New to FTTC is this speed acceptable

Moved house and moved to fibre with Plusnet. They have told me that my estimated download speed for my 80/20 service is 69Mb, but I am getting 49.

I believe that the 69Mb is estimated by the distance from the cabinet, so is the loss of 20Mb due to the cabling into the house and master socket? The installation of course included this installation of master socket, but the guy used existing cabling in the house mostly.

My understanding with FTTC, that the estimates are accurate and I should be getting that speed. Am I right or am I missing something?

Thanks?
Adrian.

We need more information about the installation. The existing cabling in the house is normally irrelevant to a correct FTTC installation and does not get touched or used.

If the master socket is an NTE5 then a VDSL2 interstitial filter plate should be added, and the modem should be installed here. If the master is an older type socket it should be replaced (free) with one, then as just described.

There are exceptions, such as if you ordered the Data Extension Cable.

There is also the possibility you have star-wiring. An Openreach engineer should check and fix that, but contractors generally seem not to.

Was it an Openreach engineer or a contractor, such as Kelly's or Quinn's?

Estimates are estimates. No one has every published information on how accurate they are, since it varies wildly.

Given a postcode I can give you an estimate independent of BT data, but you can also do similar by measuring carefully how far to the cabinet and using the table http://www.thinkbroadband.com/guide/fibre-broadband....

Also worth pointing out the estimates often refer to the connection speed, rather than a speed test result, so once overheads are taken into account you will always be a little lower (but not 20 Meg worth).

Also double checking that this is a test using Ethernet, since with wireless all bets are off.

Sometimes a new FTTC connection can have slower speeds than expected for the first day or two. However with such a difference being noted by yourself I feel it would benefit some attention from a faults point of view.

Mind dropping me a PM with your username or a ticket ID so I can make sure that happens?

I'd disagree (unless its an ISP side IP Profile mirror catching up), the Openreach DLM system starts usually at best possible speeds and then adapts as it sees the errors.

Thanks all for replying. (I have PM'd Adam).

The installation was done by a contractor rather than an openreach engineer. (I can't recall what was on their van, but was something like Kellys or Quin).

The guy was several hours late and not sure if that impacted his day, but the old master socket was in the hallway, and unsuitable and so I asked if the new master socket with faceplate could be fitted in an adjacent room. There was existing phone cable to another socket in this other room, and so he "bypassed" the existing master socket and placed the new plate in the other room, next to suitable sockets etc.

He said he had problems with the phone line, but the broadband was OK. I couldn't test connection as I didn't have a router from PN at the time. I've now had this service and speed for a week, and it has been consistent at that speed.

Thanks for your help and input.

Adrian

With seeing details of the wiring it is possible that something has been done that is impacting on the speed.

If take apart what is now the 'master socket' to the point where the test socket is reached as per http://www.coolwebhome.co.uk/faceplate/ then no other telephone sockets connected to that phone number should work in the home. If that is the case then wiring is probably good, if another socket still works for a phone at that time then wiring is suspect.

In reply to a post by thatadamwalker:

Sometimes a new FTTC connection can have slower speeds than expected for the first day or two. However with such a difference being noted by yourself I feel it would benefit some attention from a faults point of view.

Mind dropping me a PM with your username or a ticket ID so I can make sure that happens?

I disagree with this. Could be side of Plusnet incorrect profile at their side. The Plusnet IP Profile could be incorrect for some reason.

Thirded, it'll be running as fast as poss to start off with.

my estimate was 54/13 and i actually get 28/7

been investigated by plusnet and BT who both seemed quite helpful, but it's still 28/7.

In reply to a post by cookie:

my estimate was 54/13 and i actually get 28/7

been investigated by plusnet and BT who both seemed quite helpful, but it's still 28/7.

I be very surprise if downgrade to 40/10 then place an order to put it back on 80/20 and got 54 down and 13 up this time but knowing plusnet will not do this way to save their costing eg: setup fee or modify order fee to BT Openreach.

Can anyone help me to understand the below in detail ?

Termination Type of PSTN may be NTE5 (List Box) or NTTP

- Is NTTP enough for provisioning a ADSL Broadband ?
- Why NTTP is not compatible to provision a Infinity FTTC ?
- Any URL explaining in detail about NTE5, NTTP & Installation Process.

This is an NTE5 http://www.thinkbroadband.com/images/iplate/bt-maste...

What you end up with if you have an engineer based FTTC install. NOTE Only called Infinity if you order from BT Retail.

NTTP + Network Test and Termination Point. Usually referring to a connection box which would sit just before a customers PABX switch.

Lines running through a switch would kill ADSL/FTTC stone dead, what is required is an NTE fitted to the line before the pair goes in to the switch, with a filtered faceplate then taking the dial tone on and in to the switch.

Easy enough, if you know what you are doing.

I have sent Adam a PM, but he hasn't replied yet, so I hope he will interject. But he initially requested I log a fault, which I now have done (having not been around for a few weeks).
Plusnet say they want to send an engineer, but I will have to pay £60 if it is an internal wiring issue! I have suspected it may be that all along, and suspect the engineer didn't do this properly when he installed. I find this position unacceptable that if my installation wasn't done properly I would have to pay.
To answer some previous questions, it is the NT5 plate installation, but was done added to existing wiring (and disconnection of an existing phone point, that was just used to extend the wiring).

I am also very disgruntled as Plusnet have doubled my monthly charge from the agreed rate. (They did it the first month - which I checked, and now have altered it).

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

I'd disagree (unless its an ISP side IP Profile mirror catching up), the Openreach DLM system starts usually at best possible speeds and then adapts as it sees the errors.

I disagree from experience.

Our fibre to the cabinet service started off at a lower speed then gradually went up over the following weeks with the openreach modem (ECI) re syncing each time it increased.

Edited by deleted (Sun 07-Sep-14 00:59:18)

A form of 1stADE is to first do the QLT (Quiet Line Test), a relatively simple and quick "triage" treatment, only costing you some Time normally, dependent on what you observe.

Ideally, it should be carried out before even having ADSL.

Another aspect is try to establish the length of the "copper" route (duct or overhead or a mix) from the PCP (traditional phone distribution cabinet) to your house - all too frequently, it is not the "obvious".

In my own case the PCP is about 50 M from my front door (where the underground line comes in), whilst the FTTC cabinet is about 10 M from that door and 45 M from the PCP.

BUT the copper distance due to the 1967 underground routeing (as part of the build) is about 250 M from the door to the PCP plus a further 50 M to the FTTC.

The FTTC links to the PCP double back about 5 M towards the exchange (and my door!), to an underground chamber, before turning onwards and upwards to the PCP!

So the VDSL signals have to travel about 300 M, to achieve 10 M.

And the PCP to house routings is very likely to apply in very significant degree to about half the houses on this small estate.

I am also particularly aware of a similar situation at my daughter's house about 1 mile away, although not as extreme - and similar have come to light on this forum.

In reply to a post by Alex1M6:

Our fibre to the cabinet service started off at a lower speed then gradually went up over the following weeks with the openreach modem (ECI) re syncing each time it increased.

I wonder if your port on the cabinet had been used before and the installer didn't request a reset.

When I moved ISP in June, the move process caused a reset, and I had a month of no-interleave thanks to the good weather - as previously the 18 month contract had been always interleaved. Sadly the rain returned and my interleave is back.

Have you logged in to your PN account and checked line speed. I was set up on the wrong profile initially, and had to call to get that resolved.

In reply to a post by eckiedoo:

The FTTC links to the PCP double back about 5 M towards the exchange (and my door!), to an underground chamber, before turning onwards and upwards to the PCP!

So the VDSL signals have to travel about 300 M, to achieve 10 M.

I used to know a chap whose back garden abutted the exchange building. Unfortunately his line went up a side street, along the High Street, back down another side street then along the access road to the exchange. Total distance was nearly 2km.

I suggested he drill a hole through the exchange wall, pop some Cat cable through then try and find a friendly engineer