I recently realized that my upstream throughput for single-threaded connections is much slower than I had assumed. Before, I just figured that everything is "fine" if the Cox test and speedtest.net showed 30. But I stream video occasionally from my home and can't reliably get a 3 Mbps stream without pausing and buffering. Here are my vitals:
- Cox Ultimate 300/30 with an SB6183
- Current downstream signals between 4.8-6.1 dBmV, SNR 41-43 db (16 locked, no errors)
- Current upstream power 37-39 dBmV (4 locked)
Single-threaded upload tests (dslreports, testmy.net, speedof.me) are usually in the 3-10 Mbps range, but intermittently can be as low as 1 and as high as 20. Sometimes it will vary by the minute or hour. A tech came out 2 weeks ago and noticed some ingress at the tap and on the line to my house, so he put in tickets to address both. After the line was replaced, things were better for a few days (consistently in the teens), but then went back to the typical 5 or 6.
Today another tech (a contractor) came out and everything supposedly checked out on the line. We tried a number of things, including testing with a different modem, running a new RG6 to the office, etc. He said that the backend speed test to my modem (is that really a thing?) showed 300/36, so the problems must be with the various speed test sites (yeah right!). He left saying there's nothing else he could do.
Here's the crazy part: about 30 minutes after he left, the speed tests starting showing 28-32, and not just some of them, but ALL of them! Including switching various servers to test against. Watching the bandwidth meter on my router, I could see spikes in the 40s and 50s, which I'm guessing was due to Powerboost. I tested streaming a 10 Mbps video from my cell phone and it worked perfectly, and with the stream speed test here, I was able to do three 6.2 Mbps streams simultaneously! Clearly something changed, and I even called the tech and asked what he did, but he had no clue. However, this lasted for about 90 minutes, and then things went back to the usual behavior. Argh!
So my question is: what should one reasonably expect for consistent single-threaded upstream throughput? With what I observed today, at least I know that my connection is capable of 30, but I'd be a happy camper if I could reliably get 4. What are others getting? Am I expecting too much from Cox? Any input is greatly appreciated!
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