What does the Verizon FiOS Speed Optimizer do?

I'd prefer to check the settings myself, so I'm just curious as to what the optimizer would do, and if it would allow me to confirm changes? I was not willing to blindly run it.

Thanks,

Eric

PS. Optimizer can be found here: http://my.verizon.com/services/SpeedOptimizer/FiOS/

Accepted answers

somegirl

FiOS Speed Optimizer

What does the Speed Optimizer tool do?
There are several system parameters that can be altered on your PC in order to
improve download speeds over the FiOS® network.

The Speed Optimizer tool modifies your TCP/IP configuration to allow your system
to receive data at a faster rate.

What is TCP/IP?
TCP/IP Stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol and allows your
system to communicate with other networked computers over the Internet. The
standard TCP/IP configuration is optimized for communications over small local networks.

Which parameters and settings does the Speed Optimizer modify?

TCP 1323 Extensions - This parameter enables enhancements to the TCP/IP
protocol that provide improved performance over high speed connections.
TCP Receive Window - This parameter specifies the number of bytes a sender
(the source you are downloading from) may transmit without receiving an
acknowledgment. Modifying it determines the maximum size offered by the system.
MTU (Maximum Transmission Units) - The MTU defines the largest single unit
of data that can be transmitted over your connection. The FiOS network
requires an MTU of 1492 bytes.

All comments

somegirl

FiOS Speed Optimizer

TCP 1323 Extensions - This parameter enables enhancements to the TCP/IP
protocol that provide improved performance over high speed connections.
TCP Receive Window - This parameter specifies the number of bytes a sender
(the source you are downloading from) may transmit without receiving an
acknowledgment. Modifying it determines the maximum size offered by the system.
MTU (Maximum Transmission Units) - The MTU defines the largest single unit
of data that can be transmitted over your connection. The FiOS network
requires an MTU of 1492 bytes.

EJRW

Thanks. I figured it would tweak the MTU, but did not know about the TCP settings.

stw2031

Thanks for the info about what will change! One followup question:

Is there a way to back up the settings before the optimizer does its thing (just in case I want to roll back the changes)?

Thanks again!

db909

Create a system restore point that you can roll back to if needed.

VUser50

Anyone know if these changes are actually helpful?

tns2

@VUser50 wrote:
Anyone know if these changes are actually helpful?

For older systems it was definitely helpful. For Windows Vista and later, not so much. Ditto for later versions of Mac.

kountryranger1

Are these setting changes ocurring on the PC or on the Actiontech router?

vzn-minion

Terrible tool, provides no information about current settings or what its changing, great for those that blindly trust downloaded software and likely already have a malware infested PC. You should avoid this like the plague.

tns2

Actually it does say what it changes. Should be unnecessary unless you are still running Windows XP.

smith6612

If you jail the tool or run Process Monitor with a filter set to watch the tool, you can see the exact changes it makes. Everything it touches is related to the networking stack, which has all of it's settings in the registry.

Jim1041

What up/down load speed am I paying for?

[Deleted User]

As this thread is now over two years old, it will be locked in order to keep discussions current. If you have the same or a similar question/issue we invite you to start a new thread on the topic.