dispatcher21
join:2004-01-22
Walla Walla, WA
edit:
April 22nd, @04:07PM
| Is Qwest throttling?
I have been having problems with my downloads as have others. I googled Qwest throttling and came up with a post from the Qwest forums(included below). In the chat trancript, the tech states that they do indeed throttle the platinum connections and I have read other posts here where Qwest techs have stated that they do. So, Qwest officialy throttles downloads now? This kinda sucks as I have stayed with Qwest because they didnt throttle bandwidth. Throughts opinions?
»https://forums.qwest.com/qwbb/board/mess···d.id=850
"----------------------
Me: I chose minneapolis. I got 0.969 Mbps down and 0.540 Mbps up. FYI, during the mornings I usually can get something around 4.400 Mbps down.
Him: Please be aware that your circuit is UP TO, which means we don't guarantee any speed at any time. 1mb, I will agree, is slightly slower than a single download (we truncate data flow between 1.5 and 3mb on busy trunks...therefore you will rairely get a true 5mb download speed for a single file).
Me: It concerns me that speed is throttled down to 1.5 mbs on busy trunks. I would expect capacity to be expanded so throttling wasn't necessary..
Him: Unfortunately that's not the case. The 3, 5 and 7mb circuits are bandwidth circuits...not speed circuits. We do indeed throttle downloads to around 1.5mb
Him: I'm sorry.
Me: Well, that helps explain somethings, however, up until a few weeks ago primetime speeds were very good. Now they are not. Downloading a file at 30kBs is unacceptable.
Him: I would be happy to send out a tech for you...but I'll be honest. The circuit is fine from our end.
Me: I agree, my circuit is fine. The problem is congestion or throttling on your network.
------------------------" |
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dispatcher21
join:2004-01-22
Walla Walla, WA
edit:
April 22nd, @04:08PM
| Well, I decided to chat with a tech and ask them. I dont know if he understood what I was talking about or just wont answer the question, either way, he never does answer my question.
Chat ID : 65a2d13b-d92d-4270-bb18-4ce0a92db3ddDate/Time: 4/22/2008 2:26:14 PMProblem : Live Person - Emilio TN 509-527-xxxx Questions about download speed with Platinum BB on account.
Analyst Frank > Thank you for contacting Qwest QuickAssist. My name is Frank and my tech ID is FF1. Can you verify your name and DSL/Broadband telephone number please?
Emilio > Emilio Serrano 5095279908I have read on qwest discussion forums that during primetime hours in the evening, Qwest intentionaly throttles download speeds to 1.5mbps on platinum accounts, is this true? I ask because I thought I was having a congestion problem with my line but now wonder if I am just being throttled.
Emilio > Hello?
Analyst Frank > I apologize for the issue you are having. That is something I can help you with and I'll attempt to get this resolved for you as quickly as possible. Give me just a few moments to look up the account and gather all the information I need to resolve this for you.
Analyst Frank > Run a speed test from this site and let me know what the results are please. »speedtest.qwest.net/
Emilio > I am not at home and that wouldnt help since the slowdown is in the evening hours. I was just wondering if Qwest does indeed throttle download speeds in the evening on certain accounts?
Analyst Frank > Right now I am able to see the modem connected at the provisioned speed of 3 megs and do not see any problem with the service. I suggest running a download test from this site when at home and you should expect 80% of that 3 megs. If you do not see that give us a call or come back into chat so that we can determine what the problem may be. Keep in mind that the test should be run from a computer that is directly connected to the mode with an ethernet connection and not run through a router or switch.
Emilio > During the day I run speed tests and they come out ok, in the evening, instead of the 324 kb/s, it goes down to 140 kd/s, so my questions is, does Qwest throttle download speeds in the evening on certain accounts?
Analyst Frank > You should see 80% of the 3 megs you are paying for. However, I would suggest running the download test from the Qwest site.
Emilio > Yes or no, does Qwest throttle speeds in the evening on certain accounts?
Analyst Frank > What I have said is that you should expect 80% of 3 megs at all times.
Emilio > That doesnt answer the question, does Qwest intentionaly throttle downloads on certain accounts at night?
Analyst Frank > 3 megs is what the circuit is provisioned for and if you are not receiving that speed there is a problem. That mean in the morning or the evening. I don't know of any throttles on your dsl service.
Emilio > Thank you. |
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Tehrasha
join:2004-12-15
Vinton, IA
| reply to dispatcher21
said by dispatcher21  :Him: Unfortunately that's not the case. The 3, 5 and 7mb circuits are bandwidth circuits...not speed circuits. We do indeed throttle downloads to around 1.5mb------------------------" I read that as meaning that each connection is throttled to 1.5mb, so if you are running something like bittorrent, you could potentially be on multiple 1.5mb connections.
See also another Qwest Forum post about bandwidth throttling/shaping.
»https://forums.qwest.com/qwbb/board/mess···.id=1229
As with all internet connections, you have to consider the possible speed limitations at the sourse as well as your own. |
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Qwest User
@2wire.com
| reply to dispatcher21
No throttling |
i have 3mb service. I have never seen throttling |
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RevMortis
I Hear Dead Silicon
Premium
join:2005-05-10
Saint Paul, MN
 ·Qwest.net
| reply to dispatcher21
Congestion problems can also occur at the ISP. Remember all your traffic is routed to the ISP and exits to the Internet via the ISP's trunk line(s).
If you're seeing congestion problems during prime-time, Personal experience indicates that the ISP's trunk may be the culprit. ALL ISP's oversell thier trunk line(s). |
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Tehrasha
join:2004-12-15
Vinton, IA
| reply to Qwest User
But can you get 300k from a single connection?
You've got 34 connections coming in on that torrent, so of course you can saturate your connection.
The day/night thing that dispatcher21 is seeing is most likely net congestion, but a per-connection limitation may be in play all the time. |
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questionable
join:2005-10-18
Phoenix, AZ
·Qwest.net
edit:
April 24th, @12:10PM
| reply to dispatcher21
Hey i have Qwest 3mb service also and this is a better test of speeds vs a torrent
I downloaded AVG from AVG's website
304KB/sec looks like they just might throttle a bit per connection
that guys torrent shows him at kb |
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dispatcher21
join:2004-01-22
Walla Walla, WA
edit:
April 24th, @01:58PM
| reply to dispatcher21
The only reason that I brought this up is because I have seen several cases where a tech has stated that they do indeed throttle speeds. Are the techs mistaken or just misinformed? Possibly, I dont know. I was assured by someone on the forums that Qwest does not throttle so I will take him at his word. |
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bufferoverrun
@qwest.net
| reply to dispatcher21
I just had service restored on Wednesday the 23rd and I immediately noticed throttling or shaping on my bittorrent client.
I used to get 90kbps up and now every few minutes it goes 8kbps up and then abruptly drops, this is exactly what I was experiencing on comcast
tech support said line quality is fine
can anyone confirm or have experienced similar results |
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Sefirato
Turambar, Master of Fate
Premium
join:2002-05-08
Anchorage, AK
| reply to dispatcher21
What modem do you have?
I have a 2wire 2701g-hd B version.
I am on the 7 mbit service here, and I do notice that the packets are separated at 1.5 MB per connection, meaning each download can only go 1.5 unless they're from several different addresses such as bittorrent has the capability to do so. As far as I can see, it only happens on wireless. Both of the systems I have in the house are on wireless, and when I connect to the modem by a direct line (ethernet), I get the full speed, without any issues at all.
--
"Farewell, O twice beloved! A Túrin Turambar turun ambartanen: master of doom by doom mastered! O happy to be dead!" - Nienor Níniel
Then she cast herself off Cabed-en-Aras and was lost forever. |
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Wasaqwestguyonce
@qwest.net
| I worked at Qwest DSL technical support for over 2 years in the Salt Lake City downtown center. Officially, there is no throttling of bandwidth.
Truthfully, Qwest frequently oversells their bandwidth capacity and in some areas have no choice but to throttle to compensate. This is less an issue recently as it was in the past.
Example: Some Lucent RT stinger has a back end connection of a t1 to the CO. Qwest sells 4 256k lines, and 1 1.5/896 lines. So long as none of those 5 customers do online gaming or torrents or what have you, they aren't likely to notice. |
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banjo_john
join:2005-10-28
Loveland, CO
·Qwest.net
| reply to dispatcher21
I have 7 MB service and have never seen throttling. Last weekend I downloaded a Linux CD image at 5 to 6 Mbps. The theoretical maximum for a 7 Mbps circuit gives you a bit over 6 Mbps in real throughput.
I have seen some intermittent slowdowns that appear to be the result of traffic overloads, but nothing that would indicate that Qwest is applying any form of systematic throttling.
What some users are interpreting as throttling is most likely slowdowns resulting from traffic overloads or hitting the capacity of of remote DSLAMs that are fed with T1's. |
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longstreet
join:2004-11-14
Salt Lake City, UT
edit:
May 8th, @11:28PM
| reply to dispatcher21
Depends how your area is fed.
If you are a few thousand feet from a CO, you'll probably get the full 7 meg and never notice a bandwidth problem.
If you are distant to a RT that isn't fed as fast as it could be, you'll run into bandwidth issues when other people in your area saturate the line.
Remember, they sell 'up to 1.5 / 3 / 5 / 7 meg' If you want guaranteed bandwidth, then you should not be interested in residential service.
You might want to check out business lines. Bring your $$$ though. |
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caffeinator
Coming soon to a cup near you..
Premium
join:2005-01-16
Spokane, WA
·WebBand
| Yup, I agree.
I'm on Webband (3rd-party local ISP) with Platinum and just tested this:
Qwest.net Speedtest
Download Speed: 6.095 Mbps (0.8 MB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 0.383 Mbps (0 MB/sec transfer rate)
That is at 8:05pm on a Saturday night.
Trained at: Tx Rate 768 Rx Rate 7168 )
Oh, And, I've logged nearly 3Gb of traffic this month alone doing that. Granted, streaming vids from China or whereever is hit-or-miss, but being 1300' from the CO helps indeed.
Consider the time of day in the part of the world you are d/l-ing from too, as night here, could well be peak hours somewhere else. For example, just an hours different time on the same video went from 35Kbp/s to 300Kb/s.
-CaFF
--
My 9/11 Tribute..online since 9/14/01
Need an Avatar? Check out Wafen's Avatar Pages |
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lab16
join:2005-12-13
Albuquerque, NM
 ·Earthlink TrueVoice
·Qwest.net
| How do you tell how far away from a CO you are? I don't think I'm being throttled, but rather saturated, as my bittorrent connection manages to stay up to speed, but my internet browsing suffers considerably with pages not really loading, even if I considerably limit my BT bandwidth speeds to half of what I should be getting. |
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caffeinator
Coming soon to a cup near you..
Premium
join:2005-01-16
Spokane, WA
edit:
June 8th, @03:41PM
| Try this: »/coinfo
I guess the distance thingy is disabled now, but you can still use the "google map the location" at the bottom to see where it is. |
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longstreet
join:2004-11-14
Salt Lake City, UT
edit:
June 8th, @03:43PM
| reply to lab16
Qwest has an advanced tool that is sort of like 'line sonar' they can use to estimate your distance.
You'll need to get a knowledgable tech on the phone though . . .most of the frontline support guys don't know how to use it / or even have access to it. |
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lab16
join:2005-12-13
Albuquerque, NM
·Earthlink TrueVoice
·Qwest.net
edit:
June 8th, @04:10PM
| reply to dispatcher21
It looks like my modem might be causing the problems. I have the actiontech 701, and from what I can tell, it just can't handle alot of connections at once. I seem to be close to my CO, at 1.2 kilometers from it, so I don't think it would be that. I've quelched my bt max connections rather than speed, and that seems to have helped so far.
Assuming it is my modem, would other actiontech modems have this problem, or does anyone know if it's just confined to the 701 series? |
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longstreet
join:2004-11-14
Salt Lake City, UT
edit:
June 8th, @04:24PM
| I had a 701 years ago and I was literally across the street from the CO. This is right when they first offered the 7 meg. I had an unknown telephone outlet that was causing my issues. Once I moved an old piece of furniture and found it, once filterd, problems went away.
What is the modem trained at? And what are your speed tests?
Perhaps bittorrent is saturating your outbound connection making browsing slow. This can happen when p2p packets are assigned a higher priority than your web browsing packets.
Have you ever heard of QoS packet scheduling? I think the 701 has the ability. |
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Bink
join:2006-05-14
Denver, CO | reply to lab16
Try updating the firmware on the Actiontec—is has been known to fall over when trying to handle torrents with many connections. |
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