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uniqs
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criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

50/25 Going Away???

Okay, this is strange. I routinely check the speed of my connection every morning. I've been on the 50/25 tier since November. Here's what I'm getting this morning:



WTF???!!!

grobinette
Southeast of disorder
MVM,
join:2001-01-27
22152-1106
·Verizon FiOS

grobinette

MVM,


I don't think so. I just renewed for the 50 / 25

Rattler
join:2001-04-13
Havertown, PA

Rattler

Member

said by grobinette:

I don't think so. I just renewed for the 50 / 25



Likewise - just re-upped at the end of Dec.
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

 
 
 
O.K., something really wacky is going on. The OP speed test was from my Windows 8 64 box. I ran it again on the same Atlantic Metro server and got this:



Really confused now, I ran it from a different server in my area, Optimum Online, and this time I got a completely normal result:



Oh, O.K., I thought; the Atlantic Metro server has been screwed up by the snow.

Except then my Windows 7 64 box started giving weird speed readings also:



Now this is getting really peculiar. The two laptops are side-by-side, and they're both connecting to my router through WiFi. Before today they were usually within 7 or 8 megs of each other. Now they're differing by over 30 megs. Something is not right.

Could it actually be a coincidence? Could it be that the cause of the wacky readings on the Windows 8 computer is unrelated to the cause for the wacky readings on the Windows 7 computer? I'm really stumped now.

seaquake
MVM
join:2001-03-23
Millersville, MD

seaquake

MVM

I wouldn't fully trust speed tests when you're connected via WiFi. Wireless adds multiple variables into your connection's performance, even if the device is sitting right next to the AP.

Any way you can connect a network cable and then run the tests again?
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

Unfortunately not; it simply won't stretch; the router is buried in the back of my entertainment center, and there's no way I can even get at it without getting some folks to help me move some rather heavy stuff. The installation folks were very nice about my needs last November. I told them that I only had laptops and that I was always moving them around. So they did everything but stand on their head to make sure I got good WiFi (gave me a new router and so on), and it seemed to have worked.

Until today.
billhere
join:2011-10-21
Santa Monica, CA

1 recommendation

billhere

Member

Router buried in the back of your entertainment center? That's a recipe for poor WiFi performance in itself. My router is on top of the entertainment center. My speed test readings are better when I connect my laptop directly to the router than they are for the upstairs computer via WiFi. And my entertainment center is on rollers...

cableties
Premium Member
join:2005-01-27

cableties to criggs

Premium Member

to criggs
Plug in a wire, do not go by wifi.
They are not getting rid of Quantum as they just took me on to the upgrade.
I tested with ookla this morning and (Reston, VA) and was 64/38 for a 50/25. The overhead is for VoIP and HDTV carrier as I was told.

I am not complaining (A first!)
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

said by cableties:

They are not getting rid of Quantum as they just took me on to the upgrade.

To be clear, at first I didn't think they were getting rid of Quantum; I thought they might be getting rid of 50/25 and moving us all up to 75/35, based on that weird first test I ran this morning. Clearly that was not the case however, since subsequent tests on my Windows 8 box were back in the 60/40 range.

Which gets me back to this frustration I'm having with my Windows 7 box. I hear what many of you are saying about WiFi being an uncertain thing. But I'm not only getting O.K. results on the Windows 8 box; I'm getting EXCELLENT results:



Which is why this sudden problem I'm having with this adjacent Windows 7 box is so weird. I've now tried a bunch of things, rebooting, running the Verizon Optimizer, switching channels, etc. etc. No good, no change, no dice. My next step, and I hate doing this, may be to do a System Restore on the Windows 7 box. Oh, the pain.
criggs

criggs

Member

Well, I just fixed the problem on my Windows 7 box, but this all still strikes me as a bit strange.

As I mentioned above, one of the things I tried was switching channels on my router. As most of you know, the so-called clearest WiFi channels are 1, 6 and 11. For the past few months I've been on channel 6 and everything's been hunky-dory.

Then, as reported above, things started going wacky. I was getting unusually fast readings on my Windows 8 box and unusually slow readings on my Windows 7 box, even though the two sit side by side.

When I started having these problems, one of the things I tried was switching from channel 6 to 1. No dice, no change. Then I tried channel 11. No dice, no change. And at that point, I gave up and concluded there was something wrong with my Windows 7 box (the oddball readings on my Windows 8 box disappeared in an hour, as mysteriously as they appeared). I was moving toward biting the bullet and doing a System Restore on my Windows 7 box.

And then, this morning, I started also experiencing problems on my Windows XP box. That normally runs around 20/20 (I was educated about this a while ago that XP normally caps out around that speed).

Well, at that point, I decided it wasn't the Windows 7 box.

So I went back to my channels, and started trying the UN-recommended channels, working my way down from 6.

I tried 5. No good. I tried 4. No good. I tried 3.

BINGO!!! Everything back to normal!

I'm glad I solved it but this is not making sense. Why would I get best performance on a supposedly weak WiFi channel? And why did my Windows 8 box remain impervious to EVERY SINGLE CHANNEL CHANGE, with no degradation in performance whatsoever, remaining at the 60/40 level no matter what channel I picked?

Like I say, really odd.

nycdave
MVM
join:1999-11-16
Melville, NY

nycdave

MVM

If you leave your router on channel 3, you will get overlap and interference from channels 1 and 6. Just because you are good for now on channel 3 doesn't mean you won't have problems in the future...
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

Yep, that's what I was afraid of. Well, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I'd sure like to know why my stable Channel 6 suddenly has gone haywire, and why my Windows 8 box just keeps sailing on imperviously. I'd sure love to give the 7 and XP boxes whatever the 8 is smoking.

Mcrobrewer
Premium Member
join:2001-03-04
Trenton, NJ

Mcrobrewer to criggs

Premium Member

to criggs
This is exactly why I dont run any speedtest anymore...

Unreliable and IMHO mostly BS.
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

It's BS if one doesn't get consistency. But many tests from a given diagnostic source that tend toward the same or a similar result tends to reinforce the likelihood of a test's accuracy, particularly if it lines up with the results from other diagnostic sources.

cchhat01
Dr. Zoidberg
join:2001-05-01
Elmhurst, NY

cchhat01 to criggs

Member

to criggs


50/25 Not going anywhere.

Shirke
@verizon.net

Shirke

Anon

My speed was 50/25 and now
»www.speedtest.net/my-res ··· 64120325
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

Yep, that's pretty much what happened to me.

For ease of reading, here's what Shirke reported:



Like I say, as I report above, I got quite similar results a few days ago, out of the blue.

However the fluke only lasted for about an hour and then I was back to normal. VERY odd. It's not as if variations in speed like that are common with the Verizon FIOS 50/25 tier; they are NOT. It rarely varies by more than about five megs or so.

Keep us posted, will you? I'd be real curious as to whether the speed went back to the 50/25 tier after an hour or so.

norm
join:2012-10-18
Pittsburgh, PA

norm to criggs

Member

to criggs
According to Verizon, only 15/5, 50/25, and 300/65 are available in my area. If I am to make any changes to my account, I get downgraded to 50/25 from 75/35 and pay the same for internet regardless.

K3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium Member
join:2006-01-17
Columbia, PA

K3SGM

Premium Member

I just checked my account, and although I currently have 75/35, it appears to be no longer available as an option.

If I decided to re-bundle, my choices are 50/25 or 150/65.

I did notice that Cox, TWC, and Comcast recently announced they are doubling Internet speeds, with 25 going to 50, 50 going to 105, and 105 going to 205.

I wonder if there are some new speed tiers ready to pop here, if Verizon decides to do the same thing.

Of course the Cable companies don't have the kind of upload speed as Fios, but that download speed is generally what sells the package for most people.

Steely
I rise when the sun goes down
Premium Member
join:2000-10-15
Princeton Junction, NJ

Steely

Premium Member

Has FiOS EVER increased speeds without an accompanying price increase? Not that I can recall. Both Comcast and Cablevision have pumped speeds to existing users from time to time with no additional charges, at least during the times that I've used their respective services. TWC, I believe, has done the same. Verizon periodically introduces new, faster speed tiers, but they never simply roll them out to existing subs like the cable companies do. Instead they require you to "re-bundle" at higher rates and/or agree to a new long-term contract. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

1 edit

criggs to K3SGM

Member

to K3SGM
said by K3SGM:

Of course the Cable companies don't have the kind of upload speed as Fios, but that download speed is generally what sells the package for most people.

In my case, it was the upload speed that helped to sell me. I'm always uploading files to my ftp server, and the difference between the FIOS upload speed and the Time/Warner upload speed was what finally convinced me to stay with FIOS.

K3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium Member
join:2006-01-17
Columbia, PA

K3SGM to Steely

Premium Member

to Steely
said by Steely:

Has FiOS EVER increased speeds without an accompanying price increase? Not that I can recall.

Not at any time that I can recall either, and I have been a Fios customer since 2005..

.
said by Steely:

Verizon periodically introduces new, faster speed tiers, but they never simply roll them out to existing subs like the cable companies do. Instead they require you to "re-bundle" at higher rates and/or agree to a new long-term contract. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Not saying that VZ would just upgrade the speeds automatically, but it's probably time for more tier options to match the competition, especially if 75/35 is now grandfathered only.

We might hear something about new tiers soon, but unfortunately, it's also rate hike season, so they'll probably cost a bit more..

Steely
I rise when the sun goes down
Premium Member
join:2000-10-15
Princeton Junction, NJ

1 recommendation

Steely

Premium Member

Isn't it always "rate hike season" with Verizon? If it's not the price of the bundles going up it's the boxes, the fee for having an unlisted phone number, the premium channel prices, the removal/lack of previously avaiable "loyalty" discounts, now this nonsense about modem rental fees... It's always something.

nycnetwork
join:2000-11-12
Brooklyn, NY

nycnetwork to criggs

Member

to criggs
Although I'd love to see Verizon increase their FiOS speeds without price hike, we have to remember that they're also a trend setter when it comes to fastest residential internet service offerings, and OOL and Comcast are really just the followers. Cable companies are forced to re-calibrate their offerings in order to stay competitive in FiOS markets.

bohratom
My Jersey Giants finally winning again..
join:2011-07-07
Red Bank NJ

bohratom to criggs

Member

to criggs
I do not believe that 50/25 is being phased out but keep in mind around 2-3 years ago FIOS upgraded many 15/5 subscribers to 25/5 at no cost, as they wanted to publish their overall bandwidth speeds had doubled. Only by upgrading customers to higher speeds was that possible. My guess is that soon it will happen again in order to advertise they have the highest average speeds.

Nick5
@verizon.net

1 recommendation

Nick5

Anon

Honestly, I rather they just stop playing hardball with Netflix and others on the peering agreements than increase the speed numbers. A 15/10 Optimum connection with stable Netflix streaming is more useful for the majority of customers than a 50/25 connection with a company that is known to fight to the death on these issues.

norm
join:2012-10-18
Pittsburgh, PA

norm

Member

said by Nick5 :

Honestly, I rather they just stop playing hardball with Netflix and others on the peering agreements than increase the speed numbers. A 15/10 Optimum connection with stable Netflix streaming is more useful for the majority of customers than a 50/25 connection with a company that is known to fight to the death on these issues.

This. I would gladly pay for higher speeds than what I have now (75/35) if the peering wasn't so terrible.
serge87
join:2009-11-29
New York

serge87 to Nick5

Member

to Nick5
said by Nick5 :

Honestly, I rather they just stop playing hardball with Netflix and others on the peering agreements than increase the speed numbers. A 15/10 Optimum connection with stable Netflix streaming is more useful for the majority of customers than a 50/25 connection with a company that is known to fight to the death on these issues.

Agreed. Like having a ferrari but the route to netflix is a single lane dirt road.

guppy_fish
Premium Member
join:2003-12-09
Palm Harbor, FL

1 recommendation

guppy_fish to Steely

Premium Member

to Steely
said by Steely:

Has FiOS EVER increased speeds without an accompanying price increase?

Yes, the change from 20/5 to 25/25 had no increase in price, same for the 3/1 to 5/2 I believe
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

said by nycdave:

Just because you are good for now on channel 3 doesn't mean you won't have problems in the future...

said by criggs:

Yep, that's what I was afraid of. Well, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Well, today I had to cross that bridge. Channel 3 started running in the doldrums so I had to hunt and peck again, starting with the three recommended channels, 1, 6 and 11. Right out of the gate, Channel 1 was fine, so I'm O.K. for now. But this is starting to get a bit annoying, like chasing a cherry with a fork.