Upped to ADSL2+ and still on the dark age

[Rik]

Sync speed is pretty good for a 57db line (about 800k more than I manage, and we both seem to be on a 9db target noise margin. Can you do a BT speedtest, at least as far as getting your profile.

[Desaan]

Test Results

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    Your DSL connection rate: 4448 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  632 kbps(UP-STREAM)
    IP profile for your line is - 3500 kbps
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 1705 kbps

If you wish to discuss these results please contact your ISP.

If you are experiencing problems with specific applications, servers or websites please contact your ISP for assistance.

Your test has completed please close this window to exit the performance tester.


It was fine until Friday, when a BT Openreach Engineer 'replaced' some equipment in the exchange because after my 21cn upgrade the ADSL would drop when receiving and incoming call.  Since then speeds have died off dramatically and vary wildly between 0.2mbs and 2.0mbs.  I've spoken with support and Miriam and Brian have been great but nothing seems to be getting done

[Rik]

It can take a while, and a few barrels on gunpowder, to shift BT, unfortunately. Coreservers is in a similar position, exchange equipment was change and his speed dropped. As the line was faulty at the time, BT won't consider the earlier sync speed as evidence.

That said, there is an issue with throughput being way below profile in your case, so I'd imagine that your case will join that group being escalated within BT.

[Desaan]

What made me laugh the most was BT's own Openreach engineer refer to 21cn as 21st century notwork.  He couldn't understand why it had been rolled out because none of the engineers are qualified or know enough about it to fix things if and inevitably when they go wrong.  Starting to wish I'd never bothered with the original fault, I can live without an incoming call landline but not my net :p

[Rik]

I know how you feel. For me, it's been pretty painless, but the only real gain is the bandwidth allowance. I wasn't expecting anything more, which helps, but for those expecting to see much better speeds, it isn't happening in large numbers.

[Desaan]

What the hell is going on, honestly  

[Rik]

Honestly? I don't know. I don't particularly trust speed test sites as I've seen them return speeds higher than my profile. Check with the BT tester and try a couple of others, ThinkBroadband being one. It could be a congested VP, which was affecting Zappa till BT sorted it.

[quandam]

Thanks. Bottom line is, that if O2/Be give me the option to go to 7 Mbps for the same money IDNet delivers (thanks to BT WBC product) 3 Mbps, well, it seems a no-brainer. I've heard some bad stories on Be, and that has prevented me to switch, but with their 3-month deal, it means that if it's not up to spec you walk out easily. The only BIG issue is the hassle, esp. on e-mail (where I have many licenses, etc. hooked to my idnet account, would need to do a lot of resets...)

I want to stay with IDNet, for them to find a way out, but it seems I'm going nowhere. True, I'm in better position than many (so why moaning..?) but could be much better, for the same money...

Need to think. Maybe my next step is to ask for a MAC code 

I am not an expert by any means but why do you and many many others persist in locking yourself into an ISP's email address? I have, over the past three plus years had a FREE gmail address (14 in truth) with absolutely (true) nil problems whatsoever.

For not one moment have I had a problem with unwanted spam, their spam filter is second to none and is the bizzo.  Why Oh! Why! lock yourself into any ISP's email system, total madness in my opinion

If certain sites require an 'ISP' email address (rare in my opinion) then certainly use one but as a general rule give an ISP email addresses a vast and extra wide birth. I honestly cannot fault gmail accounts.

[bobleslie]

 

[Rik]

Or, do as many of us do, and have our own domain email hosted by someone like 1&1, PurpleCloud etc.

[bobleslie]

Is it free for 7GB space and rising?

[Rik]

No, but it's pretty cheap, about £70p/month, from memory, Bob. A domain name costs about £6 for two years. It's just nice, imo, to have a personal email address.

[bobleslie]

Well, I've got a couple of those domains, and I just have them pointed at my Gmail account.

That way I don't have to pay for an e-mail account(s).

[Rik]

That's another route, Bob. I have GMail accounts too. Given my predilection for backups, you won't be surprised to know I thought it was a good idea to have three sets of mail servers available to me.

[bobleslie]

Oh I'm with you all the way.

Also have a Live Account which mirrors the GMail and in turn is mirrored onto my main computer through Outlook and with multiple backups downstream thereafter.

All free though.

[Rik]

Except for the domain.

[bobleslie]

If you know of free domains without conditions and a free mail forwarding service. Lead on McRik. 

[Rik]

 

If I did, I wouldn't be paying either.

[Ann]

I can't stand gmail.  I've still got a couple of addresses that I use as spamtraps but I use tiscali addresses also for semi-rubbish things and when they get too spam ridden I can drop them and make another.  Just sign up for a dial up pay as you go account.  My real email address goes with my paid for domain.  I have found that you get a better service from a paid for account rather than an ISP email address where the email is their secondary business.

[Desaan]

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
Your DSL connection rate: 4448 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  632 kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP profile for your line is - 3500 kbps
Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 862 kbps

Oh well, looks like BT have well and truly annihilated my connection 

[Rik]

Talk to support, there's a number of users seeing this kind of thing, not just on IDNet.

[troesma]

Folks, been away for a while. This is the latest situation

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test: -provides background information.
    Your DSL connection rate: 4458 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  888 kbps(UP-STREAM)
    IP profile for your line is - 3955 kbps 
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 3643 kbps
    The throughput of Best Efforts (BE) classes achieved during the test is - 15.43:26.1:58.47 (SBE:NBE:PBE)
These figures represent the ratio while sententiously passing Sub BE, Normal BE and Priority BE marked traffic.

The results of this test will vary depending on the way your ISP has decided to use these traffic classes.

If you wish to discuss these results please contact your ISP.

TBH dunno how many reconnects have been, whatever. Now that I'm back in the controls I'll monitor this more closely and if there is no major improvement will go for an LLU provider, sadly.

Oh well... 

[Rik]

Have you seen Simon's post about the capacity upgrades that are being rolled out between now and Monday?

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=15238.msg367653#msg367653

[troesma]

Just seen it, but being BT, should be expect anything out of it..? (higher profiling..? no disruption to service..?)

Seems it's more about making space for new customers than providing thoroughput upgrades to existing ones. Or am I missing something..?

[bobleslie]

We'll find out come Monday morning. 

Hint: Don't hold your breath!