Should I move from Nildram to Zen?

Lyrrad

Hi

I am with Nildram and am reasonably happy. I am accustomed to download speeds of 1.75Mbps to 2Mbps with them whilst the service I pay for is 'UP TO 8Mbps. I know Zen have a first class reputation and when I enter my telephone number I get the following message.

Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial test on your line indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a line rate up to 2Mbps. Our test also indicates that your line should be able to support a potential ADSL Max broadband line rate of 6Mbps up to 8Mbps. The actual ADSL Max line rate supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use, after which time the highest stable rate possible will be set. If you decide to place an order, a further test will be performed to confirm if your line is suitable for the service you wish to purchase. Thank you for your interest.


What does it all mean, specifically

Our test also indicates that your line should be able to support a potential ADSL Max broadband line rate of 6Mbps up to 8Mbps. The actual ADSL Max line rate supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use, after which time the highest stable rate possible will be set


Thanks in advance

Lyrrad

I know it's the first sign of madness, but I'll post this hoping it might be of use for others. I managed to extract this info from an ISP FAQ

What's the difference between Fixed and Max speed services?

Quick tip when signing up: If the signup pages says your line can handle above 3 Mbps, you should choose the Max service in normal circumstances as this will give you the best speed your line can support.

Fixed speed services are the original ADSL services that were used before the 8 Mbps Max services were launched in 2006.

The main difference between the two services is that the 512 Kbps, 1Mbps and 2Mbps are fixed to those connection speeds permanently, while the 8 Mbps Max service is an adaptive service which connects at "up to" 8 Mbps depending on your phone line characteristics.

Many people ask: "Why should I get a fixed speed service when I can get the higher 8 Mbps speed service" - and the reason is that not everyone's phone line can reliably support the higher speeds that Max can offer. Some phone lines are a long distance from their exchange, meaning that even if they were on the 8 Mbps service anyway, they may never see above 1 or 2 Mbps. Therefore, it's advisable to choose a fixed speed service as you know what you will be getting - a fixed speed rather than a variable one. Plus, a fixed speed service will be more stable than a Max one as Max pushes the line to the limit, often pushing it too far causing disconnections and an intermittent connection. On shorter lines, Max should function without these symtoms.

Another big factor is that Max services are subject to what's called an "IP Profile". The IP Profile is used on 8Mbps services to set a maximum download speed your line can have. In some cases on long lines, this IP Profile may end up being lower than the fixed speed service anyway, and therefore you may end up paying for an 8 Mbps service and only receiving around 1Mbps. In this case, you may as well be on the fixed 1Mbps service.

From our point of view, and with the experience we have of the Max service, we always prefer customers to sign up to a fixed speed service if they are quite a distance from the exchange as this will always make the connection more stable than on the "best efforts" Max service.

Faz

Great post Lyrrad.

May I ask, what constitutes a far distance from exchange? I'm currently 2.5KM from my exchange, and on an 8Mbps max line, I rarely get above 2.5Mbps. This figure has actually been dropping over the months slowly, I now tend to get only around 1.5Mbps!

moonrakerz

There is a huge amount of info on this site:-

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/index.php

It all boils down to distance from the exchange, and the state of the bits of wire. I am 3.7K from my exchange, I now use Zen and get a steady 1.9M, previously I used PlusNet and got a very erratic service, sometimes down to dial up speeds.
I will be moving house soon to about 07.K from the exchange , I am hoping to get a big increase in download speeds!

Lyrrad

Well I have migrated to https://www.adsl24.co.uk

I got my MAC code from Nildram over the phone so no hassle from them at all.

I went to the above website (where I got info from from my post above). I was a bit put off by a mobile number although there was an 0800 available to call from 4,30pm - 7pm. However call back service was within 5 minutes. Spoke to a guy named James. He went through some info with me regarding my router and said I could not possibly be on a UPTO 8Mbps deal with Nildram even though that's what I am paying for. He said because of my upload speed it was in fact a 2Mbps fixed and after asking me for noise reading he reckons I should get 5mbps. He was able to give me that info and is sure I will achieve just that when I am signed up. Obviously with all these things it is not written in stone, but he certainly did impress me. Bearing in mind this company is quite keen to recommend the fixed option, as it is more stable than the UPTO option, I would be suprised if I have received mis-information just to capture my business. Time will tell, but I feel confident. Anyone looking around that really wants the personal touch and is prepared to pay £16.50 for 3GB peak and 30GB off peak usuage should certainly speak with this company. It's refreshing to call back and speak to someone that actually can help there and then. If my internet connection is a good as I have been told it will be it will have been a cost effective migration from Nildram for me. I will report back about 2 weeks after I have completed migration.