Possible max speed

[madasahatter]

Hi

Am currently on a standard 2Meg connection, and am thinking of changing to max. Just wondered if anyone could help me out with trying to determine what sort of speeds I am likely to get if I do change to max. All the checkers just tell me 2M or greater , which isn't really much help. Also, almost everyone I know on max says that their speed drops in the evenings - sometimes by 1 to 1.5 Meg, so I don't want to change if max is only going to give me 2M at best, as my current 2M connection is pretty much top speed any time of day.

I live approx 3.1km from my exchange, and my line stats are:

> Download attenuation:46
> Noise:15
> Upload attenuation:25
> Noise:26

Does anyone have any experience of max speeds with similar stats?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Sebby]

Have a karma to get you started. 

You can probably get somewhere in the region of 3.5 to 4Mb with those stats.

It's possible that you can get a bit more if you improve your SNRM (Signal-to-Noise Ratio Margin). Do you have a router or modem? Is it connected to an extension socket with a microfilter? If so, what often happens is the extension wiring picks up noise, and so you'll get sync in proportion to the noise on a Max product.

Do you have a NTE5 master socket? If so, could you remove the faceplate (as shown in the picture) and connect your modem/router to the test socket (the socket behind the faceplate). Then re-post your stats. This bypasses all the extension wiring and it helps us see whether extension wiring is indeed picking up noise. If it is, there are a couple of options, but let's see what happens first.

[madasahatter]

Thanks for that Sebby

I use a router connected to an extension socket with a microfilter. I'll have a look at the master socket and try the test socket as you suggest, and post back.

[Sebby]

No problem.

One word of warning when you remove the faceplate - the extension wiring is actually attached to the back of this, so don't try and pull it away completely from the socket, just let it dangle. You'll see what I mean. 

[madasahatter]

It's dangling happily 

My stats now are:

Download attenuation:47
Noise:13

Upload: both 25

Cheers

[Sebby]

Wow, that was quick! 

Strangely, things actually look slightly worse (even though that's technically impossible). Perhaps your router's reporting is slightly inaccurate. Either way, it looks like extension wiring is not having any impact, and so you'll most probably achieve the 3.5+Mb sync that I mentioned in my first reply.

One thing to consider, when deciding whether to regrade to Max, is that BT's IPStream Max product has a system in place called bRAS (or IP) profiles, whereby you are assigned a profile depending on your sync rate. For you to achieve a throughput of 3000k on Max, you need to sync at a minimum of 3424k (which you should do given your stats). If you sync below 3424k, you'll be on a 2500 profile (profiles are in 500k increments). The point I'm trying to make is that even though it may seen like your sync is going to be quite a bit higher than the 2272k you'll have now, due to this bRAS profile system, your actual speed might only be a little better. Furthermore, there is a lot to be said for the stability that fixed-rate products possess; Max products can (but not always) be a bit of a nuisance due to the fact that they're rate-adaptive and sync as high as they can to get a SNRM of 6dB (known at the target SNRM). It only takes a burst of noise for the SNRM to drop low enough to cause a resync. Because with Max it'll usually be at 6dB, there's not a lot of room for it to decline before the router loses sync, unlike currently whereby you always sync at 2272k (because it's fixed) and will always have a SNRM of around 15dB (because of your line's characteristics), which has a lot more room to decline without actually causing your router to lose sync.

Ultimately, what I'm saying, is that you might only achieve enough sync for a profile of 2500k, and if I was in that situation, I'd prefer the stability of a fixed product.

I hope this makes sense. Please tell me if anything needs clarification!

[madasahatter]

Thanks for your help, and for the explanation and advice. Much appreciated.

Must admit that my current speed is fine. The main reason I was looking at max was because I would be happy to pay extra for a larger usage cap (though the extra speed would be a bonus), but as far as I can see IDNet do not do a higher cap 2Mb product  . Just out of interest, do you know of any particular reason for this? Or is it just that everyone is going on max, so there would not be much interest?

Either way I don't really want to risk the rock solid connection I have now for a (probably) only slight increase in speed, so I think I'll stay as I am.

Thanks again for your help 8)

[Sebby]

I believe IDNet will do fixed 2Mb if you ask them.

[Rik]

Also, almost everyone I know on max says that their speed drops in the evenings - sometimes by 1 to 1.5 Meg, so I don't want to change if max is only going to give me 2M at best, as my current 2M connection is pretty much top speed any time of day.

It's perhaps worth mentioning that IDNet users don't tend to see a speed drop in the evening unless their exchange is congested. Many other ISPs oversell their capacity, leading to congestion and speed drops.

Welcome to the forum.

[madasahatter]

Thanks Sebby - I may well try that.

Thanks for your comment and welcome Rik  8)