Please help us out by using the poll in determining your internet connection speed. We are updating our website and it's features, and need to know what the prevailing connection speeds are for our users in order to best optimize our graphics for quality/load speed.

Taking a moment will help us to better serve you!

Thanks, and God Bless,

Didn't see wireless... but that is what I use at home. On the road still have my old "rope start" laptop that uses a 56K but that is soon to change to wireless also.

Michael

Didn't see wireless... but that is what I use at home. On the road still have my old "rope start" laptop that uses a 56K but that is soon to change to wireless also.

Michael

Didn't see T1 or T3 also, here at my work (where I come here regularly) , it used to be T1 but maybe T3 now, I don't keep track of it unless it is down. At home I hope to get cable soon though :)

Thanks guys..... here in the stix, those options are only sci-fi ! :D We don't even think about it here where we live and work!

Options added. :)

Thanks Marshall... Actually, the wireless stuff is great if you live in the stiks!

isn't the wireless still either cable or dsl depending on what kind of router you have? Because, when I have had cable in the past, I was able to be wireless with my router, just need a wireless NIC also. I haven't really kept up with technology though because I have been on dial-up at the house.


btw I added my vote to the cable/dsl category prior to the addition, it should be T1+ if you care to change it. thanks :)

-9r

I don't think Cable and DSL belong in the same category. I've had them both, and even though I have a much better computer with the cable, I know that cable beats DSL hands down. I also use our sattellite connection on the ranch, but I probably don't visit the site often enough to justify your optimization.

Marshall -
The other compensations of living where you do seem more than ample...would put up snail's pace connections speeds in a heartbeat.

I don't think Cable and DSL belong in the same category. I've had them both, and even though I have a much better computer with the cable, I know that cable beats DSL hands down. I also use our sattellite connection on the ranch, but I probably don't visit the site often enough to justify your optimization.


Generally speaking, yes, but if you are on a segment with a lot of people downloading movies and whatnot, cable can be very slow.

Mainly it depends on whether the ISP keeps up with demand. Unfortunately some do a poor job in that respect.

Actually the same thing can happen with DSL as with cable. the only differnce there is that the "Block" used for DSL is smaller and there is less total bandwidth, on the whole, but since less people are using the less bandwidth it all equals out. the oppisite with cable. More bandwidth and faster but more people on the "Block." I'm personally very lucky where i live almost no one has cable so mine is blazing fast!

Dont know much about it. I'd say my speed was slow, telephone type. Takes 10-15 seconds everytime I turn a page here.

Wait, there is an Internet connection? Here I have been sending snail mail all this time? :D

Dont know much about it. I'd say my speed was slow, telephone type. Takes 10-15 seconds everytime I turn a page here.

Probably 56K

I voted 56K as that is the modem I have but I never get a faster connection the 40K and it's usualy 36.8K

Michael Grace

If you want a good free tool to check your real speed head out to DSLREPORTS.COM. Go to the tools section and run the free speed test. This test is a real world test, that is to say it measures not only download but upload speed.

cable modem for me at home

Marshall........I have 56 K modom, however the connection speed is seldom above the 46,000 range and generally in the 38,000 range. AOL.....Sucks! As we can not get a DSL line apparently to our place.

I have tried NET-Zero however that is a wash out also, with far to many restrictions as far as time levels go. It takes us sometimes as long as 14 minutes to get connected up and then it takes anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes to click on something and actually get there. In between all of this you get KNOCKED OFF THE LINE and have to start all over again.

This means a bunch of lost time and lately it is just taking up to much of my time. I will most likely give up going to gun forums and communicating with others, unless we can get something 10 times faster thans what we now have on this PC.

Marshall........I have 56 K modom, however the connection speed is seldom above the 46,000 range and generally in the 38,000 range. AOL.....Sucks! As we can not get a DSL line apparently to our place.


If you get 46k out of a 56k modem, you're getting a good connection. 38k isn't terrible, but not what you'd hope for. The best I ever got out of my 56k modem was something like 49.3k.

2Bits, not sure where you are located but try and see if http://www.gobigwest.com/ has a local number for you, the only thing I don't like about them is after 150 hours a month you need to call them and get a new user name.

I also use am and pretty happy with http://www.peoplepc.com/ and I think they are available in all of the USA.

EDITED to add: Make sure you have all the latest modem drivers and windows updates, I was having a problem of lowspeed connections and losing connection a lot, and it was greatly improved after getting all the windows updates which also had a modem driver update.

Michael Grace

I am using 56K dial up, new 20" screen iMac, loads @ 50.667 or higher. Quite fast for a local connection.

I have had dial up, DSL and Cable. DSL and Cable are both far better than dial up, nobody really argues that, but you hear a lot of discussion on DSL vs. Cable. Here's my take on it. With both DSL and Cable a lot of it has to do with how many people are in your area using the same service. Also with cable the newer you cable lines are generally the faster service will be. My personal choice, I've had better experiences with the Cable. It has tested a little faster than the DSL did and even at its slow, high use times it was a little faster then the DSL's slow high use times. It is also cheaper in my area than DSL. To Be Honest Most of the time there isn't much difference in the two, but the fact that Cable was cheaper was enough to make me stay with it.

Oh yea, when I'm at school I'm on a T3 connection, that rocks and its FREE. (well, not really tution is a killer!!)

Thanks guys..... here in the stix, those options are only sci-fi ! :D We don't even think about it here where we live and work!

Like you, I live in the stix. I called my ISP when we first moved out here and asked about DSL. Get this; he actually said, "What's DSL?" So anyway, Marshall: If you don't mind, where in the panhandle are you? I just moved my family from Coolin up on Priest Lake. Before that we were in the Hoodoo Valley over by Newport/Oldtown.

After finally being able to obtain a broadband connection, I don't see how I tolerated dial-up for as long as I did.

CABLE
greystoke