Could I be connected to wrong exchange??

Is there anyway I could be connected to exchange??

I am with BT on their maximum package, eg. 8mb. However when doing a speed test I get approx 450kb d/load and 375kb u/load.

I have phoned bt but they claim my connection speed is ok. Doesn't help that I am speaking to someone who struggles to speak the language but that's another gripe!

The reason I ask about being linked to the correct exchange is because when I visit some sites, the usual dating banners always asks if I am looking to date women in glasgow (which I'm not of course) which is about 150 miles away.

I would have thought my connection speed would be good cos the nearest exchange is 5 mins walk from where I live.

Appreciate any help or advice.

If you can find and post your line stats we can get a better idea of how things are. To find out how to get them, have a look here.

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

The reason I ask about being linked to the correct exchange is because when I visit some sites, the usual dating banners always asks if I am looking to date women in glasgow (which I'm not of course) which is about 150 miles away.

Nothing to do with the exchange you're connected to. Just that whatever IP database they are using on the banners isn't very accurate.

My IP must be way out in their DB - I keep getting asked if I want a Russian bride

In reply to a post by kwikbreaks:

My IP must be way out in their DB - I keep getting asked if I want a Russian bride

They just realise you have better taste than the OP.

You can't be connected to the wrong exchange. Whatever one you're attached to is the right one.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

In reply to a post by kwikbreaks:

My IP must be way out in their DB - I keep getting asked if I want a Russian bride

They just realise you have better taste than the OP.

No, there is no chance that you could be connected to the wrong exchange.

There is a slim possibility that you are not connected to the nearest exchange. It happens in rare cases when more than one exchange covers your area. Sometimes BT find it more convenient or the nearest exchange is full. Nothing wrong about it - just normal network topography. In any case it has zero significance from the Internet's point of view. Exchanges are aggregated so if you live outside Glasgow you would likely appear as a Glaswegian anyway since your connection would route through that hub.

In any case the issue you are describing is down to the sites you're visiting. Some sites look your IP address up in a database to determine where you are. It's not totally reliable and some database are plain wrong. They are generally accurate when it comes to country (but not always - CNN thinks my BeThere address is American) but within a country they are pretty useless. Most only record block ranges (ie; 'these ten thousand addresses are in use within the UK').

Most internet users are on dynamic addressing so their IP address potentially changes all the time. An ISP can link an IP address to a physical address by looking in their records (it's a legal requirement) but that information is isn't available publicly. It probably falls under the data protection act so would be illegal to give out.

Edited by Andrue (Mon 23-Mar-09 16:43:07)