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connection speed

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by user9261 1 view

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usually when you are connected to the internet the two little computers appear in your system tray and light up when the is data being transfered. if you double click it or hover you mouse over them it tells you
1)bytes recieved
2)bytes sent
3)cennection speed in bytes per second

my question concerns number 3.
when i hover my mouse over it is says 'connected at 57600bps' whatever the speed is. in the modem properties under the general tab you can select the maximum speed of your modem and say whether to only connect at this speed or not. well i have selected 57600 as mine is a 56k modem and the always connect at this speed box is unchecked. i have got the right driver for my modem and i have uninstalled it and reinstalled but it still says the same '56700 bps'. even if i select '38400' or '115200' in the maximum speed box it still says 56700. i can make it say anothe option by uninstalling it and then reinstalling it but it never gives me a proper connection speed and always just the number i select. why? and how can i make it show my true connection speed?

10 replies

by dmiles

You will never get a true connection speed,becuase their are other things that play in the connection speed
The telephone line and the signal travels through it may have interference depending on the building and where the line runs from
Your ISP may be governing your speed depending on whether they support or have you connected at 56K
The governing body does not allow you to get the full speed of 56K,even though you have a 56k modem
Then their is the determing factor of how much traffic ison the server you are accessing at the time.

by user9261

i know all that but how can i get it to tell me my connection speed, without having to go to somewhere like pcpitstop to check my bandwidth!

by curacao_dejavu

with a 56k modem you should normally connect at 115200. If you dont its because noise on the line (with degrades the quality of the communication, ask your telephone company to check the line) or because your isp supports till 56700, you should ask them what their modem pool is 33.6K/56K.)

you can test your bandwith at
http://webservices.cnet.com/bandwidth/

regards,

Leopold

by user9261

i don't want to have to go the to check my bandwidth. i want it to tell me when i hober my mouse over the two little computers!

by sixfourtykilo

It is always going to say 56700 when you change those settings in your modem properties because you are changing the speed of the COM port, not the connection speed. For your connection to be the most stable, the setting should be set at 115200. Try dialing a number that is ouside your area code, I'll bet your connection speed decreases.

Good Luck!
640k

by sixfourtykilo

Just thought of something - it also depends on how far away from the telephone station you are. The closer, the better the connection, etc. So when you dial that outside area code, you may not notice a difference. You should just be greatful thatyou get such a solid connection. However, if you connecting slower than you think you should be, post a comment and we'll try and work this out.

by user9261

thanks for the help i now realise though that i am just changing the speed of the com port and not the connection speed.

by vitoga

The 115200 bps in the Modem Port proerties or the Communications Port Properties has nothing to do with your internet connection speed. Notice that 115200 is given in bps and is much higher than the rated speed of the modem 56K. That is because this speed is referring to the transmission speed from your PC to your modem (the port speed).
It has to do with the UART chip not the phone line. Set the speed to 115200 because this will allow your modem and your PC to take advantage of the data compression capabilities of the modem and the communcations between your PC and modem will be quicker.
I know this doesn't help show you how to get your proper readings of the line speed. It's just that your getting confused with Line Speed and Port Speed. They are 2 different things.

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