Virgin "traffic management"

I'm normally a very light broadband user (just browsing and email), but
today I needed to transfer a bunch of files (roughly 500 Megs) from one
webhost to another against a deadline and found my connection has been
capped at 1 Mbit/s down and 128 kbit/s up because of their new "traffic
management" policy
http://www.virginmedia.com/help/traffic-management.php

I'm not happy. It's practically impossible to know whether your usage is in
the "top 3%" at any time, so effectively this means "no big transfers during
peak hours" - in other words the connection is effectively 1 Mbit/s at peak
times and 4 Mbit/s off peak. That's not what I though I was paying for. I
feel a letter to Oftel coming on.

--
Phil McKerracher
www.mckerracher.net

On 23 Dec 2007, Phil McKerracher wrote

> I'm normally a very light broadband user (just browsing and
> email), but today I needed to transfer a bunch of files (roughly
> 500 Megs) from one webhost to another against a deadline and
> found my connection has been capped at 1 Mbit/s down and 128
> kbit/s up because of their new "traffic management" policy
> http://www.virginmedia.com/help/traffic-management.php
>
> I'm not happy. It's practically impossible to know whether your
> usage is in the "top 3%" at any time, so effectively this means
> "no big transfers during peak hours" - in other words the
> connection is effectively 1 Mbit/s at peak times and 4 Mbit/s
> off peak. That's not what I though I was paying for. I feel a
> letter to Oftel coming on.

Agreed. VM's new traffic management is an incredibly blunt weapon.

ISPs have to manage system abuse, but it's clearly a bit perverse to
define throttle-able usage as "anything over this amount -- ever,
even as a one-off, and regardless of what your monthly usage may be".

It looks like more of a panic measure than a well-thought-out policy.

--
Cheers,
Harvey

Phil McKerracher wrote:
> I'm normally a very light broadband user (just browsing and email),
> but today I needed to transfer a bunch of files (roughly 500 Megs)
> from one webhost to another against a deadline and found my
> connection has been capped at 1 Mbit/s down and 128 kbit/s up because
> of their new "traffic management" policy
> http://www.virginmedia.com/help/traffic-management.php
>
> I'm not happy. It's practically impossible to know whether your usage
> is in the "top 3%" at any time, so effectively this means "no big
> transfers during peak hours" - in other words the connection is
> effectively 1 Mbit/s at peak times and 4 Mbit/s off peak. That's not
> what I though I was paying for. I feel a letter to Oftel coming on.


Try OFCOM, OFTEL is no more.

Have to say though I'd rather have the STM than a hard download limit that
most other ISPs have, for example 40GB per month and that's it.

I'd rather have neither, but there are some who abuse the system.

--
Worried about debt?
http://www.cccs.co.uk

On Dec 23, 10:25*pm, "Phil McKerracher" <p...@mckerracher.org> wrote:

>That's not what I though I was paying for. I feel a letter to Oftel comingon.

It's OFCOM now but or what itºs worth I totally agree with you, you
shouldnºt have to put up with shit like this, especally from cowboys
like Virgin. When it was ntl I left after a week and a half as my
broadband was off for nearly eight hours a day due to what they said
was a power failure in a street cabinet.

Good luck with your fight.

Merry Christmas.

On Dec 23, 10:56*pm, "{{{{{Welcome}}}}}"
<bhx_spam@trapped__hotmail.co.uk> wrote:

> Have to say though I'd rather have the STM than a hard download limit that
> most other ISPs have, for example 40GB per month and that's it.

Sorry Whatºs STM?

Merry Christmas.

Obsidian Order wrote:
> On Dec 23, 10:56 pm, "{{{{{Welcome}}}}}"
> <bhx_spam@trapped__hotmail.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Have to say though I'd rather have the STM than a hard download
>> limit that most other ISPs have, for example 40GB per month and
>> that's it.
>
> Sorry Whatºs STM?
>
> Merry Christmas.


Subscriber Traffic Management

http://stm.brion.me.uk Explains more. As does the link in the OP.

Merry Christmas.

--
Worried about debt?
http://www.cccs.co.uk

In uk.telecom.broadband, on Sun, 23 Dec 2007 22:25:42, Phil McKerracher
wrote:

>I'm normally a very light broadband user (just browsing and email), but
>today I needed to transfer a bunch of files (roughly 500 Megs) from one
>webhost to another against a deadline and found my connection has been
>capped at 1 Mbit/s down and 128 kbit/s up because of their new "traffic
>management" policy
>http://www.virginmedia.com/help/traffic-management.php

Why don't you use an ISP that won't penalise you for occasional peaks?
And no limit whatsoever 'out of office hours'.

Faint clues in headers.

This bleating about capping has been going on for over a year, I'm so
surprised those who could duck and dive haven't done so. Frankly, you
had been warned...

--
Jim Crowther

On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 01:51:35 UTC, Jim Crowther
<Don'(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> In uk.telecom.broadband, on Sun, 23 Dec 2007 22:25:42, Phil McKerracher
> wrote:
>
> >I'm normally a very light broadband user (just browsing and email), but
> >today I needed to transfer a bunch of files (roughly 500 Megs) from one
> >webhost to another against a deadline and found my connection has been
> >capped at 1 Mbit/s down and 128 kbit/s up because of their new "traffic
> >management" policy
> >http://www.virginmedia.com/help/traffic-management.php
>
> Why don't you use an ISP that won't penalise you for occasional peaks?
> And no limit whatsoever 'out of office hours'.
>
> Faint clues in headers.

Hear, hear (same ISP). Ideal for you, Phil, as a tech-savvy user.

--
[ 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. ]

"Phil McKerracher" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:GfBbj.67463$(E-Mail Removed) .uk...
> I'm normally a very light broadband user (just browsing and email), but
> today I needed to transfer a bunch of files (roughly 500 Megs) from one
> webhost to another against a deadline and found my connection has been
> capped at 1 Mbit/s down and 128 kbit/s up because of their new "traffic
> management" policy
> http://www.virginmedia.com/help/traffic-management.php
>
> I'm not happy. It's practically impossible to know whether your usage is
> in
> the "top 3%" at any time, so effectively this means "no big transfers
> during
> peak hours" - in other words the connection is effectively 1 Mbit/s at
> peak
> times and 4 Mbit/s off peak. That's not what I though I was paying for. I
> feel a letter to Oftel coming on.
>
> --
> Phil McKerracher
> www.mckerracher.net
>

i'm guessing this is the adsl product, is the llu also shaped now?

In article <(E-Mail Removed) id>, Jim
Crowther <Don'(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>This bleating about capping has been going on for over a year, I'm so
>surprised those who could duck and dive haven't done so. Frankly, you
>had been warned...

Unfortunately some of us are in the strange position of being a long way
from an exchange but in a cabled area so choices are limited.

Mike

--
Michael Swift We do not regard Englishmen as foreigners.
Kirkheaton We look on them only as rather mad Norwegians.
Yorkshire Halvard Lange