Training

[Dangerjunkie]

One more day to  go til IDNet happiness  (assuming that Openreach work their magic as promised)

I've heard some people say that I should reset my modem every day (don't know what time of day) during the training period to get the best results. I've also heard other people say I shouldn't. What's the best advice on this please? My modem is going to be the new DrayTek Vigor 110 (arriving today with an ADSLNation faceplate.)

I think I'm going to leave my extension wiring and Sky+ box disconnected during the training period (I'm over my year contract with Sky so I don't have to keep it connected any more.) Is this the best way to go?

Thanks,
Paul.

edit: This is a new line being installed so I don't have an existing profile and will be training from scratch.

[Rik]

Hi Paul

Definitely leave the Sky box and any extensions disconnected if you can. While the 10 day 'training' period doesn't set your speed in stone, it does fix the fault threshold rate, and you want this to be as high as possible (because BT don't accept there is a fault on the line until speeds are below this figure).

I left my running through the 10 day period, but as you're using a modem, I'd suggest powering it down when you've finished at night, and powering back up the next day. TBH, it shouldn't make a huge difference either way.

Once the filtered face plate is fitted, you've effectively disconnected your extension wiring, btw.

[Dangerjunkie]

Thanks Rik,

I'm going to be using a modem and a separate firewall/router rather than an integrated modem router. It will be servicing more than one computer.

[Rik]

Hi Paul

AAMOI, why did you go for the separate router and modem, rather than the combined?

[Dangerjunkie]

I already had the firewall. It's IPCop ( http://www.ipcop.org ) and I really get on well with it. It does things like stateful packet inspection and Snort IDS and has (almost) unlimited routing table entries, Dynamic DNS integration, plugins and all kinds of great features.

It's currently fed over Ethernet from my Virgin Media modem  (Damn their service stinks now) I got the ADSL modem as a plug in replacement for the cable modem to save having to replace the firewall with a new one and rebuild all the routing tables. The only change I have to make is to change the access method from direct to PPPoE and put my IDNet login details in. I guess I perceived it as the path of least resistance (I liek to minimise the number of changes I make to a system at a time as it makes fault finding easier.) The firewall can handle multiple external IPs too if I decide to upgrade to Business Max later on.

Cheers,
Paul.

[Rik]

Thanks, just curious.

[Dangerjunkie]

My modem and faceplate just arrived thanks to BroadbandBuyer and those nice people at Citylink.

I notice that the phone cable in the box with the modem is the flat kind. Should I get a piece of CAT5 and knock up a twisted one or is nit not likely to make a lot of difference?

Thanks,
Paul.

[Rik]

It won't make a huge difference, Paul, but if you can do it, it's worth it.

[Sebby]

Your modem may not actually disconnect when the computer is switched off anyway, Paul.

It doesn't really matter either way, anyway. Personally, I'd leave it on all the time. I think the powering down each day thing was a bit of a myth in the early days of max.

[Dangerjunkie]

The firewall runs 24/7 so the modem will always see a computer whether any of the workstations or servers is on or not.

What is the pinout of the cable from the ADSL faceplate to the modem? Which pins are the twisted pair?

Thanks,
Paul.

[Sebby]

Sorry, Paul, I'm not sure what you mean...

[Dangerjunkie]

Sorry, I'm not at my best and most eloquent today...

The faceplate to modem cable is an RJ11-4/6 crossover.

One end:   Absent-Yellow-Green-Red-Black-Absent
Other end: Absent-Black-Red-Green-Yellow-Absent

Traditionally I believe the Red-Green wires are a pair and will carry the signal and the Black-Yellow pair are unused. However I have seen some installations where the Black-Yellow pair are active and the Red-Gren pair are unused.

I just wanted to check the Red-Green and Black-Yellow are indeed pairs and whether I should take both pairs to the modem to get the best results or only one pair (and if so which one)

Cheers,
Paul.

Edit: fixed typo

[Rik]

Hi Paul

I'm not sure, but Dean will definitely know. I'll PM him and ask him to take a look at the thread. Of course, if Sebby knows, I'll be wasting everyone's time.

[Sebby]

No idea.

[Dangerjunkie]

Thanks guys

Next silly question... Does the amount of traffic I use affect training? Will I get different results if I leave the modem and firewall plugged in and don't use the line than if I hammer it? I still have my old provider line in so I can do either.

Thanks,
Paul.

[Rik]

Hi Paul

These might help:

http://www.chaminade.org/MIS/Tutorials/Cat5Cables.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RJ11,_RJ14,_RJ25

[Rik]

Traffic doesn't affect training - the latter is essentially looking at sync speed for the most part. I was able to be away for a chunk of my training period, with just the router connected.

[LesD]

Red & Green are the pair put them on the centre pair of pins (of the six possibilities) on both the RJ11 and/or RJ45, crossed or uncrossed it doesn't seem to matter. This is the standard arrangement for a modem cable. I made one up just last evening to lengthen the one for my backup dial-up connection and it worked a treat.

You could use the yellow and black ones provided you put them on the centre pair of plug connectors at each end.

[Dangerjunkie]

Thanks *Reaches for his crimp tool*

I'll keep my amateur radio off for the 10 days too, want to keep the fault threshold as high as I can

Is there any way to know when the training has completed and what the final threshold is?

Thanks,
Paul.

[LesD]

Is there any way to know when the training has completed and what the final threshold is?

Run the BT SpeedTest this will show you what your IP Profile is:

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

After the 10 days this should have settled to a stable value.

[Sebby]

Is there any way to know when the training has completed and what the final threshold is?

A common misconception is that the training period is actually different to once it's finished. In fact, nothing is any different during the training period; the connection is as rate-adaptive as it will always be. The 10 days is literally to establish the values mentioned earlier in this thread, and so that BT don't have lots of work during the early days of a connection when things may be settling.

The only problem is that sometimes the profile gets stuck when you move from a fixed-rate product to a max product, but generally this clears after 5 days, i.e. within the training period. Therefore, as such, there is nothing to look at once the training has officially ended.

[Dangerjunkie]

Thanks Sebby. My concern is that I want to make sure my FTR is set before I do anything like operating a radio transmitter near it. I don't want to end up with an FTR so low that it becomes difficult to report faults.

Cheers,
Paul.

[g7pkf]

Red & Green are the pair put them on the centre pair of pins (of the six possibilities) on both the RJ11 and/or RJ45, crossed or uncrossed it doesn't seem to matter. This is the standard arrangement for a modem cable. I made one up just last evening to lengthen the one for my backup dial-up connection and it worked a treat.

You could use the yellow and black ones provided you put them on the centre pair of plug connectors at each end.

keep HF off definately.  above is correct centre pair are the used pair. keep cable as shorrt as possible, if you want to really belt and braces it use screened and earth the screen.

dean

[Dangerjunkie]

I've arrived

Initial BT speed test showed me syncing at 5920/832 so if that keeps up it looks like I'm on track for a 5000 profile. 

I've got a 2000 profile now and I can't believe how much faster and more responsive it is than my Virgin Media 4MB package. I just got a speedtest.net of 1450/64 on that! (Yes - sixty four) It was down to less than 512 download on Sunday. 

Thanks everyone. Life is good

[Rik]

I take it you're not connected from home, atm?