Speed half what I had with previous ISP and can't use other Usenet providers.
My question is, why is my speed so much slower than what I had with my previous ISP? I've left it a few weeks before asking to see if it improved, but it hasn't. With my previous ISP I regularly synced at 4.5 to 5.5Mbps on the downstream and had an upstream sync of 896kbps. My actual downstream throughput was regularly at a stable 4Mbps. Since moving to PN my downstream sync has averaged 3Mbps and the actual throughput speed hasn't gone much above 2Mbps, far less than the 4Mbps I was quoted whilst the migration took place. My upstream is also half of what I had before at only 448kbps.
Also, why am I having so much trouble connecting to other Usenet providers? In all the years I've been using Astraweb I can count the number of connection problems I've had on one hand. Since moving to PN I've had nothing but connection issues from day one. I'm well aware of the throttling of NNTP that takes place and was prepared for it, but I'm not even getting connections. When I do eventually get a connection the speed 99.9% of the time is a pathetic 3 or 4 Kbps (dial up speed), or I'll get the expected speed for the time of day but then it trickles to nothing and eventually just stops dead with a timeout. It is like this at all times. Like I say, I was prepared for the throttling but not to what I can only described as being "blocked".
ADDENDUM:
From the BT speed tester
Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test: -provides background information.
Your DSL connection rate: 3424 kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP profile for your line is - 2500 kbps
Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 2217 kbps
Why such a low IP profile? I'm constantly being told my line is capable of 4Mbps+ and got this with my previous ISP with no problems, so how come I'm now on something not much better than a fixed 2Mbps line?
Also, why am I having so much trouble connecting to other Usenet providers? In all the years I've been using Astraweb I can count the number of connection problems I've had on one hand. Since moving to PN I've had nothing but connection issues from day one. I'm well aware of the throttling of NNTP that takes place and was prepared for it, but I'm not even getting connections. When I do eventually get a connection the speed 99.9% of the time is a pathetic 3 or 4 Kbps (dial up speed), or I'll get the expected speed for the time of day but then it trickles to nothing and eventually just stops dead with a timeout. It is like this at all times. Like I say, I was prepared for the throttling but not to what I can only described as being "blocked".
ADDENDUM:
From the BT speed tester
Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test: -provides background information.
Your DSL connection rate: 3424 kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP profile for your line is - 2500 kbps
Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 2217 kbps
Why such a low IP profile? I'm constantly being told my line is capable of 4Mbps+ and got this with my previous ISP with no problems, so how come I'm now on something not much better than a fixed 2Mbps line?
Before Tiscali bought out my previous ISP LLU wasn't available from them. I was on a standard BT Wholesale IPStream. So whilst the change in upload speed to 736kbps last year and then to 896kbps this year could be as a results of Tiscali moving everything over to their system and on to LLU, it doesn't explain the big drop in download speed which has exceeded 3Mbps (not the sync, actual throughput) from the very first time I moved to MAX from a fixed 2Mbps line. From the first time I ever thought about moving to MAX when it was first being rolled out the BT page has always stated my line was capable of 3-4Mbps, which I got, so I know that my line is quite capable of more than 2Mbps. This is what I find confusing. Why if I've easily received 3Mbps+ since first moving to MAX years ago am I now barely getting 2Mbps? When I checked last night the BT page again said 4Mbps and it said the same in the email I got from PN during the migration. It also said the same when I used the availability checker on the PN home page before signing up last month. However, I've just checked on the PN web site using the availability checker again and it now says Estimated line speed: 2.0 Mb. Why is this? My line if far more capable of this on IPStream.
Whilst I'm aware of the shaping for Usenet, and was prepared for it, this is not the problem. As I said, I can't get a connection to other providers to start with. It can take dozens and dozens of attempts (many hours at times) before I do eventually get one but the speed is nearly always a fraction of the expected speed for the time of day or night. I have no problems getting a connection to the PN server (via Giganews) and getting the expected speeds (with line speed on header downloads) but the others are now impossible to use. Whilst I'm not suggesting I'm being blocked, it seems to me whatever system you use to shape the speed is affecting the ability to get a connection to other providers. The few times I do have the same speed on the others as with the PN server, it never lasts. If it was with only one then I could put it down to a problem with them or with a peer, but I have five additional block accounts and a free Teranews account and it's the same with all of them. Whilst I'm not too bothered about the others as I've nearly used up my gigs and don't plan to buy any more, I have 81GB left with Astraweb.
Whilst I'm aware of the shaping for Usenet, and was prepared for it, this is not the problem. As I said, I can't get a connection to other providers to start with. It can take dozens and dozens of attempts (many hours at times) before I do eventually get one but the speed is nearly always a fraction of the expected speed for the time of day or night. I have no problems getting a connection to the PN server (via Giganews) and getting the expected speeds (with line speed on header downloads) but the others are now impossible to use. Whilst I'm not suggesting I'm being blocked, it seems to me whatever system you use to shape the speed is affecting the ability to get a connection to other providers. The few times I do have the same speed on the others as with the PN server, it never lasts. If it was with only one then I could put it down to a problem with them or with a peer, but I have five additional block accounts and a free Teranews account and it's the same with all of them. Whilst I'm not too bothered about the others as I've nearly used up my gigs and don't plan to buy any more, I have 81GB left with Astraweb.
Quote from: HiroUK Down: Noise margin shifts between +14.0 db and 14.6 db
Well that's the problem right there!
Your target SNRM is probably 15dB as otherwise you'd probably sync at over 4meg.
The question is why, and can it be improved? It may just be a matter of waiting, but that could take literally months.
Quote from: HiroUK I'm a little confused by your statement that it doesn't carry binaries. I'm using the address given on the website (usenet.plus.net).
If you look at the list of groups available on the Plusnet news server, there are no binary groups; only text only groups are available.
Quote from: Anotherone It could well do, which may cause some instability and dropped connections which may have been the cause of your Target SNRM being raised to 15dB. I'd set it to G.DMT permanently. Hopefully things will stabilise.
There is the possibility you have a line problem which has developed (assuming you've not changed your internal wiring or equipment - had sky installed etc), which may not have affected you in the same way on LLU. Can you hear any crackling or other intermittent noise on your phone line?
Nothing's been touched as far as my set up, etc. My friend is a BT engineer and he installed everything for me (he put on a proper ADSL socket rather than using them filters that just get in the way). Other than an issue last year when someone may have bumped the box at the end of the road with their car, I've had next to no problems with the line itself. No noise on the line, no problems with phone calls, etc.
Just to reiterate, before Tiscali bought out my old ISP a couple of years ago I wasn't on LLU. I moved from an ISP (Plusnet/Metronet) on BT Wholesale IPStream to and ISP on BT Wholesale IPStream. When I first moved to the MAX product from a fixed line speed I was still on BT Wholesale IPStream. Even then my actual throughput touched 3Mbps+. It was only after Tiscali took over and moved everyone over to their platform that my sync on the upstream increased to 736kbps last year and then again to 896kbps this year, as well as an increase in my downstream sync by another 1.5Mbps giving me download speeds of 4.2Mbps+.
So I'm not sure what could have happened for BT and PN to go from saying my line was capable of speeds up to 4Mbps before and during the migration to now saying it's only capable of 2Mbps some weeks later. Well, PN are saying this, the BT page still says I should expect speeds up to 4Mbps, something it said before I first moved to MAX some years ago from a fixed speed.
Quote Failing all that you'll need to try swapping a few things to eliminate possible causes. So that the exchange DLM doesn't think you have an ongoing line problem, powerdown the modem/router and wait a few minutes before removing anything that disconnects the modem/router from the line ie Master faceplate, filter, DSL cable etc. Avoid doing this more than about 5 times in an hour and then leave it alone for the rest of the day.
Connect to the test socket (behind the master socket removable face plate), this should isolate all your internal wiring. Try without a phone plugged in to start (then a corded phone). Try an alternative filter and/or modem/router if things don't improve.
I can ask my friend to do some checks when he comes back off holiday, but it's been my experience that whenever their has been any sort of speed or connection problem with my ADSL it has always ended up being ISP end.
Quote Don't bother with speed throughput tests at the moment it's increase in sync speed an stability that's of main concern. Once the sync speed is up and stable it'll probably take a couple of days for your profile to increase, so then throughput increases.
To be honest the drop doesn't make much difference. I don't play online games, or stream video, music, etc, and with Usenet being throttled I'm never going to reach line speed any way. And downloads from the web will only be as fast as the server they are on. It was just odd to see the speed so much lower compared to when I first moved to MAX and what I'd had since. Then to see PN now say my line is only capable of speeds up to 2Mbps after saying 4Mbps was even odder.
Quote from: jelv
Quote from: HiroUK I'm a little confused by your statement that it doesn't carry binaries. I'm using the address given on the website (usenet.plus.net).
If you look at the list of groups available on the Plusnet news server, there are no binary groups; only text only groups are available.
How many groups do you get on usenet.plus.net then? That's the address it says to use on my Connection Details page.
ADDENDUM:
But on the below help page the address is different (news.plus.net), but it carries binary groups and binary files. There are actually over 109,000 groups on this server address and just like the other address it is an outsourced feed from Giganews. So if they are the two addresses I'm supposed to use but I'm only supposed to get text only groups, what gives. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.
And this is quoted from the Plusnet Value info page:
"Use Peer-to-Peer or Binary USENET to share files?
Check our Expected Speeds page to see what experience you'll get from Plusnet Value."
Even the expected speeds page gives expected speeds for Binary USENET, which comes with all package types.
Being told by yourself and a Plusnet Staff member that there are only text groups, no binaries, contradicts everything I've shown you ,which all comes from Plusnet's own site. Maybe you're both not aware of a change?