Faster Total Broadband

Please can someone explain something to me. Currently I am about 3.6kms from my local exchange as the road lies, and I get around 4.3/0.9 download and upload speeds via Be. We now have the opportunity, according to the BT checker, to get 'Faster Total Broadband' as the DSLAM box has been installed up the road which is about 1.1kms from me. The speed they are quoting for this service is 2.5/0.9 which is way slower than I am getting already. Surely 1.1kms is not an exceptional distance to be from the DSLAM - is it?

If 1.1km of copper then once 17a (up to 80Meg) is running reckon 20 to 25 Meg should be possible.

Current 8c profile is around 15Meg.

The Openreach checker is under estimating, i.e. the reverse of what the old ADSL checkers would do.

So long as they let you order, then its order and see how you do. BT Infinity i.e. what BT Retail sell, may be refused, but they have a BT Total Option 3 over fibre product that you should be able to order.

This is BT Retail managing the speeds for use in advertising.

Your post is a tad puzzling.

The DSLAM box near your home is a Fibre cabinet for supplying FTTC which BT label as BT Infinity.

What BT used to call "Total Broadband' was their non FTTC offerings. The speeds you quote the checker gave you are also not indicative of FTTC where you would be seeing 30-40 Meg down, 2-10 Meg up.

Where did you see that term? BT no longer use it. Was their checker at http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ ? Please use that one & post results.

Also post your current router stats so we can see what you should be getting.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Wed 15-Feb-12 14:34:46)

Mmm it is possible this is BT pushing its ADSL2+ product I guess, i.e. only just upgraded an exchange where Be has had service for a few years

Thanks for the replies. I have been to the Checker Site you suggested and got this result:



For Telephone Number XXXXXXXXXXX on Exchange XXXXXXXXXX

Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial test on your line indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a fixed line speed up to 1Mbps. However due to the length of your line the 1Mbps service may require an engineer visit who will, where possible, supply the broadband service.


Our test also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL Max broadband line speed of 2.5Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 1.5Mbps and 5Mbps.


Our test also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL2+ broadband line speed of 3Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 2Mbps and 6Mbps. Our test also indicates that your line could support an estimated ADSL 2+ Annex-M broadband upstream line speed of 500Kbps and downstream line speed of 3Mbps; typically the downstream speed would range between 2Mbps and 6Mbps.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a fibre technology with an estimated WBC FTTC Broadband where consumers have received downstream line speed of 2.5Mbps and upstream line speed of 900Kbps.

The actual stable line speed supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use. This speed may change over time, to ensure line stability is maintained.

If you decide to place an order, a further test will be performed to confirm if your line is suitable for the service you wish to purchase.

Thank you for your interest.


Please note that postcode and address check results are indicative only. Most accurate results can be obtained from a telephone number check.

My current router stats are:

System Up Time 10:36:37
Port Status TxPkts RxPkts Collisions Tx B/s Rx B/s Up Time
WAN Static IP 557451 946333 0 1796 30962 10:35:38

WLAN 11M/54M 698172 445728 0 1742 980 10:36:28


ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 5325 kbps 1144 kbps
Line Attenuation 58.0 db 34.1 db
Noise Margin 3.3 db 3.1 db

Hope this helps to explain what is happening. I would have thought the speed to higher than 2.5!!

Where did you see that term? BT no longer use it.

Which term is that?

Harry

"

As you are estimated at less than 15 Meg on FTTC, BT won't offer you BT Infinity, but something less, which might very well be called "Total BB with Fibre".

Edited by XRaySpeX (Wed 15-Feb-12 17:07:23)

So is Option 3 the same deal as 'Faster Total Broadband' which is what their checker was quoting?

Catch 22. If I take a chance with BT and find that the 2.5 quote was fairly accurate then I'm locked in to them for 18 months whereas if I stay with Be (with whom I'm more than satisfied with) then I will get my current speed of around 4.3. But then maybe BT's quote is being pessimistic and I could get an improvement on my speed.

I would imagine that if the line would support speeds higher than 2.5 then I would be getting whatever speed the line could sustain, but is there a cap on the speed under Option 3?

In reply to a post by Fumbledore:

'Faster Total Broadband' which is what their checker was quoting?

As I said, I don't think they use this term anymore, so I'd be interested in knowing which checker you saw it
OK, I can guess where you saw it; the checker on the BT.com retail site.

The BT quote is highly likely to be a large underestimate, but even if it wasn't you can always switch within BT to ADSL BB and get same technology, ADSL2+, and speeds as Be.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Wed 15-Feb-12 15:49:29)

You need to be careful when ordering

As if you phone up and order BT Total Option 3 they will connect you on ADSL2+

You need to go through the paces of trying to order Infinity, and then when it says no to infinity, it will offer you something that has 'with fibre' or similar phrase after the product name.

"Broadband with Fibre" seems to be the name.

Have asked @BTCare on twitter

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

"

?

Harry