-
Join the MyBroadband community
South Africa’s biggest forum. Discuss, discover, and connect with thousands of members.
-
Question of the Day: What is the ultimate French toast topping?
The Silver Surfer Thread (iBurst 2Mbps Modem)
- Thread starter thriel
- Start date
Bursty-dude
Expert Member
Yes, router is used sometimes. Only when the better half wants to browse or download via WiFi.
Rest of the time the router is disconnected.
But no speed difference at all with router connected either.
Rest of the time the router is disconnected.
But no speed difference at all with router connected either.
Poekiej
Member
Hi,
Does anybody know how I check the signal strength on the 2Mb modem?
It's got no USB port??
Does anybody know how I check the signal strength on the 2Mb modem?
It's got no USB port??
silversurfer (2mbps) firmware update
Firmware update for silversurfer (2mbps) modem.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mvvh0d2xh66x7b6
Firmware update for silversurfer (2mbps) modem.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mvvh0d2xh66x7b6
New? What version?
Bursty-dude
Expert Member
Are 2Mb modems being throttled or is there an issue with them that speeds are crap?
I understand the 2Mbps modems are a lot more sensitive to antenna alignment.
@Bursty-dude: What firmware version do you have?
What antenna configuration; dual omni, dual flat panel, single omni + splitter, single flat panel + splitter, etc?
If dual antennae, how far apart are they?
What is your signal strength?
What is the tower ID and the load on the tower?
Bursty-dude
Expert Member
Firmware is Version 1.04 (Software Version C104C0C9).
Single flat panel on a 3 metre high pole on the roof of our house. Flat panel is +-22m from the ground.
Signal strength 100% since the flat panel was installed and was between 90 and 100 before then.
BSCC19 and load is 3 (load was checked by the iBurst tech when the antenna was installed).
Speeds were constantly above 2Mbps during the day and even when it rained.
Now it is just above 1Mbps if I am lucky during the day but averages around 0.6Mbps. Even after 2am in the morning it will go to just above 1Mbps.
Ever since the new packages were released, the speeds have dropped (and no one will ever convince me otherwise, it is a simple fact). Before the flat panel was installed, it would be slower than dial-up, but improved afterwards.
And I am not the only one with a half-speed 2Mb modem either, there are plenty of people here and on FB who moan about the same thing.
Yes, towers are simply overloaded and the only solution is to put up more towers. Either that or the 2Mb modems are throttled somehow.
Edited to add -
This is a Speedtest result from a few minutes ago:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1859716548.png
Compared to this from April 2011:
http://speedtest.net/result/1274033234.png
See what I mean by crap speeds lately?
Single flat panel on a 3 metre high pole on the roof of our house. Flat panel is +-22m from the ground.
Signal strength 100% since the flat panel was installed and was between 90 and 100 before then.
BSCC19 and load is 3 (load was checked by the iBurst tech when the antenna was installed).
Speeds were constantly above 2Mbps during the day and even when it rained.
Now it is just above 1Mbps if I am lucky during the day but averages around 0.6Mbps. Even after 2am in the morning it will go to just above 1Mbps.
Ever since the new packages were released, the speeds have dropped (and no one will ever convince me otherwise, it is a simple fact). Before the flat panel was installed, it would be slower than dial-up, but improved afterwards.
And I am not the only one with a half-speed 2Mb modem either, there are plenty of people here and on FB who moan about the same thing.
Yes, towers are simply overloaded and the only solution is to put up more towers. Either that or the 2Mb modems are throttled somehow.
Edited to add -
This is a Speedtest result from a few minutes ago:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1859716548.png
Compared to this from April 2011:
http://speedtest.net/result/1274033234.png
See what I mean by crap speeds lately?
Last edited:
Bursty-dude
Expert Member
This is about the maximum I can get now:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1859783387.png
Oh, and that 2.12Mbps Speedtest result in the previous post, that was with NO external antenna and the modem sitting on a windowsill.
So running at half the speed with a fancy antenna. Does that seem fair? Hell no.....
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1859783387.png
Oh, and that 2.12Mbps Speedtest result in the previous post, that was with NO external antenna and the modem sitting on a windowsill.
So running at half the speed with a fancy antenna. Does that seem fair? Hell no.....
I was going to suggest experimenting with two antennae instead of one antenna and a splitter, as the splitter halves the transmitted and received power, but your signal strength seems OK.
A load of 3 indicates a fully loaded tower, this could be your problem.
This is consistent with a fully loaded tower; since the new packages were released, people are downloading more, increasing the load on the tower.
What tower ID do you pick up without using the external antenna, and what is the load?
Perhaps your flat panel is aimed at the wrong tower for you?
What kind of splitter do you have?
PS: Please quote your speedtest results in the body of your post, or at least inline the image (click the 'Insert Image' button). I'm sure a lot of people reading here don't bother to click on every one of your speedtest links.
Bursty-dude
Expert Member
I have tried with two antenna's before, no difference to download speed at all.
Tower ID is the same as with the flat panel (BSCC19). The signal strength, load, download speed etc were checked by the techies who installed the antenna and 19 is the "best" one around here. They were up on our roof for a few hours checking that.
I have even moved the antenna around to different tower directions and 19 is still the best option. Overloaded towers suck....
But even after midnight (in fact, any time of the day or night) the speeds are still half of what they were.
More towers please iBurst? That is the answer to the problem.
You can even have a section of our yard to put up a new tower, but that won't help me as it will be too close. Unless I can tap directly into the tower
Tower ID is the same as with the flat panel (BSCC19). The signal strength, load, download speed etc were checked by the techies who installed the antenna and 19 is the "best" one around here. They were up on our roof for a few hours checking that.
I have even moved the antenna around to different tower directions and 19 is still the best option. Overloaded towers suck....
But even after midnight (in fact, any time of the day or night) the speeds are still half of what they were.
More towers please iBurst? That is the answer to the problem.
You can even have a section of our yard to put up a new tower, but that won't help me as it will be too close. Unless I can tap directly into the tower
Heck, if you're going to allow that, come put one in my yard too!You can even have a section of our yard to put up a new tower, but that won't help me as it will be too close. Unless I can tap directly into the tower
@Bursty-dude: What kind of splitter do you have? Pics, please?
Bursty-dude
Expert Member
Poynting A-SPL-T-0014. No pics of it though.
Is it camera shy?
It bothers me that you seem to be getting better speeds without using the external antenna.
Are you testing at the same time of the day? Are the results repeatable? In other words: test with antenna, without antenna, with antenna, etc. straight after each other.
Are all the SMA connectors tight? Maybe there's a fault in your splitter or one of the pigtails.
Have you tried connecting the external antenna without using the splitter? That is the antenna plugged into one of the connectors on the iBurst modem, the other free?
Bursty-dude
Expert Member
No, like I said in a previous post, speeds were above 2Mbps last year before the new packages were released (and they can say what they want to, it is a fact confirmed by many complaints here and on iBurst's FB page).
After the packages were released, speeds slowed down to being terrible, then Melanie organised for the antenna installation after I moaned for about 2 months about it.... and speeds went up again.
If I unplug the flatpanel and put the modem on the spot where I got 2+Mbps previously, speeds are less than 0.2Mbps and that is with 100% signal.
Yes, results are repeatable any time of the day or night, modem alone or with flatpanel attached, pigtails swopped on the modem, one pigtail attached, everything has been tried. It will not go above +-1.1Mbps.
I have even borrowed a friend's 2Mb modem, pigtails, splitter and flatpanel, and no difference at all.
It is a very simple case of overloaded towers in the area.
After the packages were released, speeds slowed down to being terrible, then Melanie organised for the antenna installation after I moaned for about 2 months about it.... and speeds went up again.
If I unplug the flatpanel and put the modem on the spot where I got 2+Mbps previously, speeds are less than 0.2Mbps and that is with 100% signal.
Yes, results are repeatable any time of the day or night, modem alone or with flatpanel attached, pigtails swopped on the modem, one pigtail attached, everything has been tried. It will not go above +-1.1Mbps.
I have even borrowed a friend's 2Mb modem, pigtails, splitter and flatpanel, and no difference at all.
It is a very simple case of overloaded towers in the area.
That's what I thought, but then you wrote you had got 2.12Mbp in the previous post.
