Just upgraded to 3Mbps...not seeing any speed increase

[smokeybandit]

My order to upgrade from 768Kbps to 3Mbps was completed today, but I see no difference in speed.

I've unplugged the modem for a minute, plugged back in, no help.

The modem is an old one, as its previous two newer ones have died over the years.  It's a Westell 2200 manufactured in 2003.

The Verizon DSL troubleshooting test said there might be trouble on the line, but that may well be because I'm sitting behind an old DLink DI-524 router (wither my Linksys router, which also died), too.

I specifically asked the rep when I placed the order if there would be any problem with me getting the upgrade due to the obvious limitations of DSL, she said "that won't be an issue for you."

I have not yet plugged a computer directly into the modem.

Anyone have any tips before I log into the modem and then call Verizon?

[smokeybandit]

Transceiver Revision: 7.1.254       
Vendor ID Code:        4      
Line Mode:               G.DMT-Mode      
Data Path:               Interleaved      
Transceiver Information     Down Stream Path     Up Stream Path
DSL Speed (Kbits/Sec)     704     512
Margin (db)     6.5     12.0
Line Attenuation (db)     63.5     18.5
Transmit Power (db/Hz)     13.0     11.0

[jmw1950]

You are either too far from the Central office, or the copper pair you are on is in very poor condition. So unless you can find a way to move closer to the CO, of Verizon can find something they can fix about your copper pair, you are never going to get anywhere 3mb on the downlink. The 63.5db loss is just too high, and the resultant 6.5 db margin is too low.

The transceiver numbers are the best that the DSL modem has been able to negotiate with the CO, and for 3mb/sec service these should be around 3584 on the downlink and 1280 for the uplink.

So I'd call Verizon and ask them to check out the line and see if there is anything they can do about it. Odds are the answer is no, in which case you should seriously consider saving your money, and going back to the lower speed.

[smokeybandit]

I plan on trying a different phone jack (current jack was installed by the previous homeowner who obviously didn't have expertise in wiring) as well as trying from the NID (ruling out the alarm system causing a problem...though a DSL Alarm filter is installed).

I'd fully understand if I'm too far from the CO, but I'd be tweaked if that's the end result since I specifically asked the verizon rep when I ordered if that'd be a problem.

[RalphPa]

Trying it directly from the NID is the thing to do.  I just got the 3Mbps DSL without having phone service and I was only getting up to 1Mbps.  I don't have an NID since the person who last had phone service in my house was there for like 30 years.  So, the guy comes out and tests the line right where it comes in the house (after unhooking every phone line in the house from the main connecting part that is in my basement) and he gets speeds up to 3Mbps.  He tells me that the reason I wasn't getting those speeds was b/c the network of the rest of the phone lines in the house (that offshoot from that point in the basement where the outside line connects to the inside) were essentially watering down the incoming DSL signal.  He basically installed a small filter device to keep the signal strong to the outlet I was plugging into and not heading to the rest of the house.  The technician told me that this is a very common problem for people and if you have an alarm system it even complicates it further.

[smokeybandit]

Well, at the NID I get this:

Transceiver Revision: 7.1.254       
Vendor ID Code:        4      
Line Mode:               G.DMT-Mode      
Data Path:               Interleaved      
Transceiver Information     Down Stream Path     Up Stream Path
DSL Speed (Kbits/Sec)     2304     544
Margin (db)     5.5     12.0
Line Attenuation (db)     63.5     18.5
Transmit Power (db/Hz)     14.0     11.0

That's much better.  Speed tests confirm the same...so it's something in the house.   Where to go from here...wonderful.  I'm not sure what I can do with the alarm.  There's already an alarm filter on it.

[RalphPa]

I didn't have an alarm to deal with.  It probably depends on where you are plugging in your modem.   It sounds to me like your 3Mbps signal is bleeding throughout your in-house phone line network and you probably need a filter or something installed at the point of entry into the house that will keep the DSL signal diverted to the particular phone line that you plug the modem into.  For my situation, I ran a brand new phone line down to the basement and connected directly to where the phone line entered from the outside.  My reason for doing it this way is that I didn't want to mess around with potential in-house wiring issues and wanted to make sure I had a new and perfect line heading to my modem from where the phone line enters the house.  If this is possible for you, I would suggest you do the same.  This way, the Verizon tech can just install a filter directed to this line just like he did for me.  If you don't have the line traveling directly from the point of entry to your modem location and it is instead just plugged into a wall jack somewhere in the middle of your in-house wall network then I am not sure what can be done for your situation.  I don't know enough about how this really works, but you now know the details of my situation so if you can do the same thing I did and run a line from the point of house entry to the modem then that should be good for you once the Verizon guys comes out to install the filter thing.  I didn't get charged for them doing internal work either since my internal wiring is just fine and it's the fact that something else needed to be installed to get the full DSL signal speed.

For the record, nobody I ever had on the phone from Verizon ever suggested that the signal could be bleeding throughout my in-house, which in the end surprises me since the Verizon tech guy who showed up knew exactly what the problem was.

[smokeybandit · Accepted solution]

I got a TII 97C DSL splitter on eBay, installed it and a cat-5 homerun for the DSL, and that solved my problem.

[dslr595148]

Good 🙂

Please do not forget to mark as solved.