ADSL2+ Enabled - no real difference

[DCintheUK]

Hi All...

Quick question.  I've been with IDNet a couple of years now on the Home Supermax package - and everything was peachy.  Using HGV2700 - I could get a steady 730+k / sec down and pretty much 80k/s up.  From memory www.speedtester.bt.com showed the configured download throughput speed @ 6500 k.

So - I've moved to ADSL2+.  And.... things are still peachy - but not noticed any real speed difference (up speeds seem to be climbing slowly).  A speedtest run gives the results below :

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    Your DSL connection rate: 7738 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  950 kbps(UP-STREAM)
    IP profile for your line is - 6500 kbps /* SAME AS ADSL! */
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 6053 kbps


And the HGV2700 Stats are :

DSL Down     
Current Rate: 7738 kbs
Max Rate: 7738 kbs
Current Noise Margin: 3.5 dB    
Current Attenuation: 47.1 dB    
Current Output Power: 19.9 dBm 

DSL Up
Current Rate: 950 kbs
Max Rate: 976 kbs
Current Noise Margin: 6.6 dB
Current Attenuation: 26.2 dB
Current Output Power:    12.5 dBm


My questions :

Was I on the best connection speeds via ADSL - and ADSL2+ is unlikely to improve it further?
or
Am I in a stabilising period - and the ADSL2+ might start to speed up?
or
Is there still some BT bandwidth issue still to be addressed - that might show as speeds improving in the future?

Any pointers on my line stats gratefully received (as I'm still on the learning curve!).

Thanks...
DC

[PuncH]

Hi mate,

If anything is limiting you I'd guess it would be the attenuation (line length), your noise margin certainly isn't! Others with more knowledge will come along and confirm and/or come up with other ideas.

It could be that you were pretty much getting the best out of your line on ADSL, but moving over to ADSL2+ will still give you better download allowances if nothing else.

Oh...and welcome to IDNetters!  

[Simon]

I can't add to the above, but others may well do so.  Your 'up' speed will have increased, so that should also help.  Not everyone is guaranteed mega-fast speeds on ADSL2+.   

[Ray]

  DC and

[Lance]

Welcome DC! It semms that you have quite a long lobe and this is reflected in your downstream attenuation. Essentially it is this which is limiting you but there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. If it were me, I would just sit back and enjoy the increase in allowences and upload speed!

[Sebby]

For a line with a downstream attenuation of 47dB, those stats are fantastic. To give you an idea, on my line, which is also 47dB, I get 4,500k max sync on ADSL2. I appreciate that you were probably expecting a bit more, but you're definitely at that point where you won't benefit from ADSL2+ in terms of speed. What you will benefit from, though, is reduced pings and a higher download allowance.

[DCintheUK]

Many thanks for the warm welcome - and the insight into what's going on.  I really appreciate you all taking the time to help...

To be honest - 700k/sec is pretty good just about everything I need - so I guess the real benefit is the increased allowance (which is going to get some hammer after buying a Western Digital HD Media Player - 1080p goodness!).

DC

[D-Dan]

My line is not much different from yours:

Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]:   1.029 / 8.871
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]:   12,5 / 0,0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]:   25,5 / 44,0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]:   7,0 / 5,0

So we are both probably at the limit of what we'll get (though I may gain a little more upstream over the next couple of weeks.

I'm counting the days until March next year, now. Seems like I have the best I can have out of copper. My exchange is going to be one of those trialling fibre next March, so maybe I can get a huge improvement then. Still hoping that IDnet will be on board with that. I don;t want to have to leave them behind.

Steve

[Sebby]

You tend to get 500k extra sync for every 1dB that the noise margin is reduced, so that seems about right.