Ten-day training period, when does it start from?

I'm moving home and I've ordered BT ADSL. The activation date is three days before I move in.

Problem is, I've read that extensive performance/stability tests tests are performed during the first 10 days. Is this measured from the activation date, or from when a modem is first connected? Is the system going to be confused when there's still no response from the line after 3 days?

I can still postpone the activation date- would this be a good idea?

It starts from the first time you connect, but no tests like you describe take place. The DLM runs all the time and makes speed adjustments downwards as necessary to obtain a stable line. All that's special about the ten days is that at the end the lowest sync is recorded and another figure is calculated from it.

See this page and a similar one. Don't worry that one of us says 70% and the other says 80%. It was originally 70 but apparently changed at some point.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

It starts from the first time you connect, but no tests like you describe take place.

Okay thanks for that, so I suppose it's okay if it isn't connected for a few days after activation.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

The DLM runs all the time and makes speed adjustments downwards as necessary to obtain a stable line.

So once it adjusts downwards, it won't adjust upwards again even if conditions improve (i.e. I fit a filtered faceplate or somesuch)?

The DLM can adjust upwards if the conditions do improve, just might take a week or two for it to decide to relent and hand back some connection speed.

so I suppose it's okay if it isn't connected for a few days after activation.

Yep, completely fine.

So once it adjusts downwards, it won't adjust upwards again even if conditions improve (i.e. I fit a filtered faceplate or some such)?

It will adjust upwards after time, it's just that whilst it is fairly quick to slow down/attempt to stabilise, it takes a lot longer to speed back up once the cause of the problem is resolved.

As the others have said, it can adjust up (or down) in the future depending on variations in the condition of the line.

I should have made that clear perhaps, but what I was mainly getting at was that the 10-day period isn't a time when "special" intensive testing and auto-adjustment takes place.

The DLM starts making adjustments right at the beginning and does so for ever. All the 10-day period does is record the lowest connection speed in that period for reference in the future to see if a decline in speed is greater than normally accepted so could merit further investigation. As explained in the linked pages.

Whatever you do, don't do several reconnections in a short period of time such as an hour. A few, well inside daylight hours, are permissible without causing harm if you want to move stuff around or see if you get a higher speed. Connection outside that time zone often give s lowish sync and you don't want to do that in the period.

Edited by RobertoS (Wed 21-Oct-15 15:53:54)