Linksys AM300 = Horrible connection?

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matisyahu

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#72477 27-Nov-2010 00:20

I've been reading through the forum (and other sources) and I wonder whether the crappy connection speed (3,391kbps on a really good day) has to do with the modem? does the AM300 have a reputation for poor connection speeds? if so which modem would someone suggest as an alternative?

"When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called 'the People's Stick'"

vexxxboy

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#410107 27-Nov-2010 00:44

it all depends on how far you are from the exchange , i used to use that model and that speed was as much as i could expect as i had a Line Attenuation of 54db , i was about 3-4 km away from the exchange. check your setup and see what yours is. if it is high then getting a new modem wont do much.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

matisyahu

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#410108 27-Nov-2010 00:56

vexxxboy: it all depends on how far you are from the exchange , i used to use that model and that speed was as much as i could expect as i had a Line Attenuation of 54db , i was about 3-4 km away from the exchange. check your setup and see what yours is. if it is high then getting a new modem wont do much.

I've just had a check and the exchange for Upper Hutt seems to be around 3-4KM away but would it be correct to assume that the cabinetisation set for June 2011 UP/03 will reduce the distance and thus the connection speed increase? This is what Telecom Wholesale is saying:

I'm assuming based on that I've yet to be cabinetised or upgraded to ADSL2+.

"When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called 'the People's Stick'"

vexxxboy

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#410130 27-Nov-2010 08:54

correct , you are still on ASDL and your speed will not get any better no matter what you do until your cabinet has been upgraded, you can always look around and see where that big green box is and see how far you are away from it, i have just been upgraded and i am about 7-800 metres away and Line Attenuation is now 22db and i sync at 15000 Kbps so you have something to look forward to

Common sense is not as common as you think.

SamF

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#410408 28-Nov-2010 15:36

I have compared the AM300 with a number of other brands & models of ADSL modem and based on the results I got I would say that it is on par with the best modems available at present. There is an ongoing issue with 'compatibility' (telecom's words) with some telecom cabinet equipment which results in upstream sync speeds being about half what they should be, but other than that, they are a good modem. That said, my testing was on a pretty good line (~650m from cabinet) so it's hard to say what the performance would be at greater distances.

As others have said, your low connection speed is more likely to be to do with the distance to the exchange. Your connect speed seems about right for that kind of distance, perhaps a little low, but nothing too drastic.

If you really want the best modem available, I suggest you get hold of a Thomson SpeedTouch ST536. You can often buy them for $10 or less on TradeMe. While on the surface it seems counter-intuitive that such a cheap modem would be the best, telecom give these away for new connections so they cost people nothing. They are actually a pretty high quality product and use a Broadcom chipset which is pretty much the best match for the telecom cabinet / exchange gear available at present. I am currently running one of these and have had very good performance and stability out of it.

Ragnor

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#410522 29-Nov-2010 00:07

Post the line stats from the status page in the modem web admin ui.

What's your house phone wiring like eg: estimated age, number of jacks etc?

Find where the line comes in from the street to your house and see if you can roughly follow where the wiring goes and see if there is any cowboy nasty work.

3-4Mbit for 3-4km line distance is about normal though.

matisyahu

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#410532 29-Nov-2010 00:46

Ragnor: Post the line stats from the status page in the modem web admin ui.

What's your house phone wiring like eg: estimated age, number of jacks etc?

Find where the line comes in from the street to your house and see if you can roughly follow where the wiring goes and see if there is any cowboy nasty work.

3-4Mbit for 3-4km line distance is about normal though.

Here it is:

Software Version: 1.19.04
ADSL Version: 7.2.3.0
Boot Code Version: 0.01
MAC Address: 00-22-6B-AA-42-51
System Uptime: 01:23:56:35

DSL Status DSL Status: UP
DSL Modulation Mode: G.992.1 (G.DMT)
DSL Path Mode: FAST
Downstream Rate: 3040 Kbps
Upstream Rate: 640 Kbps
Downstream Margin: 12 db
Upstream Margin: 12 db
Downstream Line Attenuation: 54
Upstream Line Attenuation: 31
Downstream Transmit Power: 16
Upstream Transmit Power: 11
LOS Errors: 0

PVC Status: UP
Encapsulation: RFC 2364 PPPoA
Multiplexing: VC
Autodetect: Disable
VPI: 0
VCI: 100

You're correct though, I guess it is just a matter of waiting till June 2011 which hopefully will boost the performance of my connection :)

"When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called 'the People's Stick'"

Ragnor

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#410534 29-Nov-2010 00:59

Yeah pretty much.

However, a tidy up of the house wiring (installation of a master filter/splitter) may be able get that line attenuation down a bit and allow a higher line rate right now.

Depends on the state of the wiring, how many phone jacks there are etc though.

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webwat

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#410919 29-Nov-2010 22:11

Any modem that can keep a stable connection at 54dB downstream attenuation is doing well, I would say 3Mbps that you are getting is the best you can expect. After the UP/03 cabinet goes in you will be doing much better.

Time to find a new industry!

matisyahu

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#411316 30-Nov-2010 18:26

Ragnor:

Yeah pretty much. However, a tidy up of the house wiring (installation of a master filter/splitter) may be able get that line attenuation down a bit and allow a higher line rate right now. Depends on the state of the wiring, how many phone jacks there are etc though.

I did a big clean up not too long ago so now there is a single cable that goes into the house to the first phone jack, then from that phone jack a cable goes up stairs to the second - that is all the jacks we have in the house. It is all new wiring inside the house and the speed and reliability have been pretty stable so it is just a matter of being 3-4km form the exchange rather than something problematic with the house wiring.

webwat:

Any modem that can keep a stable connection at 54dB downstream attenuation is doing well, I would say 3Mbps that you are getting is the best you can expect. After the UP/03 cabinet goes in you will be doing much better.

True - hopefully by June 2011 I would have moved out to a new place, I'll make sure that as part of search for a new place I research the line quality of the new place lol

"When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called 'the People's Stick'"