Better splitters, better speed

After replacing my cable modem, I was getting better speeds but it still wasn’t as good as I thought it should be. I started logging into the Ambit modem (192.168.100.1) to check the downstream receive power almost daily. The technician said it should always be between -12 (low end) and +12 (high end). Every time I checked it, the receive power was around -11.5 dBmV.

One of the guys I work with suggested I change out the standard 4-way and 3-way splitters with better ones. He gave me a couple that are made by Blonder Tongue. Replacing them out was easy enough because the cable tech didn’t lock the cable box on the side of my house. What a difference!

The downstream receive power now stays between -9 and -8 dBmv. The increase in speeds while browsing the Internet and downloading torrents was noticeable. To make sure I wasn’t just imagining it, I tried the speed test located at the Speakeasy website. I like their site because they have test servers located in 8 different locations in the U.S.

Before the splitter swap, I was averaging 2.1 Mb down and 200 Kb up. After the swap, my average speed is 2.9 Mb down and 220 Kb up! I ran the test from all the servers and the lowest down speed was a little over 2.8 Mb.

I couldn’t believe such a small change could make a big difference.

Fate laughs at probabilities. - E.G. Bulwer-Lytton

07.Jul.06 Technology