11.73 kbps......help!

[hrd2kch]

I have had my modem/plan for a couple years now. Started with Alltel and am now with Verizon. I was initially very happy with the change over to Verizon. However it soon started some strange behavior. Occasionally my speeds will plummet to almost nothing. while looking at my statistics window i can see the speed spike to 11.73kbps then drop to almost nothing (less than 1kbps) then spike again. it will continue this behavior for random amounts of time. Sometimes just a minute or two, sometimes an hour or more. 

Problems are not related to signal strength as it remains constant (-80rssi revA). Disconnecting, powering down, restarting comp or modem or both nothing effects it. It will start this behavior for no reason and after some time it will return to normal function on its own.

Initially the problem was very sporadic, however is becoming increasingly frequent and longer lasting lately. I know my modem is fairly old, but it should still be supported and i have done all the updates i can find for it.

An ideas? Or is it likely a tower problem?

Thanks for any help.

[aintigreat]

Try a PRL Update, Go to Options > Activations, if that does not work drive to the other side of town and test the tower if it is the tower call verizon and escalate the issue.  Also you might want to consider on getting a wireless router It helps in getting a faster connection and your able to position it where you have the strongest signal in your house, it also helps in getting rid of those pesky frequent disconnects, I got it from  http://www.3gstore.com/cradlepoint

[hrd2kch]

Any other ideas guys?

Its definitely not a signal issue. And the problem is so intermittent in duration that by the time i drive to a new tower its likely to have gone away on its own anyway. So trying a different tower wont help unless i could stay on it for a long time and determine that the problem does or does not occur. 

[hrd2kch]

Also, I was able to try running a ping test tonight. When I have the very low speeds i also have pings in the 2k-3k range. Usually I can ping google in 90-120ms.

I also still have an Alltel PRL and cant get it accept a verizon one. Any change this could be the trouble? Cant manually get it to accept because it asks for an activation code the I don't have.

[reallyniceguy]

I would try using the device on another pc. ALso on alltel cards I was not able to update my prl like the verizon cards, you have to call in and some special department in tech can push a prl update. Im almost sure its a prl issue. Could be a tower issue too tho or data card issue. I guess start from the bottom, get the prl updated, then try to have a trouble ticket then try replaceing card(for another alltel card and NOT verizon or say bye bye to unlimited.)

[derpudel]

This is a network issue! I have the exact same problem, and after numerous phone calls with tech support...all the way up to the upper tier support ppl,it was determined that the towers in my area are not capable of handling the amount of demand upon the network using mobile broadband. It is worse during high times of usage, which causes the random issue.

The solution they gave me was to wait it out until new equipment could be installed in our towers to add service.According to tech support, this should be installed towards the end of May!!!!! Until then, I have virutally NO internet service in high peak times...which is usually between the hours of 5 p.m. and midnight. At most other times, my service is ok. Sometimes is slows down at other times, but isn't consistently poor like at high peak times.

In other words, our local Verizon has outsold the network capabiliity to service the demand for data transfer using the mobile broadband modems.

This is a former Alltel area, btw, which has only two towers to serve this community. It is possible to improve data transfer speeds using the router, as suggested, and I may just purchase one to see if that will help.

[derpudel]

I also want to add to my above post, that is does help to try different PRL's...I use 3 different ones, switching around trying to find the best one for the moment. I know the code and how to install pushed PRL files to my hardware, so it is another way for me to ride it out, until the situation is solved.

If you would like to contact me, I'd be happy to help you with changing the PRL on your device, but I don't know if I have the right ones for your towers.