US Telco Support > CenturyLink > [CenturyTel] Variable dl speeds

[CenturyTel] Variable dl speeds

I don't think it's your modem, I think it's CenturyLink's crappy oversold service.

Let's compare your Internet service through CenturyLink to the water pipes in your house.

Let's say the "house" represents the general area you live in. CenturyLink has sold you access to the water, but CenturyLink is cheap and doesn't want to pay the water bill (even though you've certainly paid your portion of it).

So, CenturyLink decides to go down to the meter and turn the main valve for the house so that it's about 75% closed, resulting in decreased water pressure for all. Sure, there's enough for one person to take a shower or wash their clothes, but you live with 4 roommates.

Soon enough, someone wants to shower, someone else wants to wash clothes and someone else needs to make dinner, all at the same time. Because CenturyLink is cheap and doesn't want to actually use the money you and your roommates have paid them to pay the water bill, everyone suffers. The guy taking a shower doesn't get enough water to wash himself, the washing machine takes an hour to fill up and the guy trying to make dinner can't even fill up a pot to boil some potatoes. CenturyLink doesn't care, because CenturyLink spent the water money on a bag of crystal meth and is off in the woods tweaking somewhere.

CenturyLink comes back from the woods and points out that they didn't sell you x psi of water pressure, they sold you "up to" x psi of water pressure. Then, CenturyLink claims to be in a "water exhaust" condition where no water is available and makes up a story about having it fixed by next month just to get you out of their face. The problem is never fixed.

That water analogy about sums up my experience with CL over the past year or so. I have a 3 mbit connection that bounces around between 0.4 and 2.8, they've never fixed it, they probably never will, and I'm stuck with them because I live in a rural area with no other ISPs around.

CenturyLink after their merger with Qwest is now a Tier 1 service provider. They are a major backbone / network service provider.

»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tier_1_net···networks

I'm not sure you're water analogy makes sense. CenturyLink doesn't pay for service, they have peering agreements with the other major backbone providers such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Level3.

To say that a company purposefully provides bad service is probably not accurate. That's bad business even if they have a monopoly in the area.

In you're case, you're central office has various connections (bandwidth) to the internet. It's possible that they have over subscribed / over sold what they can actually provide in total, but it's not likely.

I've had a very consistent 10Mb / 768Kb service at that speed for over 1.5 years.

You're 3Mb connection should be near 3 and obviously never lower than 2.6, but there are numerous factors here. You have you're own equipment - in you're house:
- Inside wiring
- Modem / router
- Computer(s)

There's other factors CenturyLink has 0 control over:
- The server you are downloading from may be on someone else's network. It may have something wrong with it. It may be on a dial up connection.

Also, literally every company lists speeds as "up to".

reply to JgVan
Do you have a separate router?

Is the DSL modem in bridge mode?
You may want to experiment and give it a try.
»[CenturyTel] Westell 7500 rebooting

Hopefully you can have a tech check the line too. I use the Zyxel 660R-D1 DSL modem with my own router.

Also are you doing you're download tests using a wired connection?

reply to chomper87

I was simply pointing out that there are many factors in regard to speed. The OP asked about their Westell 7500. And there could certainly be an issue with it. That's something the OP can actually tinker with.

I could be wrong but I have my doubts that the the OP has the westell 7500 hooked up to another router as the 7500 is a combo modem/wireless router.

If the OP has already had someone come out and check things out and found nothing, sounds like it's just another unfortunate soul who is stuck with Centurylinks oversold/congested system.

I've tried 3 different modems/modem-wireless router units in various configurations and my night time speeds are so bad that I can't EVEN load a speed test. Yet Centurylink claims they see no problems.

I used to have what I THOUGHT was the WORST internet connection during prime time hours...HUGHESNET.

SURPRISE...centurylinks evening speeds are even WORSE than HUSHESNET!!!! Can't even muster up the bandwidth to load a freakin speedtest!!!

Sad.

reply to JgVan
Hi JgVan, we'd be happy to look into your DSL issues. Just email us at TalkToUs@CenturyLink.com and include your account information along with additional details on your trouble. Thanks.

Joey H
@CenturyLinkHelp Team

I was told by qwest before centurylink took over that they are required to keep it at 80% or higher. (This may be a FCC requirement I am not positive on it) If they go below that for length of time they are suppose to give a prorated bill or credit on the next bill.

First you have to catch them in the act and keep a log of the speed reduction.

I used tracert command to check latency latency can be a good indicator of throttling and where it is occurring. Example in command prompt you type tracert Netflix.com This gives you latency at each server point along the way between you and netflix.

If centurylink was throttling your connection it would have a high number next to their servers addresses. the number indicates how much time it takes for the info pack to move.. This is the understanding I was given when dealing with throttling when they were upgrading to fiber-optic here. I could be wrong it all depends on the knowledge level of the people that were explaining it to me. on both netflix and qwest sides. in this case it was the L3 who were throttling netflix streaming to me.

I lucked out. they just finished the fiber-optic between my city and the Twin cities in MN before century bought qwest. Fiber-optic runs right outside my building if I understand qwest rep right

I can confirm FCC does have control oversight of the broadband, He said it to me 3 times in our conversation, when I was talking to them about the "terms of use" that governs how we use the broadband as consumers and the illegal way centurylink slipped in the arbitration clause that guts our consumer protection and legal rights.

Qwest said we were exhausted too, before centurylink took over. fiber-optic was suppose to bring some relief in our area. Or at least stabilize the download for the people already on the DSL service.

Mooch are you using the qwest/centurylink speed test?? I was told specifically NOT to use third party testers. I have a sick suspicion that centurylink goes out of their way to make sure third party testers don't work properly. So as to keep us from knowing if we actually are getting the speed we paid for.

Way I know if I am having issues is, when watch HD movie on 7mb connection. If your not getting throttled then movie plays in HD if you are it drops to dvd or vcd quality with noticeable blocking artifacts. This is the only way been able to test without a tester.

I know from expierience that I have tried third party testers that were showing 2mb or lower while the qwest/centurylink was showing 5-6mb at the same time.

Does anyone know if maybe the reason for speed inconsistancy is because of the way centurylink "mightbe" using either encription or compresion software between users and the centurylink servers?? then changed to a more universal format to be sent out over the net? And the incompatability is causing third party speed testers to be way off? I admit this train of thought is pure ignorance on my part. And I could be way off on why there is such a massive disparity in tester results. Lets see if people with the right info can confirm or disprove my train of thought as possible reasons.

I could NEVER get a straight answer out of qwest or centurylink on this issue of the disparity between testers. I would ask specifically "WHY is there such a discepency between your tester and the other third party testers out there?" Their answer has always been "DON'T USE THIRD PARTY TESTERS"