Plusnet Discussion Thread
- Thread starter bulldog147
- Start date
Crikey! I've missed a fair bit of banter over recent weeks. Having just caught up I've picked the following out that probably still warrants a reply from me (apologies for the massive post) ...
I believe so. You can find out for sure by running a packet capture.
I've used a Technicolor 799vn and a Zyxel P-2812 in the past. Both required a fair bit of fiddling to get working. Namely reconfiguring the VLAN settings to work with FTTC in the UK. Once up and running I had few problems. Stats-wise the Zyxel only really reported the sync speed. The Technicolor had detailed stats but the same interface as other Technicolor routers which is a bone of contention for some. It didn't have gigabit ethernet either like the Zyxel did.
I ended up bricking the Zyxel with an attempted firmware update. The Technicolor's still on my second line. My primary line is using an unlocked Huawei Openreach modem (the old model) and a Netgear WNR-1000. I was using the Technicolor as primary but I couldn't get the Sky+ remote app to play nicely with it.
In my experience they'll do this for you. The engineer may require lubricating with tea and biscuits mind you
Make sure you order the 'extension kit'. At the very least the engineer should be able to position the modem upstairs even if it does terminate at the socket downstairs.
I'm assuming you've had a bad experience with us in the past then?
I've worked here for a decade so I'm pretty sure I can work out which events you're referring to
Aside from some very early hiccups, we've always tried to be up-front about our traffic shaping. In fact it's something I take quite a lot of pride in. Our traffic management platform has matured into something to be pretty darn proud of these days and we're not in the habit of hiding behind small print etc.
The situation concerning the 'premium users' you've (presumably) referred to was not a typical situation. It was also probably approaching ten years ago now. Ten years is a long time - during which we've floated on the investment market, acquired numerous other ISPs, undergone significant structural change and ultimately become part of the BT Group.
We have plenty of bandwidth available and detailed forecasting models to ensure this remains the case. People are more than welcome to draw what conclusions they will from forum discussions and I'd suggest everybody researches a provider before committing to them. FWIW, and for anybody interested, you'll find discussions about most of what's being referred to here on the Think Broadband forums (assuming the posts haven't been archived based on how old they are). All the archived posts from our own forums can be seen here.
Not sure if that's true or not but we were certainly one of the first to embrace traffic management.
Not sure what you're referring to here. I can only assume it's the legacy accounts we used to sell where access to things like peer-2-peer and binary Usenet was more or less blocked. If so, then we didn't really try to hide the fact.
Not quite true. Our traffic management solution doesn't rely on port blocking (it would be pretty easy to circumvent if it did) and when we did away with our unmetered acconts we switched to a pay-as-you-go model (Broadband Your Way). Customers on the older products remained on them.
We haven't had our own binary Usenet server since 2006.
The Pro add-on that I'm assuming you're talking about has nothing to do with port blocking. Neither can customers on the older pre-Broadband Your Way accounts purchase it.
Fo anyone interested, many of our legacy products are listed over on our website here.
We still use Ellacoya switches now. Unless I'm mistaken BT Retail do too. Having said this, we're currently in the process of overhauling our traffic management infrastructure. Nothing to hide here and again, we were quite open about the Ellacoya kit when it was introduced.
It was definitely not as cut and dry as that. Also, we weren't using Giganews for Usenet provision. We had our own in-house binary Usenet servers which are what the announcement you've linked to refers to. When we did get rid of our own servers, we moved provision of the service to Supernews. Supernews were acquired by Giganews in 2008.
We still use these traffic queues however there's no SUP/FUP. Admittedly our traffic management solutions haven't always been the most graceful and we've learnt a lot over the years to become what we are now. We've made mistakes in the past but who hasn't?
TBH, little of what you refer to bears much relevance to the Plusnet of today.
Time will tell.
BT Wholesale sell the service to ISPs on a 12 month contract so you'll find the majority of resellers will at least enforce this as a minimum.
Once the order's placed to uncap the upload it takes one working day.
Now fixed. For the record it was nothing to do with Wholesale bandwidth provision. We had plenty of that.
As above. Should be sorted now.
You shouldn't need the Pro add-on Andy. It /may/ come in handy where a game isn't yet identified by our traffic management platform. Having said that, if you do have problems of this nature then you'd just need to give one of us a nudge over on our own forums and we'd look into it for you without it having an impact on your pocket
What do you think? After failing to complete Bioshock 2 (I got bored), I'm quite enjoying it so far
Best regards,
I believe so. You can find out for sure by running a packet capture.
I've used a Technicolor 799vn and a Zyxel P-2812 in the past. Both required a fair bit of fiddling to get working. Namely reconfiguring the VLAN settings to work with FTTC in the UK. Once up and running I had few problems. Stats-wise the Zyxel only really reported the sync speed. The Technicolor had detailed stats but the same interface as other Technicolor routers which is a bone of contention for some. It didn't have gigabit ethernet either like the Zyxel did.
I ended up bricking the Zyxel with an attempted firmware update. The Technicolor's still on my second line. My primary line is using an unlocked Huawei Openreach modem (the old model) and a Netgear WNR-1000. I was using the Technicolor as primary but I couldn't get the Sky+ remote app to play nicely with it.
In my experience they'll do this for you. The engineer may require lubricating with tea and biscuits mind you
Make sure you order the 'extension kit'. At the very least the engineer should be able to position the modem upstairs even if it does terminate at the socket downstairs.
I'm assuming you've had a bad experience with us in the past then?
I've worked here for a decade so I'm pretty sure I can work out which events you're referring to
Aside from some very early hiccups, we've always tried to be up-front about our traffic shaping. In fact it's something I take quite a lot of pride in. Our traffic management platform has matured into something to be pretty darn proud of these days and we're not in the habit of hiding behind small print etc.
The situation concerning the 'premium users' you've (presumably) referred to was not a typical situation. It was also probably approaching ten years ago now. Ten years is a long time - during which we've floated on the investment market, acquired numerous other ISPs, undergone significant structural change and ultimately become part of the BT Group.
We have plenty of bandwidth available and detailed forecasting models to ensure this remains the case. People are more than welcome to draw what conclusions they will from forum discussions and I'd suggest everybody researches a provider before committing to them. FWIW, and for anybody interested, you'll find discussions about most of what's being referred to here on the Think Broadband forums (assuming the posts haven't been archived based on how old they are). All the archived posts from our own forums can be seen here.
Not sure if that's true or not but we were certainly one of the first to embrace traffic management.
Not sure what you're referring to here. I can only assume it's the legacy accounts we used to sell where access to things like peer-2-peer and binary Usenet was more or less blocked. If so, then we didn't really try to hide the fact.
Not quite true. Our traffic management solution doesn't rely on port blocking (it would be pretty easy to circumvent if it did) and when we did away with our unmetered acconts we switched to a pay-as-you-go model (Broadband Your Way). Customers on the older products remained on them.
We haven't had our own binary Usenet server since 2006.
The Pro add-on that I'm assuming you're talking about has nothing to do with port blocking. Neither can customers on the older pre-Broadband Your Way accounts purchase it.
Fo anyone interested, many of our legacy products are listed over on our website here.
We still use Ellacoya switches now. Unless I'm mistaken BT Retail do too. Having said this, we're currently in the process of overhauling our traffic management infrastructure. Nothing to hide here and again, we were quite open about the Ellacoya kit when it was introduced.
It was definitely not as cut and dry as that. Also, we weren't using Giganews for Usenet provision. We had our own in-house binary Usenet servers which are what the announcement you've linked to refers to. When we did get rid of our own servers, we moved provision of the service to Supernews. Supernews were acquired by Giganews in 2008.
We still use these traffic queues however there's no SUP/FUP. Admittedly our traffic management solutions haven't always been the most graceful and we've learnt a lot over the years to become what we are now. We've made mistakes in the past but who hasn't?
TBH, little of what you refer to bears much relevance to the Plusnet of today.
Time will tell.
BT Wholesale sell the service to ISPs on a 12 month contract so you'll find the majority of resellers will at least enforce this as a minimum.
Once the order's placed to uncap the upload it takes one working day.
Now fixed. For the record it was nothing to do with Wholesale bandwidth provision. We had plenty of that.
As above. Should be sorted now.
You shouldn't need the Pro add-on Andy. It /may/ come in handy where a game isn't yet identified by our traffic management platform. Having said that, if you do have problems of this nature then you'd just need to give one of us a nudge over on our own forums and we'd look into it for you without it having an impact on your pocket
What do you think? After failing to complete Bioshock 2 (I got bored), I'm quite enjoying it so far
Best regards,
Assuming there both wired I wouldn't worry too much about the first as it's within the tolerance I'd expect from an FTTC connection.
The second's a tad on the slow side. If you know what exchange you're on I can check to see if Wholesale have acknowledged any congestion although I'd normally expect that to become an issue later in the day.
Regards,
The second's a tad on the slow side. If you know what exchange you're on I can check to see if Wholesale have acknowledged any congestion although I'd normally expect that to become an issue later in the day.
Regards,
So if i was to move from BT/BE to Plusnet, how long would I be without the internet during the change over and with LLU products, is a MAC code still required?
I would be choosing the Plusnet Unlimited package.
Also on a note for Bob, any plans to add the static IP and/or Pro package to the sign up screen?
Thanks
Andy
I would be choosing the Plusnet Unlimited package.
Also on a note for Bob, any plans to add the static IP and/or Pro package to the sign up screen?
Thanks
Andy
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 6,490
- Location
- Torbay, Devon, UK
When we moved in this house, and had the line first installed. We could have it where we wanted.
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 6,490
- Location
- Torbay, Devon, UK
I would get the MAC code, my installation is now 11 days later than I originally tick. All because I didnt have my MAC code.
Hi all, not sure where to post so I will post here,
I'm having my FTTC installed tomorrow (not plus-net but through my work)
What can I do with this VDSL modem then? apparently you can unlock and tweak certain settings?
Going to have a read, I like tweaking
I'm having my FTTC installed tomorrow (not plus-net but through my work)
What can I do with this VDSL modem then? apparently you can unlock and tweak certain settings?
Going to have a read, I like tweaking
Last edited:
Doesn't look like congestion. Use speedtest.net or fire up an Ubuntu torrent.
Kind of depends how the line is fed to the property i.e. via a telegraph pole or underground. Engineers will typically install the socket where it's convenient for them without causing too much inconvenience to the occupant if that makes sense?
Just checked and there's plenty of capacity at your exchange according to Wholesale.
Sounds like an SMPF circuit. If so, you'll need a MAC, it should take around a week and any downtime will be negligible.
I think it used to be there. We removed it though when we recently revamped our website/sign-up journey. One of the things we aimed to do was minimise the amount of steps it takes to register an account.
What can I do with this VDSL modem then? apparently you can unlock and tweak certain settings?
Going to have a read, I like tweaking
Good luck. Whilst unlocking the older iteration of Openreach modem was pretty trivial (the Huawei HG612), unlocking the newer ECI ones isn't.
Regards,
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 6,490
- Location
- Torbay, Devon, UK
Nooooooo
Was only £38 when I signed up. Not that Im getting installed till 19th.
Not fair.
Associate
- Joined
- 4 Jan 2008
- Posts
- 178
Hi there, I had Plusnet Unlimited Fibre installed 5 days ago and I'm a little concerned that I'm not getting anywhere near the speed that was advertised for my line. I was told that I should get 22Mb/s download (accurate to within 1 meg) and 5 days into my service I'm only getting around 6.5Mb/s average, even off peak.
The Openreach engineer installed the master socket downstairs where the line enters the house and put an extension socket on the phone socket in my bedroom as requested, so currently, both the modem and router are in my bedroom.
I wondered whether the phone wiring in the house could have been causing loss (there are some issues with it), so I moved the modem/router downstairs and connected them to the master socket directly. This made a slight improvement, averaging around 9Mb/s and peaking at around 10.5Mb/s, but this is still nowhere near the speed I am supposed to be getting. I even left the modem there overnight to allow the line speed to make any necessary adjustments to no avail.
As a result of the loss over the house's internal phone wiring, I will at some point in the future be moving the modem downstairs permanently and running a cat5e patch up to the router in my bedroom, but it doesn't look like this will magically make the connection jump up to 22Mb/s...
I am aware that Plusnet say that speeds may vary within the first 10 days, but I have only seen half of the speed my line was rated at on a handful of occasions. From what I've read, any variance in speeds will be more likely to reduce the speed of the connection in order to stabilise and prevent drops, so I think I really should have seen much closer to my rated speed by now. I do regular checks on various online speed testers (including my own privately rented servers) and the speed seems consistently low every day at all times.
Can anyone advise me on my best course of action? Is there any other checks or optimisations that I can do? Should I contact Plusnet now or get in touch once the 10 days are up?
Thanks!
The Openreach engineer installed the master socket downstairs where the line enters the house and put an extension socket on the phone socket in my bedroom as requested, so currently, both the modem and router are in my bedroom.
I wondered whether the phone wiring in the house could have been causing loss (there are some issues with it), so I moved the modem/router downstairs and connected them to the master socket directly. This made a slight improvement, averaging around 9Mb/s and peaking at around 10.5Mb/s, but this is still nowhere near the speed I am supposed to be getting. I even left the modem there overnight to allow the line speed to make any necessary adjustments to no avail.
As a result of the loss over the house's internal phone wiring, I will at some point in the future be moving the modem downstairs permanently and running a cat5e patch up to the router in my bedroom, but it doesn't look like this will magically make the connection jump up to 22Mb/s...
I am aware that Plusnet say that speeds may vary within the first 10 days, but I have only seen half of the speed my line was rated at on a handful of occasions. From what I've read, any variance in speeds will be more likely to reduce the speed of the connection in order to stabilise and prevent drops, so I think I really should have seen much closer to my rated speed by now. I do regular checks on various online speed testers (including my own privately rented servers) and the speed seems consistently low every day at all times.
Can anyone advise me on my best course of action? Is there any other checks or optimisations that I can do? Should I contact Plusnet now or get in touch once the 10 days are up?
Thanks!
Thanks for the reply Bob.
My install date is 3rd May, is there no way this can be brought forward at all? Or is it down to BT as there is no phone installed at the property (Virgin only it seems)? I work from home a lot and reliable internet is kind of key to that, so it's a major nuisance that I'm having to wait 5 weeks from when I ordered the service to it being installed.
My install date is 3rd May, is there no way this can be brought forward at all? Or is it down to BT as there is no phone installed at the property (Virgin only it seems)? I work from home a lot and reliable internet is kind of key to that, so it's a major nuisance that I'm having to wait 5 weeks from when I ordered the service to it being installed.