Ask for the whoosh test

Stabilo

zarni wrote:

This might sound a stupid question but whereabouts does it state how far you are away form the exchange ?
I used the map to see where the exchange was, and it seems like it less than 500m in a straight line, but I've just had a report saying I can't get more than 512K :-(

Something is telling me lies.

Zarni.

You need to enter telephone number AND post code (or just post code) to be given the distance from the exchange. Once the main details have come up click the BT ADSL box and the distance will be shown towards the bottom of the screen.

Hope this helps.

GeoThermal

Straight line distance can be way off so unless you know the route the line takes use the straight line distance as guesstimate. As mhendo says the line stats provided by your modem/router would be more accurate.

The BT line checker seems to becoming more unreliable from what I have been reading. For example the checker initially said I could get up to 1MB with an engineer visit. The engineer couldn't get it working. A DACS was reported on the line and this was removed but it still didn't work.

The line checker changed to: "despite an engineer's visit to your premises it has been proved not possible for your telephone line to support broadband service. Please accept our apologies."

I wrote to BT and my ISP and BT sent a second engineer who was much better. It turned out there was a fault at the exchange and an internal wiring fault. That was fixed, BB connected straight away and it hasn't missed a beat in nearly two months. The engineer said I will get 1MB easily and maybe 2MB.

However when I go to the line checker it still says that I cannot get BB and when I use other ISPs' checker which I think just uses the BT one they say sorry you can't get BB.

I am now trying to get the BT checker updated!

Stabilo

I would agree that the online check is only a guide but it is available for all to use. Many users don't know how to obtain line quality from their modem / router and many that do can't intrepret them.

My line check states 2mb is not possible but I have been using 2mb for 3 weeks now.

flossy_splodge

Fascinating! Using the checker detailed above I am told I CAN get BB with up to 1 meg speed yet BT tell me I can't!!!

madjohn

Hi.
Would this Whoosh Test be applicable and/or beneficial to my situation..?

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/checker2.php tells me that I am 3.05km from my exchange and can get a max of 512kbps.
(I am with Tesco BB upto 512kbps package.)

It also says:
"However, there is another service on your phone line (e.g. ADSL, LLU, DACS, etc) that would prevent you from ordering a new ADSL connection."

How do I find out what this 'other service' is - or is it my current BB service?

HOWEVER:
As mhendo (post #11) mentioned, I have noticed that for about a year now my router is telling me it is receiving 1024kbps (or thereabouts) on downloads.
Yet I am not getting this. Why am I receiving this information if it's not true?
Does this mean that if I upgrade to a 1Mb connection that I may indeed receive it..?

Cheers.

PaulK_3

It's your current provider on your line. If you know what your attenuation is on your current setup you can put it in here
http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/max_speed_calc.php
to get a rough idea of what speed you might get. If your router is synched at 1Mb then you should be seeing a better download speed now but not it may not be that startling a difference.

Coops025

Hi,

Sam knows will only give you an idea to what speeds are expected unless you have had broadband on the line before, then it is accurate.

A Whoosh test will give an accurate test to tell your ISP what the line is capable of doing, also it is a good idea to have a copper line test done to check the line quality.

For people far from the exchange: Get yourself on the lowest speed possible eg 1/2Meg. The slower teh connection the more stable it is, this is measured by SNR "signal to noise".

Some people choose to go on a DSL max service which is rate adaptive (it changes speed to the line condition) these can be as stable as fixed dsl however in my experiance 1/2Meg fixed has always been the best option for a long line.

As an end user with a poor connection, you can buy yourself an "Filtered faceplace like the "BT IPLATE" these will remove the dsl signal from internal cabling in your home that act like an attenna for noise thus creating a poor connection. Also a high quality filter such as the IPLATE can make a huge differance in speed and stabilty. I have used these i can confirm in most cases they work great, many companys make these filtered face plates. DONT buy cheap ones!!!

Have fun