Thinking of Joining BT unlimited ( have some questions)

Hi guys I'm thinking of joining BT unlimited as my current ISP ( BEthere) is being bought out by Sky and i do not wish to go to them for a couple of reasons that i wont go into here, anyway i have some questions and concerns that I hope some of you can answer especially if your BT Unlimited users.

ok first off a little background, I'm on a failrly long line ADSL2+ gives me a 58db Attenuation with a 4 - 4.5Mb sync on a 6db profile stability is a Issue on ADSL2+ it usually starts out ok but quickly drops usually after a couple of days to a point where it becomes unbearable either syncing at dial up speeds ie under 1Mb or not syncing at all, It is for this reason that I use ADSL1 instead this suits my line much better, I get a 56db Attenuation rate my Sync is at 5 - 5.5Mb and the stability is much better, it does vary however sometimes i can go weeks without a drop other times just a day but it will always resync at the 5-5.5Mb range so i'm happy to live with how this is.

I'm connected to the master socket and have no extentions, the only other thing is a phone that is connected to the line I have also removed the bell wire so the line is as best as it can be at my end.

here are my current stats

Uptime: 1 day, 19:13:29
DSL Type: G.992.1 annex A
Channel mode: Interleave
Maximum Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 1,293 / 6,091
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 1,107 / 5,537
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [kB/kB]: 0.00 / 0.00
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.0 / 19.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 31.5 / 56.0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 6.0 / 5.5
Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / BDCM
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): 0
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 1 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 573 / 43,438,253
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 573 / 471
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 262 / 354

Ok so now for the questions.

will i be able to get the same sync etc with BT , I know there is a 10 day training period which is an automated process but will it be able to make changes that will get me what i have now will it even give ADSL1 a go or will it simply stay on ADSL2+ and adjust Attenuation etc to maintain stability to the point that i'm running at dial up speeds, can BT do something themselves rather than the automated system or am i going to be stuck, the great thing about BE was they could make changes etc on my line to get me what i currently have can BT do similar . thanks for any info you can give.

Edited by deleted (Mon 11-Mar-13 11:28:27)

100 views and no one has any info at all that's rather disappointing.

In theory similar speeds, Be though is usually configured to squeeze a little bit more than other providers on average.

I'd suggest making sure any modem you connect post migration is fixed to ADSL mode like current one. Only concern is the the number of FEC errors, but as they are fec the interleaving is doing its job.

The 6Meg sync at your attenuation is currently very good

Would the OP's upstream sync drop to 448Kbps if forcing G.992.1 annex A after the move to BT?

No

The upstream will only drop to 448 Kbps if BT Wholesale is only IPStream Max at the exchange or a Max like profile is forced upon the line.

Forcing ADSL modem mode when using WBC does not limit upstream speeds. I know because I do it with different hardware during reviews

Thanks for the info Andrew

thanks for the replies. If i do choose to join BT and it's looking most likely i will, I'll be using the BT HUB v3 as the BE router i currently have will have to go back to them and the only other router i have is a very old Netgear DG384v3 and it doesn't have wireless so that's no good anymore.

I'm not sure if the BT HUB can force ADSl1 if it can i'm not sure how to go about doing that I have always in the past had BE and before them Ukonline set the line to ADSL1, will forcing ADSl1 mess up the training period that BT has i dont want to cause any unessessary issues.

in regards to the up sync i'm not really all that concerned i dont do anything that requires a lot of uploading I game a lot via PSN and Steam and stream videos ie cactchup, twich youtube subs etc so download and Ping is more of an importance to me

any more info will be of great help if you have it. but if it does seem i can get rougly the same i'll be happy.

thanks again.

Mr Saffron can certainly answer your questions better than me - but I guess you can use the BT router for starters and take it from there.

What is your current ping to bbc.co.uk and is the latency currently adequate for you needs taking in account that your connection is interleaved?

In reply to a post by 4M2:

Mr Saffron can certainly answer your questions better than me - but I guess you can use the BT router for starters and take it from there.

What is your current ping to bbc.co.uk and is the latency currently adequate for you needs taking in account that your connection is interleaved?

my ping to BBC is currently Avg 23ms and yeah latency is fine I dont have any trouble streaming at 720p and throughput etc is as it should be I average around 550-590KB when downloading from Steam etc sometimes a little higher than that if condidtions etc are right.

as i say if BT can offer the same i'll be happy I'm just worried that their automated system wont operate that way and just serverly limit me because it thinks it knows whats best for my line even though I know what it's been capable of for the past 7 years with Ukonline before and currently BE.

Edited by deleted (Mon 11-Mar-13 21:34:37)

In reply to a post by Terranova:

as i say if BT can offer the same i'll be happy I'm just worried that their automated system wont operate that way and just serverly limit me because it thinks it knows whats best for my line even though I know what it's been capable of for the past 7 years with Ukonline before and currently BE.

You will be pleased to know the BT ADSL systems are dramatically improved from even 2 years ago - so you might be surprised.

But the HomeHub 3 is not really configurable, as its designed to be simple.

You've got a really great connection It's a shame that you have to migrate

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by Terranova:

as i say if BT can offer the same i'll be happy I'm just worried that their automated system wont operate that way and just serverly limit me because it thinks it knows whats best for my line even though I know what it's been capable of for the past 7 years with Ukonline before and currently BE.

You will be pleased to know the BT ADSL systems are dramatically improved from even 2 years ago - so you might be surprised.

But the HomeHub 3 is not really configurable, as its designed to be simple.

thanks for the reply, well that is pretty reasuring about the BT system, i'm not to concerned about the Homehub not being that configurable as long as BT themselves can enable ADSL1 at their end or even the system itself can do it and the system keeps to it, as it stands I have the BEbox config as it is when you get it only other changes were to update the firmware to latest version, other than that the 6db profile interleave and ADSL1 was enabled at BEs end i haven't forced it or anything.

Edited by deleted (Mon 11-Mar-13 21:57:29)

In reply to a post by 4M2:

You've got a really great connection It's a shame that you have to migrate

Yeah tell me about it I came to BE when Sky bought UKonline i had pretty much the same stats etc with them wasn't to sad about going then as BE were around that could give me the same, I did think about a Be / O2 wholesaler but their fibre offerings were not that great ie caps and really high prices, My area is meant to be getting FTTC sometime in 2014 so at least with BT i can upgrade to infinity as and when it arrives without to much hassle.

Have you also considered Plusnet for unlimited broadband? Generally they are very good with their Sheffield based technical help.

It would only really be an advantage though if your exchange is classified as Market 2 or 3 ("low cost area").

In reply to a post by Terranova:

thanks for the reply, well that is pretty reasuring about the BT system, i'm not to concrned about the Homehub not being that configurable as long as BT themselves can enable ADSL1 at their end or even the system itself can do it and the system keeps to it, as it stands I have the BEbox config as it is when you get it only other changes were to update the firmware to latest version, other than that the 6db profile interleave and ADSL1 was enabled at BEs end i haven't forced it or anything.

You can read on this forum and lots of others that getting hold of anyone at BT's call centre who can do any more than talk you through reinstalling email clients on your PC is quite hard. I very much doubt they can set line profiles such as ADSL1 support. Why not try an ISP such as PlusNet who can, or buy a router that gives you the choice of line profile at your end.

BE was a quality product for technically minded individuals which is why I was one of many who used them for many years (until fibre).

Perhaps wait for the next 6 months until your migration letter to Sky, and then jump?

Plusnet require you taking their phone line Mrs doesn't want to change it currently with BT for landline and she's happy with that, I did think about waiting the six months to see what will happen but i doubt Sky will make the changes to their service that will keep what current BE members are use to dispite what BE /O2 are saying ,they didn't with UKonline I dont see anything changing for BE, maybe i'll end up being wrong, but BT at the moment have a six month free offer which is very tempting and as i say it will make things easier if and when fibre arrives in 2014.

I think maybe i'll just join and see what happens if needs be i'll get my own router that i can config myself to run ADSL1.

In reply to a post by Terranova:

Plusnet require you taking their phone line Mrs doesn't want to change it currently with BT for landline and she's happy with that

Plusnet do broadband only, on a no contract basis if you wish, and you can probably transfer to their fibre product at a later date, all the time keeping the line rental with BT

In reply to a post by Terranova:

as long as BT themselves can enable ADSL1 at their end

They won't! Not many do.

You need to get a router that can let you do it yourself, if the BT Hub won't.

In reply to a post by Terranova:

Plusnet require you taking their phone line

No they don't. They offer their packages but you can have broadband with your existing BT phone and calling package. I'd still recommend waiting and seeing.

Yeah your right about plusnet i must have been thinking of some other ISP, looking at it they do seem to be a better choice than BT themselves and seem willing to help with adjusting profiles etc something it seems BT may not be so willing to do. and you can't grumble at £9.99 a month for unlimited and with their router it will give me config options again something the BT homeHub may not plus their fibre seems to be decent to should i wish to upgrade as and when it becomes available in my area, bit of a no brainer really .. thanks guys choice made plusnet it is.