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JonFo

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Since we are getting more and more of our content via streaming services, the quality of our Internet service and local networks is becoming increasingly relevant to our A/V hobby performance. So I wanted to share with you a solution that I have to the poor quality and performance people often experience with their Internet service.

There is a fundamental problem in many ISP deployments and stock routers, and that is they allow for a phenomenon known as Bufferbloat to occur, this is the piling up of packets in excessively large buffers causing undue delay in transmissions. These delays are what causes streaming to pause and hiccup, Skype calls to drop and endless page apps (Facebook) to stall when loading.

This problem is exacerbated the lower your speed of service is, especially the upload speed. So people on DSL experience this almost non-stop, but it can frequently impact ‘fast’ cable users, and yes, even Fiber is not immune from this (but it is rarer).
So your Tidal stream can be impacted if your iPhone suddenly decides to sync new pictures to iCloud, or if your cloud-backup (e.g. Carbonite) kicks in.

I’m happy to tell you there is a fix for this, the challenge up till know is knowing how to deploy and tune the fix and deal with varying lines. There is now a commercial off-the shelf product that fixes this completely automatically, so even non-technical folks can deploy this with no support required. It is called the IQrouter and is made by http://evenroute.com

On my 12Mbps DSL line, thanks to my IQrouter, I can reliably stream Netflix and Amazon prime content in full HD. I can even be doing other thing on the line and no interruptions. I work from home and Skype or other VoIP calls are steady, clean and never drop from my end. My FB feed is buttery smooth, and all auto-play videos immediately start and can play to completion with no interruptions. And that’s with 60 connected devices on my home network.

So if you are on DSL or slow cable, this is a product to check out, it could completely change your Internet experience. It sure has for the folks who posted 5-Star reviews (100%) on the Amazon listing.

You can check your line with a handy test that will grade it for this problem http://evenroute.com/iqtest

Full disclosure, this is a product I designed and built to solve my serious issue with Bufferbloat (my ISP modem got an F), and it’s been commercially available nationwide since mid-last year. So I wanted to share this with my MLO peeps, as I figured this could help you if you had this issue on your line affecting your A/V experience.
 
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Excellent, Jonathan. Congrats on working on such an innovative product. I don't have much problem with my cable modem, but I will definitely recommend this to my sister who is on DSL.
 
Make sure to use premium power cords and interconnects on the modem, too.
 
Make sure to use premium power cords and interconnects on the modem, too.

:ROFL: But since you mention cables, it actually does help to use a good quality rj11 <- twisted pair (CAT5) ->rj11 between the wall jack and the DSL modem. It can improve SNR a bit if the area is 'noisy' or if you need to go 15 or 25'. Belkin makes some decent one.
 
Excellent, Jonathan. Congrats on working on such an innovative product. I don't have much problem with my cable modem, but I will definitely recommend this to my sister who is on DSL.


Thanks Rich. She will thank you profusely. This thing is like magic on DSL (I know, I have 12/0.7Mbsps DSL myself), and depending on the ISP box, the change can be dramatic, like as in nearly 100 times less lag.

I started the company because all my neighbors (non-technical retirees) needed a solution as well and there is nothing on the market that fixes this with no user involvement. Hundreds of them have it now, and I'm quite popular here in Big Canoe ;)
 
Jon thanks , just ordered one I'm hoping it is an easy set up I have AT&T service now with their equipment. Im guessing this is just plug and play. I am all thumbs when it comes to things computer. I will give everyone my review when I get it in and set up

I have my router on the main floor and directv downloads can be an issue upstairs in the office and bedrooms and also down one floor in the audio/theatre room. hoping this helps

Larry
 
Thanks for the info, Jonathan. This is on my short list for mods now, exactly what the doctor ordered for my new setup...

Dan
 
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Jon thanks , just ordered one I'm hoping it is an easy set up I have AT&T service now with their equipment. Im guessing this is just plug and play. I am all thumbs when it comes to things computer. I will give everyone my review when I get it in and set up

I have my router on the main floor and directv downloads can be an issue upstairs in the office and bedrooms and also down one floor in the audio/theatre room. hoping this helps

Larry

Hi Larry, thanks for checking it out. It does work great with ATT DSL and UVerse (VDSL); I have a couple of friends and family members on that and it's pretty simple to deploy. We even have dedicated guides to help you configure the ATT box for optimum results, but it just works plug and play (but do turn off the WiFi on the ATT box).

The setup has been praised as very simple. Remember my target was a bunch of retirees and regular users.

If you're having issues one floor away, you could have a WiFi coverage issue, and while the IQrouter V2 has really good radios, the recommendations in this article might help: http://evenroute.com/networking-quality

If you need help, please contact our highly rated support at the email that will be in the box.
 
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