Bob Heye, a reporter for local ABC channel KATU called earlier this week to ask if EasyStreet could help their viewers learn about the importance of securing their Wi-Fi networks. So after a bit of encouragement from his manager, EasyStreet Tech Extraordinaire, Kenny Payne, came to the rescue. (Along with our other technical staff, Kenny is well versed about all things Internet.)
Below is a picture from one of our many security cameras showing Kenny being taped by the news crew. (Don’t even try to access our secure data center without being caught!)
You can view the entire resulting news story, “Is your wireless network a public porn gateway?,” including Kenny’s words of wisdom, here.
Just about everyone wonders whether they are getting the Internet connection speed they are paying for. EasyStreet has a handy speed tester located at our data center. It is handy for checking the bandwidth between your location and EasyStreet. Beyond EasyStreet, bandwidth becomes the wild, wooly world of Tier 1 backbone providers, exchanges, BGP routing, peering relationships and all matters technical. It is very difficult to get a big picture of how the Internet is doing. Help is on the way…
Veteran Internet architect Vint Cerf, a Google VP and chief Internet evangelist, recently announced a project called Measurement Lab. The M-Lab website aims to collect information from around the world to develop a comprehensive picture of how, exactly, the Internet is working.
It appears that many people want to know. Since the announcement, many of the related websites under M-Lab have been struggling with excessive load. Regardless, the project bodes well for better understanding of how the Internet works.
In Customer Support, we frequently hear questions about internet slowness. Many times, people are uncertain about how fast their connection should be, or they believe that the internet “feels slow”. Fortunately, we have some tools, and some advice for you.
The first thing you want to do is to test the speed of your internet connection. There are many speed testing sites available on the internet, but for the most accurate information, you will want to use a test that is local to you. This will rule out any interference from other sites or servers that may affect your results. So, go to http://speedtest.easystreet.com and click on the “Begin Test” button. When the test is completed, you will see results for both your upload speed and download speed.
The historical results of this test are avilable to us in the Customer Support department as well, and we can use them if you need help troubleshooting a slow connection. These results will be less than your provisioned line speed. This is due to overhead used to run the test, as well as any other applications on your computer that may be using some bandwidth at any time. A good speed test will typically be about 80% of your provisioned speed. So if your line is configured for a 1 Megabit connection, you will probably see a result around 800 Kilobits/second.
If your results are low, then you will want to take a few steps to verify that this test was accurate. First, you will want to reboot your computer, and make sure that any applications that use the internet heavily, such as download managers, or peer-to-peer file sharing clients, are shut down. You should also make sure that every other computer that may be using your network is completely powered off. After making sure that all of your bandwidth is available to the speed testing application, try it again. Your results are likely better than your first test, and if they are acceptable, your slowness might have been caused by heavy internet usage by applications on your machine, or other machines on your network.
If your results are still low, reboot your DSL modem, and unplug your router, if you have one. Plug your computer directly into the DSL modem. At this point, you may need to call support, since there may be some configuration that needs to be done on your computer. Now, with nothing but your computer, plugged directly into the DSL modem, test one more time. This is the most accurate test you can possibly do.
If your results are still unacceptable after this test, it is time to give us a call. We may have some tests to run, in order to determine where the problem lies. No matter what steps you take, the first step is always the Speed Test.
P.S. Your questions and comments are always welcome. Feel free to include suggestions for future topics! – Derrick D.
My name is Derrick, and you probably already know me. I am part of the Technical Support team here at EasyStreet. Since this is my first blog post, I thought I might go over some of the basics. So, here are a few things you might want to know, before you pick up the phone.
First, have your customer id number handy.
This is not necessary, but it will save some time while we are looking up your account. Your customer id number is a five digit number, and it can be found on your invoice from EasyStreet. It will allow support to quickly look up your account, and determine which services you have. If you do not have your customer id number, the next best thing is the billing name on your account, or your email address.
Second, be where the problem is.
This means more than just being at the computer that is having trouble. If you are having trouble sending email, it can save time if you already have your mail application open. In fact, it will save even more time if you currently have the error message on your screen. This same suggestion applies to issues other than email as well.
Third, know your symptoms.
This is related to the second suggestion. If you are getting an error message, write it down. If you cannot write it down, write down the error number. It is also helpful to know how long you have been experiencing trouble. If you cannot send mail, maybe you are also unable to receive mail. If you cannot send or receive mail, maybe you are unable to open web pages as well. Sometimes, knowing what is working is the first step towards finding what is not working.
Fourth, do what we tell you.
After you have told us your symptoms, we may have some steps we would like you to take, in order to narrow down the issue. If you have already performed some of these steps, let us know. We may ask you to do them again, while we monitor the connection.
Fifth, understand when we cannot help.
Occasionally a problem will occur that falls outside of EasyStreet’s purview. We can help you set up your email in Outlook. We cannot help you reinstall Outlook. We can help you set up your DSL connection. We cannot configure your wireless router.
Lastly, don’t apologize.
No need for apologies. Don’t hesitate to call because you believe the issue is your fault. If we find out that you made a mistake, we won’t hold it against you. Don’t feel bad about wasting our time, we are here to help.
These are not rules, but they will certainly help us solve your problem more quickly.
Derrick D.
