Connection speeds usually
decrease due to changes or upgrades at your telephone company. - Your phone
company is always changing the path calls take when you make them, so your
connection speeds may vary weekly. Also, after heavy rains, you will probably
get lower connect speeds for up to a week, because the telephone company's
underground lines get moisture in them. Third, speeds can suffer from heavy call
volume at your telephone company during peak hours. Speeds can also decrease if
you inadvertently modify a system file on your computer. Your computer
manufacturer can help you determine if this is the case.
Finally, connection speeds can decrease due to a bad phone jack, bad phone cord,
or your phone line being placed too close to a source of radiation, such as a
microwave, monitor or fluorescent light. Try moving your phone cord away from
these objects, try a different phone cord, and plug a phone into the same jack
your modem is plugged into. Listen to the dial tone, if you hear hum, static or
a faint dial tone, this may be causing poor connect rates. Contact your
telephone company for details. Do NOT mention modem speed problems. Your phone
company will not send a repairman to troubleshoot this. Simply say you are
hearing static, hum or other interference on your line, and would like it
checked.
