Can some one explain The Max package plz

cargo

I have recently upgraded to Pipex max and after reading a couple of threads on hear which say speeds may vary.
I was under the impression that afetr the 10 days stablization period they fixed your speed to a stable connection therefore you should acheive that speed or there abouts continually.
Is this not how it works?

mrJ_5

i believe it still depends on the time of day, for example, on peak (in the evenings) it will slow down, due to congestion on the ISPs broadband pipe or your local exchange - adslmax is more prone to dipping up and down during the day, not staying at one stablised speed - but when things are less busy, you should be able to get this speed.

cargo

thx for this info,things are becoming clearer now.
Your discription seems to be spot on.
Downloads over night are quicker than on the 1 meg fixed that I used to be on but general browsing at all other times is slower and at times can be terrible.
I should have looked into this more rather than jump in feet first thinking I was getting a better deal for £1 a month more.
I still don't quite understand why when on fixed 1 meg it never differerd, speed was constant, how come it didnt fluctuate at busy times?
I don't think this speed issue is made very clear by the isp's for some reason.

mrJ_5

1MB is a guarenteed speed using "BT's IPStream 1000" product, whereas "IP Stream MAX" has no guarentees at all

hybrid

I used to work on technical support for one of the biggest ISPs in Britain. i was heavily involved in the trial for Ip Stream Max.

basically, IP Stream Max is a variable rate service. Upon registering (or as the case may be, regrading, either through your own will or at request of your ISP) your line will be tested for 10 days. Throughout the ten days, records are taken of your line length, line quality, contention (how many users are online at any one time), what you had for breakfast, etc. All this goes towards calculating your MSR (Maximum stable rate).

The problem is, as other people have already said, you are not guaranteed to get this speed. For example, your MSR may be set at 4.1 mbps, but you may only achieve that rate for ten minutes during the day. Based on the variables I was talking about, your speed could improve when there are few users on, or they could drop.

During the testing period, they also set a Fault Threshold, which is usually about half the Maximum Stable Rate. This is when your ISP would find it acceptable to raise a fault for slow speeds. So if you're on 4meg, and only getting 2meg, don't bother calling your ISP, because they will tell you it is normal.

Hope that helps.

cargo

thx for the explaination all clear now.