ask Dr. LJ - broadband packet loss
Since about January, I've been noticing that my internet connection has been slow. I'm on a password protected WiFi network, so it couldn't be somebody stealing bandwidth (could it?). Last night I tried to download a 13MB file and it took most of an hour and sat at 6-8 Kbps for most of that time. I called RCN and they diagnosed packet loss, but could only tell me that it wasn't my cable modem and it wasn't a regional issue. So I messed around for a while, and eventually found that the "forward signal to noise ratio" is off. (It's too low; I was getting 30.3, and it's supposed to be over 32.) The question is, does the SNR cause the packet loss? And the other question is, what do I do about it?
I've inspected all the cables, indoors and out, and nothing looks wrong as far as I can tell (there's a bit of a rat's nest going on outdoors, but it's been like that for ages). I don't think I have any unused ports, and I have one splitter that goes to the cable modem and the cable box. There's nothing wrong with my computer, either. So, Dr. LJ, what the hell is going on here?
I've inspected all the cables, indoors and out, and nothing looks wrong as far as I can tell (there's a bit of a rat's nest going on outdoors, but it's been like that for ages). I don't think I have any unused ports, and I have one splitter that goes to the cable modem and the cable box. There's nothing wrong with my computer, either. So, Dr. LJ, what the hell is going on here?