How long should a dsl modem last?
 

I have Qwest 7mbps that I pay for. All i get is between 4600-5600mbps.
My freind get around 7100 and lives 5mins away from me.

After a long call to qwest they said maybe it could be my lines or the fact I have an actiontec gt701 modem from 2005..

Can an old modem be the culprit of slow speeds???

All their tests say things outside are good.. Of course...

Re: How long should a dsl modem last?
 

Yes it definately can actually.7mbps wasnt even available in most places in 05. These electronics are constantly changing for the better and getting faster. Older modems used to die fairly frequently but the newer stuff has gotten a lot more stable.

Re: How long should a dsl modem last?
 

Well after 2 long calls they are coming out to check outside connections.. I got a new actiontec pk5000 modem. Which is a qwest certified modem.. I even connected directly to the incoming line bypassing everything.. I still get the same connection, 4600-5400 mbps..
Upload speed is great, it's the download that is bad..
Do you guys think an outside line issue can cause this?
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Re: How long should a dsl modem last?
 

I work for Ma Bell in Canada and do high speed repair. Not sure if you work on phone or cable line for your internet. Line trbl outside can affect the speed your getting. I know with Bell when they say 7 meg sevice they mean up to 7 meg.
I have seen customers with 8 year old modem still working with the 7 meg service. But am always changing out the newer ones.

Re: How long should a dsl modem last?
 

finally had a qwest tech find out today their is a bridge????? issue with our line. So the cable side of the phone company will be working it in a couple days... We'll see...

Re: How long should a dsl modem last?
 

a bridge is when the main cable comes down the street then runs down your street while continuing past as well. The internet signal can bounce around down the one cable and back to your place. The cable repair guys will get to the bridge and make sure the line just runs down your street.

Re: How long should a dsl modem last?
 

Thanks for the info. Explains it a little better. We'll see what happens.
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Re: How long should a dsl modem last?
 

There are so many different things that relate to an internet connection.

Problematic lines up the road, older modems, older phone lines in your house, even the computer itself can all affect speed of your connection.

On my main (newer) PC, I see speed tests in the 14-18Mbps range, on my older computer they report back in the 6-8Mbps range, both running XP and on the same local (wired) network but different hardware. The same test on my laptop using wireless on my same home network reports around 5Mbps.

Re: How long should a dsl modem last?
 

That's always been the issue with dsl, the lines. When I used to live in CA the lines on our street were put in and never changed since they were installed in the 50's and I was told that not only that killed speed but the further you lived from the hub the worse the signal was. Worse yet if you were more than 13500 feet from the closest one you be like on 56k.

Re: How long should a dsl modem last?
 

Thats why I prefer/suggest cable in most areas as long as the system is fairly up to date. Even on phone systems where they updated the phone lines with partial fiber optic lines I have still seen connection issues inherent in many phone systems.