ADSLMax, Technical Help anyone

Hope someone can help.
PC running XPHome SP2 fully updated, ZA Pro, AVG antivirus. ISP Virgin.
Using a Netgear DG834 Router/Modem fully updated firmware.
I was upgraded to ADSLMax on the 17th May from Virgins 2Mbps service.I have
rebooted the router every day since then.My Upload speed increased
immediately to 400+Kbps but my Download speed as confirmed by the BT
Speedtest site has not increased and varies between 1850 and 1960 kbps.
I have been told by Virgin that as the BT Speedtest results, which they have
viewed, are greater that 400kbps Download BT do not consider this is a
fault.
Is there anything I can do????
The exchange is 500m away, neighbours on different ISP's are downloading in
excess of 6000kbps. Every site I have been on that checks your telephone
line says I should be able to get a service in excess of 6000kbps, but
although the Router connects at 8128kbps downloads are no better than they
were on the "Mbps service.
The Modem is plugged into the master socket via a filter and I have tried
plugged into the Master Socket internal socket without any change.

System Up Time 27:29:23
Port Status TxPkts RxPkts Collisions Tx B/s Rx B/s Up Time
WAN PPPoA 3086457 2556468 0 15337 24575 27:29:03
LAN 10M/100M 2563902 3091781 0 24929 16013 27:29:19


ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 8128 kbps 448 kbps
Line Attenuation 26 db 7 db
Noise Margin 10 db 27 db


--
Paul Woodsford
Remove NOSPAM to reply.

On Sat, 8 Jul 2006, Paul Woodsford wrote:

....
> rebooted the router every day since then.My Upload speed increased
> immediately to 400+Kbps but my Download speed as confirmed by the BT
> Speedtest site has not increased and varies between 1850 and 1960
> kbps.

Much the same as I was seeing for several months after I had been
Max-ed (Plusnet trial).

> I have been told by Virgin that as the BT Speedtest results, which
> they have viewed, are greater that 400kbps Download BT do not
> consider this is a fault.

That's correct. It does not count as a "fault" as such, by their
criteria.

Nevertheless, there may be an inappropriate setting somewhere. My
hunch would be your BRAS setting in the BT system...

If you don't know what BRAS means, then do a bit of homework, it's
been discussed here often enough.

Plusnet users can see this value (although it's described somewhat
obscurely) on their connection details menu for the account. Do
Virgin give you any opportunity to see yours?

> The exchange is 500m away, neighbours on different ISP's are
> downloading in excess of 6000kbps. Every site I have been on that
> checks your telephone line says I should be able to get a service in
> excess of 6000kbps, but although the Router connects at 8128kbps
> downloads are no better than they were on the "Mbps service.

After a considerable time (months), my setting went up, and then the
download speeds also went up. Unless your system is well tuned,
though, the results you get from the online speed testers may not be
the whole story. For example I get significantly higher throughput
reported when I'm using Linux than when I'm using Win/XP, but neither
of the figures reach the reported 5M BRAS rate, which in turn is less
than my just-under-6M raw DSL line speed. Under linux I did just once
see a speed of 3979. Figures between 2 and 3M are quite common.

> The Modem is plugged into the master socket via a filter and I have
> tried plugged into the Master Socket internal socket without any
> change.

Your numbers indicate that you're fretting about the wrong part of the
system. You've got a perfectly fine raw line speed and noise margin
in that report, no worries about your filter, master socket etc.
Unless you're hampered by inadequate speed capability in your own
system, you really need to know what BRAS setting you're getting from
BT to be able to pin down where the bottleneck is located.

If it's anything like I was experiencing, then it seems possible that
your BRAS isn't being properly updated to match your raw line speed.
Which is what I suspected was happening to me during the first few
months, but - as I say - the problem just seemed to go away at one
point in time, without any particular effort from me, and the BRAS
setting is now reported as 5000k (sometimes 5500k).

BT do seem to have bitten off a bit more than they can chew with these
max upgrades, there have been too many reported glitches and unhappy
users, but it should settle down in time I think. I'd say be grateful
that you have a stable connection at all, even if it's a bit slower
than you hoped. You *could* have been left with a connection that was
going up and down like the proverbial.

regards

Alan J. Flavell wrote:


> If you don't know what BRAS means, then do a bit of homework, it's
> been discussed here often enough.
>
> Plusnet users can see this value (although it's described somewhat
> obscurely) on their connection details menu for the account.

As what Alan?

I go through all the (very confusing) Plusnet options and can't find it?

Mike

Alan J. Flavell wrote:

>
> If you don't know what BRAS means, then do a bit of homework, it's
> been discussed here often enough.
>
> Plusnet users can see this value (although it's described somewhat
> obscurely) on their connection details menu for the account.

Described as what Alan?

I've been through all of (confusing),Plusnet options and can't find it

Mike

"Paul Woodsford" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:GbQrg.5300$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hope someone can help.
> PC running XPHome SP2 fully updated, ZA Pro, AVG antivirus. ISP Virgin.
> Using a Netgear DG834 Router/Modem fully updated firmware.
> I was upgraded to ADSLMax on the 17th May from Virgins 2Mbps service.I
> have rebooted the router every day since then.My Upload speed increased
> immediately to 400+Kbps but my Download speed as confirmed by the BT
> Speedtest site has not increased and varies between 1850 and 1960 kbps.
> I have been told by Virgin that as the BT Speedtest results, which they
> have viewed, are greater that 400kbps Download BT do not consider this is
> a fault.
> Is there anything I can do????
> The exchange is 500m away, neighbours on different ISP's are downloading
> in excess of 6000kbps. Every site I have been on that checks your
> telephone line says I should be able to get a service in excess of
> 6000kbps, but although the Router connects at 8128kbps downloads are no
> better than they were on the "Mbps service.
> The Modem is plugged into the master socket via a filter and I have tried
> plugged into the Master Socket internal socket without any change.
>
> System Up Time 27:29:23
> Port Status TxPkts RxPkts Collisions Tx B/s Rx B/s Up Time
> WAN PPPoA 3086457 2556468 0 15337 24575 27:29:03
> LAN 10M/100M 2563902 3091781 0 24929 16013 27:29:19
>
>
> ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
> Connection Speed 8128 kbps 448 kbps
> Line Attenuation 26 db 7 db
> Noise Margin 10 db 27 db
>
>
> --
> Paul Woodsford
> Remove NOSPAM to reply.
>

Rebooting the system every day is not going to help ?

On Sat, 8 Jul 2006, m wrote:

> Alan J. Flavell wrote:
>
> > If you don't know what BRAS means, then do a bit of homework, it's been
> > discussed here often enough.
> >
> > Plusnet users can see this value (although it's described somewhat
> > obscurely) on their connection details menu for the account.
>
> Described as what Alan?

*If* you're a Plusnet customer *and* you're on BT Adslmax, then your
"connection settings" page should include an icon called "High Speed
Broadband", which will link to your account's URL:
https://portal.plus.net/my.html?action=stable_rate [1]

On this page, Plusnet tells you what BRAS setting they have been
notified by BT. For some reason they don't actually mention BRAS,
and, worse, the URL has been misinterpreted by many users as referring
to the "max stable rate", which is wrong.

You may find that this page from A&A explains the situation better:
http://aaisp.net.uk/maxmagic.html - note the distinction between MSR
and BRAS. BRAS varies over time, as a function of your raw DSL line
speed, and is used to throttle your IP throughput rate: MSR is fixed
after your initial training period (10 days) and used only to
determine whether you have subsequently developed a line fault.
AFAIK and YMMV.

With respect, this has all been posted before: a bit of research in
the archives (goo-groups or whatever you use) could bring rewards.

toodlepip

[1] NB: it seems a number of Plusnet users who either hadn't been
Max-ed yet, or who *had* been LLU-ed, went to that URL and couldn't
understand what they found. The results will AFAIK only be meaningful
if you're on BT ADSLmax.

"Christopher" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:aIOdndsjJ7L-(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Paul Woodsford" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:GbQrg.5300$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Hope someone can help.
>> PC running XPHome SP2 fully updated, ZA Pro, AVG antivirus. ISP Virgin.
>> Using a Netgear DG834 Router/Modem fully updated firmware.
>> I was upgraded to ADSLMax on the 17th May from Virgins 2Mbps service.I
>> have rebooted the router every day since then.My Upload speed increased
>> immediately to 400+Kbps but my Download speed as confirmed by the BT
>> Speedtest site has not increased and varies between 1850 and 1960 kbps.
>> I have been told by Virgin that as the BT Speedtest results, which they
>> have viewed, are greater that 400kbps Download BT do not consider this
>> is a fault.
>> Is there anything I can do????
>> The exchange is 500m away, neighbours on different ISP's are downloading
>> in excess of 6000kbps. Every site I have been on that checks your
>> telephone line says I should be able to get a service in excess of
>> 6000kbps, but although the Router connects at 8128kbps downloads are no
>> better than they were on the "Mbps service.
>> The Modem is plugged into the master socket via a filter and I have tried
>> plugged into the Master Socket internal socket without any change.
>>
>> System Up Time 27:29:23
>> Port Status TxPkts RxPkts Collisions Tx B/s Rx B/s Up Time
>> WAN PPPoA 3086457 2556468 0 15337 24575 27:29:03
>> LAN 10M/100M 2563902 3091781 0 24929 16013 27:29:19
>>
>>
>> ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
>> Connection Speed 8128 kbps 448 kbps
>> Line Attenuation 26 db 7 db
>> Noise Margin 10 db 27 db
>>
>>
>> --
>> Paul Woodsford
>> Remove NOSPAM to reply.
>>
>
> Rebooting the system every day is not going to help ?
>

Thanks for all the info. You have confirmed what I suspected, That this is a
BT problem rather than my hardware, line or Virgin.
Oh well I'll just have to wait and see what transpires.

--
Paul Woodsford
Remove NOSPAM to reply.

On Sat, 08 Jul 2006 19:03:10 GMT, "Paul Woodsford"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>"Christopher" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:aIOdndsjJ7L-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>> "Paul Woodsford" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:GbQrg.5300$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> Hope someone can help.
>>> PC running XPHome SP2 fully updated, ZA Pro, AVG antivirus. ISP Virgin.
>>> Using a Netgear DG834 Router/Modem fully updated firmware.
>>> I was upgraded to ADSLMax on the 17th May from Virgins 2Mbps service.I
>>> have rebooted the router every day since then.My Upload speed increased
>>> immediately to 400+Kbps but my Download speed as confirmed by the BT
>>> Speedtest site has not increased and varies between 1850 and 1960 kbps.
>>> I have been told by Virgin that as the BT Speedtest results, which they
>>> have viewed, are greater that 400kbps Download BT do not consider this
>>> is a fault.
>>> Is there anything I can do????
>>> The exchange is 500m away, neighbours on different ISP's are downloading
>>> in excess of 6000kbps. Every site I have been on that checks your
>>> telephone line says I should be able to get a service in excess of
>>> 6000kbps, but although the Router connects at 8128kbps downloads are no
>>> better than they were on the "Mbps service.
>>> The Modem is plugged into the master socket via a filter and I have tried
>>> plugged into the Master Socket internal socket without any change.
>>>
>>> System Up Time 27:29:23
>>> Port Status TxPkts RxPkts Collisions Tx B/s Rx B/s Up Time
>>> WAN PPPoA 3086457 2556468 0 15337 24575 27:29:03
>>> LAN 10M/100M 2563902 3091781 0 24929 16013 27:29:19
>>>
>>>
>>> ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
>>> Connection Speed 8128 kbps 448 kbps
>>> Line Attenuation 26 db 7 db
>>> Noise Margin 10 db 27 db
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Paul Woodsford
>>> Remove NOSPAM to reply.
>>>
>>
>> Rebooting the system every day is not going to help ?
>>
>
>Thanks for all the info. You have confirmed what I suspected, That this is a
>BT problem rather than my hardware, line or Virgin.
>Oh well I'll just have to wait and see what transpires.

If you have ever tweaked any settings in your network in the past then
this can result in poor throughput speeds.

goto
http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks

run the test - it will advise if the rwin and other setting needs to
be changed.

you will need to download DRTCP to do that.

Improved my win98 machine from stuck at around 3mbs up to 6mbs, and
slight improvement over the already good xp machine.

"Bob L" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Sat, 08 Jul 2006 19:03:10 GMT, "Paul Woodsford"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>"Christopher" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>news:aIOdndsjJ7L-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>
>>> "Paul Woodsford" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>> news:GbQrg.5300$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>> Hope someone can help.
>>>> PC running XPHome SP2 fully updated, ZA Pro, AVG antivirus. ISP Virgin.
>>>> Using a Netgear DG834 Router/Modem fully updated firmware.
>>>> I was upgraded to ADSLMax on the 17th May from Virgins 2Mbps service.I
>>>> have rebooted the router every day since then.My Upload speed increased
>>>> immediately to 400+Kbps but my Download speed as confirmed by the BT
>>>> Speedtest site has not increased and varies between 1850 and 1960 kbps.
>>>> I have been told by Virgin that as the BT Speedtest results, which they
>>>> have viewed, are greater that 400kbps Download BT do not consider this
>>>> is a fault.
>>>> Is there anything I can do????
>>>> The exchange is 500m away, neighbours on different ISP's are
>>>> downloading
>>>> in excess of 6000kbps. Every site I have been on that checks your
>>>> telephone line says I should be able to get a service in excess of
>>>> 6000kbps, but although the Router connects at 8128kbps downloads are no
>>>> better than they were on the "Mbps service.
>>>> The Modem is plugged into the master socket via a filter and I have
>>>> tried
>>>> plugged into the Master Socket internal socket without any change.
>>>>
>>>> System Up Time 27:29:23
>>>> Port Status TxPkts RxPkts Collisions Tx B/s Rx B/s Up Time
>>>> WAN PPPoA 3086457 2556468 0 15337 24575 27:29:03
>>>> LAN 10M/100M 2563902 3091781 0 24929 16013 27:29:19
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
>>>> Connection Speed 8128 kbps 448 kbps
>>>> Line Attenuation 26 db 7 db
>>>> Noise Margin 10 db 27 db
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Paul Woodsford
>>>> Remove NOSPAM to reply.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Rebooting the system every day is not going to help ?
>>>
>>
>>Thanks for all the info. You have confirmed what I suspected, That this is
>>a
>>BT problem rather than my hardware, line or Virgin.
>>Oh well I'll just have to wait and see what transpires.
>
> If you have ever tweaked any settings in your network in the past then
> this can result in poor throughput speeds.
>
> goto
> http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks
>
> run the test - it will advise if the rwin and other setting needs to
> be changed.
>
> you will need to download DRTCP to do that.
>
> Improved my win98 machine from stuck at around 3mbs up to 6mbs, and
> slight improvement over the already good xp machine.
>

No change required, my settings were spot on.
Thanks anyway. I believe it is the BRAS setting for this line. Now all I
have to do is convince Virgin to do something about it, but I'm not hopeful.


--
Paul Woodsford
Remove NOSPAM to reply.

Hi Paul,

You will laugh at this but try it first.

try setting the mtu on the router to either 1478 or 1500 (make sure that you
set your nic card up to the same value though)

I did this as i was getting around 4.5 and im now getting about 7.5 on
average

Lee


"Paul Woodsford" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:GbQrg.5300$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hope someone can help.
> PC running XPHome SP2 fully updated, ZA Pro, AVG antivirus. ISP Virgin.
> Using a Netgear DG834 Router/Modem fully updated firmware.
> I was upgraded to ADSLMax on the 17th May from Virgins 2Mbps service.I
> have rebooted the router every day since then.My Upload speed increased
> immediately to 400+Kbps but my Download speed as confirmed by the BT
> Speedtest site has not increased and varies between 1850 and 1960 kbps.
> I have been told by Virgin that as the BT Speedtest results, which they
> have viewed, are greater that 400kbps Download BT do not consider this is
> a fault.
> Is there anything I can do????
> The exchange is 500m away, neighbours on different ISP's are downloading
> in excess of 6000kbps. Every site I have been on that checks your
> telephone line says I should be able to get a service in excess of
> 6000kbps, but although the Router connects at 8128kbps downloads are no
> better than they were on the "Mbps service.
> The Modem is plugged into the master socket via a filter and I have tried
> plugged into the Master Socket internal socket without any change.
>
> System Up Time 27:29:23
> Port Status TxPkts RxPkts Collisions Tx B/s Rx B/s Up Time
> WAN PPPoA 3086457 2556468 0 15337 24575 27:29:03
> LAN 10M/100M 2563902 3091781 0 24929 16013 27:29:19
>
>
> ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
> Connection Speed 8128 kbps 448 kbps
> Line Attenuation 26 db 7 db
> Noise Margin 10 db 27 db
>
>
> --
> Paul Woodsford
> Remove NOSPAM to reply.
>