Upgrading to ADSL2+. Advice need on a new router

[jonmalco]

Hi,

Just noticed that I could have ADSL2+ for the same price as I am paying for ADSL, so have ordered the upgrade.

My router, Belkin F5D7632-4 v2000uk, as far as I am aware will not support ADSL2+.  Any suggestions on a model to get for ADSL2+?

Also how long does an upgrade normally take?

Thanks

Jon

[Rik]

Five working days, Jon.

What's your line attenuation?

[jonmalco]

12.5 dB downstream

[Steve]

We had some members happy recently with the Draytek 2710N and also many members happy with the BT2700 HGV off Ebay for no more than £15. Idnet do supply a pre configured Netgear DG834G v5 I believe , not sure of the cost.

[Rik]

It's relatively expensive compared to, say, Amazon, Steve.

[jonmalco]

We had some members happy recently with the Draytek 2710N and also many members happy with the BT2700 HGV off Ebay for no more than £15. Idnet do supply a pre configured Netgear DG834G v5 I believe , not sure of the cost.

The BT one sounds interesting as it is cheaper :-) Will it work out the box even though it is for BT business connections?

Jon

[Rik]

More or less, Jon, there's a little bit of work to do, but it's all detailed in our 2700 board. (I have four of them and swear by them.)

[Glenn]

As opossed to swear at them?

[Rik]

Indubitably.

[jonmalco]

More or less, Jon, there's a little bit of work to do, but it's all detailed in our 2700 board. (I have four of them and swear by them.)

Rik,

Where is this 2700 board?

Jon

[Rik]

It's a child board to Help, Jon.

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php?board=25.0

[jonmalco]

Can I just confirm that these routers are wireless? As I can't see any antennas on the router

Thanks

Jon

[Simon]

Yes, they are.

[jonmalco]

Hi,

My ADSL2+ is due to be setup tomorrow.  On Tuesday night the ADSL line went off in the afternoon for a while.  I thought that I must be getting changed over early.

I still had my old router plugged in that does not support ADSL2+.  I was going to unplug it when I noticed that the ADSL light was back on.  I checked and it was now connected to ADSL but at a pathetic 485kbps compared to normal 6800kbps.  I had to go out and when I got back it had sorted itself out and was back to the normal connection rate.

I got the BT router yesterday and set it up fine.  It says I am connected at 6976Kbps. But I tried to download a 3.70Mb file and it took 11mins! Any idea why it is downloading files so slowly?

The package page on IDNET tells me I am still on ADSL.  How do I tell when I have switched over and is there anythin I should do at my end?

Jon

[Rik]

Hi Jon

Run a BT speed test and see what your profile is, it probably hasn't caught up yet. Slow downloads can also be caused by the load on the server, the routing and exchange congestion. There are so many possible points of failure that you would need to do some repeated testing, eg different times of day, run a trace route etc.

IDNet won't update your portal page until BT confirm the work is complete. However, in the interim, the easiest way to check is to look at your upstream sync speed.

[jonmalco]

Upload is 832Kbps which I presume is in line with my ADSL connection.

How do I do a BT speed test?

[Rik]

Go to:

http://test.speedtester.bt.com:50301/

Put your phone number in, ignore the service ID field, it should then start and run. If you can cut'n'paste the results, we'll have a clear view of what's happening.

[jonmalco]

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.

Download  Speed
2860 Kbps
 
0 Kbps 7150 Kbps
Max Achievable Speed

Download speedachieved during the test was - 2860 Kbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 1200-7150 Kbps.
Additional Information:
Your DSL Connection Rate :6976 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 832 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP Profile for your line is - 5000 Kbps

[Rik]

That looks like exchange congestion, with your profile, you should be seeing speeds nearer 4.5M.

[jonmalco]

I am on ADSL MAX PREMIUM so thought I was supposed to get less exchange congestion.

Hope it sorts itself out as everything is very slow.

EDIT - Also never previously had such slow speeds as this even at peak time of day.

[Rik]

You are, but it's still a contended service.

Try running a few more tests at different times of day (though it's probably not worth bothering till you move to ADSL2+).

[g7pkf]

what exchange are you on?

try the link below and see if your exchange is congested.

exchange congestion indication

[jonmalco]

Virtual paths: Green
There are currently no known capacity problems on your exchange. There may still be an exchange problem, however BT are not currently reporting that they are aware of it. Please contact Support if you are having speed problems, who can advise further.

Record last updated: 27 Aug 10

[Rik]

It's not uncommon for BT not to report congestion.

[jonmalco]

Tried restarting the BT router and running another BT test

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.

Download  Speed
4560 Kbps
   
0 Kbps 7150 Kbps
Max Achievable Speed

Download speedachieved during the test was - 4560 Kbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 1200-7150 Kbps.
Additional Information:
Your DSL Connection Rate :7104 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 832 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP Profile for your line is - 5000 Kbps


Seems better now.  Do I leave the router off tonight ready for tomorrow?  How do I tell if I am on ADSL2+?

Jon

[Rik]

Leave it on, Jon. You'll know when the change occurs as there will be a short downtime (this actually involves moving the line at the exchange).

[jonmalco]

Got upgraded to ADSL2+ :-)

Connection speeds are now, according to the router,    828Kbps up and 10923Kbps down.

Does the BT speed checker work on ADSL2+?

Jon

[Glenn]

It should, I believe BT were doing an upgrade on it this week.

[Rik]

It does, Jon, when it's working.