Slow downloading

lukin

I live in a remote part of the countryside and am extremely frustrated by the pathetic download speeds I experience when on the Internet ("You don't say", I hear you say)
I am using Eircom's go free service and I mainly use my time online to download songs using file-sharing applications such as Gnutella,Bearshare etc. The trouble is that the maximumum speed I get when downloading is a snail-like 3KBS PER SECOND!
This can be quite expensive as it often takes me up to thirty minutes to download a single song and also makes it almost impossible for me to share my songs with other users as they usually start to download from me and then cancel when they see how slowly it is progressing.
I would be happy with 5 or 6kbps per second and am considering trying out the subscription-based service from Eircom to see if it is better. I know it is an extra €15 per month but I would be prepared to pay this if it improves things.
I realise that most people who post on this forum are more concerned with the business aspect of internet access in Ireland rather than the use of it as a hobby, but it's equally bad for everyone, no matter what they use it for.
Anyway, could anyone tell me if the subscription-based connections are better or the same or should I consider moving?

Frank Grimes

With the subsciption account you'll still be dialling into the same POP as you are at the minute so the connection speeds will still be the same. Have you tried connecting to any other ISPs? The slow connection could be a phoneline thing.

Bios

try oceanfree and utv internet isps

I have a subscription from eircom and it is always the worst connection with loadsa errors

Adam

lukin

I've already tried oceanfree & utv, they're both equally as bad.

Frank Grimes

It's probably the quality of the phoneline causing it. If you are in a remote area the lines have probably never been touched since they were put in.

lukin

Actually the lines were upgraded there a few months ago.
Before that I used to get loads of broken connections but now hardly ever.

Stonemason

What connection speed are you getting (right click the your connection then status it should be arround 50kbps-ish)if your connecting at a good speed then it could be choke with your isp so changeing would help bear in mind that eircom are well advertised so everybody and their uncle is using them(sadly)so less bandwidth for all basicaly.Just a thought try to find download site closer to home too as downloading from Australia will give you crap speeds if only coz of all the connections on route.



Stone

Frank Grimes

What speed does it show that you're connected at? What type of modem are you using etc.? If you got a second line installed at any stage they could have just split the line going into the house, that would slow up the connection speeds too.

lukin

I've tried Indigo, Oceanfree,Utv etc.,everyone except the subscription-based ones.
I haven't tried Esat Fusion at all but that's mainly for reasons stated elsewhere in this board
At this very moment I'm connected at 33600 bps.
It's not that easy to download songs online from the nearest source as the you have no way of telling where the person you're downloading is based.
There are two phonelines in the house (one is mine, the other is the owner's) so I'd say when they put in my line they just split the existing line, like you said.

bkehoe

Elive works best for me when I'm not on nolimits; www.elivefree.net

Brendan

Arboration

Oh aye?

Give me some info on Eircoms subscription service?

yellum

Is this not a Net/Comms thread ?

kamobe

Probably a 33.6k modem :}

lukin

Nope, it's a Rockwell HCF 56K Speakerphone PCI Modem.

carbsy

How far are you from your nearest telephone exchange?

From what you have said so far it sounds likely that you are too far to operate at 56k and hence the drop down to 33.6

lampsie

If you can, borrow and try another modem and see what that does. Those Rockwell (well, Conextant now) HCF's are awful things - had experience with two people with those modems, each time speed issues were solved with one of those el cheapo €35-40 modems Peats were flogging.

Just a thought, its more likely your line is split.

Cheers,
Lamps.

Stonemason

Ages to connect and you get dropped alot could be your line is knackered problem with this is the connection speed means nothing if packets are getting lost and your modem has to request the same packet serveral times.This will really slow things down.Try staying up late one night 3/4am and try then if you find your able to get way better speeds its likely your local exchange is over crowded if its still bad then id say your line is bad.When i say connection speed means nothing this isnt entirly true normaly your modem will test your connection and then asigns a speed it thinks is best for your connection dirty line lower connection speed ect ect.


Stone

lukin

I'm about five or six miles from the nearest telephone exchange.
I'm by no means a "tech-wizard" (I wouldn't be on here asking for advice otherwise) but there must be a solution to this.
I'd say it would be quicker at 3 or 4 in the morning all right but I don't like the idea of having to do all my downloading at that time.
I might try a different modem just to see if it is better but I'll wait until I find out how to actually do it myself first instead of giving it to a PC repair shop. They would only keep it for ages and then charge me a fortune (again).

Frank Grimes

You could always take the PC to a mate's house and try it there (if you're sure they get a decent connection). I know the HCF modems can do some weird stuff at the best of times, but if you are consistantly connecting at 33k I would go for the phoneline being the problem (normally the HCF's give you every error possible when they don't want to connect).

PiE

I had the same modem and same problem about 2 years ago. If you cant afford to buy an external modem at the moment, UPDATE THE DRIVERS for the Rockwell. I'm serious, when I updated them it tripled the quality of the modem.

Neil_Sedaka

If you have a phone connected that stores numbers in it's memory, it may be drawing current through the phone line.
Disconnect everything else that you can and see if it makes a difference, it did for me.

dahamsta

Is this not a Net/Comms thread ?

At this stage, yes, however it started out with a rant and I like to accomodate. Can't decide really...

adam

lukin

Hmm, some interesting ideas there fellow forumites.
I might well take my PC to someone else's house and dial up there to see if it is any better (I am going to be one angry guy if it is).
That post from PiE about updating the drivers sounds good as well.
Thanks to all.