How can I increase dial-up speeds? 2

[DigitalDragula]

What's up everyone...

I am currently using a dial-up modem to connect to the internet and want to increase the download speeds.I want to upgrade to dsl or broadband, but i don't have the money yet.I can download at 4.30kbps on average. I have also used the windows xp tweak programs, such as tune-up utilities 2004, oss internet booster, and others, but they did an ok or bad job. I don't see much of an increase in transmission speeds. My question is does anybody any intialization commands or registry modifications I can do to increase download speeds?

 

[sixstrings4]

4.3 kbpd is pretty average for a dial up connection. The only option you really have is check to see if you have any other access numbers available from your isp. Aside from that you can call your phone company and complain about line noise, but I really don't think there's much else you can do.

 

[GoTellBigDaddy]

The POTS line you are using- it depndz. If the loop is long and the Loop Current is high and depnding upon the noise condition on the line-

http://www.sandman.com/loopcur.html

Read the entire bulletin.

Then, tehre are software apps on the market that do depend upon:

a) your machine has LOTS of RAM and HD space,

b) a constant connection to the internet- dialup or something else

These apps basically make your machine something like a proxy server and while you are idle- the app goes out and updates the frequently visited web pages and the info on the pages. It uses cache and does it work ?

The older I get, the less I know

 

[DigitalDragula]

Wow, thanks for the great web page, GoTellBigDaddy. Of course one factor of a slow connection is line noise but I didn't know there was a line audio level factor. very useful advice. my current PC configuration is probably the reason, also. here it is...

Intel Celeron 1000 mhz.
192mb sdram
32mb. video ram (shared)
56k v.92 modem
10/100 NIC
30gb. hard drive (Western Digital)
Pretty old, huh? Three years and still goin' strong.It's all about matainence.

 

[GoTellBigDaddy]

The PC you have isn't going to knock down a 56K line connection unless there is some damage to hardware. There's a myth that buying NEW, latest, greatest PC generates an instant FASTER connection. The cache and RAM in PCs help but they don't make the physical DIAL UP connection faster. Instead, they improve upon the process of viewing the web.

You may also want to try some other tricks such as using upgraded software to your modem- if it's available and trying an USB modem connection.

Last Resort- go to the public library, they likely have high speed internet access.

The older I get, the less I know

 

[DigitalDragula]

Wow, USB huh? I figured that a direct connection to a pci slot would be faster and more efficient, but I never thought about how fast a USB modem could be. Also, I agree and disagree with what you said about the myth of buying new pc's. The FSB of a pc determines how fast the processor can communicate with the rest of the pc, including the modem. But it's not only the FSB, but other factors as well. So I think that it's both the computer and the modem that we use.

I might just buy a USB modem. Life is all about sacrifices, right?

 

[GoTellBigDaddy]

Your right... just missing what I'm saying- 56,000 bps ? That PC you own isn't going to knock down the speed. If we bring in DSL, Cable, Satellite, T1, F-T1 then yes, the PC can be a roadblock or contributing factor to accomplishing the best speed on the 'pipe'

Well- think also of this... I've been cheaping out not buying a USB NIC for a PC that has a NIC. Why do I want another NIC ? I'm not breaking open PC boxes. I basically want to accomplish using the PC with a VoIP/"Softphone" application but I want the NIC in a VLAN and the PC NIC not in the same VLAN. It's not because it won't work with just one NIC but it won't work well. Is it the PC ? Not entirely- it's the nature of the beast- softphones and IP.

So- USB and Firewire ports can be used to accomplish great things. I think ?

Many PC users- none of the folks here within these forums.... home users and business users- do what maintenance on their PCs ????????? Do they slo

http://wwwwwww

down ? I'm guilty too- for lack of being too busy.

Anyway- you may want to look at others ideas and uses of the USB modems.

Let me throw one more thing at ya - when I used dial up two years ago as a temporary connection to an analog 3Com LAN Modem- for 3-4 week solution- here's what I found- I changed my ISPs dialup location several times until I found the ONE that gave the best results. Irconic twist ? The number closest to my building - less than 2 cable miles away is the local Central Office (CO) was the worst. The longest - local dialing telephone number away is about 18 cable miles away and that's where I got the best consistent speed. Doesn't always work this way but it was a FREE effort.

Okay- one more last thing- if you have a TELCO form of Centrex, CustoPak, Centrex II, etc...then use it ! Over POTS- at least for me and some of my customers- Centrex, CustoPak, Centrex II, etc... I've been able to get better transmission performance.

The older I get, the less I know

 

[GoTellBigDaddy]

You can also check out:

http://www.comcen.com.au/dsl/faq/usborethernet.html#ethernet

The aussies have neat gizmos...

The older I get, the less I know

 

[GoTellBigDaddy]

Sorry- I left out another link for you...

http://reviews.macnn.com/reviews/56kusb/56kusb.shtml

The older I get, the less I know

 

[DigitalDragula]

There's another thing I never thought about, the location of the pc is like the location of a house: If you like quiet roads that takes almost no effort to travel through and if you hate traffic congestion at rush hour, move to the country or a less populated area. Wow, it's exactly the same for the internet! I live in a quiet neighborhood in detroit (that's surrounded by ghettos, and I know that alot a people have computers) and the traffic ( the internet traffic) can get really congested from 1pm to around 8pm. So you've gotta know when to get connected and what phone number to use.

I've read the interview on the link you gave me. It's not that surprising to me that usb modems don't perform as good or better than internal ones. that makes me want to find an internal broadband modem instead of an external one. Do you have any links with reveiews of diiferent DSL or broadband modems?

 

[GoTellBigDaddy]

Sure- you can also google it:

Keep in Mind- since you are in Detroit- you may try dialing a "different" number to the ISP or find an ISP that offers TURBO packages such as Netscape-- if you don't want to spend the money on Cable or DSL.

http://www.dslreports.com/

http://www.speedguide.net/links.php?category=57

http://compnetworking.about.com/library/weekly/aa111200a.htm

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6536_7-726601-1.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/Bandwidth_meter/7004-7254_7-0.html

Yes- location, location, location is key in telecom and maybe someday- the FTTH initiative will take hold for the next generation networks that go unattended (home users).

The older I get, the less I know

 

[DigitalDragula]

Sorry I coundn't reply sooner. I was busy with other stuff. Those were good reviews of DSL and Cable modems.
I never knew that DSL was just as fast as broadband, though. My idea of DSL was a slower, cheaper version of cable. But I didn't know It's more expensive and was older than cable. Can you believe I was actually considering getting DSL? Wow that was aclose one! With my current isp I do switch my access numbers to find out witch one is faster. I can hardly See the difference, though.

Thanks for all of the advice and links, GoTellBigDaddy.

 

[myshadowone]

unfortunately i have not had a home pc for about 2 yrs do to unforseen circumstances. now i am back to dial up after having dsl. there was a site that had a copy and paste to add to the registry to speed up the modem and i can't find the copy and don't remember the site. i also know you can change the modem settings to do this also. can anyone out there help me. i am new to tek tips.
thanks,
myshadowone

 

[nick2982]

first off 4.3 Kbps is NOT anverage for a 56k server/client customer, with ANY dial up provider...did you mean 43.0 kbps? the national average is 26 to 30 kbps. so if you are cruising at 43, my suggestion is dont fix whats not broken. if it IS a factor of how quick you can reach a web page i would say its more or less a problem with your "through put." as i read some of the threads id say that, "go tell big daddy" character really doesnt know what he is talking about.
On another note if you live in rural area, he is somewhat correct, using a modem hub or any external hardware, WOULD in fact, be more usefull, but thats of course assuming you are willing to pay top dollar for a top of the line external, (any cheap knock off wont cut it). if you are an urban area for dial up, id go with a PCI internal. chances are in a urban area; phone line quality will be sufficient enough to hold its own, regarding "connection speed".
If you would like to increase the time it takes to recieve a script thru a web site,(through put) lower your recieve buffer 3/4th's of the way. default setting is high 14 and high 16. i suggest using high 8 and high 11. It is easier to transfer in interbals of 16bits web script using these settings. if you run a 56 k modem internal i would also suggest lowerng the PS to about 57600. You will be able to load the text BEFORE any Mpegs, jpg's, etc. this helps as well. as far as XP goes only run the MS Firewall. anything else is going to hinder the transfer rate of IP's on a domain...meaning the path to recieve the website will be longer to retrieve than w/out a firewall. this is because the DNS have to go through a proxy before it relizes the web page is safe. DSL IS in fact a type of broad band connection. so is cable. broadband just means broader bandwith connections. DSL and Cable, a-like, share these qualities. software firewalls were created technically for broadband users, due to static IP and what not