New Checker limits - no easy pickings at 1Mbps?

I've got a couple of lines I'm interested down (down at Sharpness,
somewhat remote from the exchange at Berkeley, into the same building,
and routed, we are told by BT, by the same route).

Both were predicted to get 512kps before the checker change. Neither is
predicted by the checker as of this morning to be up to getting 1Mbps.

In fact one of the lines is now predicted to VERY UNLIKELY (BT emphasis)
to even get 512/256kps. This is very surprising since 1) this line
carries our BB current service and has a downstream attenuation of 58db
2) this value is also the attenuation that BT gave us when we queried
why it was initially off limits. Today's checker code corresponds to
greater than 75 db attenuation (!), I'm reliably informed.

Conclusions
1) BT have probably reintroduced errors into the tables that had been
got rid of prior to the change and
2) the old 512kbps limit of '6km/60db', and the new 1Mbps limit, though
nominally the same, aren't - with a tighter criterion in fact being used
for the 1Mbps service (?)
--
robert w hall

On Mon, 06 Sep 2004 12:06:17 +0100, in article
<(E-Mail Removed)> robert w hall
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Conclusions
> 1) BT have probably reintroduced errors into the tables that had been
> got rid of prior to the change and
> 2) the old 512kbps limit of '6km/60db', and the new 1Mbps limit, though
> nominally the same, aren't - with a tighter criterion in fact being used
> for the 1Mbps service (?)

Well one of my neighbours previously had a line that was unsuitable for
512kbps, but today it is showing up as possibly able to support 1Mbps with
engineer assistance. My own line was suitable for 512k before, now it
reports the same as my neighbour, but my loop attenuation of 44dB is far
less than the 60dB limit for 1Mbps. In fact both lines were routed in the
same duct (there is only one running from the exchange in the next
village, about 4.5km line length) and hers is a scant 10m longer than mine.

Personally I think the new checker data is as unreliable as it was before,
but in a different way.

--

Brian Morrison

please observe reply-to address

On Mon, 06 Sep 2004 18:56:49 +0100, Brian Morrison
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Well one of my neighbours previously had a line that was unsuitable for
>512kbps, but today it is showing up as possibly able to support 1Mbps with
>engineer assistance. My own line was suitable for 512k before, now it
>reports the same as my neighbour, but my loop attenuation of 44dB is far
>less than the 60dB limit for 1Mbps. In fact both lines were routed in the
>same duct (there is only one running from the exchange in the next
>village, about 4.5km line length) and hers is a scant 10m longer than mine.

The line checker has been all fun and games recently.

- 6 months ago it said my business address was out of range.
- 2 months ago it said my business address could get 512kb.
- Yesterday it said my business could just about get 512kb.

Surely if we could get 512kbps 2 months ago then now we could get 1mb?
Well it doesn't think so, it actually thinks even 512kbps is
borderline. The frustrating thing is we're about 800m from Sellindge
but several km from Hythe. No prizes for guessing which exchange we
are connected to (both have had ADSL for some time).

My home address has provided even more entertainment.

- 1 year ago it said I was too far for 512kb, even though my neighbour
had it. He had tried to get 1mb and been refused.
- 10 months ago it decided I could get 512kb after all.
- 6 months ago it said I was too far for 512kb (even though I had been
using it for 4 months)
- 3 months ago another neighbour ordered 1mb and got it.
- 2 months ago it said that I already had ADSL and why was I asking!
- Yesterday it said I could get 2mb if I wanted.

>Personally I think the new checker data is as unreliable as it was before,
>but in a different way.

It seems to me to be more like a Chinese fortune cookie than
productive service. I suppose it's better than no information at all
though.