Sky Broadband - is it naff ?
Discussion
After my recent house move I switched all my media services to SKY and opted for the Sky Broadband Max package for £10 per month, upto 16mb.
emphasis on upto 16mb.
After testing my bandwidth and Hardware, the maximum speed I'm getting is around 900k to 1.5mb, occasionaly 3mb.
Sky themselves tested my line, and said I should be getting at least 7mb. Then blamed my hardware
I've tried different phone points, different laptops etc, but the performance is still very dissapointing.
Is this a Sky problem, exchange or hardware?
If it's SKY and I'm able to switch, can anyone recomend a speedy ADSL provider please?
emphasis on upto 16mb.
After testing my bandwidth and Hardware, the maximum speed I'm getting is around 900k to 1.5mb, occasionaly 3mb.
Sky themselves tested my line, and said I should be getting at least 7mb. Then blamed my hardware
I've tried different phone points, different laptops etc, but the performance is still very dissapointing.
Is this a Sky problem, exchange or hardware?
If it's SKY and I'm able to switch, can anyone recomend a speedy ADSL provider please?
toni896 said:
Shadytree said:
After testing my bandwidth and Hardware, the maximum speed I'm getting is around 900k to 1.5mb, occasionaly 3mb.
Sky themselves tested my line, and said I should be getting at least 7mb. Then blamed my hardware
1.5mb is 1500(or so)kb/s
you are getting atleast 7mb
900kb-1500kb I think
Shadytree said:
ThatPhilBrettGuy said:
Out of interest, what ADSL router/modem are you using?
SKY's netgear.
So are you saying you only get 1500kb from downloads etc or the line only sync's at that rate?
ADSL performance is down to a combination of the software in the modem your end, the software in the modem (DSLAM line card) their end and the distance from the exhange (noise/attenuation)
..rarely does anyone ever get the headline speed figure that is used by marketing to sell the product...take BE for instance with their 24Mbps service - its technically nigh on impossible to see that speed outside of a telephone exhange/lab environment..you need near perfect line conditions and probably under 500m of cable between you and the DSLAM...usually theres a good few hundred metres in the exchange itself
I know quite a few people getting 10-15Mbps on Sky though very well - it could be that you have a noisy line etc (you need to have approx <2000m of cable between you and the exchange).
But to start with, lets not get muddled up with bits n bytes
line synch speed is generally shown in the router GUI in k/bits per second, so you should see something like 12000kbps in the router status page when you log into it
when you download stuff in Windows, its usually reported in K/Bytes per second - so if you see speeds of say 500K/B in windows then thats roughly 4000Kbps or 4 Mbps of throughput.
You never, ever get the throughput you think - you always lose some in protocol overheard - say 10-20%
So if your line synchs at say 12Mbps (pretty good) I would say you should see 900- 1000 KB - ..maybe peak 1.3MB/s of throughput in Windows (if you can find a website that will give you that much)
Then you have limitations throughout the internet - so make sure you are doing a speed test within the UK network or from your ISPs network (should be fastest) ...a lot of websites wont give that much bandwidth to a single user anyway...
..rarely does anyone ever get the headline speed figure that is used by marketing to sell the product...take BE for instance with their 24Mbps service - its technically nigh on impossible to see that speed outside of a telephone exhange/lab environment..you need near perfect line conditions and probably under 500m of cable between you and the DSLAM...usually theres a good few hundred metres in the exchange itself
I know quite a few people getting 10-15Mbps on Sky though very well - it could be that you have a noisy line etc (you need to have approx <2000m of cable between you and the exchange).
But to start with, lets not get muddled up with bits n bytes
line synch speed is generally shown in the router GUI in k/bits per second, so you should see something like 12000kbps in the router status page when you log into it
when you download stuff in Windows, its usually reported in K/Bytes per second - so if you see speeds of say 500K/B in windows then thats roughly 4000Kbps or 4 Mbps of throughput.
You never, ever get the throughput you think - you always lose some in protocol overheard - say 10-20%
So if your line synchs at say 12Mbps (pretty good) I would say you should see 900- 1000 KB - ..maybe peak 1.3MB/s of throughput in Windows (if you can find a website that will give you that much)
Then you have limitations throughout the internet - so make sure you are doing a speed test within the UK network or from your ISPs network (should be fastest) ...a lot of websites wont give that much bandwidth to a single user anyway...
I have the mid package 8Mb/s (abt 4Km from the xchange and was told I should get a maximum of abt 4Mb/s)it started a bit hit & miss, needing the router re-booting, it now seems to have settled and steady/reliable at abt 3Mb/s. There is a user forum skyuser.co.uk which has a load of info and tips.
twin40s said:
A top tip is to check on the BT website.
Can't remeber the URL but the have a page where you can enter your post code, and it gives you an estimate of the ADSL speed you can expect.
As SKY etc use BTs lines and exchanges this is a pretty good indication of the best you can expect.
Can't remeber the URL but the have a page where you can enter your post code, and it gives you an estimate of the ADSL speed you can expect.
As SKY etc use BTs lines and exchanges this is a pretty good indication of the best you can expect.
SKY have their own LLU network - they have to have to offer more than 8Mbps (the maximum provided by BT MAX rate adaptive service) ...so if you are on 8Mbps you are on a BT wholesale line, if you synch at more than that you are on the SKY network
I've had Sky 16mb BB since last November, it was a nightmare to start with for about two months and although it would connect at about 12mbs it would drop out at random times for no reason. It then settled and they told me they had capped my speed at 8mbs and I have had no real problems since. I have just done a status check which reveals the following
Downstream Connection Speed 8096 kbps
Upstream Connection Speed 768 kbps
Whatever that means.
They also said I was entitled to a price reduction but I am not too bothered as it is still 8 times quicker than BT was and £21 per month cheaper plus I want unlimited access as I transfer quite a lot of pictures, videos and music each month.
Advice for anyone with problems is to contact them via email, you will get a reply within a day or two from someone who knows what they are doing, not someone reading from a computer monitor. They also phone you back and talk you through stuff if need be.
Downstream Connection Speed 8096 kbps
Upstream Connection Speed 768 kbps
Whatever that means.
They also said I was entitled to a price reduction but I am not too bothered as it is still 8 times quicker than BT was and £21 per month cheaper plus I want unlimited access as I transfer quite a lot of pictures, videos and music each month.
Advice for anyone with problems is to contact them via email, you will get a reply within a day or two from someone who knows what they are doing, not someone reading from a computer monitor. They also phone you back and talk you through stuff if need be.
It might help diagnose the problem if you install the DSL Modem Tool (DMT) from http://dmt.mhilfe.de/
I think the version you need is v8.05 (different versions relate to different modems, not newer or older builds). The site is german but the installation gives you the option of an English interface.
ADSL speed is an infuriating thing. I have been getting 6Mbit or so, then all of a sudden on Sunday, it jumped up to 14.7Mbit! I'm with Be and just over a mile away from the exchange, so 14.7 is very respectable. Unfortunately at 7:40pm it jumped back to 6Mbit again!
I think the version you need is v8.05 (different versions relate to different modems, not newer or older builds). The site is german but the installation gives you the option of an English interface.
ADSL speed is an infuriating thing. I have been getting 6Mbit or so, then all of a sudden on Sunday, it jumped up to 14.7Mbit! I'm with Be and just over a mile away from the exchange, so 14.7 is very respectable. Unfortunately at 7:40pm it jumped back to 6Mbit again!
bogie said:
twin40s said:
A top tip is to check on the BT website.
Can't remeber the URL but the have a page where you can enter your post code, and it gives you an estimate of the ADSL speed you can expect.
As SKY etc use BTs lines and exchanges this is a pretty good indication of the best you can expect.
Can't remeber the URL but the have a page where you can enter your post code, and it gives you an estimate of the ADSL speed you can expect.
As SKY etc use BTs lines and exchanges this is a pretty good indication of the best you can expect.
SKY have their own LLU network - they have to have to offer more than 8Mbps (the maximum provided by BT MAX rate adaptive service) ...so if you are on 8Mbps you are on a BT wholesale line, if you synch at more than that you are on the SKY network
The SKY DSLAM will be located at the BT exchange. So the BT web page will give a good indication of line length, which is the most significant factor in the bitrate your going to get.
Spent 40 minutes on the phone with SKY last night. Tried the test socket in the garage, changing the filters etc and the best I got was 2950kb. They did a remote test and recon I should be getting at least 7000kb.
I also checked how far I'm from my local exchange. I guessing 700 metres is classed as fairly close?
Anyway, they have esculated it to 'teir 2' now, so BT and SKY will investigate.
I must say the customer support has been fairly helpful so far. They forsee a solution within 5 working days.
I also checked how far I'm from my local exchange. I guessing 700 metres is classed as fairly close?
Anyway, they have esculated it to 'teir 2' now, so BT and SKY will investigate.
I must say the customer support has been fairly helpful so far. They forsee a solution within 5 working days.
Edited by Shadytree on Tuesday 17th April 07:16
falcemob said:
I've had Sky 16mb BB since last November, it was a nightmare to start with for about two months and although it would connect at about 12mbs it would drop out at random times for no reason. It then settled and they told me they had capped my speed at 8mbs and I have had no real problems since. I have just done a status check which reveals the following
Downstream Connection Speed 8096 kbps
Upstream Connection Speed 768 kbps
Whatever that means.
They also said I was entitled to a price reduction but I am not too bothered as it is still 8 times quicker than BT was and £21 per month cheaper plus I want unlimited access as I transfer quite a lot of pictures, videos and music each month.
Advice for anyone with problems is to contact them via email, you will get a reply within a day or two from someone who knows what they are doing, not someone reading from a computer monitor. They also phone you back and talk you through stuff if need be.
Downstream Connection Speed 8096 kbps
Upstream Connection Speed 768 kbps
Whatever that means.
They also said I was entitled to a price reduction but I am not too bothered as it is still 8 times quicker than BT was and £21 per month cheaper plus I want unlimited access as I transfer quite a lot of pictures, videos and music each month.
Advice for anyone with problems is to contact them via email, you will get a reply within a day or two from someone who knows what they are doing, not someone reading from a computer monitor. They also phone you back and talk you through stuff if need be.
With those figures it looks like you have been left on an ADSL 1 profile, of which the max sync speed is 8096kbps downstream.
I had this and argued with SKY to see wh was possible for my line on ADSL 2 or even 2+ (ADSL max speed upto 12Mbit, ADSL 2+ upto 24Mbit or 16Mbit in the case of SKY services.
I eventually got put in touch with a level 3 support engineer who walked through everything with me, turned out that ADSL 1 was the best product for me, I got no extra speed on ADSL 2 and the errors on the line increased slightly. But at least I knew that this was the case and I could get no faster.
May be worth a try, some people do see benefits, if their line conditions and distance from the exchange are better.
Major breakthrough (I hope) !! 
Reading a few forums on SKY Broadband, I might have discovered my problem.
I have two SKY+ boxes and I don't believe I have their phone connection plugged in via an ADSL Filter, only my main telephone reciever and router are.
Will ommiting the 2 SKY boxes be the route of my problems?
Any experts on here ?
Reading a few forums on SKY Broadband, I might have discovered my problem.
I have two SKY+ boxes and I don't believe I have their phone connection plugged in via an ADSL Filter, only my main telephone reciever and router are.
Will ommiting the 2 SKY boxes be the route of my problems?
Any experts on here ?
Edited by Shadytree on Thursday 19th April 11:18
Probably won't make much difference.
If your exchange has been LLU'd by Sky then you should theoretically be able to get up to 16MB depending on how far you are from the exchange.
If it's not been LLU'd then you will be limited by the 8MB Speed of ADSL MAX, but again, this can be lower depending on where you are from the exchange. If sky have told you that you should be able to get 7MB then this is likely to be your maximum.
The way that ADSL Max works is for the first couple of days you have restricted speeds (512kbps or about 50K/sec download) while BT analyse the quality of the line.
Once the line quality has been analysed they then assign a profile to the line that will ensure you get the best speed vs error ratio.
If you are still having trouble with your line you can try two things.
Firstly, check on www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php to find out which exchange you are on, and if it's been LLU'd by Sky. You can also look at the postcode for the exchange and work out how far your house is.
Secondly, you can try doing a BT Speed Test.
Go to http://speedtester.bt.com/ and follow the instructions.
This looks at the quality of your line by routing it through BT's servers, rather than Sky to find out if the problem is your line, or Sky.
Any questions PM me and I'll try to help.
Adam
If your exchange has been LLU'd by Sky then you should theoretically be able to get up to 16MB depending on how far you are from the exchange.
If it's not been LLU'd then you will be limited by the 8MB Speed of ADSL MAX, but again, this can be lower depending on where you are from the exchange. If sky have told you that you should be able to get 7MB then this is likely to be your maximum.
The way that ADSL Max works is for the first couple of days you have restricted speeds (512kbps or about 50K/sec download) while BT analyse the quality of the line.
Once the line quality has been analysed they then assign a profile to the line that will ensure you get the best speed vs error ratio.
If you are still having trouble with your line you can try two things.
Firstly, check on www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php to find out which exchange you are on, and if it's been LLU'd by Sky. You can also look at the postcode for the exchange and work out how far your house is.
Secondly, you can try doing a BT Speed Test.
Go to http://speedtester.bt.com/ and follow the instructions.
This looks at the quality of your line by routing it through BT's servers, rather than Sky to find out if the problem is your line, or Sky.
Any questions PM me and I'll try to help.
Adam
Edited by AngryNugget on Thursday 19th April 12:06
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