ADSL2 questions

[Psychobert]

Zad said:

With your attenuation, you should get 10-12Mbit or so on ADSL+(difficult to say exactly). The important thing isn't so much the line length, it is the data backhaul from the exchange to the ISP. Most (all?) non-LLU ISPs use BT's modems at the exchange, and share BT's data pipes. This results in your throughput being reduced at busy times. I know for certain that Be are very responsive to bandwidth bottlenecks, and have even gone to the extent of closing exchanges to new users until they can get more bandwidth in place.

That means almost nothing to me

I'm with Eclipse, paying for an 8meg premium line, could probably hit the local exchange with a cricketball thrown from my balcony and rarely even get 2megs. Eclipse have been working on improving it since I took out the contract about a year ago and I'll be swapping as soon as I get a chance.

I seem to remember a while ago a website that I used to work out from a postcode/phone number the distance to my local exchange and theoretical max speed for adsl. Anyone know what that is?

[smartie]

www.samknows.com is worth a look - click on a map and it gives distance to exchange and likely max speeds.

[Psychobert]

Thanks.. 64m from my exchange. Bit far to throw a cricket ball perhaps, but should be close enough to get more than 2megs..

[dictys]

samknows says i can only get 0.5mbps however I'm getting 1.2-1.5mbps

[smartie]

now running with Zen and modem connects at 832K, previously was 576k; however, speedtest now showing 250K where previously was 500k ish! Only swapped over tonight so might this improve?

Any explantion of the modem connection vs. the d/l speeds?

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

As has been said a 9dB margin is about the limit, so you won't get any faster, no reliably, have you checked all your internal wiring? Have you tried the router plugged directly in to the master socket? (Take the front of the main BT box off, then plug the cable from the router directly, no filters or anything else, in to the socket on the box). If you do that, then see what stats you get, if you get higher than 9dB margin, then the problem is your internal wiring.

[yellowtr]

I have a customer who has 3 phonelines into the house and each one goes a different route to the exchange-so when I spoke to my contact at BT the difference in speed was + or - 2.5mb ! Never seen that before. Bit of a pain really, but got there in the end.

[smartie]

LivinLaVidaLotus said:

As has been said a 9dB margin is about the limit, so you won't get any faster, no reliably, have you checked all your internal wiring? Have you tried the router plugged directly in to the master socket? (Take the front of the main BT box off, then plug the cable from the router directly, no filters or anything else, in to the socket on the box). If you do that, then see what stats you get, if you get higher than 9dB margin, then the problem is your internal wiring.

Straight into the master socket, no other phones connected in the house except for a DECT cordless into the same master socket. Sky box not plugged in either.

I really do feel like a second class BB customer and all because we live a few miles from the exchange - it's so frustrating.

The BT engineer I spoke to said things could be improved hugely if BT were to boost signals from the green roadside cabinets, but they have no plans to do this at the moment. Any ideas why?

[Smartie]

now at 702k - so a little better!

[smartie]

just signed up to Vodafone mobile broadband and now getting 1.3mbps, seems pretty good!

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

smartie said:

just signed up to Vodafone mobile broadband and now getting 1.3mbps, seems pretty good!

£25 a month for 5GB and £15 per extra GB? Ouch.

[smartie]

needs must - that or currently at 135K with Zen!!