BT�s calculator for Up-to-24 Mbps....

I still haven�t regraded from Max to Up-to-24 Mbps ADSL2+ Broadband. There was the cost of buying a new Netgear router to add to my collection but, more importantly, I failed to hear the anticipated cries of ecstacy. If there has been that same sense of WOW! that followed the introduction of Max I've been reading the wrong posts.

Anyway, in what seemed an endless run up to IDNet�s introduction of the new product I estimated my speeds here:

http://www2.farina1.com/adsl/

I�ve repeated the test, based on my stats, and the calculator states:

Line Speed: 20,000 kbps
Maximum IP throughput: 17699 kbps

I�ve just come across this BT tester:

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProduc...

It issued these results for my line:

We have tested your line and can confirm your line supports the UK's most complete broadband package, BT Total Broadband. We estimate your current maximum connection speed to be 8.0Mbps.
Our faster broadband service offering up to 20Mb will be available to you between 30-November-2009 and end of May 2010, we estimate your maximum connection speed will increase to 10.0Mbps.

The results based on postcode were (even) less exciting.

I don�t think I�d bother to make any changes to my stable connection for a slight increment on what are, for the most part, very good speeds.

Or would I? What sort of change has the new product made to your speeds? In particular, I�d be interested to know what somebody with an ADSL MAX speed range of in excess of 7 mbps to 6 mbps is getting on Up-to-24 Mbps ADSL2+

Edited by ARD (Wed 26-Aug-09 15:53:45)

I was getting close to full speed on ADSL Max, can't remember the exact figure.

Andrew's farina page gave me an estimate of around 17,000kbps, one of the IDNet pages (this one, I think) gave me a figure of around 12,500 - 13,000kbps. The BT tester wasn't around at the time iirc.

I'm currently sync'd at 13,145kbps... hth.

Thanks, Bill. I can't find the IDNet calculator, which I'd be inclined to trust. What does the BT calculator say you "ought" to get?

In reply to a post by ARD:

I can't find the IDNet calculator, which I'd be inclined to trust.

It isn't a calculator as such, it simply tells you what speed you might get if you upgrade... thinking about it, I probably had to be logged in to my account page somewhere... I've had a look around but now I have upgraded I don't suppose the estimate will appear anyway

What does the BT calculator say you "ought" to get?

Great news, our even faster broadband service offering up to 20Mb is available in your area! We estimate your maximum connection speed to be 11.0Mbps (Megabits per second) which means your telephone line supports the UK's most complete broadband package, BT Total Broadband.

It was a bit pessimistic about the ADSL Max estimate too!

So you get better than BT suggest but only by about 2 mbps. They only indicate 8 mbps for me with 10 mbps later so I might see 12 mbps. Sound reasonable?

In reply to a post by ARD:

So you get better than BT suggest but only by about 2 mbps. They only indicate 8 mbps for me with 10 mbps later so I might see 12 mbps. Sound reasonable?

It sounds reasonable... but you know what ADSL of any flavour is like- the only way you'll ever know what speed you'll get is by hooking it up and seeing what speed you get .

I gather it can depend on the router too- apart from a few router/MSAN incompatibilites, some routers just seem to sync faster than others. You should be able to get more info on that over on IDNetters.

Zen had some info on this, hence when they do launch their adsl2+ products, the speed will be upto 20Mbps.

I'm getting a profile of 7 - 7.15Mbps on adslmax at present and i believe the farina site said i should get around 18Mbps on my line which is around 450metres long. However if i remember rightly the Idnet/BT checker said something like a max of 11Mbps.

From what i gather though on Zen trials, it was extremely rare for anyone to get over 20Mbps, so they've altered their marketing strategy to reflect this.

It's perhaps worth pointing out that a move to WBC from Max is irrevocable. BT will not move users back to a DSLAM, all they do is profile the connection to look like Max. So, if you do get router issues, there's no going back, even if you migrate to another ISP (other than LLU).

I got what I expected from WBC, a slight increase in downstream speed (500k), a larger increase in upstream speed - though the latter seems less robust than a Max premium service.

WBC seems more sensitive to line conditions, so I re-sync more frequently than on Max. Currently, there are throughput issues affecting a handful of users, but BT seem to be gradually resolving them - presumably they are under pressure to do so from their own impending launch.

Indeed. That's one of the reasons I haven't forged ahead. I don't need the extra download allowance. 99 % of the time my line is stable with good download speeds. In time, I'll invest in the Netgear router supplied by IDNet but I think the big leap can wait until 2010.

My IP profile is consistent at 7150 kbps. However my line more than twice as long as yours. There's a big difference between 18 and 11 mbps. (17 and 8 mbps in my case.) I'll probably leave well alone until next year. What about you?