Can different ISP's provide different broadband speed on the same line?

steved99

I have an up to 8mb broadband package with Pipex Homecall (I think now part of Tiscali). Since my son started online gaming he has complained of slow internet speed. I've had numerous phone calls with tech support and have established that my broadband speed is consistently only around 512kbps (sometimes less).

Pipex have sent a BT engineer to my house 3 times and each time BT say there is nothing wrong with the line and that Pipex need to do something to increase the speed (one said Pipex should contact BT Wholesale). According to BT's broadband speed checker my line is capable of supplying 5.5Mbps.

I'm getting the impression from the latest conversations with Tech support that although BT could supply a faster speed, Pipex are unable to supply anything above 512kbps. I don't understand this? Does this mean that I am stuck with a slow 512kbps unless I'm willing to sign up with BT itself?

Can anyone clarify this for me please? I'm fed up with spending literally hours talking to Tiscali tech support and getting nowhere. On the other hand I don't want to get tied into a contract with a new ISP and find myself with no improvement in speed.

Sooler

Fair Usage Policy?

http://www.pipexuk.com/terms/fup.html

steved99

I don't use peer to peer or file sharing and have never had any suggestion from Pipex that they are restricting my service. Speed tests both inside and outside peak hours are consistent (i.e. about 512 Kbps or less).

Any other thoughts?

Woby_Tide

what does your router report the sync speeds as? that will giveyou an indication if Pipex are holding your speed back or whether it's just your line/connection

syko29793

To answer your original question (can other isps offer faster speeds) The answer is "yes they can"
It depends on what they are using to supply the broadband.If its BT wholesale adsl max then you can check expected speed at
http://www.adslchecker.bt.com/pls/adsl/adslchecker.welcome
If its an LLU broadband then you have to ask your isp and they will tell you the max speed as they dont use BT wholesale.
If its adsl2+ then you should expect a faster speed on some lines but not all.
Try sam knows to check providers in your area and ask them all to check the line for potential speeds. Dont be off put by the "we can give you 16mb or 24mb offers ask for a true line test.

steved99

Hi Woby_Tide - I'm not certain I know how to get the router sync speeds. If it's the downstream and upstream data rates these are 576kb and 288kb respectively. If this is not what you mean, please can you let me know how to find it? Thanks

Hi syko29793 - Sam Knows is a very interesting website. Basically for my exchange I found out that:

• 
  According to http://www.adslchecker.bt.com/pls/adsl/ADSLChecker.TelephoneNumberOutput "Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial test on your line indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a line rate up to 2Mbps.
  Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a potential ADSL Max broadband line rate of 5.5Mbps or greater."
• ADSL and ADSL Max are both enabled but there is no LLU operator presence.
• Neither SDSL nor 21CN WBC are available. The target for switchover to 21CN PSTN is Q3 2011 (I don't know what these terms mean however)
• My straight line distance from the exchange is 717m.

Am I correct in interpreting this to mean that Pipex (or indeed any ISP using BT Wholesale) should be able to give me at least 2Mb speed (or 5.5Mb?). If that's the case, why do they say 512kb is the maximum they can provide?

Is it worth me considering switching ISP or just keep trying with Pipex/Tiscali tech support to sort things out (I've been trying since August already!!).

Many thank for everyone's help.

Woby_Tide

steved99 wrote: »

Hi Woby_Tide - I'm not certain I know how to get the router sync speeds. If it's the downstream and upstream data rates these are 576kb and 288kb respectively. If this is not what you mean, please can you let me know how to find it? Thanks

No those are the figures, I'm fairly sure the 576/288 profile is the default if you have a line set to only allow 512kb. SO the fact you pay for up to 8Mb is irrelevant, I assume they have no lower speed package that would be more suitable. For whatever reason either Pipex won't change thsi profile it seems. Can you not switch to another ISP (say an Entanet reseller like IDNet who only have a 1 month contract) see how you fare with their speeds then make your next decision?

Inactive

Woby_Tide wrote: »

Can you not switch to another ISP (say an Entanet reseller like IDNet who only have a 1 month contract) see how you fare with their speeds then make your next decision?

IDNet is a great ISP, however it isn't an Entanet Reseller ( thankfully );)

I am with IDNet, my speeds increased dramatically once I left Plusnet, and have stayed up ever since, over 2 years now.

__lsx__

I used to work for BT Business Broadband tech support and if you're on an upto 8 meg/adsl mAX service, I'm 99% the problem will lie with BT wholesale. If the online speed checker is suggesting you can get a speed of 5 and a half meg a sec, it's likely your line profile is incorrect. This can be changed, but you'll have to fight the system to get it done.

When your broadband is setup for the first time (on an upto 8 meg service) for the first 10 days or so an automatic process takes place in the exchange/bt wholesale's systems to assess how fast your line can go. After this period, the speed your line is found to work best at is set permanently in your line profile. However in a small number of cases this process goes wrong. I've highlighted the word automatic above because it means that things can and do go wrong and no human checks the line profiles that are set.

We used to use a tester when I worked for BT that would show you the speed that the line was set to. I remember speaking to lots of people with slow broadband whose line profiles showed up on the tester as set to 576kbps down/288kbps up. All I used to do is then ring BTW (BT Wholesale) and make them aware of the problem BUT if you don't work for an ISP 1) It's impossible to speak to BTW directly because their number isn't publicly available & 2) They won't speak to members of the public anyway.

You need to speak to Pipex's technical fault department & just hope you get someone who knows what they're talking about. Tell them that you know there isn't a fault with the physical line, but that you believe the line profile has been set at a very low level and you'd like BT Wholesale to investigate it. If they're unhelpful ask them why your router is syncing at such at such low speeds. Push on them to investigate the problem. Definitely mention that an engineer thought it might be the line profile at fault.

I notice in one of the other posts there was a mention of changing ISP improving internet speeds. Although the ISP's systems can affect internet speed they can't affect line speed. As I've waffled on about above, line speed is (for ADSL in the UK unless you're with Kingston Comms in Hull) completely down to the Line Profile which is set by BT Wholesale. If you're with Mr CheapNCheerful t'internet the line speed might be really good say 7000 or so but the internet could still be slow due to the ISP's network being congested because so many people are using it at the same time. In your case if your router is syncing at 576/288 the line profile is almost set to as low as it can go. In fact as soon as the those two numbers showed up on the profile checker I knew what the problem was. Changing ISP would only make a difference if 1) the new ISP's network was less congested/faster or 2) BTW carried out the new line speed checking on your line and you ended up with a faster line profile.

Unfortunately the place where I used to work in Bristol got closed down last year and I can't remember my login details to BT Wholesale's website to access the line test otherwise I'd try to help you directly:(

Oh and sorry for my post being so rambly and long

steved99

Many thanks for all the advice. This has given me inspiration to try Pipex/Tiscali tech support again - armed with something specific to ask them to do so I'm more optimistic of getting a positive outcome. Watch this space!
Thanks again.
Steve

Nex0

steved99 wrote: »

Many thanks for all the advice. This has given me inspiration to try Pipex/Tiscali tech support again - armed with something specific to ask them to do so I'm more optimistic of getting a positive outcome.

A mac code with a bit of luck.