What's the highest speed my DSL modem will handle?

[Rod at home 2]

Last month I was stranded without Internet access when my DSL modem failed. It happened on a Saturday, and my ISP (CenturyLink) wasn't opened. So I went out and purchased a new DSL modem at Best Buy. It's a Netgear Broadband ADSL2+ Modem, DM111PSP.

 

Now I've been contacted by CenturyLink, informing me that they've laid fiber optics in my neighborhood, and that soon I'll be able to get faster DSL to my house. Yeah! The question I have is, what's the fastest download and upload speeds will my new DSL modem will handle?

[cskenney 150]

Do you know if you have to change modems to use the fiber?

[jmwills 284]

Your ISP will have those figures and they should be advertising them as a selling point.  I would guess in the neighborhood of 100mb/s at a minimum.

[tojoski 3]

In some areas, Centurylink offers Fiber to Home (FTH), in this case I think you are going to need whatever media converter or router that Centurylink provides.

 

On the other hand, AT&T in this area likes to call people up and tell them they have new fiber lines, sell them a new DSL modem and a new contract and call it Uverse.

The speed didn't change, but in some cases it is less expensive.

[jmwills 284]

Yes, you will have to have some new equipment to make the conversion to fiber.

[ikon 438]

Back to the original question, don't the specs for your new modem tell you its maximum throughput?

[Rod at home 2]

My ISP thinks I still have the DSL modem they issued me. However, it died last month so I had to replace it. I went to Best Buy (the only electronic store I have available in my area) and bought the DSL modem they had on sale. I did use CenturyLink (my ISP) technical support to help set up my new DSL modem, but I guess this is a case of where the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, because they still think I'm using their DSL modem.

[jmwills 284]

I never use the ISP's equipment.  NEVER.

[Jason 75]

Why not? Mine issued a Motorola Surfboard 6120 DOCSIS 3.0 modem for my business account. Seems fine for 50 Mbps downstream.

[Rod at home 2]

I don't think it will be as good as 100 MBPS, although that would be nice. When the CenturyLink tech visited our home earlier this week she said either 20 to 40 MBPS. When I called CenturyLink's two days later to try and get it set up they confirmed those speeds, unless we also bundled in a service they have called PRISM. Apparently, PRISM is a TV via the Internet. (No satellite TV; no cable TV.) If we went with PRISM it would be even faster than 40 MBPS, but I don't know how much faster. I don't know if I want to go with that or not. Kind of thinking not doing PRISM.