Looking for tweak help (Cable)

keldorr · Post by **keldorr** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:06 am

Hi all... new guy here, so forgive me if I miss something.

I'm using Shaw cable as my ISP (In Kelowna, BC, Canada), their high speed internet is advertised as "up to" 5Mbps down, 512 Kbps up.

Every speed test I run is sitting somewhere in the neighbourhood of:

1000 - 1300 kbps down
100 - 120 kbps up

----------------

TCP/IP Analyzer:

TCP properties for IP = **.**.**.*** ()
Browser/OS = Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20050915 Firefox/1.0.7
Notes: Read the Analyzer FAQ if the above is not your IP address.

TCP options string = 020405b40103030001010402
MTU = 1500
MTU is fully optimized for broadband.
MSS = 1460
Maximum useful data in each packet = 1460, which equals MSS.
Default Receive Window (RWIN) = 64240
RWIN Scaling (RFC1323) = 0 bits
Unscaled Receive Window = 64240

RWIN is a multiple of MSS
Other values for RWIN that might work well with your current MTU/MSS:
513920 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 8)
256960 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 4)
128480 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 2)
bandwidth * delay product (Note this is not a speed test):

Your RcvWindow limits you to: 2569.6 kbps (321.2 KBytes/s) @ 200ms
Your RcvWindow limits you to: 1027.84 kbps (128.48 KBytes/s) @ 500ms
MTU Discovery (RFC1191) = ON
Time to live left = 121 hops

TTL value is ok.
Timestamps (RFC1323) = OFF
Selective Acknowledgements (RFC2018) = ON
IP type of service field (RFC1349) = 00000000 (0)

-----------------

Any tips/ideas?

mccoffee · Post by **mccoffee** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:55 am

Try thease in the sg optmizer below me to download and install

General Settings tab:

Custom settings - check
Modify All Network Adapters - check
network adapter selection - your NIC
MTU - 1500
TTL - 64
TCP Receive Window - 128480
MTU Discovery - Yes
Black Hole Detect - No
Selective Acks - Yes
Max Duplicate ACKs - 2
TCP 1323 Options:
Windows Scaling - checked
Timestamps - uncheck

Advanced Settings tab:

Max Connections per Server - 10
Max Connections per 1.0 Server - 20
LocalPriority - 5
Host Priority - 6
DNSPriority - 7
NetbtPriority - 8
Lan Browsing speedup - optimized
QoS: NonBestEffortLimit - 0
ToS: DisableUserTOSSetting - 0
ToS: DefaultTOSValue - 240
MaxNegativeCacheTtl - 0
NetFailureCacheTime - 0
NegativeSOACache Time - 0
LAN Request Buffer Size - 32768

Then select "Apply Changes" and reboot to take effect

VERY IMPORTANT TO DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Under your LAN connection - properties - general tab, uninstall all the protocols there that you do not need. For a stand alone pc all you need is Internet Protocol TCP/IP.

2. Open IE and select tools - internet options - connections - LAN settings, make sure NOTHING there is checked.

3. ALWAYS connect your modem via ethernet (NIC) and make sure you have the latest drivers for your NIC from the manufacturer and set your duplex mode to "auto". If you are using a router make sure you have the latest firmware.

4. Clean out your temporary internet files with CrapCleaner.

5. Power cycle your modem i.e. unplug it for at least 15 seconds.

6. Download, update and scan with SpyBot S&D 1.4 EXACTLY as mnosteele has explained HERE & Ad-Aware SE 1.06 EXACTLY as mnosteele has explained HERE to remove any spyware then install and update SpywareBlaster 3.4 to stay spyware FREE. YOU MUST USE BOTH AD AWARE & SPYBOT TO ENSURE YOU ARE SPYWARE FREE SINCE ONE FINDS WHAT THE OTHER MISSES. If these 2 programs find a lot of things then please post a HijackThis 1.99.1 log for us to look at.

7. Make sure you do the faster web page tweak in our Help & Tips page.

8. If you have Zone Alarm as a firewall uninstall it and search your pc for the left over files.

9. Install Kerio Personal Firewall 2.1.5, it's FREE and uses next to no resources.

10. Do a FREE online virus scan from Kaspersky Webscan, make sure to check the option to use the EXTENDED DATABASE.

11. Make sure you have ALL of the latest Windows Updates.

8) ;D

keldorr · Post by **keldorr** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:12 am

Thanks for the info. I'm at work, so will try this this evening and post the results.

keldorr · Post by **keldorr** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:44 pm

I've got a question about the various "priority" settings.

Your instructions say to set them to 5,6,7,8 in Optimizer, but later you say to do the Web Page Loading tweak, which says to edit the registry so all the priorities are 1.

Which do I do?

mccoffee · Post by **mccoffee** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:03 pm

try them both either way will work though doesn't matter anyway the lower the number in theory the better it will respond

keldorr · Post by **keldorr** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:41 pm

OK, running a virus scan now, I'll post speed test results after.

keldorr · Post by **keldorr** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:48 pm

Doh. It's actually worse now.

Ran several speed tests (Speakeasy) and I'm now running about:

550 kbps down
100 kbps up

mccoffee · Post by **mccoffee** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 4:10 am

post a tracert http://www.pcpitstop.com/internet/tracert.asp my guess it's something on your isp's end

keldorr · Post by **keldorr** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 11:33 am

I'm thinking the same. I'll post the info after work this afternoon.

keldorr · Post by **keldorr** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 1:48 pm

I stopped in at home and ran a few tracerts to various sites.

They're all in the green. Mostly below 100, a couple above 100 here and there. Most of the ones above 100 were outside of Shaw, a few were a Shaw address, but even so... I think the highest ping was around 120, most were 80 or lower. Only jump that was different was the first one to my router addie (192.168.1.1) where it reports 100% loss, but I assume that's normal?

So confused.

I've got an inquiry in to Shaw about it. They said they did some kind of checks to my modem and the signals look good, asked me to try without the router for a few hours to see if the connsection is any better. I have tried without the router before though and nothing seemed any different.

I did just run a few speed tests and they are somewhat better right now (around 1600-1800 down/180-200 up) but they fluctuate. I normally haven't tested at this time of day (~10:30 am local time), maybe the network is less busy right now.

Anyhoo, the last email from Shaw support said to try running without the router for a bit, if it doesn't improve, they'll try a few things on the phone with me, if that doesn't do anything they'll send someone out to check. Was hoping to avoid that, as I don't much like having to wait around all day for the "Cable Guy" to show up

, but looks like I won't have a choice.

mccoffee · Post by **mccoffee** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 9:52 am

I'm not sure entirlity but i though shaw required a hostname in the router's configurgation i could be wrong.. Also with the rotuer login and make sure that you are allow ping/icmp traffic to go though it might be part of the slow down depending on router model,brand it could say block wan requests or block wan ping if you have the manual read threw and make sure those disabled. If you worried about secuirty though leave them enabled.

If you haven't already try upgrading the firmware on the router if you are using xp sp3's firewall goto control panel firewall advanced make sure all boees are checked for ICMP traffic to go though

keldorr · Post by **keldorr** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 4:54 pm

Thanks for the suggestions.

I tried my connection for several hours last night with the Router out of the mix (connected direct modem to PC) and the connection is no different, so that eliminates the router.

I was on the phone with Shaw for quite a while this afternoon and the fellow did a bunch of checks from his end.

At first he said he couldn't ping me at all, and so thought I was on WinXP with the firewall on. But I use Win2k and was connected direct to my PC (no router) and no software firewall. So he tried again a short time later and everything was a-ok. Everything looked perfectly normal.

He started thinking that I had a problem on my end (an intermittant problem with my PC) but after talking for a while longer, he did some more checking and said that some weirdness was showing up which looked to be on Shaws end, but he wasn't absolutely sure what was going on. Anyhoo, in the end he took a bunch of info, did a bunch of testing on his end, his guess was that something wasn't quite right with Shaws end of the connection, somewhere, but he couldn't pin-point it. So he's sending it farther up the tech-support line to have some more in-depth checks done, and they'll get back to me.

Hopefully it all gets figured out.

I HATE when problems crop up and the techs look and find everything looks OK... cars, internet, etc... I just want them to find something damnit! lol

Anyways, thanks very much for your time Mccoffee. Very much appreciated.

cdf216 · Post by **cdf216** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 7:09 pm

This may sound strange but check the settings on your nic Card and make sure it's set to the maximum Full duplex. 100m (or 1000m if gigabit) if it's at 10m that could be restricting you.

keldorr · Post by **keldorr** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 7:15 pm

I actually did check that. It was set on 'auto' , but I tried setting it to 100, 10, auto, 1/2 duplex... all the options, and anything other than auto seemd to slow it down even more.

TOday is awful... I can barely browse the net... it too about 30 seconds for this page to load. X(

I got a call back fro =m the Shaw tech, and all he could say was that the problem is on their end, not my PC, but they "can't narrow it down yet" . They are apparently doing some kind of upgrades in the city, and theoretically that could be buggering me up. I'm to wait it out for a few days or a week and if no improvement, call him back.

keldorr · Post by **keldorr** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 12:45 pm

Just wanted to update, in case anyone in my area (Kelowna, BC) was following this thread with similar issues.

A week or so ago Shaw finally helped me out (after 3 phone calls, 3-4 emails, and a 2 online support form requests

) and had me switch my modem.

THey are launching their "Extreme-I" serviced here now, and were switching over their networks to a new system (DOCSIS, yada yada, lol I don't understand this stuff) .

Anyways, they had me trade my old Teryon modem for a new Motorola DOCSIS compatable Surfboard modem, and my speed instantly jumped up to around 4500down/450up, nearly 'maxing out' the services speed ratings. That was without upgrading to the Extreme service... same regular hi-speed, just the new modem. So, I'm happy now.

Now time will tell how much of this I lose as the new network fills up with users. I'm hopeful that I will not lose TOO much of my transfer speed. I expect to lose some, but if I drop ANYWHERE close to where I was before, Shaw will be hearing from me again. lol

I'm not going to pay an extra $10/month for the Extreme service, just to achieve their 'Regular' hi-speed rates. If their regular hi-speed can't do better than their advertised Hi-Speed Lite rates (or worse

) there is a serious problem.

Anyhoo, that's the scoop. If anyone else in Kelowna happens to read this, you should be able to swap out your old modem to a new one, just give them a call.

Thanks again to the help offered here.

Diesel722 · Post by **Diesel722** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:12 pm

I live in Vernon and after reading your message I sent SHAW an email asking to get my modem exchanged and explained my reasoning behind it (thanks to this thread). So far they havent gotten back to me, Im curious what they will have to say about it. It has been 3 days since I sent the email, hopefully they dont choose to ignore my request. You had the exact same problems that I am having now, extremely slow speeds, way less than Shaw advertises.