Best Options for Poor Line

Hi all, I could do with some advice...

I'm currently on Entanet with UKFSN using the Home Max 30 package, I guess you'd class me a pretty heavy user I often go over 100gig a month, but I get fairly slow line speeds sub 2 mb, normally around the 1.5 - 1.75 mb mark.

Since Enta has brought in the new off peak hours I've been thinking about moving provider. I'd like to be able to get a faster connection, 1.7 mb is pretty limiting, but due to line length a fact of life. My exchange is O2 and Be Unlimited enabled and their service checkers reckon I could get a 5 mb connection with them, also Virgin Cable is an option.

Currently my line stats are
------------------Downstream Upstream
SNR Margin------- 9.0 dB-------19 dB
Line Attenuation---55.5 dB-----28.5 dB
Latency Interleaved
Upstream 448000
Downstream 2656000
(I think my connection is usually profiled to 1750 because of instability)

With those kind of line stats is it worth me looking at O2 or Be Unlimited, if my line could do it 5 mb would be nice after so long at sub 2mb, or am I better off looking to Virgin if I want a faster connection? (Though I am wary of Virgin because of some of the horror stories I've read about their customer service...)

Any Advice would be much appreciated!

Regards - AndyT

Edited by AndyTGB (Sat 07-Mar-09 02:15:25)

In reply to a post by AndyTGB:

With those kind of line stats is it worth me looking at O2 or Be Unlimited, if my line could do it 5 mb would be nice after so long at sub 2mb, or am I better off looking to Virgin if I want a faster connection?

Be (and therefore O2 LLU as they are one-in-the-same) might not accept your line if it is the wrong side of certain thresholds - go part way through the order process on the Be website and it should tell you before you have to put in any payment details.

If Virgin's cable options are in your area, then that might be the better way to go for you given you have trouble with your BT line, assuming their traffic management (which they seem pretty open about) isn't going to bother you. For anecdotal evidence: I know a few people who are happy with Virgin connections.

Virgin cable is excellent if you know how to play their throttling system

Thanks for the replies guys,

I've been looking into Virgins throttling system and it looks like if I go for the right package even if I go over the download/upload limits and get throttled I'll still be getting a faster connection than my ADSL line can manage.

I'm definitely leaning towards gong with Virgin at the minute...

SNR Margin------- 9.0 dB-------19 dB
Line Attenuation---55.5 dB-----28.5 dB

Almost the same as my line (which gets between 4.4 - 5Mbps from BE - but can drop to around 3.4Mbps when there's a lot of noise about).