MODEM SPEEDS Modem speeds are typically measured in bits per second. For dial-up modems, due to the technology used to deliver normal phone service, the fastest rate available is 56 kilobits (one thousand bits) per second. Digitized information, be it sound, video, or data files are converted into a series of ones and zeros in order to be understood and interpreted by your computer. Your modem converts digital information into analog signals for transmission through the phone network, and from analog to digital from the phone network to your computer. Over time there have been various standards developed to support 56k data transmissions; X2 and KFlex were early, non-standard technologies (developed by modem manufacturers), while V.90 and the current V.92 are industry standards (used by all modem manufacturers to assure compatibility).
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Apr 1, 2017 - It wasn't so long ago that a 56K modem was the default method of. The sheer sense of speed as web pages filled your screen piece by piece.
Sending and receiving signals through the phone network requires electrical current. In the data communications world, the more information (bits per second) the more current you need. If you apply too much current, there is a greater chance of the network developing a problem called crosstalk, or the unintended leaking of signals from one phone line to another (if you’ve ever heard another conversation on your telephone then you are familiar with this phenomenon). The FCC (Federal Communications Commission), with that problem in mind, decided to reduce the range of current available for phone company equipment to use, and thus reduced the speed available to analog modems. So while the modem may be capable of 56K, to help prevent crosstalk the FCC limits the amount of current that phone companies can use to send signals over the network, limiting data throughput to a maximum of 53 kbps.
Modem Speeds Summary - Vaughn's Summaries Data Modems Modem Speeds Summary Chart (This page is not intended for small screens.) by The modem speed chart below lists current and historical modem types, along with their speeds, both in Baud rate, and Byte rate. Currently, the most popular modems are cable modems, and DSL modems (broadband). Dial-up is rapidly fading into the past. The 56K dial-up rate is a maximum rate. DSL modem speeds are limited by the distance to the Central Office, and the speed should vary little.
Cable modem speeds are limited by the number of users online, and speed can suffer substantial degradation, especially on weekends, when demand is the greatest. 300 140 Modem Speed s Approx. Cost per Month Modulation Method Rated Bits/ Sec. (Baud Rate) Rated Bytes/ Sec. (baud ÷ 8) Bytes per Minute Minutes per Mega Byte Time to download a 20MB file Minutes.
Hours Note na FSK 2,400 300 18,0.1 18.5 Frequency Shift Keying na FSK 4,800 600 36,000 28 555.6 9.3 Frequency Shift Keying na DPSK 9,600 1,200 72,000 14 277.8 4.6 Differential Phase Shift Keying na DPSK 14,400 1,800 108,000 9 185.2 3.1 - na DPSK 19,200 2,400 144,000 7 138.9 2.3 - Obs. DPSK 28,800 3,600 216,000 4.6 92.6 1.5 v.34 $10 DPSK 33,600 4,200 252,000 4.0 79.4 1.3 v.34 $10 DPSK 56,000 7,000 420,000 2.4 47.6 0.8 v.90 Common 'dial-up' $30 ISDN 128,000 16,000 960,000 1.0 20.8 0.3 Integrated Services Digital Network $26 DSL Worst 300,000 37,500 2,250,000 0.4 8.9 0.1 Digital Subscriber Line Distance to C. Office $26 DSL Best 1,544,000 193,000 11,580,000 0.09 1.7 0.0 Limited availability $42 Cable worst 300,000 37,500 2,250,000 0.4 8.9 0.1 Cable Modem Other user traffic $42 Cable best 6,000,000 750,000 45,000,000 0.02 0.4 0.0 Limited availability High End High-speed Modems $500 T1 1.544M 193,000 11 million 0.1 1.7 0.1 - $5K T3 44.7M 5,592,000 335 million 0.003 0.1 0.0 - $50K ATM 155M 19,375,000 1.1 billion 0.001 0.0 0.0 - 50 70 80 75 75 50 50 50 200 - 700 High-speed Modem Notes Cable modems are faster than DSL modems, but seem to have more problems.
DSL speed can be excellent, but sometimes is subject to problems, as well. At any rate, obtaining modem support frequently can be a problem. Whether you get good support, or otherwise, is based upon the luck of the draw. I have not had very good luck. For instance, Comcast was not able to set up my cable modem - it wouldn't work at all. NO ONE who works on the problem has the knowledge to fix it - and there is NOBODY to call who can offer any help.
Just script readers. There is no 'second level support'. Even for installation. Maintain low modem speed expectations until it is working.
So I am stuck with SBC 120K speed DSL, which should be 380K MINIMUM, according to the ADSL specification. Ahh, but SBC DSL service is Rate Adaptive, which means that however slow your service is, TOO BAD, that's what you get. SBC does not believe in QOS compliance (Quality of Service spec). If your data transfer rate is marginal to poor to bad, you still PAY THE SAME amount. The above comments were made in 2004. Things have improved drastically since then.
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You no longer must rely on some idiot installer, and a bottomless hole support group. Author Bio ©2004, 2017 Vaughn Aubuchon www.vaughns-1-pagers.com All Rights Reserved - This Vaughn's Modem Speeds Summary page was last updated on 2017-10-29.