Slow Connection

[Thirdender]

Second day with Verizon DSL and have been extremely unhappy with the service thus far. I'm paying for the "fastest" plan which is listed at 4mbps - 7mbps, however, the actual speed is not the case. I have spent over 3 hours with various members of the support team and they all claimed to see that my modem is receiving signals from the main server. But when it comes to the actual speed tests, I'm getting less than 1mbps. What I see is that during off-peak hours (1am - 5pm) my bandwidth goes up to as fast as 6 mbps, but during peak hours, my bandwidth drops to less than 1mbps. So basically what I'm seeing is that when you're not around to use the internet, you get the bandwidth, but when you're actually home to use it, the bandwidth gets cut in half. The speed fluctuation is a clear indicator that it's not hardware on my end, but the output by Verizon.

Yes, the fine print from Verizon does read:

"Speeds and service availability vary. High Speed Internet will be provisioned based on Verizon line qualification requirements at 768 kbps  to1 Mbps (Fast plan); at 1.5 to 3 Mbps (Faster plan); at 4 to 7 Mbps (Fastest plan); and at 10 to 15 Mbps (Ultimate plan). Availability subject to final confirmation by Verizon."

I understand bandwidth can change and not guaranteed to be at 7mbps, but according to the fastest plan, I should be getting at least 4 Mbps at peak hours.

As noted in numerous threads in this forum, it seems like I'm not the only one who experience this kind of crap service. It's sad that so many people are paying for such service when Verizon clearly takes advantage of those who aren't paying close attention. Essentially the lesson I learned here is that we shouldn't pay for the fastest plans, but instead pay for the slow plan because after all, you're getting the same crap speed, at half the price. 

In case anyone in Verizon actually cares to read this and want to follow up, here's the info you always ask for: 

Modem: Westell 6100G

Operation System: WIndows XP, Vista, 7, Ubuntu Linux

Game System: Nintento Wii

It's one thing to point fingers at one faulty computer, but I have 5 computers used to connect to the Internet and a Wii, no way all 6 can be faulty and suffer from the same speed issue. 

Yes I run the speed test without the router from speedtest.net, bandwidthplace.com and your very own site. 

5pm - 12:59am  - <1mbps

1:00am - 6am  - 3mbps

6am - 3pm  - 6+ mbps

3pm - 5pm  - 3mbps

When I speak with tech support, they all seem to be baffled by my claim of <1 mbps bandwidth. So to help alleviate the surprise, a screenshot can be found here: 

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_1zimKMuEdsY/TQbczC8y_WI/AAAAAAAAABI/5Jt6IQbRBwg/s1024/speed.png

I don't know what else to do but to cancel this service. It's unreasonable to pay for a service where you only get a fraction of what you'd paid for - unless I'm missing something.

[dslr595148]

#1 With a web browse go to https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

#2 Below the text that says The text below might uniquely identify you on the Internet is an IP Address.

#3 All of the computers should be coming from that same IP.

#4 If not:

a) Please me/tell us that fact.

b) As to what it means - One or more of your computers is/are connected to some else's network!

--

#5 For the computer(s) running Windows XP:

a) Go to Start -> Run.

b) Type in cmd and press enter.

c) In the new window, called the command prompt, type in ipconfig /all and press enter.

d) Record what the Default Gateway is.

#6 For the computer(s) running Windows Vista OR Windows 7:

a) Go to the globe button in the left hand lower corner.

b) Type in command in the box and press enter.

c) Then right-click on Command Prompt and click Run as administrator. If a User Account Control window pops up, click Continue.

d) In the new window type in ipconfig /all and press enter.

e) Record what the Default Gateway is.

-

#7 For the computers running Ubuntu Linux, if using the gnome manager (which comes by default with Ubuntu) :

a) Go to Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal

b) Type in netstat -r and press enter.

c) Have a look for a route with destination "default" or "0.0.0.0"

d) Record that as the Default Gateway.

#8 All of the computers running Windows or Ubuntu should have the same Default Gateway.

#9 If not, please me/tell us that fact.

#10 If the Default Gateway on your computer(s) is not 192.168.1.1 please me/us that fact.