Question on Internet Technicallities

[LadySlinger]

We have been having problems with our current ISP. For the past 5 weeks we have been down a total of 18 hours...6 hours at a time.

I'm still pretty new the company and from what I'm finding out they have tried ISPs that use cable modem and telephone lines (DSL maybe at one point?). Right now we're paying for a 5 x 1 modem through cable, but get half that speed. Many users complain of slowness company wide. Some are asking to switch to another company. From my understanding, however, we have gone through 3 companies in the past 4 years for internet.

Would switching from one Internet provider to another solve the problem? I regularly check for viruses, spyware and keep computers crap-free and we have even gone so far to regulate sites such as eBay, ESPN, etc for users.

My guess is that even if we went from one or the other, its still going through the same wiring as the previous company until it hits the connection to the building. So changing wouldn't matter.

Or am I wrong?

 

[KiscoKid]

What has been the nature of these faults? i.e. have they been failures within the ISP cloud or have they been failures of the telco equipment in the ground (between you and your local exchange?)

If the former, simply change ISPs.

If the latter, you should be able to press for a replacement of the cabling in question or at least a repair if this has been a persistent issue. If they resist this, it will prove expensive to have this changed at your cost.

To improve ISP resilience, you could entertain subscribing to the servies of 2 seperate ISPs. To improve local cabling resilience, you can install a second cable in diverse ducting (this may prove very expensive as it could involve digging a new duct.)

 

[LadySlinger]

What I'm found out this morning (since it was out again) the last two times were because of the local electrical company doing maintenance (or destruction, whatever you want to call it). Basically the electrical company did an "oops" and blew out a transistor in the area the other day and this morning other equipment.

The cable company did lay down new cable when we first ordered it since there was no prior cabling to this building.

I may look into a second ISP as a backup service. I'm finding out that in the summer months we're without power/phones/internet more often then the winter.

 

[PPettit]

If you keep experiencing slow service despite changing between different connection types (like cable and DSL), I would think that the main problem may reside somewhere in your network.

You might want to think about having someone come out and test/certify your wiring. Poorly terminated wiring can really screw up your network.

Take a good look at your routers and switches. They may not be capable of the load being put upon them. Not all hardware is created equal. If you're supporting more than a small office, buy business-class equipment instead of the stuff you pull off the shelf at BestBuy or OfficeDepot. Get rid of any hubs and replace them with switches.

If you're running everything through a proxy server or some kind of gateway, see if there's anything you can do to tweak the performance. They're bottlenecks to begin with, but if you have to use them, make sure they operate as efficiently as possible.

Disable any unused protocols on all of the PC's and network-attached devices (such as printers). You could be broadcasting a lot of unnecessary traffic. For the most part, you shouldn't need anything but TCP/IP. Does anyone even use IPX/SPX or NetBEUI anymore?