New build flat - Internet through phone line confused!!

PatelA

Right Waccoers,

I am moving to my new build flat in a month or so and it is not in a cabled area so Internet will have to go through the phone line. The flat will come with a BT phone line (not activated) and a SKY port (whatever that is). It's basically still being built at the moment so I imagine any data on it is sketchy.

Now, I have the new address post code and have done a check on this through Virgin Media (I am currently tied into a contract with them on a rented flat) and they have estimated speeds of 0-1Mbps which clearly !!!!ing sucks. I've been on the Sam Knows website and that also says: According to BT Wholesale, houses at your postcode should be able to support a 1Mbps or greater ADSL connection.
. However, this also notes I am 0 metres from the exchange which is clearly incorrect.

Here's where the confusion comes in, I've done a check with Sky and BT broadband and they are saying I can expect speeds between 7-12mbps. I've gone through both ordering processes and they've done a check and that's their estimates. - 9mbps approximately from BT. Now I always thought if you got broadband through a phone line, generally the speeds all ISP's could offer you would largely be similar as it's based on the distance to the exchange as well as line quality, router, etc. Am I totally !!!!ing wrong here, and that these vast speed differentials could be correct? I don't think a Sky port or a BT phone line would make a difference to broadband speeds but I may be wrong.

I've been told that there's no cabling in the development and all built flats have Internet through BT or Sky - I just can't imagine everyone putting up with 1Mbps connections however so I am really hoping the Sky/BT estimates are somewhere near accurate! If they are, I'm stuck in a Virgin contract which is a bit !!!!, only for 4 months mind.

Cheers all!

CKhalvashi

PatelA wrote: »

Right Waccoers,

I am moving to my new build flat in a month or so and it is not in a cabled area so Internet will have to go through the phone line. The flat will come with a BT phone line (not activated) and a SKY port (whatever that is). It's basically still being built at the moment so I imagine any data on it is sketchy.

Now, I have the new address post code and have done a check on this through Virgin Media (I am currently tied into a contract with them on a rented flat) and they have estimated speeds of 0-1Mbps which clearly !!!!ing sucks. I've been on the Sam Knows website and that also says: According to BT Wholesale, houses at your postcode should be able to support a 1Mbps or greater ADSL connection.
. However, this also notes I am 0 metres from the exchange which is clearly incorrect.

Here's where the confusion comes in, I've done a check with Sky and BT broadband and they are saying I can expect speeds between 7-12mbps. I've gone through both ordering processes and they've done a check and that's their estimates. - 9mbps approximately from BT. Now I always thought if you got broadband through a phone line, generally the speeds all ISP's could offer you would largely be similar as it's based on the distance to the exchange as well as line quality, router, etc. Am I totally !!!!ing wrong here, and that these vast speed differentials could be correct? I don't think a Sky port or a BT phone line would make a difference to broadband speeds but I may be wrong.

I've been told that there's no cabling in the development and all built flats have Internet through BT or Sky - I just can't imagine everyone putting up with 1Mbps connections however so I am really hoping the Sky/BT estimates are somewhere near accurate! If they are, I'm stuck in a Virgin contract which is a bit !!!!, only for 4 months mind.

Cheers all!

We had an estimate of 6Mbps through from Orange, and it's coming at this, so there's still room for leverage within the internal systems used by companies.

Unfortunately, it may be correct.

CK

ioscorpio

Make sure you have given them the actual postcode for your new address. If the new buid is not completed yet, then Royal Mail will not have the postcode on their system yet, as the developer contacts them just prior to legal completion to update their system.

spike7451

Sky port means that the will be a communal Sky dish & the will be an outlet feed in the living room for a Sky TV service,although if it's a single feed,then Sky+ will be useless in effect as you'll only be able to watch the same channel as you're recording.
It's not connected to broadband.

bod1467

Try and do a distance check from the new-build site to the telephone exchange. (If there's more than one possibility then do the check to each one). Try to work out the distance by road. This distance (plus some margin, say 20%) will be your telephone cable length ... it is THIS which effectively determines the speed you can expect. (Cable quality does also, but you'd have to be very unlucky to get aluminium cable rather than copper).

http://kitz.co.uk/adsl/max_speed_calc.php



Calculate your attenuation from the above image based on your distance estimate (use the green curve), then put that attenuation into the above calculator and you'll get an estimate of speed.

PatelA

spike7451 wrote: »

Sky port means that the will be a communal Sky dish & the will be an outlet feed in the living room for a Sky TV service,although if it's a single feed,then Sky+ will be useless in effect as you'll only be able to watch the same channel as you're recording.
It's not connected to broadband.

Gotcha - it would allow for Sky HD though?

PatelA

bod1467 wrote: »

Try and do a distance check from the new-build site to the telephone exchange. (If there's more than one possibility then do the check to each one). Try to work out the distance by road. This distance (plus some margin, say 20%) will be your telephone cable length ... it is THIS which effectively determines the speed you can expect. (Cable quality does also, but you'd have to be very unlucky to get aluminium cable rather than copper).

http://kitz.co.uk/adsl/max_speed_calc.php



Calculate your attenuation from the above image based on your distance estimate (use the green curve), then put that attenuation into the above calculator and you'll get an estimate of speed.

Thanks - I tried this and it's giving the same results as Sam Knows. Saying the distance is 0 meters. That said, it does give the post code of the exchange and doing a google maps check, the distance between there and the new flat is around 2.5 Miles.

PatelA

With regards the address, if I stick it into Royal Mail post code finder, it will not locate it. However, when I put it into an ISP broadband checker it finds the address and the associated flats too.

One thing I am still totally stumped on is the speed estimates from BT, Sky and Virgin. BT/SKY suggesting I should be able to get 9-12Meg through the phoneline but Virgin only 0-1. As I said, surely Internet through the phone line should give you similar speeds across all ISP's? Am I wrong in that thinking and that these speed variances may actually be correct?

In a bit of a conundrum at the moment as we're stuck in a contract with Virgin, but I'd rather not move their services over if Sky/BT can offer 9-12Meg over their estimated 0-1!

bod1467

PatelA wrote: »

Thanks - I tried this and it's giving the same results as Sam Knows. Saying the distance is 0 meters. That said, it does give the post code of the exchange and doing a google maps check, the distance between there and the new flat is around 2.5 Miles.

Is that straight-line or by road? 2.5 miles is about 4 km which is about 55dB attenuation. Per the Kitz calculator this would give about 3.9 meg downstream sync speed, so 3.5 meg download speed.

Is FTTC (e.g. BT Infinity) available in your area?

spike7451

PatelA wrote: »

Gotcha - it would allow for Sky HD though?

It would yes,although if you have a current Sky HD box & the is only the one feed into the flat,you'd be best turning the second feed off on the box.Best check with the building people first tho.

Owain_Moneysaver

PatelA wrote: »

Now I always thought if you got broadband through a phone line, generally the speeds all ISP's could offer you would largely be similar as it's based on the distance to the exchange as well as line quality, router, etc. A

Similar, but not identical.

If your exchange is LLU (local loop unbundled) then Sky may have their own equipment in the exchange and will be supplying your broadband themselves. If an ISP don't have their own equipment then they re-sell BT Wholesale broadband.

Some suppliers' own broadband may be slightly more robust or better configured than BT Wholesale which accounts for the difference in speeds.