P2P speeds and peak / off peak with BB+

[#1]

Hi Folks
Ok, before I ask my question let’s get a couple of things out of the way.
1. I know that BB+ is not designed for a great P2P experience.
2. I am not going to change my package because I rarely use P2P.
3. This really isn’t a moan I am just looking for some informative answers.
I am interested to know if the P2P speeds I am getting are right for my package and the variation in speed at various times of the day.
I started to download a well seeded torrent (bioshock PC demo 1.8gb) last night about 11.30. It started off very slowly but then the few torrents I have downloaded before seem to anyway.
It was only drawing down about 3-5k a second. I hung around to see if the rate would suddenly leap up at midnight when my peak period ends.  Nothing dramatic happened and by about 12.30 it was pulling down 10k a second.
It obviously speeded up overnight because when I looked first thing this morning it was about 60+% finished. At just after 9.00am it was pulling down 60k a second showing 6 hours to go. I momentarily had a foolish vision of it being finished before my peak time kicked back in at 4.00pm. By 10.00am it was down to 40k, 10.30 to 25k, 12.00 5k and now (1.00pm) about 2k a second.
It isn’t rocket science to see that the drop is due to traffic shaping. I guess I am just surprised it is so severe. I would expect the throughput to go down quite a bit as the network gets busier and priority is given to folks on higher rated packages but 2k a second just seems daft.
Alongside wanting to know if these are the figures that plusnet would typically expect me to get I am also interested to know what benefits I should see from my off-peak hours not ending until 4.00pm. It seems the only difference is that it doesn’t count towards peak usage rather than having any effect on my service.
Any info appreciated
Cheers.

[#2]

Greetings, oh merciful one.
http://usergroup.plus.net/070425_bbywcomp2.php
That link will show you the rate limitations applied to the various products at various times of the day.  Whilst P2P speeds will not necessarily reach these rate limits, it will depend on demand and the number of people online.
The main reason I've shown you that link is that it may be an idea for you to look at Broadband Your Way, Option 2, depending on your usage habits, it would offer improved P2P speeds.

[#3]

I shall take a look.
Peace be with you James.

[#4]

Hi James
I checked out the comparison table and it is quite interesting.

Firstly I have to say that the P2P speeds I am getting don’t really seem to bear any resemblance to my BB+ package, would you agree with that or am I just reading it wrongly?
Secondly, Option 2 does look quite interesting and I would like to check the following with you.
Currently on BB+ I just about hit my 4gb peak most months and use anything between 5 -15gb in off peak. Total usage is normally under 10gb but I have hit 20gb once or twice. Option 2 would seem to give me 8gb of peak and the same ability to use as much off-peak as I wish, correct?
On BB+ if I break my peak limit then it is ok I just get shaped for the rest of the month and I have to live with some slowdown. What happens if I exceed the peak limit on Option 2, am I locked out during peak for the rest of the month or charged for extra bandwidth?
If I swapped over and didn’t like it can I go back to a legacy product?
Would there be a charge for moving across and if needed back?
If the change is made through the upgrade panel how long does it take to become effective?
Thanks for bearing with me on this, as you know for some of us net junkies this is a matter of life and death. 

[#5]

Lots of questions from the all-present, all-knowing one!

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Firstly I have to say that the P2P speeds I am getting don’t really seem to bear any resemblance to my BB+ package, would you agree with that or am I just reading it wrongly?

Those are that rate limits (maximum attainable) rather than what you will definitely get.  Traffic proiritisation is fairly severe on BB+ as, like I'm sure you know, it's not designed for P2P.

Quote

Currently on BB+ I just about hit my 4gb peak most months and use anything between 5 -15gb in off peak. Total usage is normally under 10gb but I have hit 20gb once or twice. Option 2 would seem to give me 8gb of peak and the same ability to use as much off-peak as I wish, correct?

Yes.

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On BB+ if I break my peak limit then it is ok I just get shaped for the rest of the month and I have to live with some slowdown. What happens if I exceed the peak limit on Option 2, am I locked out during peak for the rest of the month or charged for extra bandwidth?

You can go PAYG and buy additional bandwidth @ £1/GB, or go fixed rate, causing speeds to be restricted to 128Kbps speeds.

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If I swapped over and didn’t like it can I go back to a legacy product?

Sure.

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Would there be a charge for moving across and if needed back?

Ach nein!

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If the change is made through the upgrade panel how long does it take to become effective?

I can either do it asap, or on your next billing date.  doesn't make much difference either way.

[#6]

Thanks for the comprehensive answers Peter and James
There is still one thing nagging at me though and that is that the speeds quoted for packages don’t seem to match what I get in reality.
For example If I download a file in the evening from say the Microsoft web site  I might get as much as 700+k a second download rate.
But the stated cap for BB+ is 512Kb which in my language (if I have it correct) is 64k a second.
Now the Option 2 cap is  is 256Kb, 32k a second in my language.
God forbid (I would if I could) does this mean that I might find my evening download rates for that same file cut in half to 350+k a second or worse *shudders* if the network is very busy could I be reduced to 32k a second for file downloads?
Cheers

[#7]

God,
You're confusing HTTP and P2P.  Microsoft downloads come down via HTTP which is unrestricted and as such should come down at line rate.  P2P porioritisation is more relaxed on Option 2 and as such, your P2P speeds will see an improvement.

[#8]

Hi James
I wasn't confusing the two. I had quickly moved on to another protocol without flagging it very well. But you have answered me anyway, http file downloads are unrestricted, cool.
I am going to give it a go. I take it I just upgrade on the portal, wait for a confirmation email and then re-boot my router?

[#9]

That's about the size of it, though it'll wait till your next billing date by default. If you want it at the hurry-up either comment on the ticket that the request creates or let one of us know in here and we'll push it through for you.

[#10]

Peace be with you orbrey.
I have changed to Option 2. If you could do the magical quickening stuff at your end I would appreciate it 

[#11]

On it

[#12]

James, Peter, Matt
Thanks very much for the advice and assistance.
Peace be with you all.

[#13]

Yup, that's all sorted.  Feel free to give me a shout if you have any further queries.

[#14]

Quote from: God

Hi Folks Ok, before I ask my question let’s get a couple of things out of the way. 1. I know that BB+ is not designed for a great P2P experience. 2. I am not going to change my package because I rarely use P2P. 3. This really isn’t a moan I am just looking for some informative answers. I am interested to know if the P2P speeds I am getting are right for my package and the variation in speed at various times of the day. snip

Its the same with me I`m on the F9 Anytime package I had a friend round the other day setting up `emule` we tried to download a film (tut tut yes OK) anyway what a joke the speed is I left it on all day and night what a waste of time. He cannot believe how slow it is (he has cable broadband with Virgin) so he would never be converted to F9/Plus net nor would he tell people about it.
I`m not really bothered about P2P but its a nice option to have and use to download the odd film or music file.
What package would make this better

[#15]

Hi there,
Similarly to God, your usage habits would suggest that moving to Broadband Your Way, Option 2 would be a sensible change.  You're currently on Broadband Plus and would see an improvement in P2P speeds.