Tower hopping only when downloading

[evilspinach]

I've noticed lately that when I download I get bounced around all visible towers, only switching back to my idle tower for a couple of seconds at a time before moving off to another tower for 20 seconds.

The tower I connect to and idle on is Tower 28 (always on Load 1, so its nice and quiet), it says Bramley N but we're a good 30km's from Bramley, so I assume its name to be wrong. Anyway, signal to 28 sits rather firmly between -60 and -70dB. Rather excellent, IMO. When I start a download (multithreaded), that is going to try max the connection, I hop between Roodekraans, Constantia Kloof, Northcliff and Sanlam Center. All at disgraceful signal levels, between -91dB and -115dB. My download speeds, however, mostly remain above 115KB/s.

Does anyone have any idea why I get hopped from my rather ideal tower, both signal and load, to others giving lesser signals with higher loads? As I said, its mainly with downloads, lesser traffic (under a half megabit) does not seem to cause this. The fact that it doesn't affect my speed makes it a non-issue, at this point I'm just curious.

Also, if I knew where tower 28 was, I could definitively point my antenna in its direction... At this point, I have no idea where it is.

 

[GreatBigMouth]

At a D/L speed of 115kB/s, how could you complain.... lol

 

[Gatecrasher]

Also, if I knew where tower 28 was, I could definitively point my antenna in its direction... At this point, I have no idea where it is.

Can you not just rotate the antenna until the signal to the tower is at its strongest? Then you don't need to know where the tower is. Just keep your antenna pointed in that direction.

 

[Ekhaatvensters]

Can you not just rotate the antenna until the signal to the tower is at its strongest? Then you don't need to know where the tower is. Just keep your antenna pointed in that direction.

Ja, this is true. Of course it would be easier if you knew the actual direction, but I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to figure out by just moving the antennae around.

About your hopping.. this is "normal" but I wouldn't think it happens with towers that have such a big signal difference between them.

 

[evilspinach]

At a D/L speed of 115kB/s, how could you complain.... lol

I'm not complaining, I'm just baffled as to why it is hopping to FAR worse towers. My only "problem" with this is that I can't play Guild Wars comfortably whilst downloading anymore, unless I put the speed limiter on. Its hardly a crisis though

GBM & EHV: With regards to moving my antenna about, I generally get excellent signal no matter where I point it. Currently the antenna position gives me a 9/10 or a 10/10 signal, now trying to get better than that would make me seem a little OCD. Moving it around during a download has been rather fruitless though, since tower 28 is only visible for a few seconds at a time.

 

[Ekhaatvensters]

I'm not complaining, I'm just baffled as to why it is hopping to FAR worse towers. My only "problem" with this is that I can't play Guild Wars comfortably whilst downloading anymore, unless I put the speed limiter on. Its hardly a crisis though

EHV: With regards to moving my antenna about, I generally get excellent signal no matter where I point it. Currently the antenna position gives me a 9/10 or a 10/10 signal, now trying to get better than that would make me seem a little OCD. Moving it around during a download has been rather fruitless though, since tower 28 is only visible for a few seconds at a time.

Well then you hardly need to move your antennae, you are right

btw, are you using a directional antennae or the normal iBurst/omni antennae? I personally don't even have towers to hop to, but people with the problem say it can be solved by buying a directional antennae which can be focused on only 1 tower. If this hopping doesn't actually affect your browsing or downloading speeds, then it isn't really a problem.

 

[evilspinach]

Its a directional antenna. Oh, without the antenna, I get the same results, only sliding down a few dB in signal.

And, again, I know it isn't a problem. It is just that the technology is working in reverse, it seems, when choosing a tower... Hence, my curiosity There obviously isn't a high chance a logical answer springing out at me with this one.

 

[usersoosh]

I am on a ridge and was hopping all the time. Pings from 40ms to 2500ms. a call to iburst suggested a omi directional antenna. i decided not to follow the advance helpdesks advice and bought a directional aerial. the result is only 1 connected tower at -62db and an unnaturally good signal. pings as follows:

Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=69ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=71ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=74ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=55ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=139ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=81ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=172ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=75ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=76ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=53ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=43ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=44ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=44ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=51ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=54ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=55ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=63ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=121ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=44ms TTL=254
Reply from 196.2.100.1: bytes=32 time=75ms TTL=254

i am sure that the omni would have had the same result NOT !!!

ive had it for a week and it seems to have solved all my problems with iburst!