We have had SW Bell DSL for several years now for email and the internet, but recently something happened to produce an annoying static on the phone that would not filter out using the usual DSL filter on the line. SW Bell has now become AT&T again, so I finally got an ATT serviceman out today to correct the problem. He tested the line to the house and found it ok, and then he tried a number of things to filter out the noise, but nothing worked. Finally he put in a dedicated line for the DSL and filtered all the other lines at the box outside the house. Success. No noise.

I have always had a problem with losing the SW Bell DSL signal without warning. I ordered a new and improved modem, but that didn't really fix it. So I periodically have to turn the modem and router off for reset, and then reconnect. I am hoping that the new dedicated line will give me a stronger DSL signal and mitigate the reset problem. Anyway it seems to be working better for now.

 

What sort of transfer rates do you get with DSL, Jim? I have to decide between it (via Qwest) and a rather expensive cable hookup for our house in Estes Park. HPH

 

Not to change the subject, sorry Jim, I just signed up for FIOS and it gets installed next week.

Did the service guy switch/pull an additional twisted pair from the pole?

 

I'm not very knowledgeable about these things, Howard, but my Siemens Speedstream 4100 modem (supplied by ATT) is rated at 24 Mbps. The only user reviews I have seen on this modem are consistently in the Abysmal range! I have heard that the Motorola cable modems transfer 38 Mbps, and their ratings are Mediocre to Spectacular. In the rural areas of La PLata County there are so far only two possiblities for internet connection: Qwest dialup, and Hughes Satellite. When I am there -- and Chris will lend me her Laptop with Verizon WiFi to take along -- that's what I use; otherwise I go over to the neighbor's house and connect my lap top through their router to Qwest. Or I can go into Durango where the whole Main Street area has free wireless connection. I have an underground phone line from the county road to the house, but I still use my cell phone in Colorado instead of subscribing to Qwest.

 

I'm not sure, Ken, but I don't think he did. There was an extra line to my office that was not being used, so he made it a dedicated computer line for the DSL.

 

Sounds like you have some sort of miswiring in your house.

 

Question: Why choose dsl instead of cable? My cable connection is 100mb per second and using my wireless router I get 50 mbps on my laptop. Is the dsl a better/more reliable system than using cable?

 

I get 160KB or so (B, not b). But as I understand it, the data rate has something to do with how close you are to the "loop", which is the hub for the local DSL lines. You have to be within three miles, and the closer you are, the faster the available service is. Something like that.

There are various higher and lower speed service options.

I've found it to be "fast enough" for my purposes, and about $15/month cheaper than cable internet. Good enough for me.

 

100Mb
I get 2.4Mb down normally and on a good day, I get 3. (Currently Comcast). Verizon FIOS is 20 down, 5 up for a little more.

 

She only thinks she has 100 megabit service. But it's OK, it's a harmless delusion . (The router speeds are probably accurate; it's the internet connection that's slower.)

I just ran a couple of the bandwidth tests that Google brings up, and got varying results. Probably the most realistic is 18 Mb down, 5Mb up (given that Comcast sells their service with different rates). I'll have to check out what Qwest DSL claims to provide at the address in question. HPH