Broadband speed comparison between premises

rmg1 · 10 October 2016 at 1:51PM

Hi all

I think this is a bit of an oddity but thought I'd let some of the more experienced people have a look.
My partner and I live next to each other and both use Sky for broadband and phone line.
My stats (from the relevant router page) are as follows:-
Downstream - 7611
Margin - 6dB
Attenuation - 46dB

My partners stats (after Sky have made "improvements"):-
Downstream - 3750 (ish)
Margin - 7.1dB
Attenuation - 57dB

Can anyone please explain why there is such a big difference between adjoining properties and can anything be done?

Sky have re-profiled my partners line (and I've fitted a new microfilter). They've said that's the best the line can handle but I'm not so sure.

The only other difference is my partner has one of the new BT split faceplates (with a master socket) and I don't. My faceplate just covers a back-box in the wall and wires disappear up to the ceiling void somewhere.

JJ_Egan · 10 October 2016 at 2:37PM

How are you connected router to master socket .

Rubidium · 10 October 2016 at 2:37PM

The obvious difference is that your partners line attenuation is much higher @ 57db and the quoted speed is about right for that level of attenuation. The extra attenuation equates to almost a 1km longer line length. It may improve slowly over time if the SNR margin drops in small increments due to their DLM if it has recently been changed.

Even though your partner is next door, the physical line to the exchange may take a very different route to the exchange compared to yours, it may be different quality cable or have more joints along the way etc.

kwikbreaks · 10 October 2016 at 2:38PM

With that difference in attenuation I imagine the routing back to the exchange has to be different. I'd guess they are older properties and one had a phone put in many years before the other one. If that isn't the case then I've no idea how it came about.

rmg1 · 10 October 2016 at 3:11PM

In some semblance of order:-
JJ Egan - both are connect directly via a cable (my cable is slightly longer due to a different room layout). I bought the extended cable, my partner is using the one supplied by Sky.

Rubidium - it sounds like the cable to my partners would have to take a seriously long route as we are in adjoining properties.

Kwikbreaks - the properties were built way-back-when (60's I think). I'm not sure when the phone lines went in but (I'd imagine) they were installed at roughly the same time.

securityguy · 10 October 2016 at 4:19PM

"the properties were built way-back-when (60's I think). I'm not sure when the phone lines went in but (I'd imagine) they were installed at roughly the same time."

They would almost certainly have originally been a party line in the 1960s, and then later the properties would have had their own "lines" via a DACS line-sharing box. It's only when broadband was installed that they each required their own metallic path back to the exchange. At that point one will have had the original circuit and one a new circuit. They can be via radically different routings, number of joints and copper condition.

kwikbreaks · 10 October 2016 at 4:23PM

securityguy's suggestion sounds very plausible to me as to why one got a new line with different routing.

Rubidium · 10 October 2016 at 4:38PM

rmg1 wrote: »

Rubidium - it sounds like the cable to my partners would have to take a seriously long route as we are in adjoining properties.

In some roads some properties will be fed from one cabinet or pole and other properties from another one.

Another possible explanation

The line to the property may actually be routed though say four cables and five junction boxes from the property to the exchange e.g.

property > cable 1 > cable 2 > cable 3 > cable 4 > exchange

When line faults are reported, they often have no option but to use an alternative pair back to the exchange, this happens quite often and there are limited number of pairs in each cable.

if certain pairs in cable 3 became faulty and marked unusable and there were no other unused spare pairs available they could then route as follows:

property > cable 1 > cable 2 > cable x > cable y > cable 4 > exchange

Using extra cables x & y to bypass the fully used cable 3 could easily add an extra km to the line length and hence the increased attenuation and reduced ADSL speed.

Sky or any ISP are limited by the line attenuation.

rmg1 · 11 October 2016 at 11:24AM

Thanks for that, it sounds feasible enough.
Is there anything that can be done to sort it out?

Rubidium · 11 October 2016 at 11:33AM

rmg1 wrote: »

Thanks for that, it sounds feasible enough.
Is there anything that can be done to sort it out?

Nothing that you can do but your partner next door could cancel theirs and use your broadband with very little effort. This is MSE after all.

rmg1 · 11 October 2016 at 11:42AM

Would that work through a couple of stud walls and a brick wall?
I get enough issues connecting to wifi through the stud walls.

Broadband speed comparison between premises

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free