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Post by marveltone on Mar 5, 2018 3:24:59 GMT
I've been away from the board for a bit. Our wireless internet connection has been absolutely abysmal, so I'd thought it best to simply walk away for the sake of my own sanity, rather than continuously banging my head on the table waiting for a steady connection.
Good news! My ISP called and informed me they're getting new equipment which should extend the range, strength and speed of their wireless service! Lately, I have been lucky to get 0.2 Mbps (yes, the decimal is correct!) when it connects at all. Dropouts are all too common. The new equipment should run up to 5 Mbps with my current plan,is and 7 Mbps if I pay extra.
Wireless is my only option, due to my remote location. They're planning on installing the new system on 3/12.
Maybe then, I can be a bit less reclusive.
Wish me luck!
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solderdude
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measureutternutter
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Post by solderdude on Mar 5, 2018 5:54:31 GMT
Last week we had some trouble with our internet connection and the household could not get online now and then (resolved now). For most of the family members I would dare to say that they feel it is a primary need for living.
Hoping the connection will become a lot better for you !
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Mar 5, 2018 9:54:50 GMT
I also had internet problems when I returned from Cornwall. It was totally off for a week and we were all using mobile phones here.
Had BT out who checked the line. That was fine. No connection so they sent in Open Reach who checked the line. The line was OK.
An Open Reach bloke came and changed the filter. Nothing. Then he changed the WiFi box .... bingo.
After that, it has stuttered a bit but I think it’s settling down again. I get 74mbps here because we’re on optical, but before, I was at 5 which went to 50 original but they’ve updated to 70+
Not sure my gear all keeps up with it though tbh since it’s not ‘lightening’ but things appear on screen quickly once connected, whereas it used to kind of ‘roll’ onto the screen. Top down.
Great for movies now.
I hope they get yours to move a bit quicker because that’s not great at all.
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Post by marveltone on Mar 13, 2018 21:35:44 GMT
The ISP techs were here today, and I'm happy to say we now have a fully functional wireless service. I just ran a speed test and clocked 5.12 Mbps. It will never come close to optical, of course, but this is light-years faster than the dismal crawl we previously endured. I can actually watch videos in real time!
Huzzah!
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Post by Mr Trev on Mar 14, 2018 13:29:38 GMT
Congrats? Sorry, I'm a city guy so I have no idea how rural wireless internet works. Is 5Mbps considered fast? (I'm sure compared to what you were getting, it must be warp speed)
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Javier
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Post by Javier on Mar 14, 2018 13:52:52 GMT
The problem with wireless connections is not only limited bandwidth but also high latency. Apps requiring low latency like online gaming are very hard to use with these kinf of connections also VoIP can be a PITA to use with lots of drop outs.
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Post by marveltone on Mar 14, 2018 22:33:29 GMT
Congrats? Sorry, I'm a city guy so I have no idea how rural wireless internet works. Is 5Mbps considered fast? (I'm sure compared to what you were getting, it must be warp speed) 5Mbps is pretty good. The new system will handle up to 7, but that would cost more. We're going to use the current plan to see how we like it. I know it's slow compared to fiber-optics, but it's really our only option. We do give up a few things to live way out here, but the neighbors are friendly, the crime is non-existent, and the view is great!
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Post by marveltone on Mar 14, 2018 22:38:12 GMT
The problem with wireless connections is not only limited bandwidth but also high latency. Apps requiring low latency like online gaming are very hard to use with these kinf of connections also VoIP can be a PITA to use with lots of drop outs. Very true! Weather can also play a huge factor. Fortunately, even though we're close to the outer limits of the transmitter's range, we're on a hill and have line of sight to the tower.
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Post by Mr Trev on Mar 14, 2018 23:09:22 GMT
The problem with wireless connections is not only limited bandwidth but also high latency. Apps requiring low latency like online gaming are very hard to use with these kinf of connections also VoIP can be a PITA to use with lots of drop outs. Very true! Weather can also play a huge factor. Fortunately, even though we're close to the outer limits of the transmitter's range, we're on a hill and have line of sight to the tower. Line of sight? Does that mean it's transmitting by microwaves?
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Post by marveltone on Mar 15, 2018 2:09:22 GMT
Very true! Weather can also play a huge factor. Fortunately, even though we're close to the outer limits of the transmitter's range, we're on a hill and have line of sight to the tower. Line of sight? Does that mean it's transmitting by microwaves? Possibly? I don't know what frequency they're running. All I know is we now have a small dish on our mast above the roof. Looks to be between 16"- 24" diameter. Line of sight tends to help most radio propagation, as trees can block the signal.
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Post by marveltone on Mar 15, 2018 2:18:02 GMT
I'm thinking it may be 5 GHz. I'll have to see if I can find out.
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Javier
Administrator
Digital bytes
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Post by Javier on Mar 15, 2018 8:37:23 GMT
It could be LMDS, LTE, HDSPA, Wifi, who knows...
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Mar 15, 2018 16:26:07 GMT
Do they use repeaters? We have that kind of system in this area although I’m using optics at 70 something.
Just checked ... 74.
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Post by Mr Trev on Mar 15, 2018 17:15:55 GMT
Optics. Man must be nice. My neighbourhood still has to rely on ~50 year old underground copper spaghetti. I used to have DSL, but even my ISP suggested I cancel it because the signal was so unreliable. Switched to cable and it sucks less. Been waiting 3 years for a new underground drop now. Nobody seems to be in any rush to upgrade to fibre optic here either
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Javier
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Post by Javier on Mar 15, 2018 17:26:55 GMT
Thanks to fierce competition bewteen carriers, over here the transition from copper to fiber is being quite quick, at least in mid to big cities/towns. Smaller towns will probably take longer and in some extreme cases, like very remote and scarcely populated will probably never get it.
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