paulc555 Posted July 17, 2007 Posted July 17, 2007 Hi folks....not long back from holiday..thought I would catch up.... A question though for the computer folk...... I had to replace yesterday my broadband modem wireless router....my bt one was cacked.......still under warranty so no problem changing although i couldnt get the same one and opted for a Belkin 54G alternative....all seems to be going fine on the connection front with no drop offs and disconnecting that I had been experincing before however...... is it my imagination..or is it possible... running unfortunately much to my disgust with a 512kb line.....we are right on the edge of the exchange and BT have no plans to upgrade not sure why with all the building around here...anyway.... is it possible for my service provider the dreaded AOL to alter the speed at which I receive data.....I was convinced they did this to make me move from dial up to broadband...and now shortly after I have been offered an upgrade to the next package and speed everything has slowed up again.....its painful....... there is no point in me changing if the line capacity is only 512kb..even if they are offering 6mb.....so can they alter the speed as a method of forcing change...???? after all that typing I bet I get a one word answer.... Paul
dougster Posted July 17, 2007 Posted July 17, 2007 Try www.speedtest.net Remember your connection will be "up to" 6mb if you decide to go with it. I am on cable with my connection giving me "up to" 4mb (see test results below) You will also have to take into account the contention ratio in your area (i.e. how many are using the same line as you are, all at the same time)
AlanG Posted July 17, 2007 Posted July 17, 2007 FWIW i opted for the 8Meg package with Sky and use a Netgear (54Mbps) router. On desktop PC I see 6Meg regularly, on the laptop, it's around 1.5 - 2Meg. Amyway, back on topic, with the above in mind, is pc connected wirelessly, the one you use most often and hence seems slow? As dougster says, it might just be heavy usage at the time you're on the 'puter.
mrbadger Posted July 17, 2007 Posted July 17, 2007 Sounds like you are currently on an ADSL product (Max 2Mbps) rather than an ADSL Max product (Max 8Mbps). These figures are dependant on line quality and distance from the exchange. For a rough prediction of estimated speeds on ADSL & ADSL Max products - http://www.btwholesale.com/getbroadband and stick in ur number on the right-hand-side. Most service providers use bandwidth throttling at peak times, so it may be this slowing you down. (Eg, Virgin are 4pm to midnight throttling). No comment on AOL It is worth investigating other packages if you are on an ADSL product, but you may not get full estimated speed as it depends on line quality all the way from the exchange to your router.
scoobzie Posted July 17, 2007 Posted July 17, 2007 bottom line m8 is your service provider being aol ask bt to up your line capability at the exchange for you to receive faster broadband if for talking sake you have something that could draw the signal away from router then that is were your fault lies ie to many comps at one time or if you have to many boxes running of the main line into other rooms hope this helps scoobzie
paulc555 Posted July 17, 2007 Author Posted July 17, 2007 thanks guys... its certainly not an ADSL Max line......even though I have a wireless router the main computer is right beside it and 99.9% of the time has no other computers connected to it...so I am presuming then its just a mixture of high usage and my distance from the exchange then.....looks like I can just carry on sloooooooowwwwwwwwwlllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyy..... will take that speed test dougster and let you know the results... cheers Paul
nanaki Posted July 17, 2007 Posted July 17, 2007 another way to look at this mate is that most 512k packages you will be on cost about the same as an adsl max package these days. adsl max may advertise up to 8 meg but to you even getting 1 meg over your 512k would be a big upgrade. where i live i only get about 4 meg from my line but its a lot better than having just the 2 meg on normal adsl. as for slowing you down to force an upgrade they could easilly do it but it would be very unethical..... i give you aoHell. A lot of people think im mad paying £30 a month just for my broadband but I am very different from most users. I pay that price to get priority in peak traffic so that my line isn't slow even in the evenings. Plus I have no donwload limit which considering I use about 100 GB a month bandwith is a very good thing. Shop around mate but ADSL max would still probably get you slightly quicker speeds to your house than what your on just now.
Jimmy321 Posted July 17, 2007 Posted July 17, 2007 Incase you guys dont know BE internet are offering 24mb ulimited ADSL2 for £24 You need a BT line and BE have to have upgraded the exchange Im about a mile away from the exchange and i get 15mb down and 1.3mb up
nanaki Posted July 17, 2007 Posted July 17, 2007 ah yes BE, wonderful company if you can get it. if you can you only need one choice. Think you might have your up and down figure back to front there though.
AlanG Posted July 17, 2007 Posted July 17, 2007 I'm pretty pleased with my 8Meg, sky, sky+ and phoneline for £26/mnth (+ £11 BT line rental). Never had a dropout on internet connection yet, which is good. Orange were erm.. let's just say... diabolical.
mrbadger Posted July 18, 2007 Posted July 18, 2007 another way to look at this mate is that most 512k packages you will be on cost about the same as an adsl max package these days. adsl max may advertise up to 8 meg but to you even getting 1 meg over your 512k would be a big upgrade. where i live i only get about 4 meg from my line but its a lot better than having just the 2 meg on normal adsl. as for slowing you down to force an upgrade they could easilly do it but it would be very unethical..... i give you aoHell. Shop around mate but ADSL max would still probably get you slightly quicker speeds to your house than what your on just now. Good advice Nanaki Other things can help get you slightly closer to your estimated connection speed, such as good quality ADSL filter(s), making sure your router is plugged into the main BT phone point in the house (eg no extensions, try plugging in direct into the BT test socket), check a speed test on another PC/laptop plugged into your router to rule out software/hardware problems, and the dreaded spyware. Mods shouldn't this thread be moved to off topic? Sorry guys, but I hate reading/posting about work when I want to breath fresh V-power vapours......
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