Technicolor TG587n if you have a Telstra store nearby get one tomorrow as I think the price is going to go up quite a bit soon...they said they were selling them cheap to get them out there...easy set up too. You might be able to see it on their website as well I think.

Thanks Akky, Yes i saw that one on the Telstra website. Warrnambool has a Telstra shop so tomorrow, I'll buy one .

Hi Akky, the Telstra shop in Warrnambool does not stock these Telstra modems!!! and I would have to wait until they can order one in on backlog, so I bought another modem at Dick Smith with same features (netgear dgn2200v3). So far It has not made any difference in internet speed tests but I get better response and do not get chucked off. BTW I did check that I am using the same DNS servers , so go figure .

Did a speed test on mine about half hour ago...bear in mind I am in Hervey bay QLD...it relayed via Adelaide..ping wasnt as good as it normally is but got 6.91MBps highest ever for me...my other one was a Netgear and I think they are fairly good but I wasnt really able to spend more than about $50 so the BP one was a bargain for me...lets hope you can get some sort of success with what you ended up with..and at least you have seen some sort of difference anyway.

If you have a DNS problem, try OpenDNS. Been using it for years (free to use). When I was working in the computer repair business, when Knology's DNS goes wack (happened more often then I cared at that time for some reason), I used OpenDNS and voila. They also filter for some very nasty sites (not talking porn; talking malicious sites) too.

http://www.opendns.com/business-solutio ... /benefits/ (no need to sign up if you don't want; I did about a year or so ago, but I already forgotten my password (been using it long before). lol

Just change the DNS settings for your NIC and voila.

DNS settings:
208.67.222.222
208.62.220.220

I have my new "$12.95 eBay special" modem installed and my speeds are back to 20Mbps-30Mbps on the 15Mbps pricing tier.

Provisioning the replacement modem on Charter's website was fast and easy. I didn't even have to speak with anyone, which is how I like it.

Being that it still works, albeit about half speed, I'll be holding onto the old modem in case of emergencies.

Lyle, I have OpenDNS setup on my router so any PC that connects to my network will use OpenDNS. Charter's DNS sux!

GT, a lot of country Aussie places cant get any faster than about 8000Mbps and often struggling to get something over 1500Mbps or worse, dial up....ours would be among those first mentioned because we are a long way from where the main stream net services are based...in my case, the exchange that carries the adsl connections is so antiquated and they dont have enough to go round the whole population...and the further away we are from the exchange, the more 'watered down' or service is. Usually if high speed is available in a town, it goes to places like hospitals and businesses who will pay well to get hold of high speed net connections. I know there are businesses closer to the actual town centre getting speeds similar to yours but bad luck for me I am too far from there and also adjacent to the local hospital so any lines which might have been available go there first.

Don't have to tell me about Charter's DNS; when I started using OpenDNS, browsing just feels dramatically faster (which it is with OpenDNS).

I never had a problem with AT&T/Bellsouth's DNS. They had fast servers. I noticed that all of my clients and friends, who were on Charter, were getting the old telltale "Looking up.." message in their browsers. The poor domain name resolution, on websites that direct your browser to pull info from 10-15 different domains, was very apparent, making for long initial load times on those sites (until the domains get cached and then it's fast because it's pulling the IP addys from cache).

I'm over 30Mbps at the moment.



Akky, I'd be pretty happy with 8Mbps. I lived with 3Mbps and less for a long time and for the most part, it's really fast enough for normal surfing. It's just when downloading/uploading/streaming large files does the higher speeds become a big advantage. Even then, the site you're downloading from needs to have the bandwidth to serve you the files quickly, which is often not the case.

I dont think any of us actually get that...and 3Mbps would probably be a fairly average speed in country areas here I think...I'm lucky to get 6.9 with my new modem/router...since wbool has the same provider as me I hope he gets as much

Mine's been slow this evening, so I just tested


akky, I just noticed your post, I guess I shouldn't feel too bad.

From what I understand, some cable modems are faster than others. It really depends on the technology supported by your ISP. For example, if your ISP supports Docsis 3.0, then you'll get better performance from a Docsis 3.0 modem than you would from a Docsis 1.1 or Docsis 2.0 modem. Docsis 3.0 uses channel bonding, which "enables multiple downstream and upstream channels to be used together at the same time by a single subscriber".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOCSIS

In my case, the Docsis 2.0 modem I had wasn't working properly, either because of a hardware issue with the modem or the ISP made some technology upgrades that crippled it. The new modem I have is Docsis 2.0 as well, so that, in itself, can't explain the speed problems I had with the other modem. My problem was clearly a modem issue but judging from what you've said, your modem might be OK.

There are a lot of other factors that can affect the speed of a cable modem. The quality and length of the lines are major issue. Make sure you have as few splitters as possible in your home wiring. Those things can cause major signal problems. If you're in a rural area, chances are that you might have infrastructure problems or you're a long distance from the signal repeater.

Some cable modems allow you to look at the signals coming and going If you have one of those modems, open your web browser, enter the IP of the cable modem and take a look and the signals you're getting. It might give you a clue as to why you're not getting higher speeds.

http://www.speedguide.net/articles/cabl ... evels-1197
http://www.speedguide.net/faq_in_q.php?qid=78

Check to see that your Downstream and Upstream signals are within acceptable limits using the links above. If your cable modem doesn't allow you to view the levels, you will need to have your ISP send a tech out to check them.

Good luck with your effort to get more speed!!

In many cases, the old modem is still good but needs its firmware upgraded. My ISP is Verizon and they provide programs and instructions to upgrade on their support website. You could also try the modem manufactures website. This is most likely the case if you buy the same model which gives better results since the newer model has the newer firmware.

Neither of the two manufacturers of my cable modems provide any tools to flash the firmware. They both refer you to the cable provider. Charter will no longer support Docsis 2.0 modems so I'm out of luck on any new firmware upgrades. I do have a jtag device so I could flash the chips directly, if I had the firmware image.

I remember an open source group that was providing that was providing firmware for routers. I can't remember who at the moment. The idea was to unlock all the functions of the router and add new ones. Since modems and routers go hand in hand, and many modems are routers also, they might have something. Great to test on the old modem.

If my brain starts working, I will try yo find the information.

bolbo that would be an interesting thing to mess with I think

Hi , I know this topic is getting old but this article arrived today in my "HowtoGeek" mail and may explain my problems.Do routers wear out?

Its interesting anyway Wbool63 and thanks for this.

In terms of durability, it has been my experience that routers are no different than any other electronic device. They fail about as frequently any other device, including computers. Older cable modems, like other older technology devices, become outdated and are being obsoleted. DOCSIS 1.0 is pretty much dead and DOCSIS 2.0 is on the way out.

I thought you said you tried a different router/modem and still had the same problems. That's why I was suggesting you might take look at the modem's data signal levels and check your household wiring. If the cable modem/signals are good and your wiring is OK, then it's your ISP that's the limiting factor. If you notice significant decreases in speed during peak usage times (like evenings), then you know the ISP isn't providing enough bandwidth. Cable modems share an internet connection. You might check with neighbors to see of they are having problems, as well.

I am pretty sure it's our ISP that is the reason for slow times. We and the neighbors have problems with the internet being down or going on and off...and we live pretty far out in the country and there is only one provider available, so I guess we are lucky to have a DSL at all. It may be somewhat slow, but it's a heck of a lot better than dial-up!