Connection Speed
What speed should I connect at?
The speed at which you connect to the
Internet is determined by a number of factors:
- the speed of your modem
- the modem type and speed supported at the
number you dialed
- the quality of the phone lines in your
area
- the amount of traffic on the Net
Because of all these factors, you should not
expect your connection speed to be exactly the same as the speed listed for
your modem. Very often it is actually less.
Why doesn't my modem connect as fast as it
is supposed to?
The factors mentioned above will affect your
connection speed. Again, you should not expect to connect at exactly the
same speed as is listed on your modem.
Why doesn't my 56K modem connect at 56K?
Aside from the factors mentioned above, other
circumstances prevent 56K modems from actually connecting at 56K. That is
actually only the theoretical speed of the modem; in practice, the Federal
Communications Commission capped the connection speed at 53K, and real-world
access is generally in the 35-45K range for these modems. Despite these
limitations, 56K modems still attain the fastest standard modem speeds
currently available on the market.
What does v.34 mean?
v.34 (pronounced
"V-dot-thirty-four") is the name of the international standard
established for modems connecting between 28.8Kbps and 33.6Kbps.
What does V.90 mean?
v.90 (pronounced "V-dot-ninety") is
the name of the international standard agreed on for all 56K modems. Before
that standard was reached, there were two different proprietary standards
for 56K modems: one called x2 and supported by 3Com/U.S. Robotics; the other
called K56flex and supported by Rockwell and Lucent.
What is bandwidth?
Bandwidth is the amount of information
(usually measured in bits-per-second) that can be sent through an Internet
connection. Bandwidth is commonly compared to a water pipe — a large pipe
(a high-bandwidth connection) can carry more water (information) than a
small pipe (a low-bandwidth connection).
What is throughput?
On the Internet, throughput measures the
speed of a communications channel or connection. A connection's throughput
is the number of bytes per second it can transfer. Throughput is closely
related to bandwidth.
How can I connect to the Internet faster?
EarthLink offers a range of services for
high-speed Internet access options, including ISDN (see below), cable, and
frame relay.
What is ISDN?
Integrated Services Digital Network. A
special kind of high-speed phone service that allows simultaneous voice and
data transmission over the same phone line. ISDN lines provide transmission
speeds of around 128Kbps, or double the fastest modems.
Is ISDN only for businesses?
No. EarthLink offers ISDN service for both
homes and businesses.
What is LAN ISDN?
LAN ISDN allows you to connect a small- to
medium-sized office network to the Internet using a single ISDN line.
What is frame relay?
Frame relay is a high-speed networking
protocol popular for connecting multiple local-area networks (LANs) across
remote distance.
