How much moar internet juice can I get and how?

[Kua]

First of all, apologies because I know you get this all the time. But this is something that's been bugging me for ages (years in fact). I'll try to be as thorough as possible but please if you need more details, don't hesitate! I desperately want more juice.

First what btwholesale.com tells me:

"Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial test on your line indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a fixed line rate up to 1Mbps. However due to the length of your line the 1Mbps service may require an engineer visit who will, where possible, supply the broadband service.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a potential ADSL Max broadband line rate of 4Mbps or greater. (Does this mean I have ADSL max?)

Your exchange is planned to have ADSL2+ by 31st March 2011 (ouch!). Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a potential ADSL2+ broadband line rate of 5Mbps or greater."

Now what Samknows tells me:

ADSL is available in your area
Your exchange is also enabled for ADSL Max services
According to BT Wholesale, your phone line should be able to support a 4Mbps or greater ADSL connection via ADSL Max.

Standard ADSL RAG results
You cannot receive 2Mbps ADSL (oh... can I take that as canon?)
You may be able to receive 1Mbps ADSL
You can receive 512kbps ADSL
You can receive 256kbps ADSL


You are approximately 2.24km from the exchange.

Stats from the router:

Data Rate (which I assume is the same as sync rate. This is a Belkin router btw.)
288 Kbps (Upstream)
1152 Kbps (Downstream)

Noise Margin
26 dB (Upstream)
13 dB (Downstream)

Attenuation
44 dB (Upstream)
38 dB (Downstream)

According to the sticky that limits me to 2Mbps. But perhaps thats not taking Noise Margin into account...

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So I'm a bit confused about the quickest speed I can get. Perhaps someone can clear that one up.

According to the trial version of DUmeter I've been using this past month or so the maximum I ever get is 1Mbps. But I feel sure that in the past, several months ago, but no longer, I was able to download at close to 3Mbps.

We're with a little known provider called Direct Save Telecom and we pay for 8Mbps.

Their FUP is as follows:

UNLIMITED broadband usage off-peak. And a 20GB usage limit at peak time (between 6pm and midnight - duh).

According to DUmeter there was 18.8GB transferred (both incoming and outgoing traffic) between 4th March and today (29th). So its probably fair to round that up to a total of 20GB. So seen as the internet sees plenty of use during the day, surely we didn't go above our fair usage limit... But we're definitely capped at the minute - to speeds of around 10Kbps. Though all day today (I'm presuming they treat weekends the same as weekdays regarding peak time) I haven't got above 30kbps. And the capping seems arbitrary. Sometimes it occurs outside peak time and it seems to finish at 11pm as a general rule. And as you can see the extent of the capping can vary...

I have complained to DST in the past, but they just pointed me at Samknows and said that's all the speed you can expect. But I can't really interpret the info on Samknows...

I've heard its better if the router is connected directly to the 'source', the main phone hub thingy... Well our office is on the second floor and the router is connected to a bedroom port thingy (not sure what its called lol) which in turn is connected to the 'source'. Sorry for the hopelessly untechnical jargon.

I think also the ethernet cable can be a factor. My room is on the third floor and I hook up to the router via a cheap 20m cable. Also may be the router is a factor... (its a Belkin F5D7632 or F5D7633)

Phew! Sorry this is so long. Thank you so much if you're able to help me out. Though I have a feeling this is a helpless case. But like I say I'm certain that at times in the past I would download demos/patches from Gamershell (who seem to have decent servers) at over 300kbps...

 

[tolien]

The ethernet cable isn't relevant, but if the extension from the master socket is poor quality it may well reduce your speed.

Samknows and BT Wholesale are telling you the same thing (which shouldn't be a surprise because they're querying the same database). Your attenuation is too high for fixed rate 2Mbps but you can expect more from a rate adaptive product.

Your SNR margin is high, and that's going to eat into the sync rate. The default is 6dB and it won't normally be increased unless your connection was unstable.

 

[Mattus]

The extension won't be helping, but you have lots of noise margin to spare. Seeing as the line is capable of more but your sync is exactly 1152kbps, which IIRC is the sync speed of a fixed-rate 1Mb connection, I reckon you might have been put on a fixed 1Mb package instead of the up-to-8Mb. I'd ring your ISP and query which package you're on.

 

[tolien]

In fact, the 288kbps upstream means you're almost certainly on home1000. If you were on Max you'd see 488kbps.

 

[sparkey196]

Probably not what you want to hear but 3G may give you high speeds.

 

[Kua]

The extension won't be helping, but you have lots of noise margin to spare. Seeing as the line is capable of more but your sync is exactly 1152kbps, which IIRC is the sync speed of a fixed-rate 1Mb connection, I reckon you might have been put on a fixed 1Mb package instead of the up-to-8Mb. I'd ring your ISP and query which package you're on.

Wholeheartedly agree. I think we're getting swizzled (if that's a word). I know for certain we're paying for the 8Mb package. I wonder if we can get compensated for this (if anyone knows please advise). In the past their customer service has been poor. And like I said they just pointed me at SamKnows. I think I must have been seeing the higher download speeds with my previous provider (Tiscali).

Actually I'm blummin angry about this. If I tell them my sync is 1152kbps as shown on my router then presumably they'd have no comeback.

Oh I have tomorrow off so for once I can ring during office hours!

Cheers everybody for your contributions.

 

[tolien]

There's nothing stopping you getting 1152kbps down on a rate adaptive product but it's more unlikely you'd get 288kbps upstream.
It's possible whatever process they use has decided that your line is too long to use anything but fixed rate.

 

[Kua]

There's nothing stopping you getting 1152kbps down on a rate adaptive product but it's more unlikely you'd get 288kbps upstream.

Um, sorry I don't quite follow. You mean I could be wrong about the fixed rate. By "rate adaptive product" I presume you mean one that provides the maximum possible rate up to what you pay for... I The thing is I'm very often getting EXACTLY 1Mbps and never anything above. Does the upstream rate tie in with a fixed 1Mbps connection? Sorry this is all new to me.

In any case, if I just tell them 'look, I keep getting capped at 1Mbps', surely that's enough. My bloods boiling about this >.< . To think I could have had a faster connection all this time. I'm sure that they are not enforcing their FUP correctly either actually.

It's possible whatever process they use has decided that your line is too long to use anything but fixed rate.

Don't they have an obligation to inform us in that case. Speeds of over 1Mbps are possible so I can't understand why we'd be fixed on 1 when we pay for up-to-8.

Cheers for your help.

 

[s0ck]

Um, sorry I don't quite follow. You mean I could be wrong about the fixed rate. By "rate adaptive product" I presume you mean one that provides the maximum possible rate up to what you pay for... I The thing is I'm very often getting EXACTLY 1Mbps and never anything above. Does the upstream rate tie in with a fixed 1Mbps connection? Sorry this is all new to me.

Aye, as he said, your 288 upstream means you're on the classic ADSL service. There is no resynching for optimum speeds, WYSIWYG.

In any case, if I just tell them 'look, I keep getting capped at 1Mbps', surely that's enough. My bloods boiling about this >.< . To think I could have had a faster connection all this time. I'm sure that they are not enforcing their FUP correctly either actually.

If you have a turd line, you will WANT to be kept on the classic service you appear to be on.

Otherwise, you could end up with well below 1Mb most of the time

 

[Kua]

If you have a turd line, you will WANT to be kept on the classic service you appear to be on.

Otherwise, you could end up with well below 1Mb most of the time

What is the alternative? I presume you mean there is an alternative to ADSL available where I live...

Also can you explain the fact that in the past I have enjoyed download speeds of over 300KBps?

EDIT: I'm finding the info from SamKnows and BT hard to understand. Do you think there is ASDLmax enabled where I live or not? And if it is and I used it instead, do you think my speed would drop below 1Mbps? Is that the alternative you refer too?

Sorry if I appear bitchy. Its certainly not aimed at you!

 

[JTrickle]

It may give you a moral boost and motivation to push your isp, or change to another one if I explain my line's situation. I had assumed things had moved on since I worked for an isp, but it doesnt really look that way.

I was on 512K (or in my language 60 Killobytes/s down) 'broadband for nearly 5 years. Wasnt motivated to change, as I wasnt capped and didnt need a faster service.

About 12 - 15 months ago my isp moves me to 240K (still 32 up) - or 2Mbit in Nintendo marketing speak. Fine.

One day I'm having trouble, and I spend time faffing, and I soft reset my router (but dont power it down) which has always worked before. I talk the Indian call center into raising a line fault - serves me right. 2 mins later I call back apologising, and ask that they cancel the line fault to BT.

Next day BT email me telling me there is jack wrong with the line... and bam, I'm down to 110K. So I'm busy at work for the last few months, and I know its not something my isp will admit too or help me with, so I only got round to dealing with them last week. I know they wont do anything (which proves correct), so I'm fully prepared to shift ISP to solve this.

Turns out that I was moved to "IP stream 1500" after all. But gunning for the Mac code, even I'm suprised just how many people they keep wanting to transfer me too to avoid giving me this code. I'm polite, but its starting to get beyond a joke at nearly 1/2hr on the line after first calling to request the mac code.

Upshot. They change me over to 8meg DSL (lots of umming and arring over the previous 1/2hr hour stating that BT say my line can only support 1 MeggaBits so its all worthless) - even though I had pointed out that it used to work fine on 240K.

What do you know, but I'm instantly up to 360K. It grives me that they will not offer tech support (and an English call agent) until you refuse to talk about anything else than getting a Mac code.

So thats what you should do.

 

[tolien]

Er, there isn't a fixed rate 1.5Mbps.

You mean I could be wrong about the fixed rate.

No, you're fairly certainly on home1000.

By "rate adaptive product" I presume you mean one that provides the maximum possible rate up to what you pay for...

I mean one that'll rate adapt, i.e. the sync rate will vary to achieve the target SNR margin that is set. The download rate is completely separate and in most cases it doesn't have anything to do with what you're paying for.

I The thing is I'm very often getting EXACTLY 1Mbps and never anything above. Does the upstream rate tie in with a fixed 1Mbps connection?

Yes, that's exactly what I was saying.

Don't they have an obligation to inform us in that case.

No.