Vvvv slow speed on ADSL connection

I'm moving to a new place and am transferring my ADSL service there.  When I called to get it switched today, they found that the speed of the line in the new flat will only allow me to get about 512 kb/min (if that sounds right) - point is, v v slow.  Virgin said there's nothing that can be done about it, which I imagine is right, as the line is the problem.  So is there truly no other option but to suffer through the slow service?  I mean, we're paying for a connection that is meant to be up to 8Mb/min!  So now I might as well be paying a lot less for dialup!  Any thoughts would be appreciated...

Hi Geeta

There are a few 'techy' bits and pieces you can do to try and get the best ADSL signal on the line you have, but it won't give you say 2 or 3 MB if the line supports only 512 KB.

512 KB/sec isn't actually 'That' slow, its of course alot slower than if you were used to 2,3,4 5,6 MB but be thankful you haven't had to go back to dialup speeds!

Basically, the line you have and it's distance from the exchange is too far to support a higher data rate, you could find another place to live closer to the exchange ! but that isnt practical.

You could go check to see if the 3 Network has good coverage in the area you live and use their mobile broadband service?

Other solutions are available but probably impractical and/or expensive.

..shuda stayed in London!

DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Changer providers! We only ever got 1 or 2 MB with Virgin, they said the same rubbish to us but we changed to Demon and now we get 7MB!

But if it is the physical line that is the problem, how will changing providers help?

Practically speaking, I have 10 months left on my Virgin contract, so I'd rather not unless I really have to.

I don't know. All I know is Virgin could only ever give us 1-2MB instead of the promised 8MB but since we changed we've always had 7MB. I think you could get out of the contract if they're not providing what they promised, if your contract states 8 MB, then they are in breach of contract.

But they would argue that it is not their doing, it is the fault of the line which they have no control over.  I will check.

But they would argue that it is not their doing, it is the fault of the line which they have no control over.  I will check.

Geeta, I work for a very small broadband supplier that's just starting up (we're not even advertising yet), so I've got some tools at my disposal that I can use to check the estimated speed of your line (not just the "up to 8MB**" crap!) to see if you really are limited to 512 or if that's just Virgin's limitation. If you want me to check, PM me your landline no. and your postcode. And I won't even tell you the name of my company unless you want so it's not advertising or hard sell or anything, honest.

Geeta, I work for a very small broadband supplier that's just starting up (we're not even advertising yet), so I've got some tools at my disposal that I can use to check the estimated speed of your line (not just the "up to 8MB**" crap!) to see if you really are limited to 512 or if that's just Virgin's limitation. If you want me to check, PM me your landline no. and your postcode. And I won't even tell you the name of my company unless you want so it's not advertising or hard sell or anything, honest.

Will do - thanks for offering!

I had two problems with DSL, one was distance to the 'central office' (which is basically the phone company switching center).  DSL technology is limited to 15,000 feet (or 13,000, or 18,000--something like that).  And that is feet of wire between you and the CO, so curves around a tube station, etc mean the line can be longer than you think.

The other problem, so they said, was the wiring in my building was really out of date and they said that lead to some speed loss.  Not sure if that is the case where you are (you should ask your neighbors if about their speed and if it is significantly higher, than maybe there is something about your building's wires).

When I talked to Virgin they said it was the building wiring that was the problem.  I will have to keep looking into it, I guess.

Hiya

Yes, i totally forgot to mention quality of wiring within your local building. Leading on from that, the wiring leading to your property could also be suspect or 'iffy' as well. You'd need to get that looked at by BT by specifically requesting it.

A reason why changing suppliers would give better (or worse!) performance could be down to the physical 'unbundled' equipment in the exchange owned by another operator than BT. They may have a shorter line length as it's not distance as the crow flies but rather the actual telephone line length to your property.

I see that virgin media provide their services via cable and ordinary BT lines - which I didn't know, so there's various different points at which the service is limited.

See how you go on this one - seeing as you're renting, kick up a fuss to the landlord(s) property owners to get the wiring renewed!!

Cheers! DtM! West London & Slough UK!

I think everything has already been pretty much covered, but if you are some distance from the central office then there's not going to be much you can do about it (short of moving!). 

I've just managed to get DSL here -- literally about 3 days ago -- and while obviously it's a vast improvement over dialup, I'm only achieving 576kbps.    Given that I'm about 5 miles from the C.O. as the wire runs, that's actually pretty good.   I don't know if Squirelly has already gotten back to you with anything other than the line test result, but if you'd like to PM me your postal code and phone number as well I can check which exchange serves you and roughly how far away it is.  I can also look up which ISPs have LLU at the C.O.

Within the limitations of the outside line plant, all you can do is make your own internal wiring the best you can.   If you have multiple microfilters plugged in around the house for phones, answering machines, etc. then you might improve the line characteristics a little by throwing them out and installing one good filter at the demarcation point.

. 

  I can also look up which ISPs have LLU at the C.O.

I have no idea what that means, but it sounds impressive! 

Like squirrellypoo can do anyone can check their Broadband speed and what providers are available in their area using Broadband Checker.  You put in your home telephone number & postcode to find out...

I have no idea what that means, but it sounds impressive! 

C.O. = Central Office, the telephone building which houses the switching equipment for all the lines in a particular area.

LLU = Local Loop Unbundling.   

The local loop is the actual pair of copper wires from your house back to the C.O.    Unbundling refers to your particular line being transferred from the regular BT equipment to another provider.

What happens with LLU is that one or more independent companies actually install their equipment in the BT exchange building and run their own networks there.  If you opt to take their service, your line is then physically disconnected from BT's equipment and wired across to that company's equipment instead.   Since telephone and DSL are separate services with the DSL signal effectively just "piggybacked" on the telephone line (to use the technical terminology! ), it's possible to be partially unbundled, e.g. by still being connected to the BT equipment for telephone but to somebody else for DSL.

If you sign up for DSL service with a company which does not have its own equipment at your central office, then all that happens is that the link is sub-contracted out.  There are still many exchanges around the country which have no LLU presence at all (i.e. only BT has equipment there), so no matter who you sign up with if your telephone line is served by that C.O. it will be BT who provides the final link to your line.  Virgin or whoever else you've actually taken service with simply sub-contracts that out to BT Wholesale.

But to the specifics.....

Geeta's phone number is showing that she's served out of an Edinburgh C.O. which is only a couple of blocks away.  According to the current lists, the LLU operators present at that C.O. are O2/Be, C&W/Bulldog, CPW/TalkTalk, Lumison, Sky/Easynet, and Tiscali.   Virgin Media will be providing service via BT Wholesale, but the latter isn't showing the number on the database at the moment, probably because it's just been moved.   That could be why Virgin is coming back with a default 512k figure, but they really shouldn't do that.

Either way, unless there is something drastically affecting the line characteristics, the relatively short distance from the C.O. should make multi-megabit speeds achievable easily.   Other lines in the same post-code block are showing as supporting 5 or 6Mbps.