BT Broadband Accellerator Service

Dangerjunkie · Jun 12, 2008, 11:24:12

Hi,

According the the BBC, BT are launching a service that sends an engineer round to your house to make your broadband faster. £90 isn't cheap but allegedly you get your money back if they can't add half a megabit to your speed. Wonder if they mean to your sync or profile?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7446999.stm

The story also mentions a new product called the "i-Plate" for about £10 that gives on average a meg and a half increase. Sounds like a BT version of the ADSLNation face plate to me.

I may give them a call. I'm on an XTE2005 with an ADSLN screened, twisted modem cable so I'd like to see what they could do. Unfortunately it looks like it's done by their IT support guys rather than Openreach so it probably won't go as far as trying a new pair to the exchange or replacing the admittedly corroded junction box on our pole

Does anyone know who one would call to sign up?

Cheers,
Paul.

edit: Fixed typo

Rik · Jun 12, 2008, 11:31:10

You might want to take a look here, Paul:

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=8716.msg193800#msg193800

The iPlate story seems to have gone quite.

Dangerjunkie · Jun 12, 2008, 11:37:50

Well I'm running a faceplate with no extensions and a 1m pro cable but the extra half meg would be nice so I may give it a go just to see what happens and what they do. I'm on Linux so I don't think they'll be doing much to my firewall. Will be interesting to see how they measure it. For me I'd want to see another 500 on my profile (considering the average person is in the middle of their band it would only take a 256kbps increase to knock them into the next one.

I highly expect to get my money back so what the heck

edit: Unless of course they reboot my modem in the morning, get a higher sync then say that'll be £90 please...

At which point you'll probably see me on the news accused of murdering a BT engineer by beating him to death with a Draytek modem.

Tacitus · Jun 12, 2008, 13:02:48

Quote from: Dangerjunkie on Jun 12, 2008, 11:37:50
....At which point you'll probably see me on the news accused of murdering a BT engineer by beating him to death with a Draytek modem.

Do you actually use a Draytek modem? I had a 2800 which was prone to get itself into multiple resyncs although I'm told the latest firmware is an improvement. Interestingly I went to a Zyxel (AR7 based) which improved matters although I have been looking at a Draytek 110/2910 combination to separate the modem and place it nearer the main socket.

Rik suggested I try a 2-Wire but none of them act as a VPN point - they only do pass through.

Sebby · Jun 12, 2008, 18:38:52

For those that are intruiged about the iPlate, it's actually a bit different to something like the XTE-2005. Take a look here.

Rik · Jun 12, 2008, 18:50:24

Can't help but feel removing the bell wire is cheaper and neater.

Sebby · Jun 12, 2008, 18:54:11

Exactly, or just fitting a filtered faceplate (if it's feasible to site the router by the master socket).

Dangerjunkie · Jun 12, 2008, 19:55:54

Hmmm... is it just me or does the iPlate look like a filtered faceplate with another test socket on he front so the installer can just use the existing front plate and doesn't have to bother rewiring the extensions?

Cheers,
Paul.

Sebby · Jun 12, 2008, 21:31:51

AFAIK, it eliminates the effects of the ring wire at the master socket. Where it differs from something like the ADSL Nation XTE-2005 is:

1. it does not require any re-wiring, i.e. the extension wiring does not have to be punched into the back of this plate;
2. it does not filter the master socket or extensions, so microfilters are still necessary.

So, if I've understood correctly, removing the ring wire is actually a better option for those that can't site their router at the master socket. For those that can, I'd say a proper filtered faceplate is a better option.

Dangerjunkie · Jun 13, 2008, 00:09:27

Quote from: Sebby on Jun 12, 2008, 21:31:51
1. it does not require any re-wiring, i.e. the extension wiring does not have to be punched into the back of this plate;

Unless, of course, the **** that fitted it cut and tacked the extension wires so short that you can't actually pull the plate forward enough to get the iPlate sandwich in. I wonder how may of those there are?

Sebby · Jun 13, 2008, 00:11:15

I know mine is like that, Paul, but I have an ADSL Nation faceplate so I don't have to worry.

Dangerjunkie · Jun 13, 2008, 00:38:03

Quote from: Tacitus on Jun 12, 2008, 13:02:48
Do you actually use a Draytek modem? I had a 2800 which was prone to get itself into multiple resyncs although I'm told the latest firmware is an improvement. Interestingly I went to a Zyxel (AR7 based) which improved matters although I have been looking at a Draytek 110/2910 combination to separate the modem and place it nearer the main socket.

I have a Draytek Vigor 110 and a dedicated firewall PC running IPCop that uses PPPoE to bridge across the Vigor. I chose the 110 because I want to be able to get a block of IPs into the firewall if I decide to go to Business Max. The speed is a bit less than I was hoping for but I've never had ADSL before so I don't have anything to compare it to. It does run a bit hot though. Install went exactly as promised (plug it in, switch it on, the lights come on - that's it) and getting the connection was just a matter of selecting PPPoE on the firewall and entering the username and password. I don't know if it was missed out of my box or if nobody gets one but I didn't get any manual or documentation with mine at all.

Cheers,
Paul.