IDNet are trying

[D-Dan]

OK - I emailed IDNet to switch me back to ADSLMax following my underwhelmedness (new word of the day and the spell checker likes it  )

Anyway - the response was along the lines of "Fine if you want to - but want to see if we can improve things first" so I thought what the hell - let's go with improve, you never know (though I lack confidence).

So first up - BT speedtester and posted my router's stats, together with details of my internal wiring for good measure (ADSLNation faceplate, shielded cables, no ringwire or extensions etc) back to them.

Today's test, remove the faceplate and try in the test socket with a regular filter. Done and stats posted back (identical as with the faceplate).

I appreciate the effort, though with an SNR of 6, I really don't see how it will improve. The only difference I've noticed is that ADSLMax synced higher at the same noise and attentuation.

What are the odds of finding some improvement (I've ventured my theory that BT introduced noise at the exchange when they moved my pair of wires to the WBC terminals). Are we flogging a dead horse?

I should be happy - still got a 7 meg sync, but I want my 6500 bRAS back from the 5500 I have on this new, "faster" network.

Steve

[bobleslie]

Personally, I'm not about to revert to ADSL, though I have an irritating low speed problem which has been around since I returned from holiday recently.

It is under investigation, and I have confidence that we'll eventually get to the root of the problem.

Meanwhile, the potential benefits of WBC: improved speed, better diagnostic tools, improved allowance are worth hanging in there for.

I remember all the trials and tribulations with the introduction of ADSL Max at Zen which led to me turning up one day on IDNet's doorstep.

WBC's introduction seems mega-smooth by comparison. It would be too much to expect that the introduction of a new BT technology would be without incident.

[D-Dan]

I almost agree - but this is not "new" - they've had it live since last year. My problem is - I'm syncing lower with the same SNR as Max, and there really is no prospect of that improving IMO. My cabling is the best it can be internally (there's no way I can think of to improve it) so I'm 99% certain it's not something I can do anything about locally.

I also have to consider that my exchange is one of the early rollout exchanges for fibre (scheduled for March 2010) which means I either go back to what I had (which was a rock solid and faster connection) then consider my options when FTTC arrives, or play for months trying to get what should, ultimately, be a substandard connection anyway.

Steve

[bobleslie]

I wouldn't play for "months" either. I'm not that patient. 

[Sebby]

Steve, I agree with what you say, there is no chance they'll be able to do anything to improve this. Quite simply, ADSL2+ is more sensitive to noise given that it uses more frequencies, and there's nothing that can be done about it if you have a noisy line.

[Rik]

Plus, of course, the upstream is using more frequencies so can potentially bite into the lower end of the spectrum for the downstream.

[Technical Ben]

What rik said. I'm not too technically up on it all (unlike the name suggests). But it seems that as ASDL2+ uses two frequency streams instead of one, it's more susceptible to problems. The trade off is a faster connection on perfect lines, or a more reliable connection (no drop outs) but slower on a problematic line. I guess your stuck in the middle, so it puts you on the slower speeds. 

[D-Dan]

Well - the latest suggestion from IDnet is to try a fixed upload at 448 for 24 hours to see if that improves downstream. Given that I had an 884 Upstream on Max I'm not convinced, but since upstream isn't critical at the moment I've given the go ahead to test.

We'll see how things compare (though I may find I'm on restricted upstream for more than 24 hours if they start the test tomorrow - I expect it won't be restored until Monday - not a major inconvenience). The thing is, if it improves downstream to where I was on Max, then that's a more compelling reason to revert since with Max I had both upstream and downstream advantage, rather than trading one off against the other.

Steve

[Steve]

I suppose its not too bad looking at those stats, plus on adsl2+ you get the more generous allowances. Ignoring the figures do you feel adsl max was noticeably better.

[Sebby]

I wasn't aware the upstream could be lowered, Steve (D-Dan). I'm not sure how it will help, but it's worth a try, I suppose.

[D-Dan]

OK - whatever they did (2 hours on the phone with a BT engineer on Friday morning is all I know) IDNet have managed to get me back to pre-WBC levels on my ADSL2+ connection, and back to my previous sync. OK - by ADSL2+ standards, it isn't earth shattering, but a 6,500 bRAS is good enough for now. Maybe next March when I get FTTC I'll start to enjoy some truly oriental speeds. As long as this holds until then, I'm going to stop complaining.

My upstream is down to 444 ATM, but I expect that to double over the next week or so with no impact on downstream (It was actually at 888 on Friday, but the bloody Netgear router refuses to do anything more than sync when there's a remote reset - meaning no matter how fast my sync was, zero throughput was all I got). I've gone back to the Speedtouch now, which just seems to work better (and sync a little higher), so fingers crossed.

Steve

PS - the speedtest in my sig was this morning, before the Netgear bombed again - which is why I believe I'll get an improvement on upstream.

[Rik]

 

Hopefully things are starting to look up for you, Steve.

[D-Dan]

Damn Rik, you got in before I added my "PS" lol

[Rik]

 

[PuncH]

Damn Rik, you got in before I added my "PS" lol

Gotta hand it to Rik, he is damn quick!

It's almost as if he had nothing else to do! 

[Rik]

 

I was just reading a camera review or I'd have been faster.

[PuncH]

I was just reading a camera review or I'd have been faster.

[Sebby]

Glad to hear that things have improved, Steve.