AOL dial-up connection speed question

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,

I have AOL dial-up (I know, I should have a DSL or cable connection), but that will come later. My problem is this. Up until today, whenever I dialed up AOL, I always got a fast (well, fast for dial-up) connection speed (at least 46000 kbs).

For some unexplained reason, starting today, every time that I dial-up AOL, I get a much slower connection speed (about 28000 kbs). I’ve changed nothing on my computer, and I’m using the same AOL access numbers that I’ve always used. It doesn’t matter what access number I use, I get the slower speed starting today. Rebooting the computer doesn’t help either.

When I got into an online chat with an AOL tech to ask what might be causing this, I got no help.

Does anyone have any ideas why this has happened?

Thanks,
Louis

[Ben Davis]

Louis,

AOL/Time Warner is most likely drastically scaling back on the dial-up service and an entire back of modems (and their associated phone lines) just got kanked.

[Sonny Edmonds]

Noise, Louis.
Static on the phone line will practically kill modamn speed.
If you have, or can get, an old type phone to plug in and listen to, see if there is static in your line.

When DSL first came to our area, and I had to wait a few months, they had to "clean" my line from the house to the switching station.
That is they had to follow the line from one end to the other and remove any old arrestors or coils or junk left on my wires from years gone by.
And I had 1,000,000 bits per second on average.
Mine and my friend 25 miles away had what they sell now as "Business" DSL. Where you have a modem at your end, and they have a dedicated modem on their end. Always on and always connected, your private pipe to the Internet.
Not this ADSL garbage they have peddled since the late 1990's.

I would strongly advise you to go to Earthlink, or another reputable ISP. AOL robbed me after I quit them for 8 months. Two months after I dumped them and fixed what they did to my computer, they re-tapped my account by using a different account number. I had not authorized my bank to pay AOL, but they did because it appeared to them I had re registered with AOL.
I made it explicitly clear that if they EVER allowed that to happen again, my bank would pay the bill. I HATE AOhelL, they are a cancer on the web. They have been sued many times for cheating their subscribers. :mad:

[Louis Brandt]

Yes, now that you mention it, I think that it is noise. We had a lot of rain yesterday, and some connections must be wet somewhere. I'm getting some noise when I make a land-based telephone call, so that must be it. I'll wait a couple of days, and if the noise doesn't clear up, I'll call AT&T.

Thanks,
Louis

[Jim Becker]

It could also happen if your local telco changed the path of your phone lines such that they route through an RT (remote terminal) or load coils. In order to get modem rates above 28-33kbs, you need a completely straight shot to the CO. Nature of the beast.

[Scott Shepherd]

Yup, I was going to ask you if it was raining where you are. Will probably go back to normal once everything is dry.

I've been watching rain related phone issues for about 20 years now. Happens all the time.

[Sonny Edmonds]

That was what it was for me back in the early-mid 1990's.
Once I moved, and got a decent pair of wires, it was good.
I figured the rain probably got you. ;)

[Frank Hagan]

Yes, now that you mention it, I think that it is noise. We had a lot of rain yesterday, and some connections must be wet somewhere. I'm getting some noise when I make a land-based telephone call, so that must be it. I'll wait a couple of days, and if the noise doesn't clear up, I'll call AT&T.


Used to get this all the time when I was on dial-up; if you pick up the receiver and get a dial tone, then press a number, you should hear silence. I heard hisses, pops and crackles (and when it rained, the local Spanish language radio station).

The phone company probably won't be of much help; mine said all they had to meet was a 300 baud voice quality standard, and anything above that was more service than I was paying for.

I hate AOL; I would check out some other ISPs and then, using terminal in Windows, dial some of their local access numbers. You should see a "connect 46,000" or similar message. You won't be able to log in, of course, but seeing the various connect speeds in the "connect" message can help you decide who has the best access lines in your area.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

When I had AOL, my speed suffered due to line noise. I switched to DSL, but line noise became worse such that DSL was having connectivity problems. Now I have cable, but its costs are excessive.

If the phone lines in my area ever get truly repaired (I had four service repairs outside my home so far), I may actually go back to DSL or even dial up (but not AOL). $50/month for cable is simply too much for me.

The best solution is FiOS, but it's long in coming to my town. I'm guessing the copper system is being neglected these days in anticipation of replacement with a new fiber optic system.

-Jeff :)