Virgin Media 4MB Actual Speed

sjc_2

I am currently with PlusNet on ADSL on a 8MB Max Link but because of distance issues can only get 2.2MB if I am lucky with a strong following wind. But over the past 6 weeks been having all sorts of speed issues, currently can only download files at 20K. So something is drastically wrong recently. PlusNet go through all their processes BT say its fine BT Engineer comes out tests everything then we get back up to 2.5MB but then dissapears three days later.

Anyway because of the ADSL & Exchange restrictions I am debating switching to Virgin Media on Cable, I could even get the XL Service but 4MB seems more than sufficient and reasonably priced on the 12 Month offer.

The question is if I go to the 4MB Link which is on a Fibre/Coax Connection will I get the full 4MB or will I get "upto" 4MB so maybe 1MB? Also what is the Contention link on Cable is it 50:1, 20:1 or doesn't it apply to Cable.

TIA

darwin-rover

I used to be on the 4mb service for a while and I used to get 3.9mb most of the time , only dropping to about 3mb during peak hours . The 20mb service seems to be more variable , mine does drop as low as 10mb during peak hours .

coda64

I am a Virgin Media (formerly Blueyonder) cable broadband customer but soon to leave them. Up until early this year (the same time Blueyonder changed to Virgin Media) the service was always rock steady 24 hours a day, the 4 Mb/s package I was on delivered exactly that. Since the takeover/merger (whatever) I've notice the speeds in the evening slow right down to sometimes less than 1 Mb/s. After several calls to the technical helpline I was told that the local UBR (universal broadband router) had a "high utilisation" which I understand means their equipment can't cope with the amount of subscribers in this area, they planned an upgrade to cure the problem but couldn't give me a date. I complained to customer services about paying for a service that wasn't being delivered and they offered me an upgrade to the 10 M/bs package for no extra charge. This didn't make any noticeable difference and to add insult the next months bill showed that I was being charged for the new package. Another call to customer services and they said it would be rectified in the next bill... guess what? I've just received that bill and no change; I'm still being charged the 10 M/bs price. I have now had ADSL installed and it's actually faster than the service VM have been supplying. It's a pity because I do believe cable broadband is technically a much better method than an old telephone cable for providing high speed internet but VM seem to be incapable of running a decent service. To discourage calls to their technical support line they've now changed it to a premium rate number, yet another reason for me to get away from them.

I do agree with you that the 12 month offer for the 4 M/bs service (L package) of £17 a month is'nt that bad though their T's & C's state that "due to the nature of the internet they won't guarantee any levels of performance". They used to offer a 30 day cancellation period before the 12 month contract kicked in, might be worth seeing if they still do but you would likely lose the installation charge.

MercilessKiller

Did you download/upload lots of data coda?

They throttle heavy users during peak times to ensure its fair for all customers.

sjc, dont avoid VM. You get reliable speeds, reliable connections (less drops), plus it can work out cheaper.

4mb is indeed 4mb unlike with ADSL.

W1zz

My VirginMedia 10mb (20mb ? ? ? ) has been shocking recently. Or to be more accurate, ever since VirginMedia took over from Telewest. grrr..

Last night I started downloading from newsgroups and it started off at 1400kb/sec but within 10 minutes it had dropped to 300-400kb/sec. This was at 3pm and I'd only d/l about 500mb, so defo not throttling.

I don't know if I'm suppose to be on 20mb as Barnsley isn't listed on their upgrade status list, although Sheffield and surrounding areas are listed as complete. But either way, I'm not even getting a reliable 10mb service.

Also, last night I lost my Xbox Live connection a couple of times when playing on the Xbox360 - I've never had that happen before.

If I wasn't paying a reduced rate for XL BB, XL TV and Telephone (£37 until at least July 08), then they'd be loosing a 6+ year loyal customer who up until the VM takeover had ZERO problems.

VirginMedia (Unreliable) Broadband.

banger9365

my 4mb cable is 4mb all the time on good sites or until i got over there peek limit and get 2mb for 4 hours (like it maters)

coda64

MercilessKiller,

No, I didn't use my VM cable broadband connection to file share or any heavy overnight movie download usage like that. Before signing up for ADSL I installed some software called NetMonitor on my PC to monitor my monthly internet usage so that I didn't chose a package that had too low a limit for my needs. Average over a couple of months was 4 GB's of download per month. I understand that throttling takes place when more than 750 MB's is downloaded in a day and that the throttling lasts for four hours after that limit is breached.

banger9365

the limit is only between 1600 and 0000 not all day

I understand that throttling takes place when more than 750 MB's is downloaded in a day and that the throttling lasts for four hours after that limit is breached.

bergy2

My download speed is always near to 4mbs - so recommend virgin

I am coming to the end of my Telewest deal so will be haggling hard or leaving tbh - just want to try ADSL - though if they give me a good price i will probably stay

bluedove

i'm also a PlusNet customer with the same speed issue,i can only get 512kb on the 8mb ADSL max. i live in Cable area and will love to get virgin cable BB 4mb.
please can i use my BT wireless router on cable BB and is there any guarantee that i can get atleast 3mb on the 4mb package?

sjc_2

Nope that's one of the issues you'd need a Broadband Cable Router.