PCX1100 or Linksys BEFCMU10

Posts: 31 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 31

I have had Vonage for 4 days now and I recently switched out my old RCA for a Toshiba PCX1100. My wife twice today when she tried to call someone it did not ring on her end. She would hear them but they would not hear her. She said the phone has been acting up and I suspect the PCX1100 might be the issue. Does anyone have any experience with the Linksys. If so, is it better than the Toshiba?

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 10:50 pm Post subject: Re: PCX1100 or Linksys BEFCMU10

First, please run the testyourvoip.com Voip test and post results, so we can see what is going on with your connection in the first place. Do it with both modems, if you can easily do so. If not, use the one you have hooked up now.

Second, I can't speak to the RCA or Toshiba, but I can attest that the Linksys BEFCMU10 is a sweet cable modem. Even my positively ancient (by cable modem standards) DOCSIS 1.0-only unit holds up very well under Vonage and P2P simultaneous loads, and has given me excellent service for over three years now.

Having said that, your problem may or may not be your modem. Before you spend money, let's look at what's really wrong.

Posts: 31 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 31

NateHoy wrote:

First, please run the testyourvoip.com Voip test and post results, so we can see what is going on with your connection in the first place. Do it with both modems, if you can easily do so. If not, use the one you have hooked up now.

Second, I can't speak to the RCA or Toshiba, but I can attest that the Linksys BEFCMU10 is a sweet cable modem. Even my positively ancient (by cable modem standards) DOCSIS 1.0-only unit holds up very well under Vonage and P2P simultaneous loads, and has given me excellent service for over three years now.

Having said that, your problem may or may not be your modem. Before you spend money, let's look at what's really wrong.

I will run the test on the Toshiba when I get home and post results. I have ver.2 of the Linksys BEFCMU10 if that makes a difference. Its a coworkers and he will give it to me for next to nothing.

Posts: 31 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 31

MOS Analysis From You TO Boston
Media Quality
MOS
4.4 / 5.0
(Best with G.711 is 4.4)

Degradation Sources
Codec 0.57 96.8%
Latency 0.00 0.0%
Packet Discards 0.02 3.2%
Packet Loss 0.00 0.0%
Codec G.711 (PCM at 64kbps,
20ms RTP payload,
80kbps IP BW)
Round-Trip
Latency 98 ms
Packet Discards 0.1%
Packet Loss 0.0%
Loss Periods
Min: 20 ms
Avg: 20 ms
Max: 20 ms
Random Loss
Jitter
Min: 0 ms
Avg: 6 ms
Max: 20 ms
Signaling Quality
Post-Dial Delay 78 ms
Call Setup Time 78 ms
Media Delay 187 ms

MOS Analysis FROM Boston To You
Media Quality
MOS
4.4 / 5.0
(Best with G.711 is 4.4)

Degradation Sources
Codec 0.57 96.8%
Latency 0.00 0.0%
Packet Discards 0.02 3.2%
Packet Loss 0.00 0.0%
Codec G.711 (PCM at 64kbps,
20ms RTP payload,
80kbps IP BW)
Round-Trip
Latency 98 ms
Packet Discards 0.1%
Packet Loss 0.0%
Loss Periods
Min: 20 ms
Avg: 20 ms
Max: 20 ms
Random Loss
Jitter
Min: 4 ms
Avg: 6 ms
Max: 27 ms
Signaling Quality
Post-Pickup Delay 76 ms
Call Setup Time 74 ms
Media Delay 107 ms

Posts: 1715 · Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:52 am Post subject:

The Toshiba PCX1100 has a terrible reputation on the 'net, not only with Voip, but any sort of streaming/continuous data transfers. The forum fav seems to be the Motorola Surfboard modems, SB5xxx series. I think there are a few users with Linksys cable modems as well.

Posts: 31 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 31

VonageTPA wrote:

The Toshiba PCX1100 has a terrible reputation on the 'net, not only with Voip, but any sort of streaming/continuous data transfers. The forum fav seems to be the Motorola Surfboard modems, SB5xxx series. I think there are a few users with Linksys cable modems as well.

How do my results look?

Posts: 277 · Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 2:21 am Post subject:

94SupraTT wrote:

VonageTPA wrote:

The Toshiba PCX1100 has a terrible reputation on the 'net, not only with Voip, but any sort of streaming/continuous data transfers. The forum fav seems to be the Motorola Surfboard modems, SB5xxx series. I think there are a few users with Linksys cable modems as well.

How do my results look?

<shrug> Your results look absolutely outstanding, virtually perfect. Your connection apparently degrades under heavy, continuous mode, because if it was that good all the time, your Vonage service should be perfect.

You say the Linksys is from a coworker who will let you have it for next to nothing. Would he let you take it home, use it for a couple days and then pay him if it works well and fixes your problem, otherwise you could give it back? Alternatively, since the Toshiba DOES have a terrible reputation, I'd probably be inclined to just pay the "next to nothing" and use the Linksys. I too am using a BEFCMU10, and its excellent.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:43 am Post subject:

Your results are the very picture of what a perfect Internet connection should be. They are the very model of a modern major modem.

The BEFCMU10 v2 is the exact hardware I am running, and I can't dupicate those results with it, because it's a DOCSIS 1.0 modem and I don't think DOCSIS 1.0 can get that good. I think your current modem is capable of better numbers than the one you are thinking about buying.

HOWEVER, having said that, my Vonage experience is excellent and the modem just runs. I never restart it unless I am doing maintenance on my network, and it goes for weeks and months just sitting there ticking along.

So if you think the problem is the Toshiba, then by all means, spend the "next to nothing" and get the BEFCMU10 v2. If you're talking $5-10 as "next to nothing", then give up that next cappuxpresso at Starducks and have a backup modem, worst case. It's not the fastest modem in the world, but it just.. keeps.. running. "Slow and steady wins the race". All of my gear should work this well.

For your reference - my testyourvoip numbers as of this morning, run on my network which is loaded down with P2P, using my WRT54G to prioritize Voip traffic (so, on a dedicated link, I could probably do a little better):

Note: Boston was down, so I used Helsinki, and these results are a tad better than what I'm used to getting, and they are about the best I'm likely to see...

MOS Analysis From You TO Helsinki
MOS analysis chart
Media Quality
MOS 4.3 / 5.0

Degradation Sources
Codec 0.57 79.5%
Latency 0.10 13.6%
Packet Discards 0.05 6.8%
Packet Loss 0.00 0.0%
Codec G.711 (PCM at 64kbps,
20ms RTP payload,
80kbps IP BW)
Round-Trip
Latency 360 ms
Packet Discards 0.3%
Packet Loss 0.0%
Loss Periods
Min: 20 ms
Avg: 20 ms
Max: 20 ms
Random Loss
Jitter
Min: 0 ms
Avg: 20 ms
Max: 149 ms
Signaling Quality
Post-Dial Delay 220 ms
Call Setup Time 230 ms
Media Delay 601 ms

MOS Analysis FROM Helsinki To You
MOS analysis chart
Media Quality
MOS 4.3 / 5.0

Degradation Sources
Codec 0.58 86.1%
Latency 0.09 13.9%
Packet Discards 0.00 0.0%
Packet Loss 0.00 0.0%
Codec G.711 (PCM at 64kbps,
20ms RTP payload,
80kbps IP BW)
Round-Trip
Latency 360 ms
Packet Discards 0.0%
Packet Loss 0.0%
Loss Periods
Min: 0 ms
Avg: 0 ms
Max: 0 ms
No Loss
Jitter
Min: 0 ms
Avg: 3 ms
Max: 20 ms
Signaling Quality
Post-Pickup Delay 346 ms
Call Setup Time 224 ms
Media Delay 376 ms

-------

On my loaded network, my results usually vary between 3.8 and 4.3 or so. I rarely get better than 4.3 even when my network is completely idle. But 4.3 makes for a crystal clear Vonage call, so though a new modem would probably help, I ask myself - "help what, exactly?" Wink

Your problem may also be your router. Putting a "real" router in front of my Vonage gear (WRT54G, now known as the WRT54GL, with aftermarket firmware) was the best thing I ever did for my Vonage call quality. I have a WRTP54G as my Vonage device (formerly as my Vonage device and my router, but the unit really can't do both with the kind of loads I put on my connection).

Posts: 48 · Full Forum Member Joined: Dec 10, 2004 Posts: 48

Get a BEFCMU10. I upgraded from a 1100u and there were significant improvement, much less problems.

But don't buy an old one off of somebody. Get a brand new one from best buy or off the internet. Get a version 4 (latest version). It's better than the older versions.

Posts: 277 · Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 1:03 am Post subject:

dale5605 wrote:

Get a BEFCMU10. I upgraded from a 1100u and there were significant improvement, much less problems.

But don't buy an old one off of somebody. Get a brand new one from best buy or off the internet. Get a version 4 (latest version). It's better than the older versions.

Hmm, can you back that up with any facts, Dale? I'm using a v3 that was "an old one I bought off of somebody", and it works flawlessly, never a glitch, goes months and months without ever rebooting, and delivers 100% of my rated 6Mb bandwidth day in and day out. I also have a v2 that I'd still be using if I hadn't gotten the v3 for next to nothing from a buddy. The v2 also worked flawlessly, and I have it here as a great backup. Nate runs a v2 and it also works flawlessly with never a glitch, as Nate has already related in this thread. So just what makes you say that the version 4 is "better than the older versions" by enough to recommend NOT getting an earlier one? Its pretty tough to get better than "works perfect." <shrug>

To the original poster - the v2 your coworker has is definitely worth going with, particularly if the price is great. The older versions work just fine, as many of us here can attest to.

-Gary-