Help

[Mushkin1uk]

Only got a 56k modem, any one know any way to either speed up conection for game play, Downloads etc?

[Dux]

There are ways that you can get a slight increase in speed (the gurus here will have to explain, I can't), but the real limiting factor here is not your modem, but the phoneline.

[RRAM]

It's just me, or someone else thinks this guy is a troll?...

the line of his posts are......well.......trollish

[Gunthr]

Look here Mushkin, good feedback on this one...

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30213

[Mushkin1uk]

Thanks Gunthr, bit Intimidated by that, but my Girlfriend is a bit of a genious at computers so will wait for her. Oh and WTF is 'Trollish'?

Sorry about spelling,bit drunk;)

[Mushkin1uk]

One more thing would you recomend me getting a cable or new modem would that improve anything that much, if so, rough estimate on price?

[Gunthr]

Hmm. Don't know what all your options would be in the UK.

I use an ADSL connection, about 40 - 50 times faster than a56 k modem. If you've never had one, you don't know what you are missing. Costs about 40-50 US dollars per month with free equipment(special modem).

A CABLE connection would be my second choice, because the speeds reportedly slow down during prime time when everyone is watching tv, but a Cable connection is still FAR faster than a 56 k modem.

Failing that, I would want the latest 56 k external modem made by US Robotics (or whoever bought them out). But the little extra bit of performance you might get may not warrant you going out an buying one to replace what you've got. Aces High will run fine on your current modem since it doesn't require a lot of bandwidth.

G'luck

PS - the tweak may seem daunting, but it is actually easy. Just follow it step by step.

[Mushkin1uk]

Thats the thing im not sure if its the modem or the isp,Its Freeserve which is free during off peak hours so do you think it could be over crowding of the isp.  Thats about 30/35 pound a month, Dam thats ecspensive Im currently paying £6.99 a month(Thats about 10/15 dollers a month)

[Gunthr]

Definately, your speed would suffer when a lot of people are trying to use the internet. But your modem's settings and windows settings may not be optimised, either.  I think I would start by first maximizing the performance of your modem. There is a lot on the web about that. There are sites that will test your speed and suggest changes in your settings to improve your speed, if it is not already optimised. You can do a search for "internet speed tweaks", or start here http://www.cnet.com/internet/0-3762-7-1757841.html

I would also impliment the browser tweak that I suggested.

Then, I would call the ISP and ask them for advice. They probably won't help you much though. "Free" usually means no support.

ADSL is relatively expensive. What you have to do is make the most of what you've got

[Mushkin1uk]

Thanks for all your help Gunthr

[Gunthr]

anytime buddy

[Nashwan]

Do you know which cable area you live in? It's almost certainly either Telewest http://www.telewest.co.uk/packagedesigner/postcodesearch.html

or NTL
http://www.ntl.com/locales/gb/en/home/broadband/

Use the postcode checker to see if you can get a cable modem.

I don't know the exact prices, but NTL do cable modems with a 128kbps connection quite cheaply. That's about 3 times the speed of a typical dial up connection. 512 kbps and 1mbps are also available, although the 1 meg service is very expensive, about £50 a month.

The other option is ADSL, which you can get through Freeserve, amongst others. I think it costs just under £30 a month

As a guide on NTL's prices, which are similar to Telewest, you can get a 512kbps connection, which is about 10 times faster than a dial up, for around £25 a month. The 128kbps is cheaper, either £15 or £20 a month I think. The modem comes free when you sign up.

[Mushkin1uk]

Cheers Nashwan, Im a bit computer Dum, I didnt realise that A cable was Thanks to cable Tv, I only got rid of that 3 months ago, For Sky, What do you use?

[Nashwan]

I use NTL. Phone up whoever you used to be with, you might get some sort of discount as a returning customer.

Having used a cable modem, I don't know how I could go back to dial up, the difference is that great. Haven't noticed much difference for online gaming, but I think AH works pretty well on dial up. The difference in viewing normal web pages and downloading files is amazing.