I know that my connection type is kinda sucky for lfs anyway, but it is getting worse and worse each day.

I have a huawei t220 3g wireless usb modem, and i am on the three (3) pay as you go tariff. Im running xp sp3 and have avg8 AV, zonealarm firewall, and adaware SE + advanced windows care for protection so its fairly well secured.

When i first got this modem i used to get an actual download speed of between 800 and 1100 kbps (yes, that is kilabytes and not kilabits, and yes i know, its ghey! )

These days, it averages at about 500kbps, and at worst (tonight!) is at about 190kbps. This is barely better than dial-up, and it made me lag like a tw@t in the meet i was in earlier so everyone hates me as i was causing pinball style gameplay.

When i connect to the internet, the devices maximum capable connection speed was 3.6 mb. However, i found a recent firmware update on the huawei website for my modem and installed it. That (ficticious?) speed is now doubled to 7.2 mb.

This hasn't helped my actual connection though, as i hoped it would. According to many sites i have visited, i am in a good area for wireless speed, but i cannot get it for some reason. I even have a full WCDMA signal. (all 5 bars)

I first thought that the problem could be that the modem itself was behind the pc in the middle of the flat, so i bought a top of the range 5 metre usb active repeater extension cable so the modem is now well away from any possible blockages and is infact practically out of the open window.

Although, being on the 3rd floor anyway, i would have thought it would be superfast, but it isn't.

I have spoken to three many times about this, but they insist that the service is up as normal and i should be experiencing much faster speeds than this.

Does anybody have any particular experience with 3g wireless technology, and who could give me any pointers to get a better speed somehow. I have already disabled ssl in internet options, disabled ppp compression (i saw an admin on here mention it for wireless) and i always clear all the temp files and cookies every day.

Any ideas anyone?? Thanks in advance.

EDIT: i had to disconnect my modem several times before i could even post this thread as the page kept hanging, another side effect i am having, as well as not being able to access hotmail, ebay, youtube and googlemail a lot of the time, and i always fail the upload tests on speedtest.net unless i do this unplug and replung back in proceedure. (I started trying to post this at 22.45 (UK)

Propably just network congestion. 3G is acceptable for mobile use, but as a "main" internet connection for desktop use it just isn't a very good choice. (High latency and available bandwidth depends very much on how many other people happen to be using the same base station at the time)

Quote from Kegetys :

Propably just network congestion. 3G is acceptable for mobile use, but as a "main" internet connection for desktop use it just isn't a very good choice. (High latency and available bandwidth depends very much on how many other people happen to be using the same base station at the time)

I know it isnt exactly ideal, but as im in a new place, British telecom wish to charge me about £150 to connect me up, and as an existing line is a requirement for all isp's this sadly is the only available option i have to get online.
I think i need to save up.

I've told you many times before that 3G connection is not really suitable for normal home internet usage. Clearing temp files probably just makes your connection seem even slower because it has to reload everything all over again.

But I only download at 120kbps, if that. That's like 1MB speed, and it's fine for everything for me, from streaming movies to hardcore LFS races with over 25 cars on grid.

Just buy a normal connection and stop doing things on the cheap, only to moan when they don't work. After like 5 threads and countless people telling you this, really, I don't see why you keep asking.

Because i have recently moved into my own place with my other half and with me being the only one with a job as she was made reduntant, i permanantly have literally no money as it all goes on bills. So thats why s14. If i could afford something better then i would do it, i just wondered if there is a way to optimize what i have. I take it that there isn't.

As Kegetys rightly said, it's all about contention. 3G networks have a huge contention ratio in built-up areas, and poor service in rural areas, so it's pretty much a lose-lose situation, unless you're simply servicing your mobile device with it (hey... that's what it was designed for...). You'd be far better off saving up, and spending the £150 and getting something that actually works properly... or just don't try to race online until you've got a more reliable solution (if you're struggling to make ends meet... reducing LFS lag is probably not a priority).

As an aside, the lag you were experiencing was, most likely, not at all due to the connection speed of 190kbps... but due to the aforementioned contention, and simply the inadequacy of 3G for anything where low latency is important. The connection speeds advertised may seem good, but the figures that really matter are far from impressive, when comparing to fixed-line alternatives. Of course, for mobile devices (where a typical page load or download is a fraction of regular page loads or downloads), this is perfectly adequate.

Quote from danthebangerboy :

Because i have recently moved into my own place with my other half and with me being the only one with a job as she was made reduntant, i permanantly have literally no money as it all goes on bills. So thats why s14. If i could afford something better then i would do it, i just wondered if there is a way to optimize what i have. I take it that there isn't.

I'm afraid not. People have suggested things (myself included), and you've tried many things, but it's not going to get much better. 3G is really designed for mobile broadband as there is only so much data a phone can process, compared to a PC.

Im now considering.... As many active repeater leads that i can join together, an open window, a really big stick, and an umbrella (ella, ella, eh, eh) maybe if i can get it to actually touch a satellite then i can have better signal.

The device is capable of much better speeds as i know of someone who has the identical same modem, and who is on the same network. He can download at about 1 megabyte per second, with a much more stable speed than me. It just must be a rubbish signal area or something.

Roll on the 28th, Payday! I will have to get a line, and then a virgin media connection, then i should never ever lag at all.

BT are offering the install at £30 IF you take out an 18month contract with them (basic option 1 package = £7.99 for 3 months then £15.99 + "Up to" 8Mb + Free HomeHub) - it's not listed but if you call them and ask if you can still sign up to it they'll let you.

BTW - Virgin will want a £30 install fee, and a rediculous amount of money for a connection (£21 for a 2MB Fibre package + Phone - WTF!)