56k modem connects slow

[pinb@llz]

ok wizards ; ) here goes,

Rockwell HCF internal 56k data fax modem.
Windows xp.
On an otherwise good phone line. Usual connects are 40-45k with other modems and pc's.
Tried an updated driver already but the highest connect I get is 26k.
Even tried a couple different modems. 56k but different makes and models . Also tried ANOTHER of the same EXACT Rockwell modem. Same deal, 26k connections only.

thanx
ps-YES, I even tried beating my head against the floor. no help there either.

tt

 

[erickdj]

If I understand correctly, you said it can connect at higher speeds on a different phone line. If any modem you connect to the same phone line has the same problem, then by elimination you can point to the phone line itself. Try disconnecting all other devices from your phone line, phones, fax, other modems.... Interference and loss of signal strength can affect your connection speed. Do any of your neighbors have the same problem? You might also want to try a "string" for your modem, sometimes that will help with connection problems. Here's one of many strings for your modem: AT&F&C1&D2&K3+MS=v90,0 Do a search on google for "Rockwell HCF string", that will show you lots of sites with strings for your modem.

Here's a good site: http://www.modemhelp.net/r/rockwell.shtml

If all else fails, switch to broadband.

 

[RealBlackStuff]

You can achieve faster connections using OnSpeed. On a 56K modem like yours you will be able to get speeds of up to 250kbps.

Currently limited to webpages in Internet Explorer and emails in Outlook Express.
Caveat: it does not work on downloading already compressed files such as .zip and .rar.

The hitch?
It costs you £25.- per year
http://www.onspeed.com

PS: Works on broadband too, a 512k line can achieve up to 900kbps.

 

[Liquidlen]

There are a couple of settings in windows that can help with connection speeds.Try this site. The tests have never affected my machines and you can do each adjustment manually.
http://www.pcpitstop.com/

 

[StormBringer]

many factors can cause your problems, ranging from config settings to line noise. To check and tweak your config settings you can use DrTCP or Cablenut (both apps will work with dialup settings)
To check for line noise, you can listen for static on your phone while there is no ringtone.

 

[pinb@llz]

nah, the line is okay.
broadband! yeah, i wish. we only just recently got electricity and running water.
i'm definitely trying the modem strings. thanks all.

tt

 

[Rick]

"Rockwell HCF" says it all.

This is possibly one of the worst 56k modem chipsets ever designed.. At least from the standpoint of line static tolerance.

Get yourself a new modem and I think most of your problem will be solved. There are INIT stings which may help smooth your connection out a bit, but getting a good 3com or other non-winmodem will make all the difference.

 

[acidosmosis]

Originally posted by realblackstuff
You can achieve faster connections using OnSpeed. On a 56K modem like yours you will be able to get speeds of up to 250kbps.

It is impossible to get those speeds on dialup. A program may "cache" files, therefore allowing them to load faster the next time, and some V.92 modems can download certain files about 3% faster in some cases, but there is absolutely no way possible to download a file faster than about 53K in reality.

For one, phone lines are regulated by the FCC to 53K over this type of connection. Second a 56K modem is only capable of 56K connections thus "56K modem".

There are a LOT of ISP's out there claiming that you can get dsl speeds with dialup but this is just stupidity and they are trying to play on customer's inability to know better. They offer programs which cache files on the user end and the server's cache files on their end to create "faster downloads" (on webpages and such where it is possible to cache files).

Again, there is no possible way to get 250kbps on dialup.

Even when doing all this, it would be highly unlikely to gain something as high as 250kbps. Caching is not that reliable. Nor is compression.

Even IF all files were cached, you couldn't call that a real download in the first place if the cache is on your PC. You have downloaded it before in that case.

 

[Goalie]

In regards to the OnSpeed post...

1. This is a server side compression proxy. Ignoring privacy concerns, basically it creates a zip file for every web request and sends it to you, making your machine do extra work (in this case quad work courtesy of the winmodem).

2. Some compression proxies munge images while they're at it. Dunno about you, but I prefer to see what I'm looking at clearly. Hell hath no fury like the admin trying to read jumper settings/locations on an illegible online manual.

3. Now, even assuming that a user uses this proxy, and visits like 3 static HTML web pages which could be cached, the transmission speed emulation numbers you provide are highly suspect. Even with no line noise, a perfect modem, and perfect connection between you and the proxy. I'm sorry, but those speeds ain't gonna happen.

</rant mode>

And yeah, I gotta agree with Rick if I'm going to post something ontopic here- While more expensive, a non-winmodem (even external) is worth its weight. A decent 3com or USR hardware modem solves so many problems.




Edit: Acid had posted this link to the IRC channel. Everyone in there thought the same.. two of us obviously let you know about it.

 

[acidosmosis]

Originally posted by Goalie
And yeah, I gotta agree with Rick if I'm going to post something ontopic here- While more expensive, a non-winmodem (even external) is worth its weight. A decent 3com or USR hardware modem solves so many problems.

US Robotics external modems are what I've always recommended to everyone because they treated me very well.

Some modems I definately would NOT recommend would be Best Data.

It's already been said that anything with Rockwell is not a good idea.

Also, if buying V92 do a lot of research on what you are buying first or ask someone who you know for sure knows what they are talking about. Almost all V92 modems are ripoffs and advertise this "netwaiting" feature. For one most are not up to par on this new technology. Two, even if your V92 modem was PERFECT for NetWaiting, you will be lucky if it ever works for other reasons such as ISP incompatibility, phone line issues, call-waiting issues, etc. If you ever buy a V92 modem just don't expect the NetWaiting to work, cause 99% likely, it won't. V92 modems are supposed to "connect faster" and "download faster". This in some cases is true by about 3%. *shrugs*

Just thought I would drop those tips.

 

[StormBringer]

While HFC's are junk, I have had them in the past that worked great(because the phone line was almost perfect). There are still many other reasons not to use one though. I won't go into all that, I'll just keep it simple and agree that you need a hardware modem, probably easier to find an extertnal, many places don't keep anything internal in stock but winmodems anymore because they are so cheap. I would still suggest you have your phone line tested, even with a good modem, you could suffer lots of loss if you have a noisy line, though a hardware modem is better at dealing with noisy lines that aren't bad enough to really hear. Also, Goalie is correct about that OnSpeed, it doesn't actually speed anything up, it just uses compression in order to make it look like things are faster. I will again state the obvious, there is no way to get those speeds over dialup on a standard phone line. The FCC has limited those speeds to 53.3kbps, anything higher you see is misinformation(unless you are multilinking with multiple modems)