Is LLU better?

For most of 2009 I had an ISP with a LLU service (AOL) and download speeds of between 3.6 and 3.9 Mbps after installing an i-plate. (All tests done with tbb meter). In Oct I changed to an ISP not with LLU (IDnet). My speeds dropped but stabilised at 3.0 to 3.2. I recently checked and found that I was now down to 1.8 or less. In that period my local exchange has installed ADSL2+ but I have not upgraded as checks indicated I would gain very little. Apart from Windows, Firefox and AVG free updates nothing has been changed on the computer.
I checked all connections etc. with no effect. On the advice of my ISP I connected to the test socket for 72 hours with no change. They could offer no more advice.
I am now tempted to switch back to my old ISP in the hope of getting my old speed back but wonder if the problem may be elsewhere. Any comments would be appreciated. I do have a lot more statistics on router & BT tests.

Always!

Post router stats & BT tester.

I assume you are using a BT IPStream-based product from IDNet, e.g. maxDSL with its terrible IP Profile system. You can probably squeeze more out of your line with LLU, though the overall throughput will also depend on other things, too, such as your ISPs backhaul network,

LLU will nearly always be better than a BT-based system, but although your experience of AOL may have been satisfactory it doesn't have the best reputation.

Why did you leave AOL, and what others are available to you? A link to what samknows says about your exchange would be good, as well as the line stats and full BT speed test results you have been asked for.

Router is Netgear 834g v3 with wireless disabled.

Router Stats. (current), do not have historical.
Connect. Speed - Down 1824 Up 448 (previous down was 3872Kbps)
Line Attenuation - Down 49db Up 15.5
Noise margin - Down 11db up 21

BT stats.
Configured download throughput speed was 3744 now 2000
Dsl was 3264 now 1824
IP profile 2500 now 1500
Acceptable range was 600-7150 and is now 400-2000
Test socket figures were no different

Windows XP, Firefox, AVG 9.0 free,

Thanks for your comments.

I left AOL mainly to get away from the continuous credit card payment system over which I appeared to have no control. I had otherwise found them fine as long as you did not need technical help ( they only took 17 minutes to send my MAC)

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/WWCAMB

Stats have been posted.

Ummm .

Return to AOL, if that was your only objection. They take Direct Debit as well. Both my daughters are with them on LLU. They get full 8 Meg. They pay by DD and have had no unauthorized charges.

Orange LLU is similar. Fine fast BB but lacking Tech. Support.

An 11dB margin is a symptom of an unstable line. Get it syncing with a 6dB margin, and you'll be a lot closer to 3700kbps again. Do you have a lot of phone extensions, and is your router connected to an extension ?

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

Always!

Post router stats & BT tester.

Tiscali?

LLU will nearly always be better and/or cheaper but there's a couple of bad apples around from time to time. It's also worth nothing that non-LLU isn't always bad. It can be quite reasonable with a good ISP.

Edited by Andrue (Sun 20-Dec-09 09:38:46)