Got a new cable modem today - it's a long story - and it seems to have resulted in a snappier Internet connection. When my net access went down today, the Shaw cable phone tech advised me to replace our ancient Terayon modem (which entailed a mad rush into downtown Vancouver to Shaw's office before they closed at 5pm). I also ended up having to replace my Linksys BEFSR81 router with a new one (Revision 3.1 vs Revision zip on the old one) - dunno why both the modem and the router appeared to die the same day. . . Anyway, perceptually, the net connection feels faster now, and here are some test results from DSLreports.com:
Speed Test #83733229 by dslreports.com
Run: 2009-12-19 00:15:08 EST
Download: 8794 (Kbps)
Upload: 481 (Kbps)
In kilobytes per second: 1073.4 down 58.7 up
Boost: 8816
Latency: 65 ms
Tested by server: 3 flash
User: anonymous
User's DNS: shawcable.net
Compared to the average of 133 tests from shawcable.net:
* download is 37% better, upload is 26% worse
I should add that the Shaw tech also said that our line strength appeared to be low, and that a service person would come out in a couple of weeks to check it out. Oh, yeah, I also had a splitter on the line in my office so that I could watch news on a small 14" TV as I work (the tech and I tested the connection with/without the splitter and he said it still appeared weak), and today's test results were with the splitter removed. And one last note: we're on regular Shaw High-Speed (stated to be "up to 7.5 Mbps" down and "512Kbps" up), though the new modem would allow us to try High-Speed XTreme (at "up to 15 Mbps" down and "1Mbps" up) or High-Speed Warp (at "up to 25Mbps" down and "1Mbps" up) if we wanted to cough up the extra $$$.
Posted by Paul at December 18, 2009 09:21 PM