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Troubleshooting Modem Connection Speed
Author: Eldon Martin
Updated: June 30, 2007

For dial-up Internet connections, the factor that determines speed more than any other is the quality if your phone line. When two modems connect, they negotiate the fastest speed possible over the phone line. Usually, the resulting connection speed will fall into one of the following categories:

• 14k to 20k - very slow (hardly usable)
• 20k to 30k - slow
• 30k to 40k - medium
• 40k to 48k - fast
• 48k to 53k - blazing!

Even phone line noise levels undetectable to the human ear will affect the modem. Usually by the time line noise is at an audible level, your connections will be in the slow or very slow category. Also, phone lines improve or degrade over time, and can fluctuate from minute to minute as well. Your computer might connect fast one time and slower the next.

If your computer's connection speed is in the medium range or higher, there is probably nothing that can be done to increase the speed significantly - it is probably as good as it will get. However, if your connections are in the slow or very slow categories, it may be possible to troubleshoot the problem and increase performance.

Under ideal circumstances, when you pick up the handset of your phone and press a button to remove the dial tone, you should here complete silence. Any background noise will affect your modem connect speed. If your phone line is normally clear, but you start to notice a background tone or crackling, a phone device in your house may be going bad. Try disconnecting each device connected to the phone line one by one, and testing the connection in between. If you still have line noise, there may be a problem in the cabling inside or outside your house. A technician will normally be able to determine whether the problem is inside your house (cabling you own) or outside (cabling owned by the phone company). If the later is true, expect a difficult time getting the phone company to fix the problem.

In rare cases, it is possible that a failing modem will cause slower than normal connections. It is also possible that a certain brand and model of modem connects better or worse depending on what modem is on the other end of the connection. In other words, switching service providers or replacing your modem can sometimes slightly affect the speed for better or worse.