CenturyLink..dead horse too?

How about a tracert to a site that's slow?

This is what gets me and messes with my mind like a goldfish in a blender:  I'm a "feel" type of guy. I don't check speeds as long as everything "feels" good (fast). It's only when it starts stuttering in the evening.

And...(the blender part)...the web sites don't "feel" unusually slow. Even youtube. It's only after clicking on a video and they start stuttering, stopping, re-buffering...plays for 5-10 seconds then pauses for a half-minute.  Drives me nuts. (Or a download like that MS update.) Doesn't seem to matter what web site or what type. Just like something is putting an anchor out.

BTW: Constant buffering. Maybe play just a few seconds at a time.  I'm getting ready to shutdown and connect direct wired (no router) just to test a rather massive download I'd started.

OK. Back online. I've rebooted the modem and the computer. Wireless is shut off and I'm connected, wired, directly to the modem.

Doesn't do squat to improve the video. Plays a few seconds, buffers, over and over.

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Me>tracert townhall.com

Tracing route to townhall.com [74.84.198.240]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.2.1
  2    68 ms    70 ms    70 ms  in-67-236-64-1.dhcp.embarqhsd.net [67.236.64.1]

  3    65 ms    66 ms    66 ms  67.237.47.213
  4    78 ms    76 ms   112 ms  208-110-248-225.lightcore.net [208.110.248.225]

  5   131 ms    84 ms   113 ms  cer-edge-17.inet.qwest.net [65.113.255.241]
  6    85 ms    83 ms    84 ms  chp-brdr-03.inet.qwest.net [67.14.8.194]
  7    85 ms    84 ms    85 ms  63.146.27.18
  8     *       81 ms    84 ms  vlan52.ebr2.Chicago2.Level3.net [4.69.138.190]
  9   134 ms   137 ms   132 ms  ae-6-6.ebr2.Washington12.Level3.net [4.69.148.14
5]
 10   128 ms   129 ms   130 ms  ae-1-100.ebr1.Washington12.Level3.net [4.69.143.
213]
 11   131 ms   135 ms   138 ms  ae-8-8.ebr1.Washington1.Level3.net [4.69.143.217
]
 12   105 ms     *      103 ms  ae-7-7.car2.Richmond1.Level3.net [4.69.142.249]

 13   108 ms   103 ms   103 ms  PEAK-10.car2.Richmond1.Level3.net [4.26.66.6]
 14   105 ms   130 ms   106 ms  v13.rd1.ric.peak10.net [74.84.192.25]
 15   107 ms   104 ms   105 ms  198-240.baymountain.com [74.84.198.240]

Trace complete.

Time to try that massive download and see what happens.

Used to I kinda liked troubleshooting things. Now I just would appreciate it if it would work!!

Just for the heck of it...I tried IE instead of FF. Actually....IE is a little slower...never gets above 100 Kb/s.

I can't tracert the actual download...it's a third party site. Maybe I could tracert...but I'm not smart enough to figure out how to enter their url:

http://usdownloads.quest.com.edgesuite.net/Repository/www.quest.com/latest_versions/Quest_vRangerBackupReplication_52122438.exe

Oh....I didn't realize that would post a pic here. I thought it was a link to their web site.

And DSL reports gives me about 800 Kbps down from Chicago. Sigh.

BUT...I clicked on a link on their page for External Speedtest Sites.

I tried one located here in Indiana. http://sd-pc.indiana.gigapop.net:7123/tcpbw100.html
You might find that an informative page. Lots more than just down/up and speeddials.

Hmm. I can't seem to copy the stats. Lots of info if you click on "statistics" and "more details" buttons.

Here's part of the report. I had to type it since "copy" isn't working. Some of it may be in shorthand: ROFL

The theoretical network limit is 0.57 Mbps.
The NDT server has a 16384.0 KByte buffer which limits the throughput to 1977.12 Mbps.
Your PC/Workstation has a 63.0 KByte buffer which limits the throughput to 3.82 Mbps.
The Network based flow control limits the throughput to 1.95 Mbps.

Download: 579 kb/s
upload: 552 kb/s

Information: Other network traffic is congesting the link
Information(S2C): Packet queuing detected.

I wish I could copy the results from
http://sd-pc.indiana.gigapop.net:7123/tcpbw100.html

More info than I can handle. I tried the test with IE. LOL  Whatever Linux they use sees right past the public address that Centurylink puts out. (Although all it seems to detect is the address of my modem.)

Anyhow...yep...I'm thinking that the technician I chatted with on the telephone is right: their wiring and hardware needs lots and lots of work. 

I got so flustered tonight I durn near threw my laptop through the window. Not on purpose.  I stood up and started to walk away with the laptop in my hand. I forgot I was connected directly to the modem by wire. Oops. My almost bad. (I caught it. Whew!)

Wow. Super headache. I browsed Comcast. Single options. Double plays. Triple plays. They remind me of the Dell site.  Would you like to add the Howard Stern channel ($10.95 a month) or the Jewish Channel, or the (xxxxxxx channel). I bet you could add several hundred of dollars per month in "options". Just wow. (Lucky for me the dog wanted to go out and decided he was going to go for his nighttime walk...with or without me. We both went. He had more common sense than I.)