cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Massive speed jump - finding out why and what else is available?

andrewodonnell
Dabbler
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎24-03-2018

Massive speed jump - finding out why and what else is available?

So i've got the kind of problem every plusnet fibre user would love to have - my speed has taken a MASSIVE hike...

Some history - I live a long way from my green cabinet, about 3km cable distance. This means i'm riiiight on the very edge of usability for fibre broadband, and most service providers won't let me have it (using their checkers they say 'not available' even though it is, presumably because the minimum speed check is below their minimum). Anyway, I CAN get it and I get about 12Mbps, which is better than traditional broadband (7Mbps) but the reliability isn't great and the connection is easily saturated. Basically it's not great, but not bad enough for me to be making placards. 

Given making my speed faster would involve creating a new roadside cabinet, which isn't a common ocurrence for existing users, I had resigned myself to these speeds for a long time to come.

However, I test my speed fairly regularly and found a few days ago it hiked up to 37Mbps Up, 7 Down. This is a crazy hike and way beyond the capability of a 3km line, and also coincidentally the maximum for 'fibre 1' which makes me think higher speeds may be unlockable. I've tested this over several days, devices and 'real world' download test to confirm it's not a mistake.

Question is, why have my speeds hiked? It's been recent enough most sites still deny i'm capable of fibre broadbandso I can't find out why - because I want to see what my full availibilty is, could I get 70Mbps?

A few weeks ago, Openreach replaced my telephone pole, and there's been ongoing work on the lines in general. I have received a few 'your service may be disrupted' posts but speed checks immediately after don't show any changes.

Could this speed hike be explained by having the physical lines replaced? As far as I understand, this kind of speed hike should ONLY be available by being close to a green roadside cabinet so should I be assuming they've made a new cabinet for those of us living on the edge of the old cabinet's reach? Could this kind of speed increase be due to some form of software processing? (I think not, but there was some talk about fancy VDSL signalling?)

I can only see this increase being as a result of a new roadside cabinet - unless anyone else wants to enlighten me?

Can PlusNet tech support help me and see what their details are to see what's happened to my line so I can rest easy that it's not about to be taken away from me in a week or a temporary thing - so I can plan my use of it? I'm on the Talywain Exhchange and still show as being on Cabinet 7 (which has been the case previously)

I'm scared it's going to go away next week, and also curious if i'm hitting 37Mbps now if higher levels are available to me?

8 REPLIES 8
wisty
Pro
Posts: 591
Thanks: 112
Fixes: 8
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Massive speed jump - finding out why and what else is available?

 Almost certainly Openreach has enabled vectoring on your cabinet. It happened to me in August 2017 while I was a PlusNet customer. At the time I got 40 down, limited by the profile - and the max available was 42-44 so it was not worth upgrading.

After the change my router (Billion) told me that I could get 65-70Meg, and as an experiment I upgraded and was getting 66+

See  Hub-Strange-SNR-behaviour  for some more detail

I am now with BT - but the vectoring is still enabled and working well.

Enjoy it!!

 

You probably won't get 70, but if you post your new router stats showing the SNR, someone might be able to give you an estimate, if your router doesn't do it for you.

 

RealAleMadrid
Aspiring Hero
Posts: 2,713
Thanks: 1,395
Fixes: 59
Registered: ‎07-07-2009

Re: Massive speed jump - finding out why and what else is available?

You have been moved to a nearer cabinet, there is no way the addition of vectoring could give that kind of increase. You say Openreach have been working on the lines so that will be the reason, there must be a much nearer new FTTC cabinet that your connection is now using. What does the BT wholesale checker say for your line?

https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/adsl.htm?s_cid=ws_furls_adslchecker

andrewodonnell
Dabbler
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎24-03-2018

Re: Massive speed jump - finding out why and what else is available?

BT wholesale checker still says Cabinet 7, with the following info;

 

Featured Products

Downstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Upstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Downstream Handback Threshold(Mbps)

WBC FTTC Availability Date

WBC SOGEA Availability Date

Left in Jumper

  High Low High Low        
VDSL Range A (Clean) 11.9 6.5 1.2 0.8 4.7 Available -- --  
VDSL Range B (Impacted) 11 3.8 1.2 0.5 2.4 Available -- --

 

I am just presuming the wholesale checker has not been re-run or updated if the change is very recent.

 

AFAIK vectoring works best on the first 500m or so of the lines, and being 3km out I wouldn't have expected vectoring to jump me by 25Mbps or more. I could get 12 Mbps on a good day, 10Mbps would be usual Given i'm hitting 37Mbps on online speed testers I suspect this is a 'limited' speed and not my true speed.

 

Router says:

Downstream (current) 40,000 

Downstream (max) 45,012

SNR Margin 8.2

Line attenuation 20.7

 

I presume that the current being such a round number indicates that's my limited line speed, and so apparently my absolute maximum isn't much higher at 45Mbps or so. Do I understand those figures right?

notmyname
Rising Star
Posts: 133
Thanks: 36
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎20-03-2016

Re: Massive speed jump - finding out why and what else is available?

A PCP (cab) migration could have happened. But usually this would need a cease and reprovide. Unless I'm mistaken.
Terranova667
Pro
Posts: 1,511
Thanks: 125
Fixes: 5
Registered: ‎19-02-2014

Re: Massive speed jump - finding out why and what else is available?

Vectoring is for removing crosstalk as RealAleMadrid said Vecotring wouldn't increase speed like that.

As for the first 500m that's Gfast which uses Vectoring, Vectoring itself isn't based on distance as I said above it's to remove crosstalk ie interference within the fibre cab itself so it doesn't matter how far away you are.

Which modem/router are you using ? I ask becasue you don't normally see it rounded up like that even if your line is capable of more. 

The (max) 45Mb is what you could get if everything was 100% perfect which never happens so your most likely to achieve around 43Mb should you upgrade to the 80Mb fibre extra package.

If the stats are correct then you have gained a really nice increase compared to how things were based off the estimates.  

andrewodonnell
Dabbler
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎24-03-2018

Re: Massive speed jump - finding out why and what else is available?

I've heard talk of g.fast and vectoring producing huge speed jumps - but only within the existing limitations of FTTC - i.e. first 500m or so before drops start quickly.

I'm using the Archer VR600. I suspect the 'rounded' figure is a result of my profile/paid level of service. I believe a profile of 40Mbps results in a real world 37Mbps (much like FTTC itself is specced as 80MBps but this translates to 76Mbps at the customer)

It's not just the estimates - that was my real world speed for going on 2 years now. This jump is totally out of the blue (and very happy I am too).

I'm just a bit concerned if I have a lack of explanation, could it be taken away? I'm already making some plans based on this new speed and i'd like to keep it!

I was under the impression the only thing that would do this is a transfer to a new/closer cabinet. And also under the impression that this wasn't the 'done thing' as part of ongoing broadband upgrades. My cab only serves 71 people, and most would be a lot closer - as i'm the furthest property out.

Browni
Aspiring Hero
Posts: 2,673
Thanks: 1,054
Fixes: 60
Registered: ‎02-03-2016

Re: Massive speed jump - finding out why and what else is available?

Another indicator that you have been moved to a new cab is the line attenuation which match a max download of 45Mb/s.
Xup
Grafter
Posts: 49
Thanks: 5
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎25-01-2015

Re: Massive speed jump - finding out why and what else is available?

Vectoring on my line made a huge gain, my line attenuation is 22.5db my max attainable is 73K!

This is from a couple of days ago before I jumped ship from BT back to here.

16-08-18.jpg