Virgin broadband - Milton Keynes area

[Sinizter]

Dont know about all this LLU stuff - but pretty sure my exchange is LLU enabled, yet the max speed I can get is 2mb.

[burble]

Just having an LLU enabled exchange isn't enough - you need to be using the specific provider that has put the LLU equipment into your exchange.

Have a look at www.samknows.com and it'll tell you which LLU services are available at your exchange. If you want for an LLU provider you'd also need to check that your ADSL equipment is compatible with ADSL2+

[Sinizter]

Here's my exchange - http://www.samknows.com/broadband/ex...php?ecode=SMBA

Its LLU enabled for Pipex who I am with.

The max speed available to me is still 2mb. 1mb is not exactly completely reliable (atleast compared to connections I have had in London, this one has a whole lot more dropouts).

Tell me what I am missing

On the more positive outlook, this exhange is supposed to get 21CN in Q1 2008 - But I am unsure what that will mean for me.

[Sinizter]

And on checking my phone + post code

However, your line is currently unbundled by an LLU operator such as Be, Bulldog or Easynet (SMPF LLU). Moving to another provider may require a cease and re-provide, which may result in loss of service for up to two weeks.

[burble]

Pipex don't currently offer an ASDL2+ product so the most you're ever going to get is 8Mbit - and that's assuming that you live behind the exchange. The actual speed you get is dependant on all sorts of things.

Can you post your line stats? They should be buried somewhere in your router. Specifically I'm looking for the upstream sync rate, downstream sync rate + upstream and downstream SNR (signal to noise ratio) and attenuation.

If you're syncing at 2272/288 (down/up) then you're currently on a fixed product. You should be able to migrate over to a MaxDSL product - that'll give you the upto 8Mbit.

Your exchange is listed as being LLU'd by Be (for example), so have a look at www.bethere.co.uk and see what they say when you stick your phone number in.

[Sinizter]

I am currently on a fixed 1mb product - which is somewhat flaky.

And every service I have checked says maximum I can get is 2mb.

The straightline distance from exchange for me is about 2.95km.

Ill try to find the SNR ratio if I can.


Here are the details from my router

ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 1158 kbps 293 kbps
Line Attenuation 59.0 db 32.0 db
Noise Margin 11.1 db 25.0 db

From googling and some results - the above stats looks borderline for even a 1mb service. Ofcourse with equipment improvements, it might be within acceptable range, but I am guessing that even if I can try to get 2mb, it just wont be reliable.

[burble]

If your fixed 1Mbit is a bit flaky then you most likely won't get much improvement moving to a MaxDSL connection.

Straight line distance is completely useless tbh - don't read anything into it. Attenuation and SNR are a much better indication.

[kalniel]

Surely LLU is still going to be coming down the same crap aluminium phone lines though? Unless the unbundler (is that a word?) replaces your physical cables (or goes through a different one, like cable underground) then you'll still struggle to hit 2mb which is about the cap of aluminium.

[burble]

True. I was lead to believe that most of the local loop is copper in MK. I heard that from a BT engineer who was at the time making a total balls up of installing a new ISDN 30e line.

[abcdale]

to say LLU will make things better ,is not true LLU systems use the same technology as BTs..... and if your copper cable pair only supports 1 meg then 1 meg is all you get regardless of LLU equip supplier.....signed BT engineer who,s sick of people moaning and blaming me LOL