Sonic.net

I live right down the street (2280') from the CO. I'm getting an average of 5 mbps down and less than 1 up, via ethernet or wifi, on a good day. I've just begun using fusion, and haven't really started experimenting with what would make things faster. For instance, I haven't tested directly from the access point, nor have I called 611 to see what can be changed.

I'm wondering if my old AT&T DSL filters are unsatisfactory and would cause problems for ADSL2+

Are there any modem tweaks I should do before I call 611?

I am 2300 feet from my CO and get ~11.5 mbps down and ~1.5 mbps up (Annex M). You need to call sonic support and they will troubleshoot your situation.

The old DSL filters definitely could be the problem. You will want to make sure you have ADSL2+ filters.

Other than that, give us a call. We're glad to help diagnose the problem and get it fixed!

Standard ADSL filters don't filter out all the noise that ADSL2+ is susceptable to. About your modem, there really aren't any changes you can make to the modem to boost your speeds. If you have an older modem, you could always try a loaner from us to see if that helps any.

I bought a new ADSL2+ modem (Actiontec GT701D, recommended by one of your tech support staff) before getting this service. I've removed the phones from the line, but it makes no difference in the speed I'm getting.

I'll call and see what can be done. Thanks.

Yes, you should see seeing far better performance. Same for you dscycler - 11Mbps at 2300ft doesn't make sense either.

-Dane

The 11mbps down is with Annex M active. Without Annex M. I seem to remember the speed down was ~15 or 16 mbps. So I loose 4 or 5 mbps down to gain ~.6 mbps up. Not a very exciting trade off but it is what it is... Is there any way to improve speeds achieved with Annex M?

dscycler wrote:The 11mbps down is with Annex M active. Without Annex M. I seem to remember the speed down was ~15 or 16 mbps. So I loose 4 or 5 mbps down to gain ~.6 mbps up. Not a very exciting trade off but it is what it is... Is there any way to improve speeds achieved with Annex M?

Ah, this makes more sense! I was surprised you were seeing only 11, as we've got folks at similar distances seeing anywhere from 15 to 24Mbps.

Annex M carves out a chunk of downstream to use it for upstream, so it's a trade-off. The downstream loss can be 25% to 50%, and the upstream gain can be 50% to 150%. Varies based upon quality at each "bucket" in the spectrum profile.

-Dane

Update: I did some trouble-shooting and I plugged directly into the point of entry. My speed went from just over 5 Mbps to between 13~14 Mbps. The tech support representative said his tests showed my modem syncing around 16 Mbps.



It appears that my vintage Pacific Telephone copper wiring, ranging from the original 1920s wiring to updates added in the 1970s, is the culprit.

Does anyone have a good source for high-quality cable to run from my POE to my modem? Would it be cat 5 cable?

Ah-ha, glad to hear you found the source of the trouble!

Ideally, you could place an outdoor-rated splitter next to the MPOE, and run a dedicated data-only line from there using nice new Cat-5 cable. If it will be exposed to the elements, make sure it's outdoor/UV rated -- if it's not, in a few years it will begin to have tiny cracks which will admit water and eventually cause signal problems.

Here's a typical outdoor splitter/filter:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00171 ... onicnet-20

For outdoor Cat5 cable, something like:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EZ ... onicnet-20

Of course, if you are able to enter the building where you have located the splitter/filter, you can (and should) use indoor "riser" rated cable.

-Dane