S-L-O-W internet...Telmex says DSL lines 'saturated'

[TrueBrit]

I am renting a house with 'high speed internet'. I wasn't sure what the definition of high-speed is here but I am receiving a paltry 0.8Mbps (down) and 0.05Mbps (up). My Vonage cannot handle this, nor my Netflix, and often not even my browser can load the page before timing out. I called Telmex to find out what the speed should be and for them to test the line. The Telmex rep said that the packet we have is for up to 3Mbps (note there is no lower limit). He verified that we were only getting around 1Mbps because the lines are saturated (first time I have had dsl) and for that reason I could not even pay for more speed. He also told me to call back in a month when they will then be able to increase my speed to 3Mbps at no cost - and I could even buy 2Mbps more at that time. I have not dealt with Telmex (newbie here), so I don't know if he is just giving me the 'manana', or if there is a possibility that something might be happening in the next month. When I asked what was going to be different he mumbled something that went beyond my Spanish, so who knows?

So has anyone had experience with Telmex regarding this sort of thing? Is there anything else I can do besides wait? Are there other internet providers lakeside (might be a problem in a rented house)? Anyone have any sort of solution to problems of internet speed?

[Shelley Ronnfeldt]

In what area do you live? Available speeds depend on neighborhood. Telecable is also available in some areas but not all.

[giltner68]

Well my friend, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem and you said it "Netflix" and a dozen other bandwidth sucking aps we gringos here are determined to abuse. Soon you will begin to see charges and limits on bandwidth, it's already common NOB and will be here soon, so get used to it.

[ScottH]

Don't count on it being fixed in a month. I was paying for Telmex's up to 10 Mbps plan but only received 2.7. After about six months of promises I signed up for Telecable and have been very happy with them. Their 8 Mbps plan (internet only) is about $400 MXN/mo. and I am actually getting between 8.1 and 8.4.

[HelperGuy]

Call TelMex back, ask for someone who speaks English, and chances are pretty good you will get a completely different answer. The lines are not "saturated", or the rest of us would be experiencing the same difficulties. Given that TelMex continues to push their "higher speed" capabilities and plans, and they continue to upgrade their infrastructure and customer lines, I think your support person was sniffing something he shouldn't have been.

[HelperGuy]

Well my friend, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem and you said it "Netflix" and a dozen other bandwidth sucking aps we gringos here are determined to abuse. Soon you will begin to see charges and limits on bandwidth, it's already common NOB and will be here soon, so get used to it.

You make it sound like getting good stuff from the Internet is a bad thing, or that those who are purchasing services like NetFlix are doing something wrong. Also, that it's "gringos here", when in fact it's a world-wide phenomenon and will only continue to grow. The Internet is here to stay, dude.

[ChrisB]

did you call 01-800-123-1234? That is the tech line and they do have english speaking reps

[johanson]

There is something very wonderfully wrong with the connection at my home in upper Ajijic, 1.2 Km from the Telmex office. I finally am getting the promised speeds. Telmex actually doubled my speeds and on the $599 package, I'm getting on average 4.9 to 5.1 down by maybe 0.6 up (I'm up north for a few days and I don't remember the exact upload speed)

But never in the many years of getting ADSL from Telmex have I actually gotten the promised HASTA (up to) speeds, never that is until last May when I checked the modem settings and discovered why I was getting 5Mb/s down. The modem settings were 6.016 or so down and I don't remember what the upload speeds were set at.

Yes there are quite a few folks in our local LCS computer club who are getting must less than promised. And most of them stream a lot of video.

I tell them, perhaps kidding perhaps serious, that the reason I get the promised speeds are that I don't stream that much and that my total streaming data load is very low, therefore they can afford to give me the promised high speed, something they can not do with my friends many of whom are band width hogs.

Who knows. I just know for the first time in many years I'm getting excellent speeds.

.

[HelperGuy]

Interestingly, I download TV shows constantly. I continue to get my 5 Mbit speed.

[johanson]

You are probably right, helperguy. My friends may just be teasing me, to include one who is always teasing me who works for Telmex.

But it makes a fun story, don't you think?

Or maybe it's that I want everyone else to stop streaming, so that I will have more room to speed on the internet backbone highway to great movies,TV programming etc.

All kidding aside, I truly question why they give me such great speed. Maybe they think I still write for the paper on a weekly basis.

[FHBOY]

In Villa Nova, my speedtest.net speeds are 3.65 download (rated A- by worldwide standards?) and .32 upload (B+). The only thing that disturbs me about the TelMex connection is the "drop out" of service on an intermittent basis for a few seconds, when the "internet" light goes out and the Vonage call gets cut off, or my input/output is interrupted. I was using FiOS in the states and figured that the exchange of speed for all the better reasons for being here is an OK trade-off.

[Betsy]

Is it possible that our ISP´s are lowering our speeds if we use too much bandwidth? It does happen elsewhere.

.

[johanson]

Although I have not always been happy with Telmex's reliability, one time when a DSLAM card failed, I was without internet for 9 days (it would have been longer but I tried Telecable, and in my location, telecable sucked, so about a year later I went back to Telmex. At almost all other times Telmex never failed

Now let me explain, I always had another internet sourse that was very reliable where I lived, www.laguna.com.mx (Fixed wifi based in Ajijic).

That's right, in the past those of us who had to have internet used to need two ISPs to deliver 100%reliability.

Now with only one ISP, the typical client will have very good reliability, if he chooses that ISP that works well in his neighborhood. (oh I bet there are a few areas where there is not a good ISP, but that is not the case where I live when lakeside.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

BETSY, there are some places up north when you consume too much bandwidth in too short of a time, they clamp your speed way down, or in a case with Comcast, start charging $99 US per month.

I do not know whether this is happening lakeside or not. My techi friends lakeside who tease me, say yes, but they could just be teasing me. Because if they are stepping speeds down here in Mexico, they are not being as aggressive as they are in the states

[HelperGuy]

TelMex has not yet begun to cap or restrict. They may well.

For Internet service that is intermittent such as described by fhboy, this indicates a fixable problem. Just takes some troubleshooting to figure out what.

[TrueBrit]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. There appears to be a lot of variance in everyone's experience with providers. I am in the village (Javier Mina) so not sure what this means in terms of what I can expect, but I will check out Telecable. I don't stream too much, it is just that when I want to make a Vonage call or watch a Netflix movie, it would be nice if it worked. I am not sure if this makes me part of the problem.

I did note that on Telmex's FAQ include the question 'why is my connection slower than the contractual speed?'. It blames everything but Telmex and its lines. btw the phone number they gave me at the Telmex office to call was 01 800 123 22 22.

[southernguy]

TelMex has not yet begun to cap or restrict. They may well.

For Internet service that is intermittent such as described by fhboy, this indicates a fixable problem. Just takes some troubleshooting to figure out what.

While they have not as of yet they do have a clause in their terms and conditions which reads..

Asimismo, con el objeto de proteger la calidad del SERVICIO, el CLIENTE reconoce y acepta que se podrá: (i) finalizar cualquier SESIÓN DE INTERNET cuando se detecte la falta de uso de la misma por parte del CLIENTE; (ii) limitar el volumen de datos transferidos y (iii) limitar el tiempo por períodos, de acuerdo a la modalidad del SERVICIO contratado.

heres google translation

Furthermore, in order to protect the quality of service, the customer acknowledges and accepts that may: (i) terminate any Internet session when it detects the lack of use of the same by the CLIENT, (ii) limit the volume of data transferred and (iii) limit the time periods, according to the modality of the service.

[giltner68]

Well "dude" better get used to problems and caps and costs, it's coming right down the road straight at you. I was looking at NOB ISP's the other day and almost without exception they're all selling capped plans and to be honest, if I were Telmex I would have done it a couple years ago rather than selling people 5mb down which never ever came anywhere close to that when I used them. Personally I could care less what it costs you or what you do - until it impacts me - then you have my attention.

[Betsy]

Well done, Southernguy, who would have thought to read the terms of service? ¨Falta¨ in this case would mean something like ïnfraction¨ not ¨lack of¨....So this clause is saying that Telmex can put the skids on your internet use at any time, no? It would not surprise me even a little bit if they are already doing this but not really telling anyone.

One problem I often have is that I will sometimes have a strong connection but no internet service or ¨the server is not responding¨. It always seems to happen toward the end of the month and resolves itself eventually. Maybe I am being reined in? Or maybe I am just being paranoid due to other utilities like CFE putting the screws to me.. I use SKYPE and stream quite a bit so maybe I use more than my fair share, I have no idea but there are ways to measure your usage, right_

Some ISP´s in the US will let it slide untill the third month that you exceed their usage limit, then you get a warning and / or an offer to pay for more bandwidth..

I´m sure Telmex and Telecable will eventually officially jump on this bandwagon, but don´t we already pay comparitively high rates for internet?

[HelperGuy]

Well "dude" better get used to problems and caps and costs, it's coming right down the road straight at you. I was looking at NOB ISP's the other day and almost without exception they're all selling capped plans and to be honest, if I were Telmex I would have done it a couple years ago rather than selling people 5mb down which never ever came anywhere close to that when I used them. Personally I could care less what it costs you or what you do - until it impacts me - then you have my attention.

Of course, and we've covered this many times before. The thing is, generally speaking, it does not affect you. We all have our own port on the Access Multiplier, meaning we all have an independent connection. Your personal experience with TelMex has no bearing on this, as those on this very board who have indicated they continue to get the bandwidth they are paying for can attest, regardless of what their neighbour (or perhaps everyone in Mexico who uses TelMex, and there are millions) is doing.

But you do care, because every time the subject comes up, you complain about us.

[lcscats]

Telmex has a server shortage so each box has so much bandwidth in it. Many of the servers are full so you get these slow speeds. I am lucky and get my full 5 down and .6 up. It all depends on which server you are on and how your wiring is. My service even works perfectly in the rains. So until they get more servers

in certain areas this problem will continue. They know and that is the first time I have heard them admit one of the problems.