2.5GB FTTP

I can get 2.5GB for £20, lot less then I am currently paying. I dont have any equipment that is 2.5GB capable. I have several devices connected and 1GB capable as well as WIFI devices.

My thinking is at busy times, more devices will get better speeds, if the line is 2.5GB then if it was 1GB or is it total twaddle thinking?

In reply to a post by Ahmedg:

My thinking is at busy times, more devices will get better speeds, if the line is 2.5GB then if it was 1GB or is it total twaddle thinking?

It is twaddle thinking unless the incoming router connection is capable of 2.5g and the router is the point at which other devices are connected.

Yes the router will be 2.5GB capable with a lan port that will be 2.5gb and 4 1GB's

Most devices can't even handle 1Gbps.

If you have four devices downloading large files simultaneously, then you might find you can get 4 x 600Mbps instead of 4 x 200Mbps. But how often does this happen in your household? Will you notice the difference? I'd say likely not.

For regular devices doing regular browsing, any speed above 150Mbps is unlikely to give a discernable difference, i.e. a subjective "does it feel any faster"?

If you are doing huge downloads, like big games, then there will be a difference. But the time taken to download a game is still very small compared to the time to play it. To get the benefit, you'll need to optimise your gaming device and network carefully so that it is able to download at 2.5Gbps - and it also depends on the game server being able to supply data to you at that speed. The weakest link in the chain is what determines the overall speed.

FWIW, my personal choice of FTTP package is 300Mbps. This gives about 40MB/sec of download speed. When I download a 2.5GB macOS update, it takes about 1 minute to download - then about 20 minutes to install. So I don't see any benefit in going even to 1G; it would cut the download time to 20 seconds, but still take 20 minutes to install.

Of course, if you can save moiney that'a different matter - £20 per month for any broadband service is very good, whether it be 150Mbps or 1G or 2.5G. You could even still use a 1G router on it, and it would be a good deal.

But be careful about the quality of service, both in terms of the network and customer service, for such a cheap deal, before signing up for a long contract. (I'm presuming this is an altnet? Maybe they use CGNAT, which means sharing a single public IP address between multiple subscribers)

It is a CGNAT ISP, I did end up going for it and was installed in the afternoon as had cancellation.

So far seems great, ookla website reports 600, downloading the Ookla app its 910 virtually every time. I had a panic yesterday as these forums were taking ages but I think that might be isolated issue as everything else was fine.

Its a 30 day contract, so will downgrade to the 1GB if its fine as we are mostly a streaming and browsing household, though give it a try as faster speed and substantial saving over current ISP who were very goid.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

Most devices can't even handle 1Gbps.

When you say devices, do you mean phones, tablets, computers, or domestic routers? 😎

The altnet in my town offers 2.3 Gbps for £40 on a 24 month contract, CGNAT v4, and IPv6. I would go for but for wayleave issues. I have 300 mbps Virgin coax which is a LOT more expensive.

I doubt any new ISP can avoid CGNAT now IPv4 is exhausted.

I had a panic yesterday as these forums were taking ages but I think that might be isolated issue as everything else was fine.

https://forums.thinkbroadband.com/newsite/t/4787625-...

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by candlerb:

Most devices can't even handle 1Gbps.

When you say devices, do you mean phones, tablets, computers, or domestic routers? 😎

Yes

(although domestic routers are usually good for a gigabit)

In reply to a post by candlerb:

(although domestic routers are usually good for a gigabit

I’ve managed 943 Mbps through the NAT on my Asus WiFi 6 router as a test. My LAN is 10GbE enabled, but most of my devices are 2.5 GbE.

943Mbps is exactly the payload speed expected for a 1Gbps ethernet link (i.e. after removing ethernet, IP and TCP overheads)

So it seems very likely that either the WAN or LAN port of that router is running at 1G.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

So it seems very likely that either the WAN or LAN port of that router is running at 1G.

It is labelled at 1G... so good to see the NAT acceleration can handle the full speed.
One day I'll buy a newer router with higher speed ports and WiFi 7; maybe.