Exchange having ADSL2+ activated

Mr_Thrifty

My local exchange will shortly have ADSL2+ activated.

Will I automatically get the benefit of this (I get a mere 3mbps at present), or do I have to contact my ISP to arrange for an "upgrade" of some sort?

penrhyn

Are you getting your broadband from BT or an LLU?

Post your router line statistics.

Mr_Thrifty

It will be via an ISP that uses the BT wholesale network (O2 - not BE though). The only LLU in this area is talk talk and I hear they are atrocious.

To be more precise, I am moving house and the area I'm going to (in the next week or so) is linked to the exchange that will be upgraded to ADSL2+ by the end of July. Basically, I don't want to sign up to a long term contract only to find out I could have got a quicker line speed after literally just a few weeks. BT are currently estimaating the line speed as 3.0Mbps and I'm hoping that ADSL2+ might help me get a bit more? Will I automatically get switched on to ADSL2+ once it's ready, or will I need to have some sort of discussion with my ISP?

In an idea world I guess I'd just wait a few weeks, but I will need broadband right from day 1. :-/

eljmayes

ADSL 2+ doesn't cost anymore than normal ADSL in any exchange. If you are expected to get around 3Mps then the maximum you will get with ADSL 2+ will be around double only if you live right next to the exchange. If you live 4km away or further from the exchange then the only real benefit you will see will be in stability.

Mr_Thrifty

eljmayes wrote: »

ADSL 2+ doesn't cost anymore than normal ADSL in any exchange. If you are expected to get around 3Mps then the maximum you will get with ADSL 2+ will be around double only if you live right next to the exchange. If you live 4km away or further from the exchange then the only real benefit you will see will be in stability.

That's great, thank you. Do you know, when the exchange upgrades to ADSL2+, will they transfer me across from normal ADSL automatically?

eljmayes

That's how it works yes.

Mr_Thrifty

eljmayes wrote: »

That's how it works yes.

Ohhh goody goody goody!! I can't wait to get the speed upgrade! I spend so much time on the computer that this will make all the difference!!

You MSE techies out there really do know your stuff, don't you!

eljmayes

Mr_Thrifty wrote: »

Ohhh goody goody goody!! I can't wait to get the speed upgrade! I spend so much time on the computer that this will make all the difference!!

You MSE techies out there really do know your stuff, don't you!

You may not see a massive improvement over ADSL- again it depends on how far you are away from the exchange.

penrhyn

Contention ratios and peak time throttling come to mind.

oldagetraveller

I'm with Madasafish/Plusnet and recently received the "good news" that my Market 1 rural exchange will be upgraded within the next 5 weeks.
However, the e-mail stated that customers who are only achieving below 4mb/s, like myself, will probably not see any appreciable improvement. In fact my connection might become unstable! Oh, my router might not be compatible either but we can sell you one, for £4.99, that will definitely work providing you agree to a 12 month contract. Of course my router is not on the compatible list?
There will, apparently be an opt out option when they advise me of my changeover date. I will be very tempted to opt out because the "speed" I get is adequate for my use.
3km from exchange.

"We have good news for you. The exchange equipment we use to provide your service has now been upgraded, and we can offer you a faster 'upto 20Mb' service. You don't need to do anything, and we'll switch you over automatically, for free. We expect this to happen within the next 5 weeks. There may be a brief drop in connection for about 5 minutes on the day of the change, and you may see varying speeds for the first few days after we've upgraded you. This is expected, and is nothing to worry about. Please note: you may receive messages advising on the progress of your order over the next 5 weeks. If you receive a message notifying you that the order has failed, don't worry - you don't need to contact us and your service will continue as normal."

"Will I see a speed increase?
Customers receiving speeds under 4Mb may not see a significant improvement, and in some cases can see greater instability. Those with speeds above this figure will be moved first due to the added benefit they could see. This is the same for new customers as detailed on this page"


"Do I need a new router?
Maybe, if you’ve received a Thomson 585 from us then this will work on ADSL2+. If you have a different router then the following link should help determine if it’s ADSL2+ compatible: http://community.plus.net/library/hardware/adsl2-hardware/
If you are using a router, it may be advisable to upgrade the firmware ahead of the upgrade to ensure you receive maximum benefit from the service. Your router manufacturer’s website should be able to help you with this.
If you’d like us to provide a new router, we can provide one and cover the cost of this as long as you remain a broadband customer for 12 months, all you’d need to pay is £4.99 for postage and packing."

macman

You can buy an ADSL2+ compatible router for peanuts on eBay anyway. if you are staying with them anyway, a fiver is not unreasonable-it's just the postage cost.