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How long is too long for copper?

Leapy
Seasoned Champion
Posts: 1,093
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Registered: ‎11-04-2017

How long is too long for copper?

I have discovered that my fibre ends at my green box number 68 and from there its copper.

The green box is 300 metres from my home. 

My speeds vary quite a lot from 15-38mbps and upload is capped at 2mbps.

If my home was a shorter distance from the green box would it be better?

 

 

9 REPLIES 9
ejs
Aspiring Hero
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Registered: ‎10-06-2010

Re: How long is too long for copper?

A shorter length of copper is always better. Too long for FTTC would be around 1.5-2km, depending on the quality of the copper. In theory, it's supposed to have been tested to work at up to 2.4km.

You would need to pay for a faster service to benefit from the higher speeds possible, Unlimited Fibre Extra from Plusnet. You are probably connected at the maximum for the 40/2 service that you are on, so while you remain on 40/2, it wouldn't get any faster if you were nearer the cabinet.

30FTTC06
Pro
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Re: How long is too long for copper?

I am curious to know just how many people on plusnet can maintain a stream of 4k http://www.dslreports.com/tools/streamtest

My line is 850 metes from my cab on copper and I have a stable 36 Down 2 Up.

Sure your line isn't aluminium?

jelv
Seasoned Hero
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Re: How long is too long for copper?

When you say speeds vary a lot, is that using a wired or wireless connection to the router?

jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)
lupkina
Dabbler
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Registered: ‎05-04-2017

Re: How long is too long for copper?

In the speed tests while i had my DC problems it said

Estimated Line Length In Metres 1499.5

so my line is actually too long?That explains then my max 1.0 Mbps upload    and on a lucky day max 18Mbps but mostly 15 Mbps download....   wasnt fibre supposed to be at least 24 Mbps down in the rollout plans not to mention the big add that says around 70Mbps?

can something actually be done about that?Because i think my area is a Digital Derbyshire fibre rollout plan, and is supposed to be done by 2018, but since the fibre cabinet in the city center was enabled in 2015 im wondering is that all that will be done and im stuck with those stone age speeds in this house forever?  

Leapy
Seasoned Champion
Posts: 1,093
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Registered: ‎11-04-2017

Re: How long is too long for copper?

Thank you @ejs I think must be on 40/2. The 2 is really just a guide as 1.6 is normal, but I seldom upload big files, so its not an issue, although when I do uploaded say three 2mb Hi/res photos, you can see it crawl.

PNs fibre is much better than my old all copper system, with another ISP  that struggled to get any performance as I'm 1,600 meres from the exchange and it was like watching paint dry. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leapy
Seasoned Champion
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Registered: ‎11-04-2017

Re: How long is too long for copper?

@30FTTC06 I ran lots of 4k via Netflix and that was fine, although Netflix does automatic adjust so it may have gone in to a lower grade like HD and I was unaware. I will need to look at the stats to see if it moved from 4K.

I'm sure that when its all H.264 it won't be an issue and were all be 4k 24/7/365.

Leapy
Seasoned Champion
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Registered: ‎11-04-2017

Re: How long is too long for copper?


@jelv wrote:

When you say speeds vary a lot, is that using a wired or wireless connection to the router?


Yes, direct wired, networked via power line and wireless on PCs, tablets and mobiles. 

There seems no logic rhyme or reason when wired.

I tend to ignore the wireless ones, as devices, (both running Windows 10) wireless on a tablet two floors away from the router maybe 40mbps and wireless on a PC in the same room as the router maybe 5mbps! Which I find odd.

 


 

 


 

petelane1951
Grafter
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Registered: ‎10-12-2014

Re: How long is too long for copper?

Our village has been part of the Dorset Superfast broadband rollout and we are supposed to get 24mbs minimum. We only get 11. After much discussion we have discovered that Openreach fitted a new cabinet for our part of the village but did not fit the cables. Instead we are connected to our original box which is about 1.5 miles away. However the Openreach records show us connected to the new box. Openreach have admitted that a contractor has not connected some cables and told Dorset that there is a technical issue in our village. But they do not have a date for the fix and presumably they have been paid for the fibre rollout as it was completed nearly a year ago.

Openreach told us to get Plusnet to report it but Plusnet advisors told me we are getting the speed they estimated so they will not. 

An Openreach engineer told my neighbour that the speed would be approx 52mbs if we were connected to the new box!

newagetraveller
Pro
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Re: How long is too long for copper?

Just as a comparison for the o.p.. My cabinet is also about 300 metres from my property and copper from the cabinet, underground to the pole next to the house, to which I am connected.

I'm on the 38/2 fibre package too and consistently acheive 37.47 mb/s down and 1.89 mb/s up over wireless and wired connection. Only very slight variations at times. Rural village location.

However, before I junked the supplied Hub One and bought my own VDSL modem/router, the wireless speed was appalling most of the time and would also disconnected regularly.