Conflicting upgrade ADSL advice

Hello

I'm a ClaraNET ADSL 512K customer at the moment. Due to bandwidth envy (10MB
this, 24MB that) and everyone at work crowing about their NTL speeds, I
thought I'd look at getting a speed bump from Clara or someone else.

I have two telephone lines in the house, the original line, and my ADSL line.
I had the second line put in before ADSL was available so that the computer
would have a separate line for its squawk box.

Anyway, ClaraNET tell me that the best I could get on my current ADSL line is
the 512K I'm currently getting. Putting the same phone number into other
providers checking systems, Wanadoo, Pipex, Demon etc. all confirm that 512K
is the maximum.

My normal house line shows as 1Mbps capable in every checker I've tried it
in. This leads me to two questions I guess.

1) Does the line being ADSL enabled already influence the results of the BT
Phone number checker thing and
2) What's the chances of the original line being better than the second? When
the second line was installed, they just coupled up an extra pair and ran to
a master socket.

These are the numbers from my engineer installed, faceplate filter equipped
current ADSL line (according to Zoom ADSL modem):

Elapsed Time:
6 days 22 hours 38 minutes 7 seconds

SNR Margin dB: 31.9 Down, 26.0 up
Line Atten dB: 53.9 Down, 31.5 up
Errord Sec : 35 Down, 2 up
CRC Errors : 6 Down, 0 up

Thanks!

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On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 19:38:48 +0100, Gary <postmaster@127.0.0.1> wrote:

>SNR Margin dB: 31.9 Down, 26.0 up
>Line Atten dB: 53.9 Down, 31.5 up
>Errord Sec : 35 Down, 2 up
>CRC Errors : 6 Down, 0 up

that should do 1M as its within the 60 dB BT limit and has oodles of
SNR Margin.

If the checker at www.bt.com/broadband says 1M is available then you
should be able to order it. If not, change ISP.

I didn't realise anyone used Claranet for ADSL, given their prices.

Phil
--
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices, see
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=tiscali

AOL - the unlimited ISP of choice for heavy downloaders.

On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 23:09:53 +0100, Phil Thompson wrote
(in article <(E-Mail Removed)>):

> On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 19:38:48 +0100, Gary <postmaster@127.0.0.1> wrote:
>
>> SNR Margin dB: 31.9 Down, 26.0 up
>> Line Atten dB: 53.9 Down, 31.5 up
>> Errord Sec : 35 Down, 2 up
>> CRC Errors : 6 Down, 0 up
>
> that should do 1M as its within the 60 dB BT limit and has oodles of
> SNR Margin.
>
> If the checker at www.bt.com/broadband says 1M is available then you
> should be able to order it. If not, change ISP.
>
> I didn't realise anyone used Claranet for ADSL, given their prices.
>
> Phil
>

I've been a ClaraNET customer for nearly 10 years, first with POTS, then ISDN
and finally ADSL. I'm mainly still there to keep my static IP address.

The BT website says this about my existing line (figures above):

"Your exchange has ADSL broadband.

Our initial test indicates that it is VERY UNLIKELY you will be able to
receive 512Kbps or 256Kbps broadband service due to the very long length of
your telephone line. However, your order will be accepted if you still wish
to order. An engineer may need to visit who will, where possible, supply the
broadband service. It is currently not possible to provide the 1Mbps or 2Mbps
ADSL broadband services."

And on my other house line:

"Your exchange has ADSL broadband.

Our initial test on your line indicates that you may be able to have an ADSL
broadband service that provides 1Mbps, 512Kbps or 256Kbps download speed.
However due to the length of your line the 1Mbps service may require an
engineer visit who will, where possible, supply the broadband service."

So from the same exchange 1Mbps is available, or isn't. What's going on?!

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On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 07:49:23 +0100, Gary <postmaster@127.0.0.1> wrote:

>So from the same exchange 1Mbps is available, or isn't. What's going on?!

<sigh>
virtually all BT Exchanges offer the full range of services from 250
to 2000 kbits/s.

It is *your line* that determines which speed is expected to work, the
longer it is, or the thinner, or the more joints, or the more
aluminium used, the lower the expected speed will be.

The checker is wrong for the line you posted stats for, but right for
the other line. Ask your ISP to get BT to change the number checker
database on the basis of your downstream attenuation (which they can
read via a "woosh test").

If that fails go to the ADSLguide forums and ask there about getting
it changed.

Phil
--
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices, see
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=tiscali

AOL - the unlimited ISP of choice for heavy downloaders.