My modem: Why doesn't it run at full speed?56k?

Question

I have a 56k modem in a emachines T1100 (XP) with 1Ghz celeron and 256Mb RAM. It will not transfer data faster than 30Kbps. I've actually tried replacing the whole computer with an older one (Win. ME 566Mhz celeron) and it does the exact same thing, completely different system, hardware, etc. Is it something in the settings or is it the phone line or what? What can i do to make these work at full speed?

I live in an area where dsl and high speed cable are not available. If they were i'd jump on it. but dial up is all i've got to deal with. Hopefully that will change soon
they've been promising it for about 5 years now but so far no progress.

Answer 1

That's the ONLY speed that your ISP can give you!

At home, I have two lines/modems (both 56k). Both computers are side by side, but still it won't give me the FULL 56k even I connect directly without ISP.

Change your provider and it may increase your speed though...

Answer 2

Actually in reality people say why does the box say 56 k well by federal regulations FCC regulation it mentions that speeds cannot exceed 53 kbps in modems due to some interference in phone. (I don't believe this is the case but oh well what can we do?)First my computer gets about 47kbps which is fast according to the telephone company.I have Bellsouth according to the tech support person he mentions that there are could be certain limiting factors that can affect you internet speed.


1.Line Condition
2.The amount of cable used (i dont believe this because my computer is being connected to the internet through a 100 ft cable.
3.Your phone company
4.How close your phone company is to you.
5.The condition of the lines in your house.
6.Electromagnetic Inteference
7.The use of line conditioners by the local phone company ( i believe this is true if the phone company dosen't use the line conditoners , it coulld even drop you internet connection due to interference)
8. And the most important one of all how many people in your area use the same number to dial to the internet.

So i think 30 it could be due to your connection if you are far from the telephone provider,or if there is a lot of interference is the cause however keep this in thought if it drops below 30 k live 15 k then you should contact your internet provider tech support and complain thell probably tell you 30 is ok but 15 is terrible. I ve gone up to 53.2 k in speed but the reason was my phone company finally put some line conditioners and upgraded the phone lines. I ve also had it drop to 11 k in speed, so don't worry if its 30 its normal for dial up,

I hope this answers your question
oh and by the way upgrade to DSL and cable youll notice the diffrence

Oh by the way i read the addition to your question if in the meantime you have no DSL avaible i recommend you contact oyur provider and ask them for that thing you see on T.V. as and internet accelerator, it does not speed up your connection but it speeds up your web pages faster i recommend it for the meantime until DSL is up and running, i have bellsouth with accelerator technology and i pay 14.95 its not blazing fast connection but the webpages is faster.

Answer 3

Internet connections have heavy overhead which means the actual speed of transfer of data is only about 10% or 5kbps for a dial-up modem. A lot of bandwidth is used for the behind-the-scene processes like handshaking, checking for lost sections, etc. I am not sure how you are getting 30kbps. It has nothing to do with your computer.

Answer 4

What are you connecting to? If you are connecting to another 56k modem in a pc that is near the best you can do. If connecting to a digital service such as used by an ISP you can get 53kbps at best. The best throughput is acheived on clean lines. If you listen on line and hear static and noise, so will your modem and it will slow down accordingly.

Answer 5

Ah, 56k, I don't miss those days. Anyway, it is most likely your isp. Change ISP's, or better yet get high speed.