DSL's maximum speed degradation 1

[Microbyte]

Would these two factors really reduce the maximum speed available on a DSL connection?

Gauge of wire used on the local loop and
Number of telephones attached to the local loop

thanks


Microbyte

 

[rburke]

Although DSL speeds can be affected by physical wiring and the number of people connected to that DSLAM, the main factor in DSL speeds is attentuation. Becuase DSL operaties at a much higher frequency that means it reuqires more energy to get a strong signal down the telephone lines. Attentuation is caused by degradation of signal while traveling down these lines. That is why when you sign up for DSL you have to be within so many feet of the CO where the DSLAM is located. Otherwise they can't get a strong enough signal out to your house. But like everything in the networking world, if there is a problem on the physical layer, then it wreaks havoc on the resot of the system.

Burke

 

[geirendre]

Yes both will affect the signal as it
travels over the wire.
The wire will inforce electrical resistans that
reduses the signal, (thinner cable = more resistanse).
This is refered to as signal attenuation.
Also the number of telephones will affect the
signal strenght since each device connected to the line
has it's internal resistance that is applyed to the wire
when connected. This reduses the signal.
Other factors that affect the signal are:
Cable dielectricum (the material used to isolate each wire
in the cable).
Unequal wire gauges, the transition from one size gauge
to another generates reflection of the original signal
that can reduce troughput.
Noise from other cables and equipement can also
affect the signal.

 

[jtb]

What would be likely candidates to make a DSL circuit work *perfectly* from 8am-5pm, degrade from 5pm-6pm and cut out and/or work intermittently from 6pm-8am?

Assume a wire distance measured from the online service of 6800 feet, and after the service was connected, a distance (measured by the second level help desk) that varied from about 8,000 to 18,000 feet (depending on the day tested).

It was enough to make me switch phone companies (no names, please!!) because they not only couldn't figure it out, they closed every ticket as soon as I hung up, not when the issue was resolved (which it never was)...


JTB
Have Certs, Will Travel
"A knight without armour in a [cyber] land."

 

[geirendre]

If the quality changes every day as you describe,
I would suspect that traffic congestion at your
service-providers DSLAM equipment could be the problem.
If so, you should se this happend on normal weekdays,
but maby not so much in the weekends.
When they trace your connection and one day get a short
distance an another day get a long, this indicates that
the connection is routet different for one day to another.
This could be because your SP's primary "uplink" to the
net is full, and you get routed via some other links,
creating the extra lenght.
Take this as it is, just suggestions from my side.
If your SP can't help you, get yourself another!

 

[jtb]

Thanks, geirendre, I fired the old telco and hired a new one; but I have to wait until they build out their stuff a little before I can get DSL from them... and all the "indies" want 2x or more...

*sigh* c'est le vie!!

JTB
Have Certs, Will Travel
"A knight without armour in a [cyber] land."