When can I get ADSL2+ at my exchange?

[#1]

Quote from: Anotherone

When using the quiet line test, the hiss should be barely perceptible and be steady with no change and no other noise and not noticeable when hearing the announcement or in the course of normal conversation.

Well, the noise is not loud. You cannot hear it over the dial tone, and I dont think you can hear it over the voice on the quiet line test, but the message is not long enough for me to be sure. I will get someone to phone me later so I can have a better listen, but I think it is something you have to listen out for during a call. There certainly has not been any time when I have been on a call and thought the line was bad.
However, I cant really say the hiss is steady. It stays relatively steady for a few seconds, like one long hiss, then it changes to a bit of a different "pattern" of hiss if that makes sense. More like static when tuning an analogue TV or radio. But it still remains quiet. Its difficult though: I may be reading too much into it, since I dont really know what is normal and what is a problem.

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A line of your attenuation ought to be syncing around at least 6-7Mbps, not the 4.5 you are currently getting.

Oh yes. In my post above I quoted kitz as suggesting 5500, but I must have misread it. It is indeed suggesting the high 6k range. I would love to get a sync of even low 6k range! With my profile of 3.2mb I always felt I was right on the edge for iPlayer etc, and dared not do anything else if streaming was going on. It would be nice to get a profile of say 5.5mb.

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I think the next step would be to download RouterStats Lite so you can monitor the SNRM. and see if we can discover anything that may be affecting it. Install it in your C:\ directory, not Program Files. Let me know when you've got that far and I'll give you some suggested settings.

I now have this installed outside of program files. I ran it briefly just to look and dont see my Thomson TG585 v8 in the list, but I take it thats not a problem.

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The fact that you swapped them over shouldn't have made any different, and I suspect the improved sync has more to do with the fact it was daylight rather than a resync in the middle of the night. I'd guess that now it's dark, your SN Margin down will be lower.

You are right on the SN. It was 5.5db late last night when I checked it. Yesterday day time and today it is 6 or 6.5.
Its strange though. Something I did when checking and swapping those wires did appear to do something. The "Maximum Bandwidth" that my modem reports updates every time I refresh the page. I have been refreshing it a lot over the last couple of weeks and it is now consistently higher since the moment I did that yesterday. Last week, it was consistently in the 4k - 4.4k range. Then over the weekend a bit higher, 4.3k - 4.6k. Now since I went behind the backplate yesterday it has been consistently in the 4.7k - 5k zone. So it is making me think some of the tinkering is doing something, but then I havent really been able to put my finger on what has done it. Unless it is something outside my control that has happened to be improving over the same period. The weather has been pretty crazy over this period. Could it be that? Or something at the exchange? (I know something in the status for my exchange was showing as amber quite recently and is now green since 16/11.) Anyway, any gain is certainly pleasing. At these speeds a small gain makes a nice difference for me.
EDIT: Although I notice tonight now at 8pm the "Maximum Bandwidth" reading is now fluctuating between 4650 and 4700 and SNR is 5.5. So it does seem to deteriorate into the evening. However, I certainly have not seen it fluctuating at the 4.7k - 5k level at all until I went behind the back plate yesterday. (But I am concious about possibly being "fooled by randomness.")

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Is your computer a standard desktop with CRT monitor and do you have more than one computer? Are you connecting wirelessly or ethernet?

There are two laptops only in the house. Both using wireless, but I can leave mine on the modem via ethernet if needed.
Thank you for everything.

[#2]

Use the TG585v7 choice, works for the v8. On the Capture tab, choose a Folder to store the graphs, create a new one or use the one where you've installed RSL if you like. On the Log tab tick Enable log and type in a name for a log file, say RSLite.txt, then browse to the folder where you are saving the graphs, then the full path name should appear.
That should do to get you started, I'll post some more later.

[#3]

Hi there,
Thanks for the info. I have it running.
I notice tonight when I checked the stats at 9:30pm the SN downstream was 4 db and while it reports my bandwidth as still being the 4856kbps I connected at a couple of days ago, the "Maximum Bandwidth" reading that is always updating is all the way back down to the 4400k area. So I guess I spoke too soon about me having done something that has improved it. Although it is exceptionally cold tonight, I dont know if that makes a difference?
Anyway, RSL is running now. I will run it until you say otherwise.
Regards.

[#4]

In my modem stats, the field "Maximum Bandwidth" fluctuates continuously. The stat beneath it "Bandwidth" stays the same until I disconnect and reconnect. It seems to me that the first one is the real capability of my line at this moment, but RSL is actually logging the second one. It is just producing one horizontal line on the graph. Is that OK? Im pretty sure that number has not changed since the last time I connected.
It is tracking the SNMR just fine of course. (Currently fluctuating between 4 and 4.5)

[#5]

Quote from: chania

In my modem stats, the field "Maximum Bandwidth" fluctuates continuously.

Don't know what this is about.  Ignore?

Quote from: chania

The stat beneath it "Bandwidth" stays the same until I disconnect and reconnect. It seems to me that the first one is the real capability of my line at this moment, but RSL is actually logging the second one. It is just producing one horizontal line on the graph. Is that OK? Im pretty sure that number has not changed since the last time I connected.

That's exactly as it should be.  The bandwidth is the parameter you are interested in and it will not change unless you restart the router or if the connection is dropped.  If the connection is dropped the reading will fall to zero then recover, quite possibly to a different value, then remain flat until the next dropped connection. 

Quote from: chania

It is tracking the SNMR just fine of course. (Currently fluctuating between 4 and 4.5)

That's fine for night-time.

[#6]

As RR has said the "Bandwidth" is the correct value that RSL monitors. It is your current sync speed.
The "maximum bandwidth" is what the modem/router estimates is the maximum sync speed that you can achieve and is based on the ADSL mode, what it assumes is the Target Noise margin, the current margin and bits/tone allocated and is pretty much a meaningless figure most of the time. As you can see from the last stats posted it's actually less than your current sync speed! As RR mentioned, ignore it.
There won't be much point in saving multiple sync speed graphs where you sync speed is not changing frequently, hopefully it won'be changing.
It's the behaviour of the SNRM that we're primarily interested in.

[#7]

Hi chania,
sorry for the long delay, damned HDD gone down and killed a PSU as well, so have had to recompile some stuff.
Anyway, here's a pretty well full setup guide, some of which you will already have done -
(FYI - On the Setup tab, the URL tab should show the path where you get the stats, tick the box for the full path.)
On the Graph tab, initially, leave ticks in the Adjust axis automatically boxes, you may want to alter the settings later. Tick Noise Margin Vertical Axis 'Plot average value of previous 50 points', but not the Connection Speed average.
In the Sample Interval box choose 'Sample router every 10 seconds' and 'Points per page 720'
On the Capture tab. Define the folder where you want to save the Captured graphs, this could be the folder where you've installed RSL or another of your choice. Tick 'Capture noise margin graph images', also tick 'Capture part-graphs when RouterStats-Lite closes'. Tick the other two graphs if you wish.
On the Log tab, type the filename you want for the log, e.g. RSLite.txt & then browse to the folder you want to save it in, suggest the same as the graphs, when selected, the full pathname will appear in the box. Comma separated values is selected by default, and log every 1 sample.
Nothing to change on the Appearance tab.
On the System tab, tick 'Minimise to system tray', 'Prompt before closing', 'Show noise margin on tray icon' & 'Show tooltip hints'. If you want the Ping plotter, tick that as well.
On the Noise Margin tab you should see a Green Camera icon on the LHS showing capture is active.
If you  right click on the graph, the drop down menu shows a tick against Capture. You will also see some other handy options you can use at any time.
I think with you current values, back on the Setup >Graphs tab, I think you could change the scale for the Noise Margin to Maximum 10, Minimum 0 & the Connection Speed to Maximum 7000, Minimum 3000.
The other trick is to Maximise the RSL window (ie full screen) when you start it, before minimising it to the tray. That way when captures occur they will have maximum detail.
Post up any night time graph that you may have, just so we can see what things are looking like.

[#8]

Hi guys, thanks for the info. I was paying a lot of attention to that max bandwidth but I will ignore it now.
I didnt have RSL capturing graphs, so I took a few screen shots to cover from 3pm Friday until Saturday morning. Its capturing graphs from now on.
I will have to be a little more careful with my laptop. Those drops to zero may well correspond to times when I made the wireless disconnect from carrying it around. I will keep an eye on that from now on.
As you can see, the SNMR went really low in the last couple of days!
Thanks.

[#9]

Hi there,
As you mentioned, the drops may have been your wireless, you may also see similar things on occasions when RSL doesn't get a response from the mode/router because it (or your computer) is too busy with other traffic. One of the ways you can confirm that is by looking at the sync speed graph. If you see an identical drop, but the speed returns to exactly where it was (and the SNRM isn't exactly on the Target value) it most likley wasn't a loss of sync - check your modem/router stats to see if the Uptime or CRC errors have been reset or the Line count (if you have one ) has increased.
Bearing in mind your line length, the SNRM variations don't look too bad. Look pretty much flat in the day and only just over 1dB - 1½dB drop in the average day to night. Shame the modem/router only reports ½dB steps.
I assume you have been using the same laptop to do all the stats reporting as well as RSL?

[#10]

Hi Anotherone,
Yes, I am using the same laptop.
On the router, would it be worth getting another one? I have read on some sites, maybe kitz or similar, that some perform better than others with maintaining connection. Are there some that give better performance in general, including speed? I always wonder about the freebies you get from ISPs. (Probably going to build an HTPC so maybe one of those more customisable firmware ones would be useful for that too in terms of prioritising traffic etc?)
On those SNMR drops, the sync did what you thought, it dropped for the same time and came straight back to the same sync. And I know I did move my laptop right around those times. I cant check the router for that period though because since then we have had power cuts, as can be seen in the attachments. The drop from 13:17 to 13:47 and also the shorter drop at 14:12 to 14:17 are power cuts. (Both Dec 1st). The drops at 15:35 (Dec 1st) and 11:35 (Dec 2nd) also match times Im pretty sure I caused a brief wireless disconnect.
Thanks for looking at these.

[#11]

The missing connection speed graphs are just unbroken horizontal lines at 4888kbps.

[#12]

With regard to the modem/router, yes there will be some that give better wireless performance. But as far as sync speed goes, the differences are likely to be small as this is a Broadcom chipset based device, and Broadcom based modem/routers are rated to be amongst the best. Unless the drops in your wireless are being a real nuisance, rather than just the occasional pain, I wouldn't rush to get another just yet.
The TG582n currently supplied by Plusnet (minus USB port) has received some controversial reviews from other users here on the forums, so you would need to consider your requirements very carefully before deciding what to get.
(Just be aware that a number of the SNRM/Sync drops to zero that you've seen won't be your wireless, just RSL not being able to retrieve the data at that instant.).
The SNRM graphs don't look too bad overall. The night time variation is a little disappointing, but then MW propagation does vary..
As you've sensibly realised, no point in posting flat Sync speed graphs (or keeping them) just those that show some 'event'. (I suggest you delete the ones you don't won't as soon as possible, it gets a bit tedious if you let them build up - I'm speaking from experience!). I wouldn't worry about running RSL 24/7 now, unless you especially want to, as there doesn't seem to be any untoward events happening at this time.
Now RSL is running OK, we ought to concentrate on trying to discover why your line seems to be under-performing. There are a number of things to consider - Equipment issues, Noise problems, a line problem (fault) of some sort, & a poor quality line. The latter we might be unable to do anything about, apart from which the others would need to be eliminated to come to that conclusion. So we'll start with the easier things.
Can you install RSL on the other laptop, but don't run RSL on both at the same time! What we need to check is that your laptop isn't generating any undue noise that's affecting your SNRM. It's probably best to try this in the daytime when you have as flat an SNRM trace as possible. So set RSL running on the other laptop and after you've got say 10 minutes or so of plot, then close down the main laptop (and unplug it's power supply from the mains) and see if the SNRM graph changes - whether the margin increases at all. You could also do this test with the second laptop as well if you wish, whilst running RSL on your main Laptop switch on &/or turn off the other laptop (and unplug it's power supply from the mains) and see what happens to the margin. Hopefully in both cases, the effect will be minimal or zero.
Have you got a spare modem/router or can you borrow one? This isn't for the purpose of performance comparison, it's more to check yours isn't faulty generating noise and/or and limiting the sync speed in some way.