time for the annual Internet Speed Quest

Ben Scott dragonhawk at gmail.com
Wed Jul 9 20:08:56 EDT 2014


On Fri, Jul 4, 2014 at 5:28 AM, David Rysdam <david at rysdam.org> wrote:
>     However it looks like your connection goes through FairPoint
>     equipment that our connections do not go through. Sorry we couldn't
>     help you.
>
> Does anyone have more information about this? Does Milford have two
> parallel sets of equipment only one of which G4 can use? Or do they mean
> they just don't serve Milford?

  It could be they just don't serve Milford.  This would mean G4
doesn't have equipment at the local CO (Central Office (building that
houses the telephone switching equipment for your area)).

  But I'm guessing you are behind a "pair gain" system.  Also called
an SLC (Subscriber Loop Carrier).

  Traditionally, every telephone line runs on a dedicated pair of
wires, AKA local loop.  That pair goes all the way back to the CO,
where it is connected to the switch (equipment that generates dial
tone, processes dialed digits, connects telephone calls, etc.).  There
is nothing on the poles except wire.  There's no intelligence in the
terminal (telephone), either.  Dumb terminal, dumb local loop,
intelligent core.

  Now, the ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (the telco that owns
the wires (FairPoint in NH))) has a limited number of pairs on the
poles.  Sometimes, to add capacity, they put equipment in the field,
outside the CO.  They put a small enclosure on the side of the road
somewhere, called an RT (Remote Terminal).  They grab some existing
pairs and put digital signals on them, capable of carrying many voice
channels at once.  Then they fan out new pairs from there.

  Which was fine, until DSL came along.  DSL works by putting
equipment in the CO and connecting that to the existing loops.  The
DSL equipment overlays a digital signal onto analog phone service.
That doesn't work when there's no local loop connection in the CO.

> Are there any other options in Milford? Or is this equipment thing
> limiting me? There's always cable, but my vague perception is that cable
> internet sucks for several reasons. Maybe I'm behind the times.

  I'm guessing the "several reasons" are mostly inaccurate or
incomplete.  Most of the time, coax beats DSL.  Fiber beats coax, but
there isn't much fiber around here.  Terrestrial fixed wireless is
great, but if you're not within radio line-of-sight to an ISP, it's no
good.  Satellite Internet is horrible; I'd almost prefer dialup modem.

-- Ben


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