We have recently received calls from the Shaw bandwidth police. They suggested that we upgrade to a higher internet plan. As we were regularly exceeding our cap (Extreme, 200 GB cap, 25 Mbps DL), I agreed that it was time to upgrade to Broadband 100+ (750 GB cap; 100 Mbps DL).
Today I swapped our old modem for the new modem+router combo (I was told by the bandwidth police that the old modem could not handle broadband speeds), hooked it up, and immediately ran a speed test. Typical results were as follows:
Contacted Shaw.
Justin #7778 said the in-store representative forgot to reset my modem. He reset my modem and said I should be good to go. I was not.
Marshall #7965 reset the modem again. Speeds still sucked. He passed me on to Ken #7779 who also reset my modem. lol. He then had me do a speed test by having me connect my computer directly to the modem with an Ethernet cable. That did the trick--speed test showed that my speeds were at Broadband 100+ level. Kenny seemed proud of himself:
Ken #7779 (15:50:24):
Ok.
Ken #7779 (15:50:26):
Great.
Ken #7779 (15:50:33):
The true speed test must be done directly via cable.
Ken #7779 (15:50:51):
Through wireless, you're not going to get the 'actual' speed.
Ken #7779 (15:50:59):
Anything else for today?
Oh, no he didn't! He actually tried to DISMISS me like he had resolved my problem?!
Shaw Account (15:53:18):
lol... then what is the point of the modem+router that shaw now offers? Especially when these days most everyone connects wirelessly?
Shaw Account (15:53:26):
that is strange........
Shaw Account (15:54:02):
you mean to say that i will pay for broadband100+ speeds, but will only get extreme speeds which is what i have been getting all along?
Ken #7779 (15:54:45):
What you must also check is your wireless network card to ensure that it is capable of receiving speed of beyond 25mbps.
Shaw Account (15:54:55):
it is. this is a new computer.
Ken #7779 (15:54:57):
There are some network cards that max out at specific limit.
Ken #7779 (15:55:01):
You'll need to check the specs.
Ken #7779 (15:55:06):
(even though it's a new comp)
Shaw Account (15:55:13):
lol...
Ken #7779 (15:55:16):
It sounds like that might be case.
Shaw Account (15:55:34):
you said i can never get true broadband speeds unless i connect directly?
Shaw Account (15:55:39):
now you are blaming the network card.........
Anyway, Ken was useless and closed the chat on me. Another representative, Brayden #9852, tried to help me. He had these nuggets of wisdom:
Brayden #9852 (16:22:36):
It's like if you purchased a car that was sold to you as being able to go 200KM/h, which it certainly can do on the highway etc, but when you take it on an old dirt road you won't get the same speed.
Brayden #9852 (16:26:25):
We are providing you with what you are paying for, it's just that if you'd like to use that technology over wireless it won't go as fast. If you do a search online for this issue, you'll find tons of people in your same shoes. It's a limitation of the technology itself, wifi is not designed to be able to handle speeds like that without specialized equipment
Brayden #9852 (16:30:02):
I've set up networks for quite a few small businesses, and have worked with this equipment before, but it's not really consumer grade, it's more commercial grade and priced accordingly so.
Anyway, he tried to blame walls, cordless phone chargers, distance and on and on... and then said:
Brayden #9852 (17:46:29):
You're getting the correct speeds wired, so it's really up to you if you want to change your plan to the slower speed. You'll be exceeding the bandwidth limits even more if you go to the lower plan, and you won't get the Broadband 100 speeds wired in.
RIDICULOUS!!!
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