Is this BS

Ben:

When you talk about speed, I assume you are talking about upload/download
speed.
I really don't d/l stuff.

BUT, I do find at times things slow down to a CRAWL. I am talking about
going from one site to anotger (websurfing). Everything just almost freezes.
Most of the time, this is not the case and things move along just fine. Do
you think an upgrade to a DOCSIS 3.0 modem would solve that problem?

Mel


"Ben Myers" wrote in message
...
On 4/7/2010 10:25 AM, MZB wrote:
I got the email below from Charter. About 15 months ago I got tired of
paying their $5/month modem charge and bought a new (reconditioned)
lynksys
modem. It works great but I have noticed that things are a tad slower of
late. But I don't know if this is accurate, or just a sales pitch. Is
there
some way to test this?

Mel


Things are getting faster all the time and we're here to keep you
up
to speed.

Based on your account information, you have an older modem that is
no
longer optimizing your Charter Internet experience.

It is important for you to take action and replace your modem.
This
ensures that you continue to receive the fastest and most reliable
Internet
speeds available?.

To help make this process easy, you can lease a new modem for only
$5/mo or purchase a replacement. Click the link below to get started.


REPLACE YOUR MODEM NOW

Thank you for choosing Charter. We look forward to many more years
of
delivering you the best Internet experience.


Sincerely,
The Charter Internet Team




Well, good old bankrupt Chapter 11 Charter DID upgrade the speed of its
service here in central MA, and it was done free of charge. Supposedly,
you need a DOCSIS 3.0-compliant cable modem to actually get the high
speed. But other people here in town continue to use older Motorola
Surfboards like the SB4100, and they report faster speeds. Feeling flush
with cash, I spent less than $100 for a Motorola SB6120 cable modem,
putting my old SB4100 aside, and yes, it is faster.

Here is what I suggest. Go to www.dslreports.com and run a few of the
various speed tests there, and see what speed you are getting versus the
alleged speed advertised by Charter. Then make a decision based on fact,
not being pushed by Charter or swayed by the experience of someone else in
possibly different circumstances... Ben Myers

On Thu, 8 Apr 2010 22:41:16 -0400, "MZB"
wrote:

Ben:

When you talk about speed, I assume you are talking about upload/download
speed.
I really don't d/l stuff.

BUT, I do find at times things slow down to a CRAWL. I am talking about
going from one site to anotger (websurfing). Everything just almost freezes.
Most of the time, this is not the case and things move along just fine. Do
you think an upgrade to a DOCSIS 3.0 modem would solve that problem?

Mel




Mel, just a guess but could this crawl be due to your antivirus
running a scan while you are websurfing ?

nope

Mel
"RnR" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 8 Apr 2010 22:41:16 -0400, "MZB"
wrote:

Ben:

When you talk about speed, I assume you are talking about upload/download
speed.
I really don't d/l stuff.

BUT, I do find at times things slow down to a CRAWL. I am talking about
going from one site to anotger (websurfing). Everything just almost
freezes.
Most of the time, this is not the case and things move along just fine. Do
you think an upgrade to a DOCSIS 3.0 modem would solve that problem?

Mel




Mel, just a guess but could this crawl be due to your antivirus
running a scan while you are websurfing ?

On 4/8/2010 10:41 PM, MZB wrote:
Ben:

When you talk about speed, I assume you are talking about upload/download
speed.
I really don't d/l stuff.

BUT, I do find at times things slow down to a CRAWL. I am talking about
going from one site to anotger (websurfing). Everything just almost freezes.
Most of the time, this is not the case and things move along just fine. Do
you think an upgrade to a DOCSIS 3.0 modem would solve that problem?

Mel


"Ben wrote in message
...
On 4/7/2010 10:25 AM, MZB wrote:
I got the email below from Charter. About 15 months ago I got tired of
paying their $5/month modem charge and bought a new (reconditioned)
lynksys
modem. It works great but I have noticed that things are a tad slower of
late. But I don't know if this is accurate, or just a sales pitch. Is
there
some way to test this?

Mel


Things are getting faster all the time and we're here to keep you
up
to speed.

Based on your account information, you have an older modem that is
no
longer optimizing your Charter Internet experience.

It is important for you to take action and replace your modem.
This
ensures that you continue to receive the fastest and most reliable
Internet
speeds available?.

To help make this process easy, you can lease a new modem for only
$5/mo or purchase a replacement. Click the link below to get started.


REPLACE YOUR MODEM NOW

Thank you for choosing Charter. We look forward to many more years
of
delivering you the best Internet experience.


Sincerely,
The Charter Internet Team




Well, good old bankrupt Chapter 11 Charter DID upgrade the speed of its
service here in central MA, and it was done free of charge. Supposedly,
you need a DOCSIS 3.0-compliant cable modem to actually get the high
speed. But other people here in town continue to use older Motorola
Surfboards like the SB4100, and they report faster speeds. Feeling flush
with cash, I spent less than $100 for a Motorola SB6120 cable modem,
putting my old SB4100 aside, and yes, it is faster.

Here is what I suggest. Go to www.dslreports.com and run a few of the
various speed tests there, and see what speed you are getting versus the
alleged speed advertised by Charter. Then make a decision based on fact,
not being pushed by Charter or swayed by the experience of someone else in
possibly different circumstances... Ben Myers



Really, unless you do a lot of downloads or maybe watch on-line videos,
DOCSIS 3.0 and the added speed from Charter is not something you would
notice. The crawls can be caused by temporary internet congestion, a
web site responding slowly, or some non-internet activity going on in
your computer.

Saying you have a DOCSIS 3.0 compliant cable modem is a lot like saying
that your wifi is 802.11n. So? At the end of the day, what difference
does it make. (Parenthetically, I made a service call today to a client
who went out and bought a new Linksys 802.11n router and a new Dell
Inspiron 865MT dual-core mid-tower. His old 802.11b Linksys worked
perfectly. He asked me to set up the new router. I did my usual manual
setup of a Linksys and it did not work. Then I ran their install CD,
and somehow the router still would not work, i.e. pass through a
connection to the internet. Finally, I put the 802.11b router back in
place, and, of course, it works perfectly. He also said that Best Buy
got the 802.11n router working in minutes in their store, of course.
I'd always rather have slow and reliable than really fast and
unreliable. Also see nVidia.)

Could also be caused by the computer gear at good old bankrupt Chapter
11 Charter. For a period of about a month here, Charter was losing
Ethernet frames randomly. So instead of a CRAWL, I would get NOTHING.
Then I'd request the page again or whatever and BANG! the response would
show up on screen... Ben Myers

Ben Myers wrote:
On 4/8/2010 10:41 PM, MZB wrote:
Ben:

When you talk about speed, I assume you are talking about upload/download
speed.
I really don't d/l stuff.

BUT, I do find at times things slow down to a CRAWL. I am talking about
going from one site to anotger (websurfing). Everything just almost
freezes.
Most of the time, this is not the case and things move along just
fine. Do
you think an upgrade to a DOCSIS 3.0 modem would solve that problem?

Mel


"Ben wrote in message
...
On 4/7/2010 10:25 AM, MZB wrote:
I got the email below from Charter. About 15 months ago I got tired of
paying their $5/month modem charge and bought a new (reconditioned)
lynksys
modem. It works great but I have noticed that things are a tad
slower of
late. But I don't know if this is accurate, or just a sales pitch. Is
there
some way to test this?

Mel


Things are getting faster all the time and we're here to
keep you
up
to speed.

Based on your account information, you have an older modem
that is
no
longer optimizing your Charter Internet experience.

It is important for you to take action and replace your modem.
This
ensures that you continue to receive the fastest and most reliable
Internet
speeds available?.

To help make this process easy, you can lease a new modem
for only
$5/mo or purchase a replacement. Click the link below to get started.


REPLACE YOUR MODEM NOW

Thank you for choosing Charter. We look forward to many more
years
of
delivering you the best Internet experience.


Sincerely,
The Charter Internet Team




Well, good old bankrupt Chapter 11 Charter DID upgrade the speed of its
service here in central MA, and it was done free of charge. Supposedly,
you need a DOCSIS 3.0-compliant cable modem to actually get the high
speed. But other people here in town continue to use older Motorola
Surfboards like the SB4100, and they report faster speeds. Feeling
flush
with cash, I spent less than $100 for a Motorola SB6120 cable modem,
putting my old SB4100 aside, and yes, it is faster.

Here is what I suggest. Go to www.dslreports.com and run a few of the
various speed tests there, and see what speed you are getting versus the
alleged speed advertised by Charter. Then make a decision based on
fact,
not being pushed by Charter or swayed by the experience of someone
else in
possibly different circumstances... Ben Myers



Really, unless you do a lot of downloads or maybe watch on-line videos,
DOCSIS 3.0 and the added speed from Charter is not something you would
notice. The crawls can be caused by temporary internet congestion, a
web site responding slowly, or some non-internet activity going on in
your computer.

Saying you have a DOCSIS 3.0 compliant cable modem is a lot like saying
that your wifi is 802.11n. So? At the end of the day, what difference
does it make. (Parenthetically, I made a service call today to a client
who went out and bought a new Linksys 802.11n router and a new Dell
Inspiron 865MT dual-core mid-tower. His old 802.11b Linksys worked
perfectly. He asked me to set up the new router. I did my usual manual
setup of a Linksys and it did not work. Then I ran their install CD,
and somehow the router still would not work, i.e. pass through a
connection to the internet. Finally, I put the 802.11b router back in
place, and, of course, it works perfectly. He also said that Best Buy
got the 802.11n router working in minutes in their store, of course. I'd
always rather have slow and reliable than really fast and unreliable.
Also see nVidia.)

Could also be caused by the computer gear at good old bankrupt Chapter
11 Charter. For a period of about a month here, Charter was losing
Ethernet frames randomly. So instead of a CRAWL, I would get NOTHING.
Then I'd request the page again or whatever and BANG! the response would
show up on screen... Ben Myers

Heck, most days I'm lucky if I get even close to the speed I'm paying
for now. Do I trust these jokers to deliver even higher speed? Nisht for
mein gelt.

Daddy

MZB wrote:
Ben:

When you talk about speed, I assume you are talking about upload/download
speed.
I really don't d/l stuff.

BUT, I do find at times things slow down to a CRAWL. I am talking about
going from one site to anotger (websurfing). Everything just almost freezes.
Most of the time, this is not the case and things move along just fine. Do
you think an upgrade to a DOCSIS 3.0 modem would solve that problem?

Mel


"Ben Myers" wrote in message
...
On 4/7/2010 10:25 AM, MZB wrote:
I got the email below from Charter. About 15 months ago I got tired of
paying their $5/month modem charge and bought a new (reconditioned)
lynksys
modem. It works great but I have noticed that things are a tad slower of
late. But I don't know if this is accurate, or just a sales pitch. Is
there
some way to test this?

Mel


Things are getting faster all the time and we're here to keep you
up
to speed.

Based on your account information, you have an older modem that is
no
longer optimizing your Charter Internet experience.

It is important for you to take action and replace your modem.
This
ensures that you continue to receive the fastest and most reliable
Internet
speeds available?.

To help make this process easy, you can lease a new modem for only
$5/mo or purchase a replacement. Click the link below to get started.


REPLACE YOUR MODEM NOW

Thank you for choosing Charter. We look forward to many more years
of
delivering you the best Internet experience.


Sincerely,
The Charter Internet Team



Well, good old bankrupt Chapter 11 Charter DID upgrade the speed of its
service here in central MA, and it was done free of charge. Supposedly,
you need a DOCSIS 3.0-compliant cable modem to actually get the high
speed. But other people here in town continue to use older Motorola
Surfboards like the SB4100, and they report faster speeds. Feeling flush
with cash, I spent less than $100 for a Motorola SB6120 cable modem,
putting my old SB4100 aside, and yes, it is faster.

Here is what I suggest. Go to www.dslreports.com and run a few of the
various speed tests there, and see what speed you are getting versus the
alleged speed advertised by Charter. Then make a decision based on fact,
not being pushed by Charter or swayed by the experience of someone else in
possibly different circumstances... Ben Myers

if your internet connection is slowing to a crawl it is not because you
lack docsis 3.0. that only potentially gives you more performance, both
old and newer modems should give you very fast performance. i suggest
you discuss it with your provider. tell them that you are experiencing
intermittently slow performance and have them test your line. often
they can do a quick loop test and tell you if the line is up to spec or
not, and if not send out a tech to correct the problem. but there are
many factors that play a role in overall internet performance. and top
of the list i would consider what you are doing with the connection. if
your router is wireless then you may have a neighbor using it without
your knowledge. and if you or your uninvited wireless 'friends' are
running bittorrent then it is most likely the culprit. not only does
bittorrent connection cripple many routers (making them perform very
slowly) but vendors (charter being one of the very first) throttle users
that establish bittorrent connections.

On Fri, 9 Apr 2010 00:11:21 -0400, "MZB"
wrote:

nope



Ok, I tried

As Ben pointed out, can be many reasons so hard to say from here.
Usually my reason is the virus checking. If all pc's / laptops are
playing on line videos, music, etc... that can also do it as well as
web traffic, non-optimized settings (MTU etc..), ISP and so forth.

MZB wrote:
[snip]
BUT, I do find at times things slow down to a CRAWL. I am talking about
going from one site to anotger (websurfing). Everything just almost freezes.

Mel


Site to site sluggishness is often a latency problem instead of an
up/download problem. If the page begins to load shortly after clicking a
link, but takes a long time to download, then this is a speed problem.
However, if after clicking on a link, the "busy" cursor is displayed or
you see no indication of a page loading, this is most likely a problem
with DNS. This could happen if (1) Charter's DNS servers are responding
slowly, (2) You have the wrong DNS address configured in your network
setup, (3) Your URLs are being hijacked to another server.

Frank

Thanks for all your helpful responses.
Based on those responses, I see no reason to get a new modem.

I still have no idea what is causing the occassional CRAWLING.

One thing I've noticed: the fan is often on when this is happening. Can my
computer be running too hot (ie: could those be symptoms of a computer
running too hot?).

Basically, what happens is I click on a page and nothing happens for maybe
10 seconds. Then it continues to act slow. But I've also noticed that with
my other notebook.

Then all of a sudden it is speedy again. I've looked at task manager but the
only thing it identifies as taking up a lot of CPU is "system idle process."

Mel




"Cmplx80" wrote in message
...
MZB wrote:
[snip]
BUT, I do find at times things slow down to a CRAWL. I am talking about
going from one site to anotger (websurfing). Everything just almost
freezes. Mel


Site to site sluggishness is often a latency problem instead of an
up/download problem. If the page begins to load shortly after clicking a
link, but takes a long time to download, then this is a speed problem.
However, if after clicking on a link, the "busy" cursor is displayed or
you see no indication of a page loading, this is most likely a problem
with DNS. This could happen if (1) Charter's DNS servers are responding
slowly, (2) You have the wrong DNS address configured in your network
setup, (3) Your URLs are being hijacked to another server.

Frank

On Sat, 10 Apr 2010 22:36:54 -0400, "MZB"
wrote:

Thanks for all your helpful responses.
Based on those responses, I see no reason to get a new modem.

I still have no idea what is causing the occassional CRAWLING.

One thing I've noticed: the fan is often on when this is happening. Can my
computer be running too hot (ie: could those be symptoms of a computer
running too hot?).

Basically, what happens is I click on a page and nothing happens for maybe
10 seconds. Then it continues to act slow. But I've also noticed that with
my other notebook.

Then all of a sudden it is speedy again. I've looked at task manager but the
only thing it identifies as taking up a lot of CPU is "system idle process."

Mel



Sometimes I also check the memory useage as well as cpu.