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ctruong
join:2014-08-27
Costa Mesa, CA

1 edit

ctruong

Member

[Fusion] Fusion + Broadband Combo only receiving 2 Mbps Download Speed

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I was pre-qualified to have it available in my area at 10 Mbps (still not too bad)
However, after I switched from basic DSL with AT&T to Fusion with DSL Extreme, my speeds barely improved (1.25 Mbps 1.98 Mbps). It seems extremely low for an speed advertised up to 20 Mbps.

I've sent emails to DSL Extreme regarding the issue and they're dispatched an AT&T tech to check my outline to the Phone Box but found nothing. They are now assuming it is an internal wiring issue and want me to check it out although I am highly doubtful that it is the case. From the AT&T tech he stated it was impossible to achieve anything higher than 3 Mbps on DSL.

Does this mean the advertised and pre-qualified speeds Fusion Broadband (which I believe is DSL) is over-exaggerated? I've have installed the ADSL2 modem leased to me with the phone filters. I am not too well informed by the random tickets sent by their support that don't really answer my questions, but it possible that Fusion is not normal DSL and requires additional wiring, steps, and installation?

I've had it for almost 2 weeks now and I am possibly thinking for switching back to AT&T to try their U-Verse High-Speed Internet. I've heard their speeds are accurate with customers paying for 24 Mbps and receiving 22-23 Mbps compared to me paying for up to 10 Mbps and getting only 2 Mbps)

dslx_gm
ISP Employee
join:2002-12-26
Chatsworth, CA

dslx_gm

ISP Employee

Hi ctruong See Profile

The Fusion service is sold as a single up to 20Mbps package. Based on the client's distance from the central office and the quality of the phone line they will sync at the fastest speed possible for that line. We don't limit the sync rate or the speed in anyway. If your location is further from the phone companies central office it would of course effect the speed that you are able to obtain. Instead of limiting the speeds by package for that service we sell it as a single service and let the location be the determining factor of the speed that you can obtain. Most of our clients like not being limited and getting the full speed that their line can support. During the qualification process we take a look at the estimated distance of your line that is returned form the phone company and based on that distance attempt to set some expectations based on what clients at those distance ranges generally see. Since those are estimated distance and it can't take into account the quality of the line those of course are just estimates.

We can of course test your line to ensure that it is set optimally. I would recommend to send a PM to one of our techs here on the forum dslx_steve See Profile or dslx_nick See Profile with your account info and one of them would be happy to take a look at your account and ensure the current service is running at the fastest possible speed for your location.

If you wouldn't mind also sending me a PM with your account info so I can take a look at any other plans that we may have for you in the future that would be greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks
ctruong
join:2014-08-27
Costa Mesa, CA

1 edit

ctruong

Member

I have seen and read the first paragraph maybe 10 times already, I do understand the speed is UP to 20 Mbps but like I previously stated.

1. The site Pre-qualified me for up to 10 Mbps (why not just say up to 2 Mbps?)
2. The AT&T Tech said it is IMPOSSIBLE for DSL to have speeds over 3 Mbps
(I assume Fusion is actually DSL since I only got a modem and its filters, maybe someone can explain this too)

The second point is what I need answered. All of the customer support seem to worry and assume it is about my "internal wiring" and they blow over my question. The tech seemed maybe 10 times more knowledgeable than any of the customer supports that I have received as calls or emails from.

NormanS
I gave her time to steal my mind away
MVM
join:2001-02-14
San Jose, CA
TP-Link TD-8616
Asus RT-AC66U B1
Netgear FR114P

NormanS

MVM

said by ctruong:

1. The site Pre-qualified me for up to 10 Mbps (why not just say up to 2 Mbps?)

Probably based on the AT&T database loop length. AT&T is notoriously bad at keeping this data accurate.

2. The AT&T Tech said it is IMPOSSIBLE for DSL to have speeds over 3 Mbps

Tech is wrong. I have personally seen an AT&T ADSL connection sync at 6016 kbps. Tech might be referencing the loop length? AT&T would only offer me 3008/512 service on a 9,156 foot loop. Sonic.net would sync on the same loop at ~5700/1000.

AT&T ADSL at 9,156 ft.

Sonic.net Fusion at 9,156 ft.

(I assume Fusion is actually DSL since I only got a modem and its filters, maybe someone can explain this too)

Yes, Fusion is ADSL2+; but still constrained by the limits of the loop length. My current connection is ~1/3rd the loop length shown above; reportedly 3,300 feet.

Sonic.net Fusion at 3,300 ft.


I switched between the SBC-issue SpeedStream 4100 ADSL modem and the Sonic.net-issue ZTE 831II ADSL2+ modem on the 9,156 foot loop; the speed results were identical. ADSL2+ only offers greater speed than ADSL on shorter loops.

The posted modem statistics show the possibilities.
ctruong
join:2014-08-27
Costa Mesa, CA

ctruong

Member

Thanks for the further information NormanS
said by NormanS:

Tech is wrong. I have personally seen an AT&T ADSL connection sync at 6016 kbps. Tech might be referencing the loop length?

He may be referring to just in my area I'll have to keep searching. I know how to get on the AT&T Modem page (192.168.0.1) but I am not sure how or if there is a page for Sonic.net. I too had AT&T DSL almost being identical to ADSL2, and I was surprised by the slow speed (expected and wanted at least 3-5x faster but only got maybe 0.33% faster)

dslx_nick
ISP Employee
join:2011-12-24
Chatsworth, CA

dslx_nick to NormanS

ISP Employee

to NormanS
The prequalification is a very broad estimate of predicted speeds. Here's a graph straight from Dane Jasper, CEO of Sonic:

»/speak ··· tY2hhcnQ (from »New Fusion average speed/distance chart)

As you can see from the graph, after determining looplength, there's still a fairly wide variance of speed based on line quality. Unfortunately, there's no easy numeric metric we can use to measure and predict line quality, otherwise we'd be able to give much more accurate speed predictions.

Also, in your case ctruong, there IS a remote terminal that is considerably closer to you than the central office is. Since Fusion only works from the CO, we have to use that longer loop to deliver the signal.

I suspect the field tech's comment regarding "no more than 3Mbps on DSL" is specific to your line to the CO. Looking at the readings from the line, it looks like the max theoretical speed for this line is about 3Mbps. Bear in mind, that's an absolute max - the line isn't able to sustain that level of speed and would be very unstable if we tried to push it that hard. Actual gross speed is currently clocking in at about 2.3Mbps stably. We can try to force it higher, but again, that can make the line unstable so generally not recommended. Unfortunately, it looks like your line would be one of the lower points on that scatterplot graph - the line quality just isn't very good, apparently.

Fusion utilizes ADSL2+. It's basically an advanced form of DSL which utilizes a much wider range of tones to convey data - sort of like a freeway that gets an additional four lanes added on to allow more traffic to flow through. Unfortunately, if the line quality is poor, then those additional tones don't carry very well - so to carry the analogy, if the additional lanes on the freeway are full of potholes or are very slick and treacherous, they're not going to get used very much (and attempting to use them could even cause accidents), so their presence doesn't really help much. Same thing with ADSL2+ - the additional tones work GREAT as long as they can carry across, but if you're too far out or the line quality is too poor, then they don't really help.

Since we can't predict the line quality in advance, that's one reason why we have the 30-day guarantee - so our users can actually try it out and see how it's going to behave. Given your situation, it doesn't look like Fusion is the best fit for high speeds for you. It looks like the new products we're rolling out very shortly would work better for you, so I would recommend keeping the Fusion for a little longer and then you'll probably want to switch over to one of the new products.
ctruong
join:2014-08-27
Costa Mesa, CA

ctruong

Member

said by dslx_nick:

Fusion utilizes ADSL2+. It's basically an advanced form of DSL which utilizes a much wider range of tones to convey data - sort of like a freeway that gets an additional four lanes added on to allow more traffic to flow through. Unfortunately, if the line quality is poor, then those additional tones don't carry very well - so to carry the analogy, if the additional lanes on the freeway are full of potholes or are very slick and treacherous, they're not going to get used very much (and attempting to use them could even cause accidents), so their presence doesn't really help much. Same thing with ADSL2+ - the additional tones work GREAT as long as they can carry across, but if you're too far out or the line quality is too poor, then they don't really help.

Thanks Nick, this explains a lot, for some reason the word "fusion" made me think it was a whole new different type like U-Verse or FiOS. I might try to stay if I can find a good decent high speed for its price but I am not too certain. How would I find better estimates or find locations of the proximity of different offices near my location? Our home is pretty old and I don't think our wiring is much up to date, hence why I am searching into some sort of installation like U-Verse for an example.

With a family of six, each person can tend to hog our bandwidth even with one simple video or download.

dslx_nick
ISP Employee
join:2011-12-24
Chatsworth, CA

dslx_nick

ISP Employee

It's not entirely different technology, but it's a significant leap forward. Sort of like going from CDs to DVDs to Blu-Ray - the fundamental technology is essentially the same, but the finesse in handling it improves exponentially to the point that it practically is 'completely different'. After all, can you imagine how many CDs it would take to record a Blu-Ray movie? They may all use the same-sized plastic disc, but Blu-Ray is able to compress a lot more data into the same physical format. Same thing.

Similarly, things which disrupt one will disrupt all. A crack in the disc, or dirt on the surface, or heat warping, will keep any of those discs from playing properly. A short in the phone lines, or an unfiltered device plugged in, or excessive loop length, will cause problems for both DSL and ADSL2+.

In your case, it's not so much a matter of locating the different offices nearby - that can be a bit misleading and isn't something I'd suggest you waste your time on. You're currently connected to the nearest central office (you're automatically connected to the nearest one when you sign up for Fusion service), and I assume you're not planning to move to another house.

With regards to inside wiring, one thing I can suggest you try, if possible, is to go outside and look at the phone box, and see if there's a test jack there. If so, would suggest you try connecting the modem directly to the test jack and see if that improves your speeds noticeably. Make sure you're using a short phone cord (10' or less); longer phone cords can cause issues. If you're not seeing any significant improvement, then that tells you it's not a problem with your inside wiring (so no need to worry about that, in that case).

I hear ya with the large family issue. Definitely think you should keep an eye out for the new products we've been discussing here; I do think that would work for you.
ctruong
join:2014-08-27
Costa Mesa, CA

2 edits

ctruong

Member

said by dslx_nick:

I can suggest you try, if possible, is to go outside and look at the phone box, and see if there's a test jack there. If so, would suggest you try connecting the modem directly to the test jack and see if that improves your speeds noticeably.

Thanks! I will definitely try this and get back to you. As for the for the clarification, I'm starting to get it down now. Unfortunately again, my mind could not recognize ADSL2+ was really A+DSL (probably for Advanced DSL) and it just sparked today. /:

EDIT: I found three jacks that seem to head inside my home for the inside phone jacks. I went ahead and unplugged them all to try my modem alone directly hook up into my laptop. Unfortunately, I found out the speeds were the same, still ranging around 2.0-2.1 Mbps. The good news is that there is no issues with my internal wiring through the MPOE phone box. The bad news is that there is no longer and solution for my Fusion and I will most likely have to change plans.
reader50
join:2003-01-23
California

reader50 to ctruong

Member

to ctruong
said by ctruong:

With a family of six, each person can tend to hog our bandwidth even with one simple video or download.

Your Fusion speeds might be ok for one user, but multiple simultaneous users is something else. It does suggest cable internet at a higher speed and/or a router with bandwidth management to ration everyone.

If you can't get higher speed from another source, you could consider multiple Fusion subscriptions for the household.
ctruong
join:2014-08-27
Costa Mesa, CA

ctruong

Member

Yes, I am definitely looking for a higher speed. Even with bandwidth management, it would just force everyone to use less speeds and end up being another annoyance.

About all of my original questions and concerns have now been clarified since the beginning of this post so I'd like to thank everyone for contributing.
Expand your moderator at work

customer
@68.183.126.x

customer to ctruong

Anon

to ctruong

Re: [Fusion] Fusion + Broadband Combo only receiving 2 Mbps Download Speed

"I've have installed the ADSL2 modem leased to me with the phone filters"

Did you by any chance put a filter on the modem line too by mistake?
ctruong
join:2014-08-27
Costa Mesa, CA

ctruong

Member

said by customer :

Did you by any chance put a filter on the modem line too by mistake?

Nope, just only phone lines with the filters and modem itself without one. I'm most likely going to try AT&T again and go for a U-verse bundle since my household really needs guarantee high speeds. I still have about 2 weeks left of my 30 day satisfaction. I also heard it may take awhile for them to close down the internet so I am planning to switch within one week ahead.

dslx_nick
ISP Employee
join:2011-12-24
Chatsworth, CA

dslx_nick

ISP Employee

»DSLExtreme trueSTREAM Did you try prequalifying your address on our website recently?
ctruong
join:2014-08-27
Costa Mesa, CA

ctruong

Member

I have prequalified for my address and can get up to the 45/6 speed.
Currently I and trying to find a VoIP and switch over to trueSTREAM, I hope I am doing it correctly.

dslx_gm
ISP Employee
join:2002-12-26
Chatsworth, CA

dslx_gm

ISP Employee

said by ctruong:

I have prequalified for my address and can get up to the 45/6 speed.
Currently I and trying to find a VoIP and switch over to trueSTREAM, I hope I am doing it correctly.

Based on our PM conversation you are on the right track for a smooth transition. I think you are going to be very happy with the new service.

Thanks!