Just double checking...

I just want to double check that I cannot get faster broadband access where I live. Here are my details:

Post code (Not mine, but on my road): FY83BA

St Annes exchange. I current connect with O2 at 16mbps. I just feel like there MAY be faster available and I have not spotted it yet.

If there is anyone who knows how to quickly check, please do so and let me know, I would be very thankful.

Cheers.

You can't get FTTC until 2013 at the earliest.

Best you can do is the ADSL2+ that you are on, but post your router stats to see if you are getting as fast as you can.

Thanks XRaySpeX

Here are my stats:

Uptime: 24 days, 1:01:05
DSL Type: G.992.5 annex A
Maximum Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 1,283 / 19,642
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 1,321 / 16,407
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [kB/kB]: 0.00 / 0.00
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.0 / 18.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 14.5 / 26.5
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): 0 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 1,482 / 954,412,255
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 1,482 / 922
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 17,890 / 664

As you can see, my connection is quite sturdy. I have no qualms with my current speed if thats all I can get. But I think there is so many providers out there boasting about providing 2/8/16mbps when there are companies offering 50mbps+.

You would think that they would post leaflets or send out emails to prospective consumers. Yet I have not recieved any "Hey you can now get X speed ADSL/Cable" in the past decade. And have signed up to be notified of such events over the past few years.

I check http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange_search often to make sure I have the best connection possible. Is this the best place to check or can you reccomend somewhere else?

Edited by xocekim (Fri 25-May-12 01:59:22)

In reply to a post by xocekim:

Post code (Not mine, but on my road): FY83BA

That can be irrelevant. It is only possible to check whether your PCP may be FTTC enabled by using your own postcode, and even that isn't perfect.

You should be able to get another couple of meg out of your connection by asking your provider to lower your SNR / Target Noise Margin to 3.0dB

Your connection has been up for over 24 days on a 6.0dB margin so should have little trouble handling a 3.0dB one

In reply to a post by xocekim:

when there are companies offering 50mbps+.

Using a different technology - normally FTTC (fibre to local telephone cabinet, installed by BT Openreach), FTTH (fibre direct to home, installed generally by BT Openreach) or cable TV (Virgin Media).

If you don't have cable TV and aren't due to get FTTC until at least next year, the fact some areas of the country can get 50Mbps+ is irrelevant.
Unfortunately; just because some companies offer 50Mbps+, it doesn't necessarily mean those services are available on your phone line (or, indeed, in your area).

For now; you have connection speeds many people would kill for (until FTTC came along, I was stuck on a 4.5Mbps connection going down about 6km of phone line).

Maybe the fact you haven't received any circulars offering 40, 50, 80 or 100Mbps internet is it's not yet available in your area (even before Openreach had installed fibre cabinets in this town, BT retail were mail-dropping and had a big glossy advert on the back of the phone book).
The ISPs are not shy about advertising and not so stupid as to forget (to advertise) when better and faster services are available. I don't think it's an oversight on their part, I'd suggest it's because those faster services aren't yet available to you.

You'll just have to be patient for now.

You've, pretty much, got the fastest connection available (at present) for your premises (as others have said, you might be able to squeeze a little more by asking O2 to put you on a 3dB target margin, instead of the standard 6dB).

The only other option (apart from waiting for BT Openreach to roll-out FTTC to your area) is to go for a commercial fibre connection (and that will cost tens of thousands of pounds to install and rent per year)!

Ok thanks for all your replies, much appreciated.

In reply to a post by izools:

You should be able to get another couple of meg out of your connection by asking your provider to lower your SNR / Target Noise Margin to 3.0dB

Your connection has been up for over 24 days on a 6.0dB margin so should have little trouble handling a 3.0dB one

I don't see the logic there.

My O2 connection was absolutely stable on a 6dB sync-time margin. It would not have stood up for 24 hours on a 3dB (day-time sync) one. The reason being that the noise margin varied over 24 hours by 3.5dB. Plenty of others do that, which is why the general default is 6dB.

Also note the OP has 40m FECs per day >> 460 per second. I think that implies considerable noise around. Perhaps already affecting real world download speed, depending on the power of the router processor, and bound to be worse with a higher sync.