Is Virgin Broadband throttling?

Hi there, I'm in IT but for some reason didn't do my homework when
getting a broadband provider, so I defaulted for Telewest cable
+broadbad 3 years ago (now Virgin).

It was all and well until Virgin took over. I'm seeing they're capping
my connection to 512K (I got the 8MB level) on Saturday nights for
example. I've also noticed very varying speeds during the week
depending on the time of day (not surprisingly, peak hours == less
bandwidth).

So I have 2 questions: 1) is Virgin really as crap as they appear to
be? 2) What are my alternatives (I'm happy to spend upwards of 50quids
on monthly fees)? Of course this time I'm going to do some research,
but since so many of you really seem to be experts at this, I thought
I'd get some advice first!

Thanks in advance!

I'm currently showing 7.18Mbps

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com...
> Hi there, I'm in IT but for some reason didn't do my homework when
> getting a broadband provider, so I defaulted for Telewest cable
> +broadbad 3 years ago (now Virgin).
>
> It was all and well until Virgin took over. I'm seeing they're capping
> my connection to 512K (I got the 8MB level) on Saturday nights for
> example. I've also noticed very varying speeds during the week
> depending on the time of day (not surprisingly, peak hours == less
> bandwidth).
>
> So I have 2 questions: 1) is Virgin really as crap as they appear to
> be? 2) What are my alternatives (I'm happy to spend upwards of 50quids
> on monthly fees)? Of course this time I'm going to do some research,
> but since so many of you really seem to be experts at this, I thought
> I'd get some advice first!
>
> Thanks in advance!
>

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com...
> Hi there, I'm in IT but for some reason didn't do my homework when
> getting a broadband provider, so I defaulted for Telewest cable
> +broadbad 3 years ago (now Virgin).
>
> It was all and well until Virgin took over. I'm seeing they're capping
> my connection to 512K (I got the 8MB level) on Saturday nights for
> example. I've also noticed very varying speeds during the week
> depending on the time of day (not surprisingly, peak hours == less
> bandwidth).
>
> So I have 2 questions: 1) is Virgin really as crap as they appear to
> be? 2) What are my alternatives (I'm happy to spend upwards of 50quids
> on monthly fees)? Of course this time I'm going to do some research,
> but since so many of you really seem to be experts at this, I thought
> I'd get some advice first!
>
> Thanks in advance!
>

At the moment I'm uploading a 80mb file to Twango, downloading a 800mb avi
file and this Speed test site
http://www.tenmeg.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/speedtest.htm shows my connection
running at 6492 kbps.
So what leads you to suspect that it is VirginMedia causing your problems?

XPHome SP2, Netgear DG834G, ADSLMax in South Wales.

If you are using a Netgear 834 series router I would suggest trying this:-
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/showthre...b=5&o=0&fpart=

http://tinyurl.com/2c62rx


--
Woody
Remove NOSPAM to reply.

On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 11:37:22 -0700, in uk.telecom.broadband ,
(E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>It was all and well until Virgin took over.

They didn't - ntl bought the Virgin name.

>I'm seeing they're capping
>my connection to 512K (I got the 8MB level) on Saturday nights for
>example.

if you're on ADSL, they're limiting you to a certain amount per month.
There's no daily capping.

>I've also noticed very varying speeds during the week
>depending on the time of day (not surprisingly, peak hours == less
>bandwidth).

Local congestion either in your exchange or in your local area.

--
Mark McIntyre

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:

> Hi there, I'm in IT but for some reason didn't do my homework when
> getting a broadband provider, so I defaulted for Telewest cable
> +broadbad 3 years ago (now Virgin).
>
> It was all and well until Virgin took over. I'm seeing they're capping
> my connection to 512K (I got the 8MB level) on Saturday nights for
> example. I've also noticed very varying speeds during the week
> depending on the time of day (not surprisingly, peak hours == less
> bandwidth).
>
> So I have 2 questions: 1) is Virgin really as crap as they appear to
> be?

Yes.

> 2) What are my alternatives (I'm happy to spend upwards of 50quids
> on monthly fees)? Of course this time I'm going to do some research,
> but since so many of you really seem to be experts at this, I thought
> I'd get some advice first!

You need a decent reliable (typically not one appealing to the low end consumer
market) ISP. They do exist I use Idnet for example. What's your monthly
download requirement in GB ?

Graham

old man wrote:

> I'm currently showing 7.18Mbps

NTL/Virgin shows huge local/regional variations in service.

Graham

Mark McIntyre wrote:

> (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>
> >It was all and well until Virgin took over.
>
> They didn't - ntl bought the Virgin name.
>
> >I'm seeing they're capping
> >my connection to 512K (I got the 8MB level) on Saturday nights for
> >example.
>
> if you're on ADSL, they're limiting you to a certain amount per month.

Where did that little nugget of info come from ? Your bottom ?

Graahm

"Eeyore" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...

> You need a decent reliable (typically not one appealing to the low end
> consumer
> market) ISP. They do exist I use Idnet for example. What's your monthly
> download requirement in GB ?
>
> Graham
>

And some suggestions from a "Non-Biased" consumer...

Idnet are apparently good but how long is it before eeyore etc be crying
about the service when restrictions are applied (Donkey and Carott)..

"Full of Sh!te" wrote:

> "Eeyore" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote
>
> > You need a decent reliable (typically not one appealing to the low end
> > consumer market) ISP. They do exist I use Idnet for example. What's your
> monthly
> > download requirement in GB ?
>
> And some suggestions from a "Non-Biased" consumer...
>
> Idnet are apparently good but how long is it before eeyore etc be crying
> about the service when restrictions are applied (Donkey and Carott)..

Part of whole raison d'etre of the likes of ISPs like Idnet and Zen is they
provide enough capacity that they have no need to throttle anyone.

They cost a couple of quid a month more to get that level of service.

Also, as they are ISPs that rely heavily on high end commercial customers they
*need* to ensure adequate bandwidth. You don't want to lose the likes of Hewlett
Packard or government departments as customers.

"We guarantee no contention across our network which is presented in London,
Paris and Amsterdam. We achieve this by not oversubscribing our services and
ensuring that bandwidth investment exceeds customer demand."
http://www.idnet.net/about/

What does YOUR ISP say about it's capacity ?

And what do you get for a speed test result here ?
http://www.speedtest.bbmax.co.uk/

Here's mine ..
http://www.speedtest.bbmax.co.uk/res...4472&v=2518779


Graham

On Sun, 14 Oct 2007 09:35:36 UTC, Eeyore
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> And what do you get for a speed test result here ?
> http://www.speedtest.bbmax.co.uk/

Not even going to try. What a load of crap. You need *Flash* to do a
speed test?

--
[ 7'ism - a condition by which the sufferer experiences an inability
to give concise answers, express reasoned argument or opinion.
Usually accompanied by silly noises and gestures - incurable, early
euthanasia recommended. ]