers, especially cable, in their shortsightedness thought they could oversell their networks to the 20:1 or 30:1 ratios that dialup ISPs do, but that can't happen. They advertise an "always on" connection, but you can't stay online all the time without a speed degrade because they don't have enough 'speed' to give you. Hence people get mad and stop paying for unreliable service, hence said service goes bankrupt and gets bought by TimeWarner/AOL, voila .

I don't know what AOL's plans are for the cable network that they own, but they're still AOL, so if I were you I wouldn't wait around to find out. AOL isn't about reliability or service or any of that, as we all know, they're about "so easy to use no wonder it's number one", right?

[PardeGT]

I go to the University of Nebraska and I see they carry ASDL through the local phone company - probably get a $5 discount or something.

Any way if you could take a second and check out there link below and give me your opinons on if it would be better to go with the the first or the second plan (there are three avail: access, access+, access+5) and which tier? I just want a fast connection (more download than upload) and I'll be using my 4-port router/switch. They also list that they use/sell the Cisco 677/678 modem. Is this decent or what would you suggest as being the best? Keep in mind I don't know their prices yet, I will have to check on that.

http://telecom.unl.edu/student/sadsl.shtml

I really appreciate your advice and help.

By the way - is Time Warner part of AOL or is AOL taking over Time Warner's broadband/internet network?

[Xayd]

ADSL = Asynchronous
SDSL = Synchronous

As in the upload speed being the same or lower than the download speed depending on which one you have.

If it were me I'd go for the 768k package with a single static IP depending on price. If the static IP is too expensive (40 dollars more is too much, under that and IMHO it's worth it) the dynamic option isn't bad either really, since it's just DHCP and not PPPoE or PPPoA. You won't need your current router, or you might, depending on how you go about it . If you download alot from Usenet or other such stuff you might benefit from the higher download speeds, but getting over 100k/sec downloads from websites is pretty rare anyways, so 768k would probably be the best deal. Your upload will likely be capped at 128kbps, 256kbps, or 384kbps.

If they'll cut you a good deal on one of those Cisco 678s, or if you can find a used one from someone else around there who had DSL and cancelled it, that'd be great since it *is* a router, and you could therefore sell your current router and recoup some of the cost involved in this switch in services.

If you can't find the 678 cheaply enough, you could get a regular ole modem to plug in in front of your current router, but you'll have to find someone with Alltel that knows the specs on their CO setup. Seeing as they're dealing with Cisco DSL routers the line protocol they're using is probably CAP, but the 678 can support G.Lite and DMT as well with a firmware swap, so be sure before looking for another modem. Call Alltel and ask which of those three they use for DSL and let them transfer you around until you get someone who actually knows . If it's CAP, your choices are pretty limited since CAP is proprietary to Westell chipset devices. If it's DMT you have more options since this is a more open standard that many people make bridges/routers for. G.Lite is all but dead, highly unlikely they're still using it (although it's possible I guess).

Bottom line, find out what you can get and what they're using on their end. Once you know what you can use, get the gear. Those little Cisco DSL routers are fine and work great, but they're not as user friendly as your 4 port router. The Cisco web interface for their routers is limited, you'll have to set up most things via the command line. The Ciscos far outpace the common aftermarket DSL/Cable routers in functionality, but you'll have to get used to working with stuff from basically a Unix-type shell.

AOL/TimeWarner merged, giving AOL the ability to move all TimeWarner ISP customers to AOL's network, it's just now finally happening.

[PardeGT]

Wow, thanks for all that info Xayd. I will find out what protocol they use and check the prices. What would you deem as a reasonable price I should pay for the cisco 678 modem/router? I checked eBay and they look to be going for $125+ or so? You mentioned "specs on their CO setup" - what does 'CO' stand for?

Also, may I ask how a static ip is better than a dynamic one? Not really clear on the difference.

Thanks again

[Xayd]

CO = telco central office

What type of DSLAM they use determines what modems/routers are compatible.

The 67x series new from Cisco goes for about 300 bucks, used for about 150, so if you can find one in that range that's fair. The static IP is nice if you have security for the machine behind it (in this case the router) since you can then easily transfer files to/from work, maybe host your own website, stuff like that. If it's not that much more expensive it's a nice perk to have.

But, like I said, DHCP isn't nearly as bad as having to use PPP software to connect with, so if you go dynamic with this particular provider it should work fine. It'd be like your current cable setup, you get an IP when you boot your computer basically. Except in this case the router would go out and get the IP from the DHCP server so as long as the router is on you'd be connected.

[PardeGT]

I got a little info off the phone from alltel and the university. I'll probably have to go in to find out more.

384K - $48/mo 2yr contract (free modem and install)

768K - $99/mo 1yr contract (not sure - maybe free modem and install)

1.2M - $330/mo no contract ($100 for modem + install charge)

The person I spoke with didn't have the pricing for the static ip - just the above for the dynamic.

Alltel told me that it is either a CAP or DMT protocol and someone would have to do a line test to say for sure.

I didn't ask but wonder now what the penalty of breaking the contract is.

Do you think the 384K would be comparable to my cable modem. I noticed on zione1's post "T1 vs. DSL" that he stated he can get 768K for $40/mo. Should I look at another service - can you recommend any?

I does seem that my connection is back up to where it was before - whether it will stay that way I don't know.

Thanks Xayd

[Xayd]

Those prices are pretty high for ADSL. If your cable connection is working again, stick with it for awhile and see what pans out. Most telcos are charging 50-75 for 1500/128 ADSL, so if they want a hundred for 768k they're a bit steep. I suppose if the cable goes completely useless you could reconsider a hundred a month for broadband, but it's still expensive compared to others out there.

[PardeGT]

I thought that was a bit pricey. I checked Qwest dsl as it *might* be available but their prices weren't much better. I'll see how my RR holds out as it has been pretty much normal the last few days. I wonder though if I will start to see some of AOL's jargon at some point - I hope not.