ATT Uverse TV fine but ISP slow?

[lectrocrew]

 My You Tube, etc videos are having intermittent performance issues and I'm supposed to have faster speed than what I see via pinging the connection with Speedtest.net.
Results are in the attached file.
 I've tried hardwired to the att modem, and using the ATT wireless modem and also my Belkin 802.11 N router, but this connection is just plain slow lately. I pay a lot monthly for ATT UVerse U200 TV and this internet service, I'm real unhappy with this connection speed problem.
 But I don't want to call for a service call until I'm certain the problem is not with my equipment = service charge. 
 My PC's 'network and sharing center' / 'View Status" show's 100 mbs connection speed. But it's not happening.
 What else should I look for before I call for a service tech to come?
ATT wiring is all new from the box on the utility pole to the ATT wireless router that the installation tech recently installed December 1st 2012 when I moved into this new place.
 Is there an issue I can check on my equipment that may be causing this problem before I pay ATT for a service call?
As always thanks for any help!
Mike


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[Geek-9pm]

You should not have to pay for a service call if it is their equipment.

AT&T and others provide the field techs with the equipment they need to verify the Quality of Service. This equipment can  test the actual low level performance of the hardware in terms that the engineers can use to spot line problems. There is a very common problem that exits when they try to use a voice grade line for digital
 service.

In brief, here is the problem. Other people had the phone line before you did. So it is not a virgin line. All taps to other drop wires haven to be removed. Sometimesgs they just forget to do it. My AT7T connection at the modem is really 3 Mbps. My Ethernet device says 100 Mbps. The lower number is the right one.

At 3 Mbps  I have done two video streams form Netflix k and the quality is good.  But I almost never get smooth video form YouTube. And I live in California.

Have you tried speediest at different times of the day or night?
http://www.att.com/speedtest/

[jason2074]

What is your subscribed bandwith plan? The 100 Mbps speed is the maximum capability speed of your network adapter but does not necessarily mean that is your current speed connection.

My laptop's wifi Adapter is capable of 120 Mbps according to the network connection status.

[lectrocrew]

Have you tried speediest at different times of the day or night?
http://www.att.com/speedtest/

Yes -1am 12pm, 7pm- - and I get ~ the same result with speedtest anytime.
 I just purchased this ATT internet service / U-Verse U200 TV this past December and the tech installed brand new wiring from the ATT box on the utility pole to my ATT modem. And I've tried direct ethernet cable, ATT wireless modem and my Belkin 802.11n router = Makes no difference.
 But right now it's doing fine and I've made no changes to my computer. Right now for test purpose I'm playing a CD on Windows media player and streaming 2 You Tube videos all at once and there is no problem with either. And I'm running MSE, Superantispyware Pro real time and Malwarebytes real time protection right now. (see attachment)
 This is an intermittent problem that I thought may be a limited bandwidth issue for this area, but I only have 3 ATT users I see in my immediate area in "Available Connections". (see attachment)
My ATT service is suppose to be 3Mbps according to my contract details - my 802.11n router connection speed is 270 Mbps and the wireless adapter in this machine is also 802.11n. And this machine is virus free with a dual core AMD CPU @ 2.0 Ghz with 4 Gb RAM.
My "Speedtest" result is ~ the same whether the internet speed is fast or slow.
 Also, I've looked in task manager when this is happening and it's not related to a antivirus scan or anything else hogging resourses. My CPU activity and memory usage are very low when this happens.

You should not have to pay for a service call if it is their equipment.

I know, but I want to be sure because I can't afford a service call charge if I'm wrong.

Thanks so much for your help and to you also jason2074!!!

Mike
 


 
 
 

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[Geek-9pm]

A recap of what was already posted. The internet speed is often, even always, slower that another thing going on with your computer.

The Speed test that is suitable is one out on the internet and can be run on selected servers. This is a rather mechanical, simplified, test of the best possible transport overs the actual connections to get to a specific city or region.

If there was  major conflict with the modem and copper wire  haul to the central office,  an honest speed test would show a lower effective speed.
The tests the OP have performed are enough to establish that his stuff is working good.
IMHO The is little he can do to improve things.
As posted earlier, I have 3 Mbps AT&T DSL and get very wimpy  YouTube  video. Other sites are better. And sometimes worse. Netflix is good most of the time. But I pay for it.

[patio]

That being stated i don't think he's getting what he's paying for..
Call AT&T and tell them you talked to Time Warner about switching...
That usually gets them busy.

[lectrocrew]

That being stated i don't think he's getting what he's paying for..
Call AT&T and tell them you talked to Time Warner about switching...
That usually gets them busy.

That's what I'll do next time this happens, I have 1 more 'known fast' computer I'm going to enable on this network tomorrow to test this issue with. I'm just trying to make sure I don't pay for a service call due to something that is the fault of my equipment.
Thanks to you all!!! 
Mike

[patio]

Mike...
In case you missed it above Geek stated a Service call should cost you nothing...
However i understand your caution there...hope it works out for the best.
patio.

[lectrocrew]

I didn't miss it.
 I'm just being cautious because I'm in bad health and down to a disability income now and $ is tight. I had to have the utility company come to my house the other day when I installed a new gas stove which will be a $75 service charge I can't afford. So I'm glad you understand! 
Thanks so much patio, as always...
Mike 

[soybean]

This is an intermittent problem that I thought may be a limited bandwidth issue for this area, but I only have 3 ATT users I see in my immediate area in "Available Connections". (see attachment)

Why did you mention the other wireless users you see in your area?  Assuming they are using their own ISP accounts, detecting their signal has nothing to do with your Internet connection speed.  But, this raises other questions.  Do you have your wireless connection secured with WPA encryption, with a strong password, enabled in your router?  This prevents anyone else from using your wireless signal and consuming some of your bandwidth.  Also, are you sure that you're connecting to the Internet through your own ISP account and not one those neighbor's signals your computer detects? 

And, by the way, how long have you had your present account with ATT?  If it's been awhile, have you reviewed their current packages to see whether you might be able to upgrade to a higher speed at little, or even no, cost?  A year or so ago, I got an upgrade in my Internet speed from CenturyLink.net by merely calling them to review my account with them; I had not done that for a few years and I had seen some pricing on their website that lead me to believe I should be able to get a better deal.  As a result of that phone call, my package was upgraded from 3Mbps download speed to 10Mbps at no additional cost.  It seems CenturyLink may be feeling some pressure from Time Warner cable and are trying harder to retain customers.  But, this happened because I made the call.  I'm sure CenturyLink would never have initiated a contact with me to tell me my Internet speed could be upgraded at no additional cost to me.

[patio]

Excellent points Soybean...

[lectrocrew]

Why did you mention the other wireless users you see in your area?  Assuming they are using their own ISP accounts, detecting their signal has nothing to do with your Internet connection speed.

I thought maybe it was a bandwidth issue within this area on the AT&T ISP phone line? The only way I know to see how many AT&T users are in my area is to search for 'available connections'.
(remember I'm not as knowledgeable as you guru's on this bandwidth stuff).

 

But, this raises other questions.  Do you have your wireless connection secured with WPA encryption, with a strong password, enabled in your router?  This prevents anyone else from using your wireless signal and consuming some of your bandwidth.  Also, are you sure that you're connecting to the Internet through your own ISP account and not one those neighbor's signals your computer detects?

The '2WIRE300' shown in my attachment is my AT&T modem, which is WPA secured and nobody knows the default passcode.
The 'Mikes Network' is my Belkin 802.11n router I use in order to take my laptop to a friends house across the street. (AT&T router won't reach that far for wifi). I have WPA-2 security on it with a very strong passcode.

And, by the way, how long have you had your present account with ATT?  If it's been awhile, have you reviewed their current packages to see whether you might be able to upgrade to a higher speed at little, or even no, cost?  A year or so ago, I got an upgrade in my Internet speed from CenturyLink.net by merely calling them to review my account with them; I had not done that for a few years and I had seen some pricing on their website that lead me to believe I should be able to get a better deal.  As a result of that phone call, my package was upgraded from 3Mbps download speed to 10Mbps at no additional cost.  It seems CenturyLink may be feeling some pressure from Time Warner cable and are trying harder to retain customers.  But, this happened because I made the call.  I'm sure CenturyLink would never have initiated a contact with me to tell me my Internet speed could be upgraded at no additional cost to me.

I just opened this account in December, when I moved in this new house. (the installer put all new wiring from the pole to the modem) I'll talk to AT&T about this issue to see if I can get a faster connection speed, but the speed has been fine the last few days - 3Mbps is as fast as I need for what I do.
It's just that this problem is intermittent, and it's been doing fine for 3 days now. For test purposes I've got 3 computers running You Tube videos at once - and all are streaming fine.
 I'll wait till this happens again and post back here then, and then I'll 'dog' AT&T.
Thanks for the help!!!
Mike

[patio]

If it is DSL service when it stays bad for a period of time you can call them and have a "line check" done...
They do this right on the phone and it'll cost zero.
I'd also suggest setting up an account at Speedtest...and whenever you get poor performance save that session.
Then after you have approx a dozen crappy results in your speedtest history you can print out the chart or just send them the link to see it.

[Computer_Commando]

AT&T has many speed tiers, look at your bill to see which one you are paying for.
http://www.att.net/speedtiers
Broadband Service Product Name        Downstream Speed Range
FastAccess DSL Lite                                           200 Kbps - 768 Kbps
FastAccess DSL Ultra                                          769 Kbps - 1.5 Mbps
FastAccess DSL Xtreme                                      1.56 Mbps - 3.0 Mbps
FastAccess DSL Xtreme 6.0                                 3.1 Mbps - 6.0 Mbps
AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet Max              6.1 Mbps - 12.0 Mbps
AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet Max Plus     12.1 Mbps - 18.0 Mbps
AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet Max Turbo   18.1 Mbps - 24 Mbps

They may have put in new wiring for your TV service, but never changed your connection at the Central Office.

[lectrocrew]

I set-up the Speedtest account but in the last 10 days I've had no more slow connection issues at all. My ATT U Verse 'Internet Pro' supports 1.56 - 3.0 Mbsp.
All the Speedtest results for the last 10 days have shown around 2.87 Mbps, which is the same it was showing when I was having problems.
I haven't changed anything in my PC except for now I have returned to using Malwarebytes and Superantispyware realtime protection and the speed remains very fast.
If I have anymore issues with this I'll log the Speedtest results, contact AT&T and post back here.
Thanks again guy's!
Mike