Tech Forum

Hi,

We noticed that the dsl connection to our FHC was running really slow last week. When I ran a speed test I got a whopping 1.5Mbps down and .33Mbps up. Thinking there was something wrong with the connection we had ATT out and they confirmed that was what was signed up for.

When you have 5 patrons using computers in the FHC the connection is so sluggish that they keep getting the window stating they are not connected to the internet.

This is also so sluggish the Director has problems when ordering microfilms.

Our friends at FM group were called to find about increasing the speed and they balked stating that was what Church Policy called for.

Before I run around to the other buildings in the Stake and test their speeds, what DSL speed is typically used for Church locations.

Thanks,

lrawlins wrote:Hi,

We noticed that the dsl connection to our FHC was running really slow last week. When I ran a speed test I got a whopping 1.5Mbps down and .33Mbps up. Thinking there was something wrong with the connection we had ATT out and they confirmed that was what was signed up for.

When you have 5 patrons using computers in the FHC the connection is so sluggish that they keep getting the window stating they are not connected to the internet.

This is also so sluggish the Director has problems when ordering microfilms.

Our friends at FM group were called to find about increasing the speed and they balked stating that was what Church Policy called for.

Before I run around to the other buildings in the Stake and test their speeds, what DSL speed is typically used for Church locations.

Thanks,

I've never heard of any policy stating a standard DSL speed. You need to keep in mind that the decision and responsibility to have DSL installed is up to the Stake Presidency. Given the fact that cost is most likely a determining factor, it's my guess that the stake would probably choose the most cost-effective speed vs cost deals.

Speed is also a factor of the distance from the Central Office to your modem. The further away you are the slower your speed will be. I have one building in our stake that's running the minimum DSL (768k down) since that's the best we can get, and another building that's using business DSL as it's close to the Central Office.

lrawlins wrote:Hi,

We noticed that the dsl connection to our FHC was running really slow last week. When I ran a speed test I got a whopping 1.5Mbps down and .33Mbps up. Thinking there was something wrong with the connection we had ATT out and they confirmed that was what was signed up for.

Slow by some standards, and not good for streaming. My home cable modem is much faster.

But 1.5 Mbps download is all that a dedicated T1 provides. Until recently, my entire day-job office of about 50 users was sharing a single T1.

Some people have complained that the Church supplied firewall is causing a great slow down. Have you done a speed test outside of the firewall?

As far as what we get, "standard service" is 3Mbit. So that's what we have. When first installed I think it was something slower (768?), but since the phone company upped their "standard" rate, I was able to get a speed increase with just a phone call and no billing change.

techgy wrote:You need to keep in mind that the decision and responsibility to have DSL installed is up to the Stake Presidency.

True for the Meeting House Internet, but not necessarily true for FHCs. You may wish to have a conversation with the Family History Department to see if there's some unpublished standard.

The FM groups reluctance could be understood by the fact that they pay the bill and they have not budgeted for any upgrade.

intermittent and very slow internet access has been caused by AVG. it doesn't happen on all computers, but it has happened on almost a quarter of the avg installed computers that I work with (i am responsible for hundreds of computers).

this is just one possibility. the 1.5Mb DSL speed is plenty for multiple computers to be using simultaneously unless they are streaming video, or downloading large files.

clementsms wrote:intermittent and very slow internet access has been caused by AVG. it doesn't happen on all computers, but it has happened on almost a quarter of the avg installed computers that I work with (i am responsible for hundreds of computers).

Of course, AVG should never be installed on any Church computer. Sophos is the approved antivirus software.

When you speak of "avg installed computers" I certainly hope you are not referring to any Church computers. If you encounter any such computers, notify the stake technology specialist immediately.

Haven't heard of this issue before, there is the possibility that there have at times been mistaken installs of McAfee recently due to not unchecking a box during a Java upgrade process that some may have not noticed. Oracle has quit this practice at least for now.