Internet Airport Hang

[gazzerdc]

So incredibly annoying. I supposedly have mach ten blah blah whatever cable modem speed and lately everything just "hangs." This all started when I "updated" the "Security updates" for 10.3.9. But in any event, I've been playing with the Airport (I don't have Airport Extreme because I didn't see why I should have to pay ANOTHER $200, but I digress).

I've tried all the solutions, and yes, I've rebooted the modem numerous times....and have connected the ethernet directly, and yes, it speeds up....a little.

So, what are all those choices such as "Channel," and "Low, medium, high" and 2bps vs. 5.5bps....

Are any of those going to help?

Thanks.

 

[applemaz]

I'm not sure this is your specific issue, because I don't know the population density where you live, but cable isn't always faster than DSL for example. DSL is a direct connection between you and the phone company so there is no competition for bandwidth (unless you have more than 1 computer on your end behind a router using the internet connection).

This is not so for cable. While cable does have higher theoretical bandwidth than DSL can provide, cable is on a network comprised of you and all your neighbors in the surrounding area. You are all competing for bandwidth. As more people in your neighborhood start using their cable connection, the speed at which you can surf starts to drop. Once it reaches a certain limit, the cable company should create a new network and split the group into 2 smaller ones so they can continue to grow without bandwidth issues.

A good friend of mine used to live in Salem, MA and had cable where the speeds were excellent. They were certainly better than DSL. Recently, he moved to Arlington, VA and he complains frequently that cable is so slow. The population density of Arlington is quite high so lots of people probably have cable. He is constantly competing against them for bandwidth so his connection is slower than DSL. He is seriously considering switching to DSL now.

 

[gazzerdc]

Yes, what is interesting, is that when I first got the cable, I had to because I was at "the end of the DSL Line" where I live. Literally. Though there was a DSL station just two blocks from my house, it is in Maryland and I'm in DC....so they (Verizon) said I would have to depend on the DSL that was about 5 miles away or some such nonsense (whatever the outer limits for DSL is/were, that where it is). So, I went with cable that was nice and quick...for awhile. The pop density in the immediate area has surged in recent years; but I didn't notice a bad slowdown until I did the latest OSX 10.3.9 security upgrade. Since then, everything seems to have slowed. And I mean slowed: there are times I am no faster than a 56K phone line. I'm moving in two weeks (and going to the mtns of Asheville, NC where I'm sure I'll run into some real interesting problems) so I'm not going to bother. But thanks for the input.