How do I obtain an accurate estimate of download speeds

I keep being offered a fibre connection with speeds of 13Mb to 25Mb as a download estimation. As I get 9Mb download on ADSL2+ at the moment; the estimated speed on fibre doesn't look like the '5 times faster' of the advertisements. An increase to 13Mb doesn't really justify the cost; even to 25Mb isn't brilliant. Before I make any decision, I'd like to be able to pin down a better estimate of achievable speeds. Any ideas, or is it the usual case of 'you get what the lines capable of once it's installed' ?

"'you get what the lines capable of once it's installed" is true

And if using https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/main.html and the address option then you should be within the range.

GIven a postcode it is possible to check if the range seems reasonable.

The five times faster of the adverts will be a qualified figure across the providers whole population of users, and not be referring to you as an individual.

As Andrew has said, your operational speed is particularly dependent on your phone line.

The speed (really RATE as it is measured in BITS per Second) that you are getting on ADSL2+ suggests that you are some distance from your Phone Exchange, which is the major limiting factor on the ADSL services.

Generally, it is impossible to shorten that distance, so you need to concentrate on the quality, ie have you carried out the free Quiet Line Testing and followed through, particularly ensuring that the phone wiring and connected equipment in your house, can cause reductions in that so-called speed?

If you can improve the performance for ADSL, this will also have beneficial effects on FTTC, although VDSL (high Speed Broadband) uses only the last section of the phone line from the PCP (existing green cabinet) to your house, plus a short additional new length from the new FTTC/VDSL source.

This is assuming that your line is not an EO (Exchange Only) line.

Your answer doesn't really relate to my question.
I am some distance (1.4km) from the exchange , and the cabinet is about 500m from my house. The internal cabling for the house was installed by openreach last year - no joints, no extensions.Therefore, there is nothing that I can do to improve my connection.
I am fairly sure that it is not impossible for a more accurate estimation of the likely rate/speed of a fibre connection to my house to be given. This would enable me to assess the benefit of upgrading ie the current estimation of connection rate is 13-25Mb. As I currently can obtain 9Mb on ADSL2+; a gain of 4Mb is not worth paying the extra fee for; whereas a gain of 16Mb would be.
Having to commit to a contract without a firm benefit being in place does not appeal to me, especially as the fee payable is the same whatever is provided.

Edited by PeeBee (Fri 28-Aug-15 17:03:23)

sometimes the checkers are not accurate. The main point to note is you are 500m from the cabinet and that is the distance you want to work from. When I look at that 500m rage on my estate I get a speed of between 27M to 53M from the checkers. If I was in your house I would be upgrading to FTTC assuming I could get the 40M service at full speed..

In reply to a post by iand:

If I was in your house I would be upgrading to FTTC assuming I could get the 40M service at full speed..

That's the point - I want a more accurate indication of speed/rate than assuming anything; better still, an opt out with no penalties if the rate is no major improvement - ha.

Subject to what others may say I would have thought that taking into account the distance you mention you should be able to get a higher speed than 9 Mbps on ADSL2 depending on router and line quality etc. Assuming the router is on 24/7 and the speed test is not done at peak times.
Would you care to try again on Sunday morning before 10am?

I had a better service than you, on ADSL2+; and so like yourself did not really need to upgrade in terms of my usage.

Although the FTTC cabinet is only 10 M from my front door, including the Exchange side of the phone wiring from the Exchange; and the PCP is about 50 M fuerther on, my original phone line takes 250 M to get to my door.

Add to that that although the FTTC is about 40 M from the PCP, the links first go 5 M away from the PCP and nearer to my door(!) then turn back so that the simple link distance is about 50 M, giving a total of 300 M to get to the door, having been as close as 5 M.

Convoluted.

However, I decided to upgrade to 40/10, to effectively have a working slot in the FTTC, thinking that many others in the vicinity would also upgrade - but at presnt, only 96 of the 288 slots in the FTTC have Filter/Links in place, so basically relatively few have upgraded.


On the 40/10 feed, I actually get about 36/9 - on a good quality line. Very Occasionally it will swing up to 45 and higher.

eckiedoo. You have a lot of info about your line, I would expect that TalkTalk would have access to this info about my line - so why not give a more defined expectation of rate.

Have you looked here? A little way down the page shows a chart of what you should be able to expect.

Edited by jorkila (Fri 28-Aug-15 23:10:03)

I upgraded from Adsl2+ i was getting 20 meg on that , So i decided to try the full 80/20 Fibre service,
Plusnet said i would get around 53 Meg but i got got 64 Meg ( Brand New Cabinet ) from day one, then nearly 10 days later speed dropped to 54 Meg.
I was still in my cooling off period ( 14 Days ) so i rang plusnet and they dropped the speed down to a 38/20 product. plusnet where really very good about and i saved some money in the long run.
I get the Full 38 Meg download speed

Edited by deleted (Sat 29-Aug-15 00:21:44)

Most of my knowledge of my own line's location, condition etc, is informally gained by observation over 43 years; and problems occurring up to and including the days of dial-up.

This was assisted by my line being on the "Red Card" 24*365 Repair level for about 33 years; and by my having taken the same courses as the "Telephone Boys" of the period, although I have never worked for a Telephone organisation, company etc.

Those courses were the only ones available back then, that approximated/came close to being what I and my colleagues required.

I doubt whether BT-OR keep records down to that level of detail, so difficult if not impossible for Talk-Talk and other ISPs including BT to be any more accurate, technically.

Sorry but you are not going to get any better indications. It is going to have to be an order and try the service or not. It will in the end be your choice.


You can look at ("fttc line speed by length" using google.co.uk), which may help you decide.

http://www.increasebroadbandspeed.co.uk/2013/chart-b...

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5161-how-fast-wil...

You may very well be 1.4 km from the exchange as the crow flies but if your 9 Meg ADSL2+ speed is optimum then your line length to exchange is more like 3 km. Post your full current router stats to see if you can get faster from ADSL2+ and therefore less benefit from the FTTC estimated increase.

Fibre is cheap these days with packages from £10. Add in cashback and vouchers and you can end up having it free for a year. Even if the download isn't much better your upload should still make it worthwhile.

I was estimated 25Mb at most when I ordered TT fibre 40/2. But I sync at the full rate and get 38Mb using an ethernet cable. But on the [censored] supplied wireless router I can only get the estimated speed of 25Mb.

Edited by Fenris (Tue 01-Sep-15 13:02:34)