Internet speed

Former_MSE_StatsMan

Is an up to 8MB/sec broadband internet speed worth having? ie how often does the internet run at that speed or is max 1 or 2MB/sec in practice just as good.

Lorian

MSE_StatsMan wrote:

Is an up to 8MB/sec broadband internet speed worth having? ie how often does the internet run at that speed or is max 1 or 2MB/sec in practice just as good.

If you surfing the web then you won't notice much difference between 1Mb and 8Mb/sec.

The time you'll notice the difference is when downloading big files.

Also the new MAXDSL increases the upload speeds a bit, which will be advantageous for things like sending emails with big attachments like photos.

nickmack

'worth having' depends on how much you pay and how much you use it.

It depends on what you are using the connection for. If you only surf the web then it will make a small difference but not much. If you download large files on a regular basis then it can be alot quicker.

The other issue is whether your line can sustain an 8Mb connection. The product is UP TO 8Mbs, not everyone can achieve this maximum rate. Depending on how far you are from the exchange your modem may synchronise at 4Mb.

patgc

I was attracted by various offers that had " up to 8mb ", but on checking my exchange can only get up to 2mb. It seems that 2mb is the average 'norm' over the couontry, There are very few that can actually get the 8mb. So, be careful who you choose.

Lorian

patgc wrote:

I was attracted by various offers that had " up to 8mb ", but on checking my exchange can only get up to 2mb. It seems that 2mb is the average 'norm' over the couontry, There are very few that can actually get the 8mb. So, be careful who you choose.

That'll change over the next 8 weeks or so as ADSL MAX gets rolled out by BT.

Browntoa

yop speeds on ADSL Max are only if you are near the exchange as now, it will improve your speeds even on the poorest connection but distance will always be a limiting factor

NastyMatt

want to test your speed to see what you are actually achieving (over distance) use:

http://adslguide.org/tools/speedtest.asp

nickmack

Browntoa wrote:

yop speeds on ADSL Max are only if you are near the exchange as now, it will improve your speeds even on the poorest connection but distance will always be a limiting factor

Have a look at the following if you don't know how far you are from the exchange:

Sam Knows Broadband Checker

Enter your postcode, rather than your Phone number and then click on 'Locality' on the next page. This will give you the straight line distance from the exchange. This is the best (lowest) possible distance, it will be at least this however as the BT cabling takes a less direct route.