Comments on: Is free broadband really the future?

By: Charles Stirling

Charles Stirling — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:11:20 +0000

For me what is frustratingly slow is the upload speed. I generally get 2MB download speed which is reasonable as its more often the site I'm looking at that the rate limiting element not connection speed and I seldom watch video. I don't do file sharing but do need to send photos and this ever so slow upload is a killer. Some countries have DSL not ADSL for similar costs. When will this be tackled instead of just aiming everything at the game and video viewing audience?

By: Bob Pullen

Bob Pullen — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:37:51 +0000

Hi Martin,

BT Wholesale have made a number of refinements to their DLM logic over the months, most of this has been primarily aimed at increasing stability however it's seems like you're speed's suffering as a result of this.

Whilst we could ask BT to reset your target SNR, you can understand their reluctance if the DLM kit is just going to raise it again.

The reason it's being raised will be due to low sync events on your line:

Sync Rate (kbps) | Sync Timestamp
1440 04/07/2008 19:02
1152 04/07/2008 18:55
1152 04/07/2008 18:55
1440 04/07/2008 18:44
1440 04/07/2008 00:49
1440 04/07/2008 00:49
1728 17/06/2008 04:16
1728 17/06/2008 04:16
1440 15/06/2008 03:37
1440 15/06/2008 03:37
1440 13/06/2008 17:53
1728 05/06/2008 15:36
1728 05/06/2008 15:36
864 05/06/2008 12:16
864 05/06/2008 12:16
1728 03/06/2008 01:39
1728 03/06/2008 01:39
1440 01/06/2008 19:20
1440 01/06/2008 19:20
1440 01/06/2008 19:20
1728 01/06/2008 10:22
1728 01/06/2008 10:22
1728 01/06/2008 10:21
2016 31/05/2008 04:29
2016 31/05/2008 04:29
2016 30/05/2008 10:23
2016 30/05/2008 10:23
2272 29/05/2008 14:11
2272 29/05/2008 14:11
1152 28/05/2008 02:45
1152 28/05/2008 02:45
2272 22/05/2008 11:17
2272 22/05/2008 11:17
2272 22/05/2008 11:17
1440 20/05/2008 11:18
1440 20/05/2008 11:18
1440 20/05/2008 11:18
2016 12/05/2008 00:15
2016 12/05/2008 00:15
1728 07/05/2008 04:36
1728 07/05/2008 04:36
1728 29/04/2008 22:32
1728 29/04/2008 22:32
2016 29/04/2008 04:04
2016 29/04/2008 04:04
2272 19/04/2008 00:15
2272 19/04/2008 00:15
2016 14/04/2008 19:07
2016 14/04/2008 19:07
2272 11/04/2008 00:15

It's not easy to balance speed against stability and Wholesale need to be careful to maintain the volume of faults raised to them.

It looks like you have interleaving (error correction) enabled on your line. I could remove that for you if you like which might help increase your sync speed slightly?

Failing that you might be able to force your router to connect with a reduced SNR value using the following piece of software - http://www.kitz.co.uk/routers/DMTv8.htm - This is done at your own risk though and is not something that's supported by our help desk. You'd also need a compatible router.

You might also want to consider monitoring the SNR fluctuations on your line. You can do this using the software here - http://www.vwlowen.co.uk/internet/betatesters.htm - You might find that the SNR fluctuations/interference on your line coincides with an event in or around your house. I recently found out that the spotlights in my drive were knocking my ADSL line out when they came on by using this software.

Rgds,

Bob

By: martin

martin — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:27:35 +0000

For Neil Armstrong:
My PN connection used to run at 2.8Md/s for many months, though subject to sometimes frequent but very short disconnects due to random noise on the line.
Recently the DSLAM raised my min SNR to 12dB and the speed has dropped to just 1.4Mb/s with actual download speed just 800kb/s. Your staff has got BT to lower the limit to previous 6dB, but it's very quickly climbed back to 12dB. Your staff says that it can't be changed again !
So now I get half speed, yet still get the same disconnects, that seems daft to me !
Can't you get BT to understand this, and where the customer want it, go back to previous version of DLM ?
Thanks, regards,
Martin
username jerryw
BTW yes, the Option 1 1Gb limit is now unfair

By: Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:26:01 +0000

@Poppy and Daz

We hear you. Watch this space....

By: Daz

Daz — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:48:16 +0000

Well it's nice to see Poppy and C Davies that i'm not alone in my unhappiness of recent Option 1 customers treatment. And yes, I got the same (lame) reason Poppy for no increase in quota. I'm sure they could have rustled up a 0.5 GB increase or something. I mean they near doubled Option 2 usage quota (up 87.5%) even though the monthly fee is only 50% more.

Are you listening Plusnet! Some not happy peeps here.....

By: Paul J

Paul J — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:51:17 +0000

I am well aware that most if not all customers would like free or cheaper broadband, who wouldnt, but i have to say that when you have got to grips with your computer and know what you are doing, what does what and when and how etc, the only thing that matters is speed and uptime with you broadband, this applies to any form of internet connection too, you can keep it if its slow, cheap, etc, pay more than the other ISP's are asking, sure IF the speed and uptime are optimal. All ISP's boast how great they are, Plusnet too, but cmon, how far are we behind the rest of the world on speed, and do they pay a fortune for it, no,so in summary, i personally would pay more than i do now and to date are reasonably happy with Plusnet, but speeeeeeeed is and always will be paramount for me, i do not download heaps like Dave T mentions above, i aint an old duffer either, i just want to crack on without having to wait, an wait etc after clicking a link etc, more speed more bucks,but as yet, just not fast enough for me to part with anymore than i am paying now. Virgin talk of possible 100mb speeds in the near future, and Plusnet talk of ADSL2+ and 24mb speeds, even if they deliver and Virgin only deliver half of what they promise its still twice as fast, i cannot get Virgin where i live, but if i could, i seriously would be thinking about it Plusnet, very seriously.

By: David T.

David T. — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:38:30 +0000

What will happen to old buffers like me who don't wish to download music and DVDs, and who are perfectly happy with present speeds?
Are we going to be obliged to pay more so that others can have their higher speeds?

By: C Davies

C Davies — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:10:07 +0000

Yes, I think much the same as Daz and Poppy - considering a move. NP is not really cheap enough for the very basic service that I want.

By: Luke

Luke — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:26:23 +0000

Ben you are really depressing me I hate it when people talk the "google dominance" theories. Because I know true examples of it...

I do hope they won't go that far. Right now they operate mainly in the search application plus services and web apps markets, providing free website analytics, keyword research, adwords management, document sharing - that kind thing.

Actually thinking out loud here...

Do you know the one reason why Google cannot ever be an ISP service?

They have lousy customer service.

(That's why they cater only to supremely web savvy clients. They don't even explain clearly how Adwords works!)

By: poppy

poppy — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:16:47 +0000

Forgot to add that my connection is so trouble-free with PN that I would be terrified of changing to another ISP in case of problems. 99% of the time customer service has been excellent and on reflection, the extra bit of money is well worth it. However, could Option 1 allowance be increased by 0.5GB or 1GB please?