So are you saying my SN Margin aren't too high/ I needn't worry about them?

Also with regard to choosing ISPs would it be wise to go for O2, and if I don't like them within the 30 days trial period switch to BT Infinity.
Also would it be possible, if BT Infinity was bad, to downgrade to BT Total Broadband (ADSL) for free.

P.S You work for Sky, needless I say more ?

Edited by deleted (Thu 01-Mar-12 22:02:46)

In reply to a post by cosmicflame1:

So are you saying my SN Margin aren't too high/ I needn't worry about them?

Also with regard to choosing ISPs would it be wise to go for O2, and if I don't like them within the 30 days trial period switch to BT Infinity.
Also would it be possible, if BT Infinity was bad, to downgrade to BT Total Broadband (ADSL) for free.

P.S You work for Sky, needless I say more ?

Well yes and no, Do you know if FTTC is coming to your area, and if so, when?

Probably not, worth checking the fine print, most companies allow you to go up a package whilst still under contract, but not down.

With regards to downgrading, if the service on Infinity is poor then the service on ADSL (in theory) will be even worse.

And yeah, I do work for Sky, but if it helps, I hate it and am looking for another job! but their broadband is actually not bad, I've been a customer since way before i started working for them, only difference now is that I don't pay for it!

New service provider will manage the line differently, so the fact they were high previously is nothing to worry about

And also you say my connection was capped. Do you mean capped by traffic management or something else?

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

New service provider will manage the line differently, so the fact they were high previously is nothing to worry about

But it's the same provider, O2.
Or do you mean instead of going to O2 if I go to, for example, BE, they'll manage it differently?
Either way that's great, thanks.

Traffic management never caps the line speeds, so it was not traffic management

In reply to a post by cosmicflame1:

And also you say my connection was capped. Do you mean capped by traffic management or something else?

A lot of provider implement DLM, which is constantly testing the line and checking for disconnection's. If it see's you are always disconnecting (even if it's just you turning off the router) it will slow your speed down to try and achieve a more stable line.

I'm massively oversimplifying things here, but that's it in a nutshell.

I am only speaking for Sky broadband here, but when it is connecting, the DLM starts you speed off low and slowly steps it up over the course of ten days until it finds a good balance of speed and reliability. During this time it is a really good idea to keep the router plugged it and connected to the network.

The best advice I could give you is to pick a provider based on all the previous advice and once you have one, plug the router into the master socket and leave it switched on for the first 2 weeks. Check out the stats then and if the sync speed is too low or the SNR is too high then get on your providers back. If it's all OK, then you live happily ever after!

Edited by connormill (Thu 01-Mar-12 22:21:39)

Even if you go to O2 you can if you talk to support get things changed.

Not slight intended, but given the questions you ask us, I can imagine you not getting very far with support lines

To be honest I haven't put this forward to support (I assume you mean phoning them?) but I have phoned O2 on other matters and they're very nice and UK based, not like Virgin's foreign centres, ugh.

Also, (not intending to insult your intelligence) but are you sure I can phone O2 about my SN Margins and get them sorted? Because I read (http://community.plus.net/blog/2007/10/05/snr-margins-what-and-why/) that changing them is a very complicated matter.

Also, off topic but does BE have a trial period like O2? Because this trial period is the only reason I'm swaying towards O2, I can't seem to find one in BE but it might be in the fine print?

In reply to a post by connormill:

In reply to a post by cosmicflame1:

And also you say my connection was capped. Do you mean capped by traffic management or something else?

A lot of provider implement DLM, which is constantly testing the line and checking for disconnection's. If it see's you are always disconnecting (even if it's just you turning off the router) it will slow your speed down to try and achieve a more stable line.

I'm massively oversimplifying things here, but that's it in a nutshell.

Firstly, thanks for simplifying, I have a headache lol.

Secondly, this might be the cause of the levels being too high since I kept on restarting my O2 Wireless Box as it seemed to fix the problems whenever I did have slow speeds lol. I'll be sure not to do that too often from now on.