G Fast modem

I haven't got G Fast installed yet.

Basically I have two packages to choose from; 160/30 and 330/50.
If I choose the fast one and find my estimated speed is incorrect and only get 170 for example, I can't down-grade to the cheaper package.
If I choose the slower one I can upgrade, but the Open Reach supplied modem is locked so won't show stats on line speed etc as it's locked to the 160/30.

I have spoken to Unchained ISP (who I will probably go with), and they said I should choose the slower/cheaper package, get myself an unlocked modem, and I'll be able to see the stats and see if it's worth upgrading to the faster one
 
That's the estimate
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I spoke to them regarding the slow sync speeds on the current line, this is the reply. I'm now waiting to find out what the class as 'significantly' low speed, as they haven't actually given me a minimum.

It doesn't look to me as if there is an issue with your current line so it is a bit odd to see that your sync speed is as low as it is relative to the estimated speed.

With regard to your question, your line should achieve the minimum value on the estimated speed, which in your case, is 184.6Mbps on the downstream and 16.3Mbps on the upstream. Practically, if you go for the 160/30, this means you should see easily see 160Mbps on the downstream and at least 16Mbps on the upstream.

If you see significantly below these estimated minimums, then the process would be to raise a fault stating the original estimated speed, and have an engineer come out to try and fix the problem. We'd have to give the carrier and Openreach significant time to try and fix the problem and then take it from there.

Essentially, if you're in a contract, then there would have to be good reason to exit that contract and we'd have to go through the various fault procedures to establish a problem before you'd be allowed to exit your contract, if it came to that.

In practice, we haven't seen anyone fail to meet their estimated speed unless there has been a line fault, and where there has been a line fault, we've progressed to a fix to rectify this.

Please let me know your thoughts!
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Those stats are indeed from an Open Reach modem. I've had that speed since moving here 2.5 years ago. I've had an engineer out in the past, they found nothing wrong.

Perhaps I'll report a line fault to my existing provider before I make the switch.

No FTTP available or planned. No cable service either.
 
No colours on that map.
I'm around 150M from the cabinet.


This is from my account on Plusnet:
  • Product: Unlimited Fibre Extra
  • Estimated Download Range: 59 - 72Mbps
  • Estimated Upload Range: 17 - 18Mbps
  • Minimum Guaranteed Speed: 54.6Mbps
  • Current Line Speed (Download): 78Mbps
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Not sure where they get that current line speed from, I'm currently synced at 56. I/m still slightly above the guaranteed speed, so they won't do anything.

This is my latest reply from Unchained ISP. I asked them what number they consider as significantly low speed, they haven't actually got one.
Hi Chris,

My fear is moving from a stable internet provider/line, and moving to one that's going to be unreliable and troublesome.

Of course. If you were moving to a standard FTTC service with us, then I could say with confidence that you'll see at least the same speed you do with Plusnet. G.Fast is a bit different and more sensitive to things like crosstalk and has stricter requirements around length of line to the local cabinet. I suspect this is one of the reasons why many ISPs have stopped selling G.Fast all together.

What would be classed as significantly lower speeds? I find it weird that there's no figure in black & white like most other ISPs offer.

The big ISPs, BT, EE, PlusNet, TalkTalk, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media, and Zen Internet have signed the 'Voluntary Code of Practice on Broadband Speed' with Ofcom, see here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/information-for-industry/codes-of-practice . They are the ones who have set 'guaranteed speeds' on their connections. Other smaller ISPs like ourselves provide the end-user with the estimated speed for the proposed service as a fairly decent guide on what their speed is likely to be once the service goes live and this in our experience has been very accurate.

Whilst I understand what you're after on a personal level, from a business perspective, Ofcom haven't forced the carriers (TalkTalk Business, BT Wholesale) and Openreach to provide minimum speed requirements to ISPs. So whilst they've created this code of practice for ISPs to sign if they want to, all it does is shift all the risk to the ISP and allows the carriers or Openreach to get off scot-free if they fail to provide an adequate service.

Offering a minimum guaranteed speed on a service where our suppliers don't offer us minimum guaranteed speeds (only estimated speeds) and a service where the sync rate is variable doesn't make sense to us. This is why we use the estimated speeds purely as our guide. On to your question, in your unique case, if you signed up with us on the understanding your line is capable of a minimum speed of 184.6Mbps on the downstream and you took out the 160/30 variant, then we would expect you to receive pretty close to 160Mbps and pretty close to 15Mbps (or more!) on the upstream (remember, your upstream estimate is a minimum of 16.3Mbps). And please note, we're talking about the speed we see your modem synced up at, not the speed you get from a random speedtest site, or a random download server. As you're aware, servers on the internet can and do have variable speeds for a multitude of reasons.

This being said, if you were seeing sync speeds in the region of ~120-140Mbps then based on your estimate and the profile we put you on, we'd consider this worthy of raising a fault with the provider for further investigation. You would also need to ensure your modem is plugged into the master socket, not an extension, as this could further complicate matters like this.

The last thing I want to do it be stuck in a new contract, with worse internet.

I completely understand where you're coming from. And I don't sugar coat anything or make false promises. It's frustrating when the big ISPs make bold claims around guaranteed speeds, as we use the same technology, and in many cases, the same carriers and we know the limitations of what the suppliers offer us.

I'm sorry this isn't the black and white answer you were hoping for, but it's an honest one based on our experiences with these services and what we hope to provide you.

Cheers,

Keith.
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Yeah, in the master socket without any extensions etc.

They've arranged the engineer visit, not sure what type of engineer though.

I did have a quick look at FTTP OD, but it's not worth the costs involved.
 
Thanks for your input bulldog, very helpful. I've reported a line fault to Plusnet and an OR engineer is due out next week. I'll see what they find before I pull the trigger with g.fast.

We've only got the single point in the house which has a microfilter plate attached. I assume this is the master socket, but I will have a look at some point and make sure we haven't got a master socket outside like the new builds have.
 
I've never seen 80/20 since moving here 2.5yrs ago. We've had the engineer out before and he said it was perfectly fine and nothing could be improved. It might be a case of going for the g.fast install and see what happens if/when the line isn't good enough.

Keith certainly seems to be very helpful and replies to any questions very quickly, but at the moment can't give me any guarantees of it working.

Are you using the stock OR modem?
 
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