What 56k Connect Rate Should You Expect?
56k Modems rarely connect close to 56k. In the US, FCC-imposed
power give most 56k modems a maximum potential for a 53.3k connection.
But, what happens in the real world? These are my
estimates of 56k connections. You can see actual results from thousands
of entries in Modemsite's 56k Modem Survey section.
 |
About 60-70% of 56k modem owners are getting 56k
connects (rates higher than 33.6k). 30-40% get
rates of 33.6k or less. |
| Of those getting 56k rates, 80-90% are
getting 40k or higher. About 75% get rates between 44-49.3k. About 10%
get rates of 50k or higher, and about 15% get rates between 34.6 - 38.6k.
However, the throughput achieved by a substantial portion of the connections
doesn't match the connect rate. |
 |
 |
Of the 30-40% of 56k modem owners not getting 56k
connects, about 15% are connecting at 31.6 - 33.6k, 70% at
26.4-28.8k, and 15% at 24k or lower. |
The rate achieved depends upon a number of factors including:
The Modem (sometimes the one
you have won't work with your line conditions/ISP)
The Modem Firmware/driver (sometimes a firmware
upgrade/downgrade will yield improvement)
Your line conditions (sometimes the facilities
provided by the phone company prevent 56k connects)
The ISP's Modems (sometimes your modem won't achieve 56k-interoperability
with your ISP's 56k modems)
The ISP's Modem Firmware (sometimes an ISP
modem firmware upgrade will yield improvement)
