Skype connection lost

IlikePostcards

What's the story?

I have a X Mac; my boyfriend is using a PC. I am running 2.8 Skype, while he is using 4.0 stable. I'm in the US mostly stealing the internet connection off of airPort, and he is doing the same, however, we both are on connections that are private, and we are passworded in. He lives in Ireland, and I'm in the States. So, that is the conditions, here is what is going on:

We are trying to talk on skype, but after a certain amount of time, it varies between seconds and minutes, the image and audio freezes, stays frozen for a bit, and then "connection lost."

A second problem is that happening is the wind tunnel effect. He'll be talking, and then this blowing wind with overtake the audio. Just recently the audio will decrease in volume to where I can't even hear him.

Boards, please help.

probe

IlikePostcards wrote: »

What's the story?

I have a X Mac; my boyfriend is using a PC. I am running 2.8 Skype, while he is using 4.0 stable. I'm in the US mostly stealing the internet connection off of airPort, and he is doing the same, however, we both are on connections that are private, and we are passworded in. He lives in Ireland, and I'm in the States. So, that is the conditions, here is what is going on:

We are trying to talk on skype, but after a certain amount of time, it varies between seconds and minutes, the image and audio freezes, stays frozen for a bit, and then "connection lost."

A second problem is that happening is the wind tunnel effect. He'll be talking, and then this blowing wind with overtake the audio. Just recently the audio will decrease in volume to where I can't even hear him.

Boards, please help.

I don't know precisely what you mean by "stealing the internet connection" - but assuming you are using a neighbor's WiFi that either isn't WPAd or you have managed to crack a password, I suspect that you are not alone and your fellow neighbors are also using the same facility. The problem is almost certainly that you don't have a decent internet connection.

In any event most consumer internet services in the US are of poor quality, like the mobile phone service in that country. Infrastructural deficiency....

daftdave

probe wrote: »

I don't know precisely what you mean by "stealing the internet connection" - but assuming you are using a neighbor's WiFi that either isn't WPAd or you have managed to crack a password, I suspect that you are not alone and your fellow neighbors are also using the same facility. The problem is almost certainly that you don't have a decent internet connection.

In any event most consumer internet services in the US are of poor quality, like the mobile phone service in that country. Infrastructural deficiency....

could you do an online speed test and post the results here , do one at your end and another at your boyfriends end and see what kind of connection ye both have.

www.speedtest.net

IlikePostcards

Actually, I am using my family's internet connection, and I have the password, it's not like I'm hijacking some poor soul's connection without their knowledge. I've tried using her computer and it doesn't seem to be any better, so probe, it's not like I don't have a decent connection.

daftdave: I was not very successful with my test, but I used the closest connection to where I live, and connected to Dublin.

Download 4.52 ms/s
Upload 1.64 mb/s
PING 229 MS
ISP: Comcast Cable
Server: Dublin Distance 3350

MP3 File (5 mb) 9 second
Video Clip (35 mb) 1 min
Movie (800 mb) 24 minutes

My result with way below ISP average.

Can you translate what this means, and/or if I need to repeat the test? I'll be sure to make my boyfriend to the test.

probe

IlikePostcards wrote: »

Actually, I am using my family's internet connection, and I have the password, it's not like I'm hijacking some poor soul's connection without their knowledge. I've tried using her computer and it doesn't seem to be any better, so probe, it's not like I don't have a decent connection.

daftdave: I was not very successful with my test, but I used the closest connection to where I live, and connected to Dublin.

Download 4.52 ms/s
Upload 1.64 mb/s
PING 229 MS
ISP: Comcast Cable
Server: Dublin Distance 3350

MP3 File (5 mb) 9 second
Video Clip (35 mb) 1 min
Movie (800 mb) 24 minutes

My result with way below ISP average.

Can you translate what this means, and/or if I need to repeat the test? I'll be sure to make my boyfriend to the test.

Your ping time is appallingly slow at 229 ms. The ISP must be routing the traffic over multiple peering points all over the planet. The upload and download speeds are adequate for Skype (assuming you mean Mbits/sec).

You did say you were "stealing" your internet connection. Stealing implies non-consent of the owner/bill payer.

The other party to the Skype connection's results are necessary to make a fuller assessment.

IlikePostcards

I will repeat the test on my parent's computer, and will make my boyfriend do the test tonight and will post the responses tomorrow morning. Thanks so much for your help.

PogMoThoin

Don't pick the Dublin server this time, click on the map and pick a server closest to You or else pick the recommended one, this is why the ping time was crazy. Click to copy the forum link and paste it into your next post here, preview before posting to make sure it works before clicking submit.

IlikePostcards

These are my boyfriends stats:

download speed is 2.74 mb/s
upload is 0.38 mb/s
ping is 85ms
isp is 84.203.48.54 smart telecom holdings
server is dublin
below average
mp3 is 15 seconds
video clip is 2 mins
movie is 39 mins

daftdave

IlikePostcards wrote: »

These are my boyfriends stats:

download speed is 2.74 mb/s
upload is 0.38 mb/s
ping is 85ms
isp is 84.203.48.54 smart telecom holdings
server is dublin
below average
mp3 is 15 seconds
video clip is 2 mins
movie is 39 mins

download speed is fine, upload is a bit slow but it should be ok for a skype , also make sure when both of ye are using skype that there are no other downloads or uploads going on in the backround. i.e downloading movies or music or any of that kinda stuff ,
also try report another speed test on your own connection from a server closer to where you are, as a previous poster said , if your in the u.s and you ping a server in dublin, its not gonna give you the result you were looking for.

PogMoThoin

You got Limewire, Bearshare or other file sharing programs or bittorrent clients installed on either pc?

Martyr

some isps restrict..or atleast throttle some udp on their networks, perhaps due to file sharing programs sucking up all the bandwidth.
is it possible to use tcp instead of udp in skype? or is skype using tcp anyway..i don't know.