Upgrading eircom speed from 1mb to 3mb?

BeatTun

Hi folks,

Ive combed through the eircom website but i cant find anything thats not for new customers only.

basically im on a 1mb line now which is **** and only giving me 13kbs upload speed and i want to upgrade to the 3gig line

can anyone tell me how to go about this and also how do they do it? do they need to come out or do they just flick a switch and up the bill?

thanks in advance!

Brian.

Creamy Goodness

not being smart here, but ring them.

i'm sure it's just as simple as ringing them up and them flicking a switch and increasing the bill as you say.

also just so you know, if they advertise the product at 1MB that's 1 megabit not 1 megabyte, and that's only the download speed, the upload speed is significantly smaller for example 128k (kilobits) which is 16K (Kilobytes) upload speed. the figures i'm quoting are also theoretical max values in the real world you can expect to get circa 80% of these maxes, so 13K isn't bad for your package.

on the subject of the 3mbit product, it has an upload of 384k so your max upload there would be 48k but expect to get around 80% of this as well (35K is what i get on this package.)

this is what the A stands for in ADSL - Asynchronous Digital Subcriber Line, meaning in layman's terms your download speed is significantly faster than your upload speed.

BeatTun

cheers for the info, i will ring them as a last resort (speech impediment = dread phones) but anyway its 1am so thought id fish around here and see if anyone had done it before

im actually happy enough with my DL speeds its just the upload is a joke, i dont do an awful lot of uploading but when i do i want to be able to do it in less than 2 hours for a 70 meg dj set, are you satisfied with your upload speed with the 3mb package??

dub45

You should check out your line stats to make sure that it will be able for the 3Mb otherwise you could end up with worse performance than with your current set up. the line stats are on the main page in the form xx/yy - these are the line attenuation and the snr - you can then read the good or bad news here!

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/linestats.htm

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/lowSNR.htm

BeatTun

dub45 wrote:

You should check out your line stats to make sure that it will be able for the 3Mb otherwise you could end up with worse performance than with your current set up. the line stats are on the main page in the form xx/yy - these are the line attenuation and the snr - you can then read the good or bad news here!

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/linestats.htm

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/lowSNR.htm

thanks for that, i couldnt find my modem on that page you gave me, but i went into netopia settings and found this :

Line State Up
Modulation DMT
Data Path Interleave


Downstream Upstream
Max Allowed Speed (kbps) 1024 128
SN Margin (dB) 31.00 14.00
Line Attenuation (dB) 34.50 20.00
CRC Errors 50 0


what does that mean?

sorry if youve already explained it and it went over my head

sdanseo

BeatTun wrote:

Downstream Upstream
Max Allowed Speed (kbps) 1024 128

That's the only important bit. basically it's saying that the line allows a maximum of 1024 kbps download and 128 kbps. Typically you'll get just under 1/8 of that in kB/s - so ~100kB/s download and ~12-14kB/s upload.

For 3Mb you can expect to download around ~300kB/s and upload at about ~35kB/s.

BeatTun

sdonn_1 wrote:

That's the only important bit. basically it's saying that the line allows a maximum of 1024 kbps download and 128 kbps. Typically you'll get about 1/8 of that in kB/s - so ~100kB/s download and ~12-14kB/s upload

but does that not indicate that becuase im on the 1mb plan with eircom that theyve got the line restricted to that speed for now, where as if i was to upgrade they can adjust it, or does it mean that the line simply will not be able to go over that speed?

CuLT

BeatTun wrote:

but does that not indicate that becuase im on the 1mb plan with eircom that theyve got the line restricted to that speed for now, where as if i was to upgrade they can adjust it, or does it mean that the line simply will not be able to go over that speed?

They can adjust it depending on whether your line can do it or not, again, the only way to do this is to phone up and ask

My memory of line stats is a bit hazy, but those don't look great, you may not be in luck.

dub45

sdonn_1 wrote:

That's the only important bit. basically it's saying that the line allows a maximum of 1024 kbps download and 128 kbps. Typically you'll get just under 1/8 of that in kB/s - so ~100kB/s download and ~12-14kB/s upload.

For 3Mb you can expect to download around ~300kB/s and upload at about ~35kB/s.

Not so! Thats the speed that the router is currently synced at with Eircom. And thats all it is telling you.


It is essential to have a look at the other stats listed to see if the upgrade is possible.

Those links I posted give you information on the characteristics that affect your line that will affect the maximum speeds it is capable of while giving you good continuous connection.

Your line attenuation is good at 34.5 and your SNR is also good at 31. It is more than likely capable of the 3Mb.

From one of the links I gave you:

Downstream Attenuation

0-42 dB - 2Mbps
43-60 dB - 1Mbps
> 60 dB - 512kbps

and as regards the SNR:

The most common problem on longer lines is that your SNR is too low to maintain a steady connection.

Traditional Fixed 512/1Mb/2Mb
For each upgrade between the speeds you can expect to lose on average 6dB. Therefore if you upgraded from 512kbps to 2Mbps then your SNR Margin is likely to have dropped in the region of 12dB.
Once your SNR Margin starts to drop below 10dB on a traditional fixed rate line then you are likely to have problems.

Your SNR seems to give you scope for the upgrade.
There are plenty of threads around at the moment about disconnections etc so have a browse of those and you will get familiar with the stuff.

BeatTun

thanks dub45 and for everyones advice!

lucernarian

I've a friend on 3 Mbps with 36/21 attenuation. Your stats will have no problem with the 3mbps link speed.

BeatTun

cheers for that, ordered it earlier they said itll be on in 24 hours!

cant wait!

Sponge Bob

its comfortably a 2mbit line with those stats , as upgrades are FREE with eircom so you could go to 2mbit for a month and then bang you rstats in here for more advice then you could possibly upgrade to 3 if all goes well.

(but check with the agent you do not therefore start a 6 month or 1 year contract simply by upgrading and record the conversation on the phone ...like they do to you )

BeatTun

oops ive already ordered the 3, but they charged me a 29.99 connection fee for it, pretty sure theres no new contract

Sponge Bob

a complaint is in order I think , go to www.eircom.ie for the online complaints thingy

BeatTun

Sponge Bob wrote:

a complaint is in order I think , go to www.eircom.ie for the online complaints thingy

are you sure about the free upgrade? i couldnt even find any specific information about upgrading bb speed when i first went looking for info

towel401

i'm on the 3mbit package. i get around 310-330 down and 40-42k up

lucernarian

302 kBps and 42 kBps upload is bang on the money for an eircom 3 Mbit line.

3 Mbps will be fine. If there are any issues with the upgrade at all, it's really unlikely that it's down to attenuation/line distance. I'm sure ADSL can get up to 3 Mbps on a 2.5 km line.

nilhg

3meg connection here about 4.5 km from the exchange, stats as follows

Line State Up
Modulation DMT
Data Path Interleave


Downstream Upstream
Max Allowed Speed (kbps) 3072 384
SN Margin (dB) 12.00 13.00
Line Attenuation (dB) 44.50 28.00
CRC Errors 19 3


Connection has been quite stable since we got it.

Stench Blossoms

Theres no connection fee when upgrading on any eircom broadband packages.

Sponge Bob

thanks Orla.

does that include where its part of a bundle ??

are you locked in for another full year then ???

whats the cost of a downgrade , is it €30 or €45

Sponge Bob

I have seen 2mbit at 5.5km ( c 3 miles) with attenuation of 48-49db , worked Ok with some crc errors .

God be with the days when eircom thought that 512k at 3km and around 35db was all their lines would handle .....in 2003

meathman 007

Interesting thread, ive posted on here a few times about the trouble ive had with my broadband. Since i put filters on my sky phone lines everything has gone back to normal.

My stats are:

Downstrea Upstream
Max Allowed Speed (kbps) 2048 256
SN Margin (dB) 6.00 19.00
Line Attenuation (dB) 49.50 31.00
CRC Errors 3205 65



That result is representative of what i generally get, its usually about 1700 - 1750 kbs when its connected wired to to the modem.....

After reading over this post, my line stats seems terrible. But i think i have a fairly good connection when its connected wired into the modem (wireless in a different story) - web browsing is fast, streaming video is great and i get about 200kbs on a decent seeded torrent. Xbox live gaming is also generally pretty good - so im fairly happy....

My question is, in the years to come will i have any scope to increase my speed? - is there a way to improve my line stats etc....?

BeatTun

now 32 hours after i ordered it and they said itd be on in 24, no customer service on sundays so ill just have to wait and see if it comes on tomorrow

whats the best way to get back the 30 euros connection fee theyve tried to rob off me now, phoning customer service or writing to them?

thanks

Sponge Bob

meathman 007 wrote:

My stats are:

Downstrea Upstream
Max Allowed Speed (kbps) 2048 256
SN Margin (dB) 6.00 19.00
Line Attenuation (dB) 49.50 31.00
CRC Errors 3205 65

My question is, in the years to come will i have any scope to increase my speed? - is there a way to improve my line stats etc....?

No, not unless 2 key elements change after you disconnect everything in the house and plug the dsl into the main socket

1. SNR margin should be minimum 10 or even 11 , its 6 in your case
2. attenuation should be around 45 , its 49
3. crc errors should be in the 10s a week, not in the 000s

even 45db attenuation and 10db snr margin will only get you a GOOD 2mbit connection, you have a really marginal 2mbit connection there. I am looking at a 1.5mbit line but with no crc errors so it seems faster , no carrier offers that however so you get over half way to 2mbits .

dub45

BeatTun wrote:

now 32 hours after i ordered it and they said itd be on in 24, no customer service on sundays so ill just have to wait and see if it comes on tomorrow

whats the best way to get back the 30 euros connection fee theyve tried to rob off me now, phoning customer service or writing to them?

thanks

Did they ask you for a laser card no or cc no for the connection fee? If not then wait and see if it actually gets charged to your bill and then pursue it with them.

Thrill

Is the contention ratio the same on the eircom 3mb as it is on the 2mb?
I was thinking of upgrading to 3mb myself.

BeatTun

dub45 wrote:

Did they ask you for a laser card no or cc no for the connection fee? If not then wait and see if it actually gets charged to your bill and then pursue it with them.

no they didnt, so we'll wait and see

however, im still without the upgrade now 50 hours since ordering

lucernarian

6dB Signal to noise ratio is the bottom line. Any decent modem should work fine with 8dB or above with nearly no errors. The danger is if the line quality fluctuates, which would cause large increases in the CRC rate. So as SB said, 10 dB is the minimum to have a line with next to no problems ever.

Attenuation is important, but not that important. If a line was shielded from the exchange, it could have attenuation of 60dB or more and would still handle 2 mbps easily. SNR is key.

Meathman07, with attenuation <50dB, you should have a SNR better than 6 dB. I'd say there's a fair bit of interference and noise messing with the line.

Stench Blossoms

Sponge Bob wrote:

thanks Orla.

does that include where its part of a bundle ??

are you locked in for another full year then ???

whats the cost of a downgrade , is it €30 or €45

No connection charge for upgrading/downgrading only part rental for the package you've picked.

If you have bb on its own for just say 2 months and you opt to go for a bundle you'll be in a 12 months contract from when you start the bundle.