FTTC line stats available with a standard setup

I'm due to be moved to FTTC next week

Viewing and understanding my line's statistics have helped me get the best out of my ADSL connection over the years. As an FTTC newbie can someone advise me what stats I will be able to view once on FTTC with a standard BT supplied modem?

I gather these modems are restricted as standard. I appreciate an unlocked modem is required for full stats but I'm just interested in what I can do/use to see as much as possible with a standard setup initially.

Thanks.

With standard setup nothing, only IP Profile via the BT Wholesale speed test pages or any tracking of this that the provider gives in its web portal.

With FTTC the IP Profile changes on every resync and is thus a direct calculation to tell you your sync speed.

You can't see anything with a locked modem. BT Retail now provides HH5 with integrated modem that does give stats, but many others (eg Plusnet) still use separate Openreach modem and ISP router.

You can deduce a very small amount using speedtest.btwholesale.com and Further Diagnostics; basically your download sync which (all else being well) is a factor just over 1 above your download profile. But you most often want the details when all else isn't well, so even that is unreliable when it would be most useful.

If I remember correctly with the standard setup of both the ECI and Huawei modems I had I couldn't see any stats at all (don't remember even being able to see sync speeds as I'm sure you are not even allowed access to the modems, although it's been a while). 95% sure though that the most you could see was the sync speed and like I said I'm not even sure you could see that, I seem to remember I had to use bt speedchecker and my ISP's webpage to tell me what speed I was connected at.
Some all in units from some ISP's allow you to see a little more like the Home Hub 5 but TBH I would do what most people do (myself included) and just get a HG612 from ebay and unlock it yourself, Simple to do and you can then see everything needed, or if you don't fancy unlocking it yourself pay slightly more for one already unlocked but they are easy to do.

*edit

Due to a combination of my slow typing and answering the door a few people have replied before me but it seems it was as I thought.

Edited by deleted (Wed 03-Sep-14 11:36:12)

Thanks for all the replies.

That's about what I thought.
I'll no doubt get an unlocked modem or combined router/modem at some point.

Best to have it in place from day one, you can then see exactly what you're starting off with.

Perhaps - but I've decided to just go with the standard kit for now.

In reply to a post by b4dger:

Perhaps - but I've decided to just go with the standard kit for now.

That's what I thought to begin with, Ended up regretting that decision when my speed dropped from 53meg down to around 41meg in 1 hit no idea why and cross talk was assumed (after the engineer said there was no way I would of been able to get 53meg).
Spending £15 and getting a HG612 and unlocking it was the best decision I made, I've had 2 faults on my line since that I've been able to pickup via it, would of just had to assume it was crosstalk without.
Personally I think you would be mad not to get an unlocked one now and this is from someone who thought like you before.

I'm still fighting with Openreach through Sky after my sync speed dropped to 48 Mbps from 72 Mbps in one go. I've also been told that I could never have got more than 48 despite showing the engineer proof of higher sync speed. In fact the engineer (the same one unfortunately on all 3 occasions) even went as far as saying that the stats from the modem are only estimates and can't be relied on as absolute proof of the sync speed.

Just ordered myself a HG612 for this very reason, hopefully it doesn't make things worse being on an ECI cab..

In reply to a post by Mark07:

Just ordered myself a HG612 for this very reason, hopefully it doesn't make things worse being on an ECI cab..

I'm on an ECI cab and had a ECI modem but then changed it to my unlocked HG612 and I actually synced higher than the ECI modem. Others have said it's the other way around. Again I was on interleaving with my ECI and when I changed modem it went to fastpath (and been on since apart from when the line went faulty) again though others have reported the opposite so there doesn't seem to be a definate answer.
For me though it was better.

In reply to a post by simon194:

In fact the engineer (the same one unfortunately on all 3 occasions) even went as far as saying that the stats from the modem are only estimates and can't be relied on as absolute proof of the sync speed.

ROFL

I'm on an ECI cab and with the current problem on my line, the ECI modem I have syncs at 44 Mbps, the HG612 syncs at just under 50 Mbps and the Billion 8800NL I bought back in May at just over 52 Mbps.

He was a genuine Openreach engineer as well not a Kelly or Quinn subby.

Basically be was too lazy to walk 300 metres down to the PCP to check the connections. Anyway I have another engineer visit next week and this time I've been assured that the line is going to be properly checked from PCP to DP.

In reply to a post by IranianGiraffe:

In reply to a post by Mark07:

Just ordered myself a HG612 for this very reason, hopefully it doesn't make things worse being on an ECI cab..

I'm on an ECI cab and had a ECI modem but then changed it to my unlocked HG612 and I actually synced higher than the ECI modem. Others have said it's the other way around. Again I was on interleaving with my ECI and when I changed modem it went to fastpath (and been on since apart from when the line went faulty) again though others have reported the opposite so there doesn't seem to be a definate answer.
For me though it was better.

Thanks for that, hopefully it works better for me, looking forward to being able to access line stats finally!