The Techno Clinic

[Hunter]

HP makes a good computer.

So true.

[wendygirl]

Thank you all for the great advise.  I will be sure to let you know what I get and maybe even post a photo.

[Hunter]

That would be great, Wendygirl! Look forward to hearing all about it.

[Mus.]

I'm confused bout my Internet connection If I check the connection speed it says it's 100mbps so does this mean I got a 100 mb connection? Because I'd imagine we have about a 1 mb connection at home. I'm not the one who pays it and have never asked bout it so I have no clue. Don't take this the wrong way, I know bout computers (so it has come to the point when it's embarassing to not know how to use them). I'm just confused about this one thing.

[PK]

Are you sure that's not the 100Mbps Ethernet connection it's looking at? What test are you using to check your internet connection?

This is a good one.
http://www.speedtest.net/

[Hunter]

This is actually a pretty easy answer - but also something that confuses many people.

100 Mbs is the speed at which the data travels from your computer to your switch or router. This doesn't have any real bearing on your internet speeds. If you have say an average high speed connection you may be connecting at 150 kbs (Kilobits per second), while your router can sustain 50 (wireless) to 100 (wired) Megbits per second.

Think of a soda bottle opening. If you are going into the bottle, the neck is narrow then widens out, this is your download. You have a small connection, that then widens out at your router. As long as your router has a larger capacity than your connection, you won't have an issue. Now, if you reverse it, take from the bottle, or upload, you have a 100Mbs connection having to sqeeze into a, probably, 50 Kbs opening. ISP's limit upload bandwidth to about a third your download, though this is not definitive.

For a greater explaination of the difference between speeds, bytes, and bits check out this page at homenethelp.com

The link pk offered is the same service I use to keep tabs on my upload and download speeds so it's a great place to get a gopd reading. Just make sure you aren't downloading anything at the time, or streaming, updating, etcetera.

[Mus.]

Speedtest results:

Download 949kb/s
Upload: 208kb/s

[Ginafish]

Mus. Your upload is the close to my download... My upload is 150kbs. HA! (Repeat to self: "Better than dialup, better than dialup."

[Mus.]

I was really surprised. Much faster than I thought

[PK]

1,649kb/s download
380kb/s upload

The little ILC is cruising.

[Hunter]

2581 kb/s down
437 kb/s up
That's what i have at home.

Work is a T1 so 750 Kb/s Up and Down.

[KitKat]

Unlike most of you, my internet speed is adjustable from 300kb/s to Mach 4,000. Is that fast enough for ya?   

[Hunter]

LOL! And that's why we love KitKat!

[KitKat]

  Hunter, I'm happy you enjoyed my lighthearted humor. 

[Sean]

hey hunter, my cable company claims that I get 1mps or something like that, but it seems to me when I am downloading its always around 150-300kps regardless of time of day.  Does that make sense?
I cant complain because I remember when a 5mb song might take 10 mins but still I cant figure out why its not faster.

[PK]

If it's alright with Hunter, I'll try to answer your question. Typically internet providers will promise 1mps but customers will hardly ever see that kind of performance. It depends on the time of day and how many people in your area are using the internet. There's no way to know for sure. Since most corporations are greedy and pure evil , it's possible your ISP promised 1mps but has everyone limited to 512kps (50%) so they don't over stress their bandwidth pipes. Then, if you complain, they'll just say, "Everything looks ok here. There must be too many people using the internet."

But since you paid for 1mps you SHOULD get 1mps. Try testing your speed (and documenting it) at different times of the day, for a week. If you never reach 1mps then something is fishy.

[Sean]

Thanks PK, I figured that was probably the case.  "Comcast" my local provider has never been the most helpful.  Luckily I don't really need the speed since I don't do to much intensive internet work at home.  All I need is for the good ole good times forum to pop up when I ask, and I'll be alright ha.

How is the internet at the ILC? I guess I'll find out soon enough.  I've always wondered how you can maintain such a large site in a "remote" area by western standards.  Also, I noticed you removed the "users online" section on the home page, I always found it fun to see who was hanging around at any given time.

[PK]

The internet at the ILC is pretty good. (The ILC speeds are up a few posts.)

The Users Online link is off the frontpage but you can still access it by going to the main forum page (click "Forum" on the top menu) and then scrolling to the very bottom. You can see whose online and then click the little "people" icon and it will take you to the detailed section. Not as convenient as having it on the frontpage but it had to be removed to make room for the "Register" link, since most of our visitors haven't registered yet.

[Hunter]

That's a pretty good explaination, PK. However, you are missing something.

your 1 Mbps speed is your duplexed speed. You'll only ever see at most half of that for downloads. When a company claims to give you say 1.5 Mbps (average T1) you will have, at most, 750 kbs up and down. This is because your "speed" is based on the highest possible speed our network is capable up at anytime if you were to both upload AND download. While this is pretty shady, it's how it's done. You'll find that even the old modems are subject to duplexing.

For those who may not know, duplexing the the ability of a piece of hardware to both recieve and send at the same time. You phone is an example of a full duplex device. A two-way radio is an example of a half duplex device, since it can only send or recieve at any time.

In all, your 1Mbs pipeline will only ever reach 500Kbs. Sorry. That's technology. My 6Mbs connection will never reach more than 3Mbs at any time. Again, because I have to leave room for the other half of my duplex. Anyone confused yet?

Just so everyone knows, I would rather have someone's questions answered than have them wait for me to get on to answer them.

[Hunter]

Just a second point.

If you're running cable internet, then the amount of people "ahead" of you in the line will effect how well you're net runs as well. Think of it like plumbing. The more people ahead of you the less pressure you'll have in the end. This isn't necessarily true with T type connections (T1, T2, or T3) or with fiber, but since both of those are more expensive than cable, cable is about the best you're going to get for your money.

[PK]

Well I just learned something new. Thanks, Hunter.

[Hunter]

You are most welcome Danielson

[wendygirl]

After much research and advise, I finally ordered, received and setup a new computer.  I was ready to order a Systemax Venture H356 from TigerDirect when I got an e-mail from Dell with a $350 off coupon.  I know many people told me to stay away from Dell but I found I could get more for $200 less with this offer.  Anyway, it is wonderful but different.  The set up is different even though I am still with XP (have heard to many complaints about Vista) and I am adjusting to a 19" widescreen after having a 13" monitor for 7 years.  I watched some of "Transformers" on it the other night and it was so cool I now want a new TV but that is for another year.  I am enjoying it very much and I appreciate all the advise I got from ya'll (yes, I am an Okie).

[wendygirl]

I have tried to add photos of my new computer but every time I add a photo and post I am told it is too big.  I am adding from My Pictures and I guess they are too big but I don't know any other way to add photos.  Any suggestions?

[Mus.]

If they're bigger than 1500 kb they're too big to upload. Might be because they're in PNG format. If you convert them into JPG or some other format ( with Ms Paint for example) the size decreases. The image's quality just seems to decrease when you do that so save a copy of the original picture.