Is Halo 5 making the same mistake as HMCC?

Glad you're getting it sorted out GG.

That part about Federal law?

If that's true and I pay for 10mbps then why has mine in times past (less than 2 months) dropped from 10mbps to less than 2?

Yet if I complain about it I am told. 'You were promised up to 10mbps, not that it would always be 10mbps.'

Do you have a link to that Federal Law you can share?

Either way, I am going to moniter and record my connection speeds/outtages/drops more often.

 

I have my doubts about that federal law part. The FCC has been pushing to change the official definition of 'broadband speeds' recently, from 4Mbps to 25Mbps (down) if memory serves. But this doesn't have any immediate impact, aside from maybe shaming some
lower tier providers into bumping up their bandwidth.

Although it would likely make it illegal for ISPs to advertise their service as a 'Broadband Internet service' if their service no longer meets the official definition.

 

Azrael, I've told everyone on these forums countless times, and it still remains to be true, that I am already getting the best package available in my area from the only ISP in my area. AT&T offers U-Verse, which would get me better Internet (up to 50mbps),
but it's not available where we live. Believe me, if I could've, I would've gotten it years ago...

That being said, something changed with our ISP (or with Internet companies in general) - because we've had the same Internet package for years now, and up until about a year or 2 ago, they never charged us for any "data usage" at all! I hate that it's
become a thing that they can use to make more money off of us.

I even asked the support agent over the phone if there was a way to increase the data cap - the agent said there wasn't (and even worse, the agent said that there was no option for "unlimited data" either), although she did say that they may increase it
in the future (which probably won't be for a very, very long time). She then tried to sell me DirectTV as a means of bringing down our data usage...*sigh* Considering most of the shows we watch are already available over the air from local networks, we don't
need that at all (and the only reason we use the online services is for the conveniences it provides - watch shows whenever we want, no commercials, etc.).

Blue Illusion, I'm afraid I can't find the info again on the Federal minimums; I remember reading about it back when net neutrality was in the news though, so you might be able to find it that way.

 

Okay, so the AT&T repair guy has come and gone and that guy was a fountain of knowledge and answers to my questions. I learned a lot today.

He was also kind enough to replace our modem, which he told us was well over 9 years old. So, we have a new, better modem, and we got it absolutely free of charge.

He also explained to us the situation we're in, which sadly, is something I already knew about (that we won't get better Internet out here for a very, very long time, if ever). He explained to us just how old the box was that provides Internet to our entire
neighborhood (it was built in the 80s) and how it's all copper-wiring (no cable whatsoever). He also explained that AT&T has tons of cable just waiting to be put in, but are CHOOSING not to do it, despite the fact that both towns within 5 miles on each side
of our home already have it (and it actually runs right up to our neighborhood's main road). Even worse, he said that our DSL, even as old as it is, can actually get up to 22mbps download speed (and it's like that from the neighborhood box all the way to my
new modem, which then restricts it), but that most of that is used as "overhead" to ensure a stable connection (which I suppose I can appreciate, but at the same time, those speeds are so close it almost makes me angry). He also said that due to the age of
the box in the neighborhood that it goes down like twice a month and that they have to come out and repair it regularly as a result. To his credit, he did say that AT&T is trying to completely do away with DSL and replace it with cable, so that's good, but
that they were leaving a LOT of people behind in the process (even in the big cities), so that's the not-so good part. He even explained how the towers are all shared by multiple companies and where they were in the area.

So yeah, my situation remains largely the same. I'm stuck with what I got. That being said, my fingers are crossed that it was the old modem that was causing the issues with lag and disconnects and is now fixed with the new one (only time will tell). The
repair guy did say the old one was flashing like a strobe light rather than being nice and steady like the new one (which he said was an indicator of information being passed up and down - and that older modems would go crazy like that). He also said that
the old modem was adding a lot more unnecessary data as if the line was longer than it really was (he said it was adding like 1,000 extra feet or something - the closer you are to the box, the better; this made it worse, so he fixed that with the new modem).

I also learned what MTU meant thanks to him (I see it all the time when I run the detailed network statistics on the console) - apparently it's how many packets the device is sending all at once. He says the average is about 700; when I did the test on my
console, it read 1414.

I'll let you guys know how things are going tomorrow afternoon after work and whether it turns out to be smooth sailing or stormy seas.

 

GG

Do you live in a swamp? J/k. Cable internet would probably be better. I live in a 1 horse town in Wyoming where they roll the streets up at 6pm every night. I get 40 mbps through the local cable company.

 

GG

Never mind I read where you said no cable.

 

I'll trade you our hussle and bussel for a one horse town any day of the week. lol

GG, 5 miles of cable is all it would take to bring unlimited data - high speed net services to your area?

You might want to get political and see if any of the baby kissing, lolipop stealing good for nothings might be able to pressure them into running it past your home. Just remember that you don't have to vote for them, just promise to.

Umm. With fingers crossed!

 

Viking, as a matter of fact, there IS a swamp between where I live and 1 of the 2 towns - I can walk to it. ;P

 

You have to pay for a technician to check the quality of the line They supply your service through? Wow.

 

Just read the rest. You were running with an 8 year old modem? I'm pretty sure that was most of your problem.

 

Im assuming by modem you mean your router? in which case didn't you state earlier in this thread that you had the best one money could buy so you knew it wasn't the fault?

 

I'm pretty sure he means modem, as you need a modem connected to your router first if you want an Internet connection.

And LOL at this guy blaming Halo cause he had an ancient modem that couldn't keep up. Funny how everyone always wants to blame everything else besides their own setup.

 

Arent they both in the same box with the flashing lights nowadays? Last time I saw a "modem" was when I had 56k dial up connection and it used to make a noise....

 

@ Genchy... actually a lot of "hardcore" online gamers will still insist on getting modem and router separate, since a lot of the newer modem/router combination devices will (in their opinion) compromise performance on either the modem or the router side
of the device, in order to keep prices competitive.

Not to mention, a lot of combos will have more limited options in the software. Having them separate typically gives the user more options to customize their connection as well as a choice of exactly what they want for each.

For example, I've had several different setups over the years. Some with separate devices, some with combo devices. My current setup has a combo device from my ISP... and it has just recently been replaced by them with a newer unit that supports the most
recent upgrade speeds in addition to IPv6.

TBH... I'd almost rather have separate modem and router. My current combo doesn't have QoS support. Something my router had in my old setup... and I used it.

 

Time Warner Cable (TWC) still puts in a standard cable modem (none wireless. Yes, you rent it) when you sign up for just net services.

Bundled services however does come with an Arris wireless net/VON phone modem (^ same rental price) - which is what I have. Which may have been considered new around a decade or so ago.