Kitz Forum

Broadband Related => FTTC and FTTP Issues => Topic started by: z1ts on October 22, 2012, 11:00:05 AM

Title: 80/20????
Post by: z1ts on October 22, 2012, 11:00:05 AM
We've just had FTTC installed here, which (I didn't realise) has been ordered by our ISP as a 40/2 product.  The OR engineer said that the cabinet and our line is capable of 80/20.  If I pay the extra and upgrade to 80/20 will I get better broadband speeds than my current 17 up and 1.8 down???  Or will my broadband just be 'capable' of more??
Title: Re: 80/20????
Post by: kitz on October 22, 2012, 11:09:19 AM
>> my current 17 up and 1.8 down???

If you put your phone no in the BT checker here (http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayTopic.do?topicId=29017) what speed does it say?

Title: Re: 80/20????
Post by: Bald_Eagle1 on October 22, 2012, 11:19:26 AM
my current 17 up and 1.8 down

Have those values accidentally been reversed?

Reversing them, 1.8Mb sounds about right for a 2Mb Upstream connection but 17Mb seems rather low for downstream.

Either your connection has some problems or you are quite a distance from the cabinet.

Another explanation could be that you are testing speeds wirelessly.
For a true reflection of connection speeds, the connection should be ethernet wired from the PC to the router or modem.

Title: Re: 80/20????
Post by: kitz on October 22, 2012, 11:24:24 AM
Id noticed that too BE, it also seems a bit at odds with what the OR engineer had said.
Title: Re: 80/20????
Post by: z1ts on October 22, 2012, 02:37:10 PM
Sorry all!  17Mb downstream and 1.8Mb upstream!!!!  I'm testing at www.internet-speedtest.net with an ethernet wired connection from PC to router to get these results.  The BT checker is estimating 15.3Mb download and 2.3Mb upload, so I suppose I should be thankful we're getting what we are!!!!
Title: Re: 80/20????
Post by: Bald_Eagle1 on October 22, 2012, 05:20:18 PM
The BT checker is estimating 15.3Mb download and 2.3Mb upload, so I suppose I should be thankful we're getting what we are!!!!

These days the checker is not too far off the mark (mostly).

80/20 is available at my cabinet, but due to distance from that cabinet (up to 1000m) the best I can achieve is around 28/5.
If I were to revert to a 2Mb upstream speed, my downstream speed would increase to around 31Mb or so.

Do you know how far you are from the cabinet you are actually connected to?
At 17Mb, I would hazard a guess at around 1600m to 1800m or so.
Title: Re: 80/20????
Post by: z1ts on October 23, 2012, 06:53:42 AM
We're almost bang on a mile from the cab, 1600 to 1800m is exactly right!  So in conclusion are we're just as well off sticking with our 40/2 product rather than upgrading to a 40/10 or even 80/20????
Title: Re: 80/20????
Post by: Bald_Eagle1 on October 23, 2012, 07:19:32 AM
At that distance it is unlikely, but you may be able to achieve a small increase in upstream speed at the expense of some downstream speed.

To be more sure you could unlock the modem (assuming it is the Huawei HG612 version) & take a look at your stats that give an indication as to what is possible.

These are mine, but note the actual sync speed (Path 0) is a fair bit lower than theoretical attainable speed (Max):-

Max:   Upstream rate = 4936 Kbps, Downstream rate = 31840 Kbps
Path:   0, Upstream rate = 4940 Kbps, Downstream rate = 26714 Kbps

My connection resynced for some reason last night at a lower than usual speed.
It would improve a little if I forced a resync during daylight hours today.

Title: Re: 80/20????
Post by: z1ts on October 25, 2012, 07:47:59 AM
Well!  Here's the reply from my ISP:-

"Hi

The product of 80/20 is a very new product and the BT [Openreach] engineer has informed you of a BT service which you will have to get direct from them as I am afraid as we do not have this in our portfolio as yet.

The upgrade for our 40/10 product is £15 upgrade charge and £44.99 per month."

(We're paying £40 per month for the 40/2 FTTC)  Also these prices are + VAT but as we're a VAT registered company we can reclaim it.  Am I right in thinking that as the BT Checker is estimating 2.3Mb upload (and we're actually getting 1.8Mb) that there isn't really going to be a huge advantage in paying the extra and upgrading to 40/10??
Title: Re: 80/20????
Post by: Bald_Eagle1 on October 25, 2012, 07:15:05 PM
I believe you are probably already achieving the best speeds that can be expected for your distance from the cabinet.

It does seem a little pricey though at £40 + VAT per month.