Can slow interent be a sign of a modem going bad?

[NobodyIsHome]

My internet has been running slow for about a week, so I called up my ISP, and after doing a few things the rep told me everything was fine on their end. So I asked her, what then could be causing my internet to be running so slow? (On downloads I used to get 1.0 - 1.2 megs/sec, but am currently only getting anywhere from 50 - 250 ks/second). She told me it most likely is my modem going bad. It is about 4 years old now, which I suppose is getting close to its end-of-life. But I've never heard before that a slow running internet could be a sign of modem going bad (I always thought it would just conk-out when it dies). Does anyone know if that's true, or does this rep not know what she's talking about? Oh, and I should mention my computer is connected to the modem via a cable, not by wireless.

 

[Ranger4]

When an ISP rep tells you all is well at their end it often means they have no idea what they are talking about. I have had problems with mine & they always inform me that it's either my modem or something else, but as I have wireless broadband & I then inform then that my mobile phone won't work either they then start to look further & the most frequent cause has been their broadcast tower. In one case they actually supplied me with a new modem which was completely unnecessary as it was their problem again.

It always amusing to hear them say it seems to a problem at your end & not at our end.

 

[RoasterMen]

It's either their tower communicating slow as hell or the traffic on the line is heavy. Were there times that your internet speed goes at desired?

 

[GokAy]

Did you check speeds wih SpeedTest.net?

You can try factory resetting your modem (and/or router). My 5 year old Motorola cable modem was working like a clock when I had to replace it with a Docsis 3 modem 1.5 months ago.

 

[NobodyIsHome]

RoasterMen wrote:
It's either their tower communicating slow as hell or the traffic on the line is heavy. Were there times that your internet speed goes at desired?

No, it has never yet gotten back to where it used to be.

GokAy wrote:
Did you check speeds wih SpeedTest.net?

Yes, twice. The first result I got was: download 6.64 | upload 0.43. Then I did it again after unplugging the modem, plugging it back in, and rebooting the computer, and then got: download 10.06 | upload 0.77. Then I tested a download, but it still ran very slow.

I'm beginning to think it is the modem. Does it sound that way?

 

[Dude]

What modem do you have? I would say you should be using a docsis 3.0 cable modem at least. If it is an older gen, it may be the issue. I had the same problem a while back, and upgrading the modem fixed it

What's your Internet Speed? - Page 27

 

[NobodyIsHome]

It's an Actiontec, with the Quest brand name on the front. It's four years old.

 

[Dude]

Who is your ISP? That modem sounds like a DSL modem

 

[NobodyIsHome]

It is a DSL modem.

In my first post I wrote that my computer is connected to the modem by a cable, not wireless. Sorry if that caused confusion. I should have wrote "connected to the (DSL) modem by an Ethernet cable, not by a wireless adapter" to avoid confusion.

 

[Dude]

No problem, it would help us if you added your system specs completely, look here

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/180324-system-info-see-your-system-specs.html

I have not used DSL in a long time so I'm not sure of what else to tell you

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

A bad connection in the landline inside or where it comes into your home could cause the problem. check all connections you can find for looseness or corrosion.

Also, check to see if any of your closest neighbors are having problems with their internet speeds. If so, get back with your ISP (I'm guessing if the modem has a QUEST label on it, you are probably with Century Link). If you are renting your modem, ask them to upgrade it to see if that is the problem. After all, they own the modem and are making a mint off the modem rental so they should take responsibility for it.

 

[GokAy]

The second test you did 10.05/0.77 is normal (as you said 1.0-1.2 MB/s). Download being slow consists of many factors including line congestion and server load. If you get 10 Mb/s speedtest I would see no problem with your connection.

Are you the only one using the connection? Is your wireless (if you have it enabled) password protected? Next time this happens, stop using PC and watch leds for your router/modem. Do you see any activity?

 

[NobodyIsHome]

Thanks everyone for the ideas/suggestions. Apparently, the problem is solved. I took a can of air and blew into all the modem's vents (I unplugged it first, of course). After plugging it back in, I got my download speed of 1.0 - 1.2 m/sec back. I can't believe some dust on the inside of the modem caused the slow down, but evidently that was the problem. Or it was just a weird coincidence.

 

[GokAy]

For future reference if SpeedTest shows 10Mb/s, that is equal to 1.0-1.2MB/s (divide 10 by 8 and subtract some for overhead).

 

[Dude]

Glad that dusting helped, keep us posted

 

[NobodyIsHome]

For future reference if SpeedTest shows 10Mb/s, that is equal to 1.0-1.2MB/s (divide 10 by 8 and subtract some for overhead).

Even though speedtest said my speed was 10Mb/s, I still was only getting around 100 - 200 kb/sec on downloads, until I blew out the modem. Which makes sense I guess since the problem was dust inside my modem, and not the connection speed itself. But thanks for the info; now I know the next time I do a speed test it should be around 10 m/sec.

 

[GokAy]

Even though not relevant anymore, how much is your download from that site now?

I don't buy the problem was with modem, when SpeedTest was giving top speed. It is still good that you cleaned it, don't get me wrong. I just think your reasoning is wrong, and shouldn't base your judgement on a random download site. You can select a distant server (on the other part of the world) in Speedtest and it should still download at full speed with not so good ping values. Of course this depends on the server you connect to, however most servers should support your speed.

This is how I do it:
- If I sense any slow downs, I test with SpeedTest
- if it is indeed slow, I test with another SpeedTest server (sometimes servers need a restart )
- I also test with my laptop or phone (all smart phones have Speedtest apps) to rule out problem with computer
- if still slow, I reset my modem (it is a modem/router combo), when I had separate modem and router I used to reset them both. Then run another SpeedTest
- if still slow, I call my ISP's technical assistance service
- sometimes they re-apply some settings and all turn alright, sometimes it happens to be a regional problem (usually fixed in a couple of hours), if it is not fixed by any of these, ISP technicians come within 5 hours of my call and see if anything is wrong inside the home.

I hope this clears some confusion.

 

[NobodyIsHome]

Hi GokAy, went back to speedtest and got this: 9.08 download | 0.65 upload. Since the numbers were lower, I started a couple of downloads from different sites, and the speed was once again down to 250 kb/sec. Now I don't know what to think. Should I just buy a new modem?

[And is there a way to unmark a topic as solved?]

 

[Dude]

At the beginning of the thread where you clicked solved you can click again to mark unsolved.

Try a different browser and see if the speed is different.

 

[GokAy]

Yeah, browser can change results, I get best results with IE (talking about SpeedTest here). 9 down can be normal where you live (depending on peak times, and since today is holiday), depends on what other are doing.

NobodyIsHome, where are you trying to download from, can you give a link please?

Try other download sites, ones that are known to offer fast downloads.