Understanding what's on offer - LLU etc

1196rachel

I'm so confused.
I posted a couple of days ago about a slow connection as apparently from trawling new providers' websites I could get much better speeds than I'm on (this is by providing my phone number & postcode).
Talk talk even called me back to say they could offer 3Mbps - I'm currently getting 0.5Mbps (tested at different times).
So I called my current ISP, Virgin National, and asked for my MAC; usual retention thing, they ended up putting me through to technical who pointed me to samknows where apparently it says I cannot get over 512kbps on 'standard adsl rag results'.
I'd just bought a iplate from BT to try and make an improvement after posting my router stats here and getting feedback that there were potentially internal wiring problems. The iplate doesn't work, I can't get broadband at all with it.
Virgin told me BT might be able to help as the phoneline provider, so I called and they said they can offer 1.5Mbps - and as an average that's pretty much guaranteed.

So who do I believe - Virgin retention or BT sales?? Any thoughts?

1196rachel

Oops, forgot to say samknows seems to show lots of LLU services but lots of those companies websites say I can't get their standard broadband and have to go for an ultra-slow and more expensive option. Is that how LLU works?

penrhyn

There is no reason why the i-plate shouldn't work. Unless you disturbed some connections when fitting it.
If you don't have extensions the I-plate will do nothing.
If you do have extensions, removing the wiring to pin 3 will have the same effect.
If possible post your routers line statistics so we can be of more help, it would also help to know which exchange you are on.

Line stats:-

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/frogstats.php

O you have already done that.ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 583 kbps 603 kbps
Line Attenuation 54.5 db 42.0 db
Noise Margin 9.65 db 6.0 db

You should be going faster with those stats.

Plug router into your test socket and try again.

1196rachel

These are the stats with the router in the test socket, I don't know what I'm looking for - any difference?

ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 664 kbps 583 kbps
Line Attenuation 55.0 db 42.0 db
Noise Margin 9.80 db 6.0 db

penrhyn

The above shows the relationship between attenuation and speed, you should be getting around 3Mbps, with your attenuation of 55db.
You may have been capped by the ISP, or have a noisy line.
If you dial 170701 and choose option 2 you can perfrom a quiet line test, if you hear pops crackles or noise then get on to BT to complain, do NOT mention broadband though as they will bounce you back to your ISP.

1196rachel

I've finally managed to get an issue raised with Virgin National about this. Hurray, what a helpful rep I found at last.
Thanks for your help penrhyn - you gave me the ammo to raise my issue.

mk-donald

You've got SOMETHING wrong there.
Here's my stats on a VERY similar line attenuation, albeit on o2 Home Broadband LLU circuit tweaked into "Modulation:G.992.1 annex A"

Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]:899 / 4,534 (ie 7 times your speed!
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]:31.5 / 58.0 (yours is 55dB, ie mines a bit WORSE!)
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]:7.0 / 6.0 (ie normal)

You definitely need your current ISP to help you identify what & where something is going wrong.

MKD

1196rachel

Virgin media tech support have just called me back.

Apparently they say the line is good - just very long at 6.5km from the exchange (Lofthouse Gate).

They told me that at the 55db attenuation and 9.something noise margin is excellent given the length of the line. They don't think they can get me much above 0.6Mbps, although they are getting their next support level to look at trying.

Looks like another dead end

1196rachel

OK, does DACS mean anything to anyone?

Tried calling O2 and they said they can't give me their Home Phone & Broadband because something's blocking it - maybe an automated house alarm (I don't have one of those) or DACS.

From what I can find the line might be shared with my neighbours because they ran out of new ones at the exchange, or there was a fault and it was easier to fix it that way.

Can I do anything about this? All the forum postings I can find about DACS are really ancient!

Thanks.

penrhyn

Digital access carrier system.
See article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Access_Carrier_System

Might explain your rubbish speeds, get on to BT and find if you have one of these.

iniltous

1196rachel wrote: »

OK, does DACS mean anything to anyone?

Tried calling O2 and they said they can't give me their Home Phone & Broadband because something's blocking it - maybe an automated house alarm (I don't have one of those) or DACS.

From what I can find the line might be shared with my neighbours because they ran out of new ones at the exchange, or there was a fault and it was easier to fix it that way.

Can I do anything about this? All the forum postings I can find about DACS are really ancient!

Thanks.

Your original post says you are already have ADSL just poor speeds, VM are saying your speed for line length is OK, which is incorrect, your line stats are better than mine and I connect at about 3Mb and get about 2.8Mb throughput.
You cannot be on DACS if you already have a (poor) ADSL service, if you called O2 and they say something is 'blocking' the line then its probably the VM ADSL.
ADSL and DACS are not compatible and would never be on the line at the same time...you wouldnt have poor speeds, you wouldnt have any connection at all, also no BT Openreach tech would ever connect them together.
If you want to switch to O2 you should get a MAC from VM and then use that to migrate to O2 ADSL