DSL Speed Readings

[Rozzy85]

For a while I've been noticing that my router displays the ADSL connection speed differently to what I actually get.

My ISP is Pipex and the router displayed the connection speed as 256kbps US/1024kbps DS which is what I signed up for. However, when Tiscali took them over quite a while ago things changed and the connection speed was reading differently displite no difference in actual speed. Whenever the router is restarted it'll read a different ADSL downstream connection speed everytime ranging from 1.5mbps to 3.5mbps. The upload increased to 448kbps and I do actually get that. I did a speedtest to show this:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/436837699.png

This starting happening around Feb last year and I initially thought that they may be testing my line for ADSL max or whatever it is. A year later and nothing has changed although it now only connects around 1.5mbps to 2.5mbps instead.

While this shouldn't really matter as I'm getting what I should, why is is connecting at a higher speed if I'm not even going to get that? It's also decreased my SNR to ~11db and increased the Line Attenuation to ~51. Why can't they just leave it at a fixed speed? I've logged onto my account on the Pipex website but it mentions nothing on any speed changes.

 

[Rozzy85]

So would that increase the risk of the connection dropping more often or have an effect on latency? I just don't understand why it would display as connected at around that speed while I only get the download speed of a 1mbps connection.

 

[Rozzy85]

It's like that because that's what the modem's connected at. If you're on the Tiscali LLU network your download speeds should follow your sync rate directly; if you're connected via BT Wholesale you'll be bound by an IP profile. In the latter case, as I said, your IP profile would rise if you stayed connected at a high enough sync rate.

Oh, I see. So basically it's restricted to whatever BT see fit? I searched this in Google to find more about these "Profiles" and I found this.

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/linestats.htm#fixed_rate_line

I'm guessing because my Line Attenuation will never go below 42 I'll be stuck on Profile 1000?

 

[Rozzy85]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but If my connection remained synched at 1440kbps (going by your example), would that then mean my connection speed would eventually be changed to 1.5Mbps? Or is my Attenuation going to stop that ever happening despite it synching at this speed and remaining so for a long period of time?

Are you signed up to a 1MB fixed-rate package? If so then you just need to change to an up-to-8MB connection to use your line to the greatest potential.

I'm not sure. I believe when I signed up for it, it was, but since then Tiscali took Pipex over.

 

[Rozzy85]

I'm sure my connection is stable around the ~2mbps mark as the router has remained connected for well over 72-hours at this speed before, or so it says in the logs. I guess it must drop connection at some points. Oh well...