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Why would FTTC be slower than ADSL2+?

FIXED
mlvjenkins
Newbie
Posts: 4
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎11-04-2016

Why would FTTC be slower than ADSL2+?

Hi, new member, first post - although I have been a quiet member of PlusNet for loads of years.

 

I live in a rural area, with normal ADSL2 (line speed about 7.5Mbps, speed test about 6), and was delighted to find in December that my line speed increased to about 10Mbps, and speed test about 7.9; 21CN has arrived at my exchange at last! Looks like ADSL2+. Good stuff.

I looked on the fibre availbility, saw that FTTC was arriving to me in January, with an estimated speed of 13Mbps. I signed up, got hooked up - I know it was FTTC, because my ADSL2+ modem (Billion) did not work any longer, and I needed to use the PlusNet Hub. Max line speed I ever saw was 6.7Mbps, with correspondingly slower speed test.

I got some tests done, and the engineer came to my house, tested from outside, and said "the distance from cabinet to house is 2.5 Km, and 6.7 is a good speed given that - we would estimate 5Mbps - this ain't getting any better". SO - I switched back to ADSL2+, and my pre FTTC speeds returned.

One other thing - ADSL2+, my upload speed is 448 Kbps; on FTTC, it was 1.1Mbps.

My question is: I naively assumed that FTTC was as simple as the name suggests - fibre to the cabinet, and then the same tech over the copper to the house (and therefore MUST be better than ADSL2+); clearly that is not the case. What IS the case?

Thanks!

5 REPLIES 5
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Why would FTTC be slower than ADSL2+?

Fix

It is a bit complicated but I will try to keep it simple

FTTC uses much higher frequencies than ADSL and hence the signal (speed) drop against distance is much faster

The fact that your ADSL speeds are much higher than fibre and the distance you give to the cab makes it seem as though your cab is very close to the exchange or at least a similar distance away from you

Regarding upload speed it would appear that your ADSL has had its upstream capped as you should be seeing an upload speed of 888kbps or higher

This will need to be picked up by the staff to check

BadMelonFarmer
Dabbler
Posts: 13
Registered: ‎11-09-2015

Re: Why would FTTC be slower than ADSL2+?

Aluminium on the line made my FTTC connection half the speed of ADSL2+

Had to go back to ADSL as open reach were not interested in replacing the aluminium or fixing the line.

Took me 6 months and letters of complaint to many people to get BT Wholesale to change their speed estimates for the area.

They claimed 11.9 - 18.9 for FTTC... Never managed to deliver more than 2.5!!!

I really hope OFCOM sort open reach out as they really suck.
mlvjenkins
Newbie
Posts: 4
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎11-04-2016

Re: Why would FTTC be slower than ADSL2+?

Thank you - that is enough for me to know that the technology is sufficiently different for there to be a reasonable explanation.

 

Good point about the upload - checking my previous records, I did have closer to 1Mbps upload on ADSL2+ - I will see if it changes at all, and then chase to see if a cap has been imposed.

mlvjenkins
Newbie
Posts: 4
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎11-04-2016

Re: Why would FTTC be slower than ADSL2+?

That sounds most distressing. Your posts here helped me change back from FTTC in the first two weeks - avoiding contract problems - although it did take three months to actually get the engineer work sorted out!

mlvjenkins
Newbie
Posts: 4
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎11-04-2016

Re: Why would FTTC be slower than ADSL2+?

I raised a call, and indeed I was upload capped to 448; that was removed, and I am back to 1.046 upstream line speed.

 

Much appreciated, I may not have noticed that at all for ages.