Streaming video issues

[TW]Fox

[TW]Fox

[TW]Fox

Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
160,205
Hi guys,

I always used to be able to watch Youtube videos, use Iplayer etc etc without issue.

In the last month or two this ability has vanished. The buffering is terrible, so bad that streaming video content is not watchable.

What could be the problem and how can I fix this? I have a 1Mbit Plusnet connection.
 
Would not rely on YouTube for comparison. Some days I can stream 720/1080 Content and others I cannot even stream SD stuff, or it jams and is generally crappy.

I would say download from a reliable source and check how your bandwidth fluctuates (if at all) It could be traffic shaping on these streaming services but I have no knowledge of PlusNet to be able to say for sure, perhaps someone else on the service could comment.

Edit - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plusnet#Deep_Packet_Inspection_and_Bandwidth_Management

Some light reading for you :p
 
It's not just Youtube its everything - Iplayer, etc. I cant even watch videos from the BMW website.

Would a new ISP help?
 
Think a change of ISP is needed :p Are you on 1mbit due to the line length or just the package you chose?
 
Luck of the draw with youtube

Some videos work fine on my mum's 512kb, others need a week to pre-load :p
 
I have a hideously long line (>7KM) and used to be on a 1Mbit/s static connection. Upgraded to ADSL2+ and then ADSL2+ through LLU and only got to about 1.5Mbit/s. I then changed my old Zyxel router for a Netgear DGN2000 and now get 2.8Mbit/s.

1Mbit/s is not enough for iplayer without problems Fox.......and plus net are the Ford Escort of ISP's.

Try ADSL24 (if you have an LLU enabled exchange)
 
I have a hugely long line although tbz_ck I'm really intruiged by what you've managed.

Who are you with?

ADSL24 says:

ADSL2+ availability

Your exchange is enabled for the ADSL2+ (up to 24 Mb) service.
BT wholesale estimate your line can support around:


0.5
 
I'm with ADSL24 using their BE based LLU service. They have just negotiated reselling the C&W LLU offering though and it looks like much better value than the package I am on :( .

I wouldn't put too much stock on the checkers with respect to what speed you will get on ADSL2+. They all seem out when it comes to speed prediction. Ultimately the attenuation on your line (which you will find out from your router status page) will determine the quality of your connection and potential speeds.

Post your Attenutation (measured in Decibels) and lets see. Mine was around 60db. if yours is around that too or under even, you can expect at least as good a connection as I have providing you have a decent router (broadcom chipset is apparently the best for ADSL2+ and LLU services).

CK
 
Plus.Net have been having terrible problems with speed over the past couple of months. Unfortunately I took advantage of their "free house move" offer earlier this year, so I'm stuck with them until March 2010 (or paying £65 to cancel the contract)
 
tbz_ck said:
I'm with ADSL24 using their BE based LLU service. They have just negotiated reselling the C&W LLU offering though and it looks like much better value than the package I am on :( .
Click to expand...

I saw that. Are ADSL24 any good?

I liked on their status page and they had a big chart showing utilisation of the various hubs. Bristol, which I guess is my nearest, was on 83% which didnt look good?

I am not a huge downloader (Less than 30gb a month for sure) but I don't want traffic shaping or anything like that.

Post your Attenutation (measured in Decibels) and lets see. Mine was around 60db. if yours is around that too or under even, you can expect at least as good a connection as I have providing you have a decent router (broadcom chipset is apparently the best for ADSL2+ and LLU services).
Click to expand...

It comes out as:

Attenuation (dB) up/down = 31.5 / 63.0

Sp00n said:
Is cable available in your area fox?
Click to expand...

Nope.
 
added link

Plusnet use traffic shaping, depending on the traffic type and time of day, also the package your on affects how much shaping is going on. They publish all the shaping stats on their website.

http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/quality_broadband/traffic_prioritisation.shtml

I also have a 1meg broadband line, which is ruined by traffic shaping, so I'm gonna try Plusnet pro package, which has NO shaping at all, so I should be able to stream ok 24/7
Traffic shaping on Nildram from 6:30pm till 11pm means iPlayer and other video streaming is useless :(
 
Last edited:
[TW]Fox;15392425 said:
I saw that. Are ADSL24 any good?

I liked on their status page and they had a big chart showing utilisation of the various hubs. Bristol, which I guess is my nearest, was on 83% which didnt look good?

I am not a huge downloader (Less than 30gb a month for sure) but I don't want traffic shaping or anything like that.



It comes out as:

Attenuation (dB) up/down = 31.5 / 63.0



Nope.
Click to expand...

The utilisation graphs are related to their ADSL and ADSL2 products on the Entanet network. All LLU offerings on BE and C&W are truly unlimited/unshaped etc and if your exchange supports LLU then I would get my order in "yesterday" :D

Yes ADSL24 are good. I've been with them for 3 years now and have had nothing but a first class connection and support, even with a long line. All complaints about ADSL24 if you see any are related to reselling Entanet and Entanet have been using an ALT system to traffic prioritise when the exchanges are congested. Not a problem on LLU !! :D

With a 63db attenuation my guess (based on my stats) are that you will get around 2Mbit/s to 2.2Mbit/s on LLU (depending on quality of router). I know it's not a lot, but it's a night and day difference to a 1Mbit/s connection.

What router do you have???

I had a Zyxel which could only do 1.5Mbit/s but now have a Netgear DGN2000 and can get 2.8Mbit/s so the router makes a huge difference too
 
I'm really tempted by ADSL24 now. My exchange supports C&W LLU.

My next worry is Plusnet. I have been a customer for 10 years and they provide my email, etc etc.

I notice they do a business dialup service for free. If I transferred my account to this would I still be able to get a MAC code?
 
You should be able to get a MAC code from any ISP to change broadband provider. You don't get a MAC for a dial-up connection since it's just a telephone modem connection.

I got fed up of changing email address when I changed provider and so bought my own domain name. My friend who does website hosting, hosts it for me on his linux servers. Costs me £6.99 every 2 years.....
 
tbz_ck said:
You should be able to get a MAC code from any ISP to change broadband provider. You don't get a MAC for a dial-up connection since it's just a telephone modem connection.
Click to expand...

Yes I know that - but if I transferred to a dialup connection account with Plusnet would they give me a MAC for my broadband?
 
I had the same problem as you fox.

I just called nildram asked them can i keep my email address and they said yeah for a very small fee.

The lady asked why i was leaving and i explained it was due to streaming issues and support told me to deal with it.

She looked at my account and i was on a very old package and over paying (£28 down to £19), so she moved me to a business account with a lower ratio and hopefully no shaping. Just got to wait and see until the regrade is complete. If not, i just have to wait 3 months until i move, which is no big deal.
 
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