[Eircom & Resellers..BT, UTV etc] ADSL Speed upgrade to 8MB discussion...ongoing

hellboy99

cian1500ww wrote: »

Its good to improve the countries BB network but they really should have researched it more to see if every line could handle it.

I don't know whats going on, I'm on the phone to BT as we speak, they're telling me Dundalk has no been upgraded and that I shouldn't even be on a 3MB connection and should never of been on 3MB because I'm too far from the exchange.
I'm looking for my money back which I'd say is slim, either way I'm cancelling my BB, I've had enough.

swoofer

I am gobsmacked by this supposed upgrade. I am with BT so I check my tel no for upgrade date and it says post september !! Router says it is now 4096 d/l. I ring BT CS and ask them to confirm the package I am and they say it is the 3mb one and yes I have been upgraded to the new up to 7.6mb package. I explain that a person on 2 mb will go to 4mb, he interrupts, and says up to 4mb. This is the worrying bit, he goes on to say " Would you like to downgrade to the 2 mb package and have the up to 4mb facility". Price wise its 10 euro cheaper per month but he offered the downgrade almost instantly.

I then queried why I was getting only 4096 and got the usUal distance from exchange, less than 2 miles I said, then more about tel line quality.

What is going on and is there anyone on Ennis exchange getting a higher speed reading.

Is there a way to do a check on my line?

How do I know they have not just given me the 2mb upgrade?

A bit peeved after waiting so long and annoyed that they can advertise the highr speeds when the reality is much different.

this is from pitstop using london

Last Result:
Download Speed: 3489 kbps (436.1 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 302 kbps (37.8 KB/sec transfer rate)
Latency: 73 ms

gb--

uuuppz

GBCULLEN wrote: »

What is going on and is there anyone on Ennis exchange getting a higher speed reading.

I have two lines in different buildings but both in the center of Ennis. I'm getting the full 7.6mbit on both. So yes I have higher readings than you in Ennis.

Probably just the distance from the exchange/quality of the lines.....

bunglemark2

Right...I'm gonna ask a real dumbass question here but I've been trawling thru the threads here for a while and I'm none the wiser. I'm on the Leixlip exchange which I understand HAS been upgraded, and can offer speeds of up to 3Mb/sec. (If I'm wrong on that, the next bit is gonna sound even more daft )
Now, what I can't tell is if this very same line can offer 7.6Mb/sec.
Tell you why - I'm either gonna go with BT or Eircom today but i) Eircom is more expensive and doesn't offer competitive deals compared to BT, ii) granted BT is piggbacking on Eircom lines, so I assume BT's stuff about "Up to 7.6Mb/sec...." isn't gonna happen if the (Eircom upgraded ?)exchange is not yet capable of giving me more than 3Mb/sec, iii) is there really an appreciable difference between service levels offered by BT and Eircom?
Please help (gotta order this sooner rather than later !)

hellboy99

hellboy99 wrote: »

I don't know whats going on, I'm on the phone to BT as we speak, they're telling me Dundalk has no been upgraded and that I shouldn't even be on a 3MB connection and should never of been on 3MB because I'm too far from the exchange.
I'm looking for my money back which I'd say is slim, either way I'm cancelling my BB, I've had enough.

Just finished on the phone to BT, I'm getting refunded no questions asked :eek: and by the sounds of things they're pissed at the current mess and losing a lot money & customers.

While talking to Tech Support I was basically told that the long and short of it is it's going to be pot luck for many if your going to get the upgraded speeds.
If I was within the distance from the exchange to "maybe" get upgraded speeds I had two choices:

1. Seeing as my connection is about as fast as dial-up I could downgrade today from 3MB to 2MB maybe even 1MB depending on the result to get a stable connection.

2. Or I could wait a few days with the hope that enough people would downgrade and this would ease traffic on the lines/exchange and I may see my speeds go up.

So in a nut shell if you have your service wrecked or downgraded thank Eircom and the people that are getting higher speeds.
If it were up to me I would never of went ahead with this so called upgrade :mad:

Eircom's new motto:

"wreck our service for the many to catter for the few !!"

bunglemark2

bunglemark2 wrote: »

Right...I'm gonna ask a real dumbass question here but I've been trawling thru the threads here for a while and I'm none the wiser. I'm on the Leixlip exchange which I understand HAS been upgraded, and can offer speeds of up to 3Mb/sec. (If I'm wrong on that, the next bit is gonna sound even more daft )
Now, what I can't tell is if this very same line can offer 7.6Mb/sec.
Tell you why - I'm either gonna go with BT or Eircom today but i) Eircom is more expensive and doesn't offer competitive deals compared to BT, ii) granted BT is piggbacking on Eircom lines, so I assume BT's stuff about "Up to 7.6Mb/sec...." isn't gonna happen if the (Eircom upgraded ?)exchange is not yet capable of giving me more than 3Mb/sec, iii) is there really an appreciable difference between service levels offered by BT and Eircom?
Please help (gotta order this sooner rather than later !)

One other question: Is there any way of telling if I can get the 6Mb on the line as per the BT blurb, before I order the service ? Looking at BT and Eircom on a like-for-like, Eircom can offer 3Mb whereas BT can offer up to 6Mb (which obviously includes the 3Mb, I know). Can I tell if I have any chance of getting the 6Mb speed beforehand?

swoofer

@uuuppz

many thanks at least I now know the exchange has been upgraded properly. Just a point to note the 3mb was pretty good and I assumed the upgrade would give a big boost. Ill check a few phones I have connected.

They offfered me the downgrade very quickly though!!

gb--

hellboy99

Is it true that if you want to get the new speeds you have to be within 2 - 4km of the exchange ?

Gonzo

under 2km if you want the higher end of speeds.

im 2.3km and only getting 5meg, after 2km the speeds start dropping off very fast

hellboy99

Gonzo wrote: »

under 2km if you want the higher end of speeds.

im 2.3km and only getting 5meg, after 2km the speeds start dropping off very fast

It was hardly worth doing then.

e-Mo0?

Anyone have details on the asdl2+ upgrade in Carlow town, has it been done?
Is it messed up aswell?

jimmeh

@gonzo

If that were the case then why hasnt my upload been upgraded to full whack even if the download isnt capable of going to 7.6 the upload surely is capable of going to 700k

Iago

babaloushka wrote: »

If that were only true! I'm not a gamer and I haven't even been upgraded yet but, like many others posting on this board (UTV, BT etc), my capacity just to connect and surf has gone to hell.

How many eircom users are having regular problems with speeds since/during these upgrades? most of the complaints I see here seem to be from BT, perlico etc. Maybe those providers haven't upgraded their backhaul/connections sufficently to provide the extra speeds to customers without sacrificing quality. It's easy for other providers to say it's eircoms fault but where are all the eircom customer complaints?

Maybe I'm wrong, but surely if this was as widespread a problem as it being made out by BT et al, it would be all over the papers and news? It's unusual to see BT not take a chance to hammer eircom if eircom are at fault...

Killer_Paul

I got my upgrade today in Killarney from 3mb to 7.6mb download !

DELIGHTED IS IT

Zenith74

For what it's worth I'm on EsatBT and was upgraded to 7Mb a month or two ago. Since then my speed tests show a good 7Mb but streaming videos/music is practically impossible. Youtube has been unuseable, as has Shoutcast music streaming. I spoke to Esat support recently who said they were installing new equipment to sort this.

I came home tonight to the same slow streaming. I happened to have one of the newer silver Eircom Netopia routers in my car tonight so I stuck it in, problem resolved! I've just spent a few hours on Youtube videos to be sure, not one buffer under-run, buffering was miles ahead of viewing in every case.

There have been lots of problems with Zyxel routers and the newer ADSL packages (Eircom's ADSL2 I'm thinking of mainly from experience in work). We've taken out a couple of hundred 'expensive' Zyxel all-in-ones and put in Netopia routers with a different firewall behind them. Typical symptoms of problems were no connection at all or very unreliable speeds. I spoke to a prominent Zyxel supplier in Ireland who recommended against using Zyxel in future for the ADSL session, get a Netopia/Cisco/NetGear in front of a decent firewall to do it.

Maybe Esat are having this problem with all the Zyxel's they've rolled out and are trying to make their exchange side equipment compatible with them, instead of sending out all new routers like Eircom are doing? Anyway, moto is if you've got slow speeds try a new Netopia!

cian1500ww

Zenith74 wrote: »

For what it's worth I'm on EsatBT and was upgraded to 7Mb a month or two ago. Since then my speed tests show a good 7Mb but streaming videos/music is practically impossible. Youtube has been unuseable, as has Shoutcast music streaming. I spoke to Esat support recently who said they were installing new equipment to sort this.

I came home tonight to the same slow streaming. I happened to have one of the newer silver Eircom Netopia routers in my car tonight so I stuck it in, problem resolved! I've just spent a few hours on Youtube videos to be sure, not one buffer under-run, buffering was miles ahead of viewing in every case.

There have been lots of problems with Zyxel routers and the newer ADSL packages (Eircom's ADSL2 I'm thinking of mainly from experience in work). We've taken out a couple of hundred 'expensive' Zyxel all-in-ones and put in Netopia routers with a different firewall behind them. Typical symptoms of problems were no connection at all or very unreliable speeds. I spoke to a prominent Zyxel supplier in Ireland who recommended against using Zyxel in future for the ADSL session, get a Netopia/Cisco/NetGear in front of a decent firewall to do it.

Maybe Esat are having this problem with all the Zyxel's they've rolled out and are trying to make their exchange side equipment compatible with them, instead of sending out all new routers like Eircom are doing? Anyway, moto is if you've got slow speeds try a new Netopia!

I have a Linksys router and I'm encountering the low speeds too. I'll try the netopia and I'll see how I get on.

Fighting Irish

Anyone know when phase 4 is happening? Carlow

Killer_Paul

check when your line is being upgraded here http://www.btireland.ie/cgi-bin/upgrade_time

you dont need to be on bt for this to work

Killer_Paul

Killer_Paul wrote: »

check when your line is being upgraded here http://www.btireland.ie/cgi-bin/upgrade_time

you dont need to be on bt for this to work

Is that the line checker that said "POST SEPTEMBER" for mine and here I am upgraded??!?!?

Richard Dower

Streaming has been unusable for some time now, what the hell is going on?
It seems pointless to get a speed upgrade with the network as bad as this!!

Furp

I'm on Bt and spend a good bit of time on the phone to them yesterday the Navan exchange was upgraded and my connection went to the 3mb service from 2mb. Unfortunatley I have lost my connection as it will connect for max 5seconds at a time and then the DSL connection goes down. BT tech support told me that they will have to put in a request to downgrade my connection back to 2mb as this is all my line can support even though I am in a relativily new housing estate not that far from the exchange.

luckily I have a 3g modem as backup but I think ill be switching to Digiweb as I can see their mast from my house.

babaloushka

Iago wrote: »

How many eircom users are having regular problems with speeds since/during these upgrades? most of the complaints I see here seem to be from BT, perlico etc. Maybe those providers haven't upgraded their backhaul/connections sufficently to provide the extra speeds to customers without sacrificing quality. It's easy for other providers to say it's eircoms fault but where are all the eircom customer complaints?

Maybe I'm wrong, but surely if this was as widespread a problem as it being made out by BT et al, it would be all over the papers and news? It's unusual to see BT not take a chance to hammer eircom if eircom are at fault...

I would really like to know how many Eircom customers are suffering slow speeds. I have a theory - not very scientific, I might add - that a sizable majority of people who own computers know little or nothing about them, not even basic maintenance or security issues.
Most people I know, even those who are young enough and educated enough (you would think) have no idea where to go to check their BB speed, for example. If something is wrong, they will often blame their computers or their own lack of knowledge/skills rather than their ISP. I finally tracked down one local Eircom BB customer yesterday who was certain that it was HER computer at fault, not Eircom, for the abysmally slow speeds while surfing. And yes, I know - n=1 only.
Is it too big a leap to hypothesise that Eircom has more such customers than any other ISP? Are these same people likely to be posting on boards like this about their experiences? Please note, I'm not at all implying that ALL Eircom customers have little knowledge - just that it's conceivably more likely that those without computer/internet skills would have remained with Eircom because they have not researched any other options. Nor, indeed, is the reverse true - all other ISP customers are not super knowledgable :rolleyes:
Please also realise that I'm not being patronising here - I work in community education and I'm passionate about skills for everyone and redressing the knowledge gap that is crippling a sizable proportion of our citizens. It's just a theory - and at the end of the day, those who stayed with Eircom may very well have been right to do so. The rest of us who changed are certainly not having much luck lately

hellboy99

It's no better here (2MB upgraded to 3MB), been on the phone to BT a few minutes ago "again!!". Guy I spoke to said the issued was fixed Thursday and that they have had no other calls this morning about speed problems and to call back later to see if they get any other calls of the same, yeah right :rolleyes:, what a pack of lies !

Anyone know what 4MB with Smart is like in Dundalk ?

[URL="[URL]http://www.speedtest.net"][/URL]





I have also been on the phone to Eircom and according to them the exchange (Dundalk) in my area has not been upgraded and they also did a test on my line to confirm that no upgraded has happened, what is going on ??

dub45

Iago wrote: »

How many eircom users are having regular problems with speeds since/during these upgrades? most of the complaints I see here seem to be from BT, perlico etc. Maybe those providers haven't upgraded their backhaul/connections sufficently to provide the extra speeds to customers without sacrificing quality. It's easy for other providers to say it's eircoms fault but where are all the eircom customer complaints?

Maybe I'm wrong, but surely if this was as widespread a problem as it being made out by BT et al, it would be all over the papers and news? It's unusual to see BT not take a chance to hammer eircom if eircom are at fault...

Yes several years ago when BT and UTV customers were having problems simultaneously it emerged that backhaul was the issue and it took some time to be resolved - the problems being reported then are very similar to those being reported now particularly the obvious ones of contention where speeds improved late at night as people went to bed.

The situation is more complex now because of the upgrades and the problems being generated there.

Fighting Irish

I think some people need to chill out and let eircom upgrade everyone and sort out everything.

thebman

Yeah its not like we pay for the service with one of the most expensive line rental rates in the world (for sh*t speed even after the upgrade I should add)!

Unexplained and non-scheduled service outages should be accepted without question.

sh*t service, FTW!

hellboy99

Fighting Irish wrote: »

I think some people need to chill out and let eircom upgrade everyone and sort out everything.

Why ? We pay enough (robbed more like), they have had long enough to plan this and check everything out, then the roll out was delayed. For me I was to see upgraded speeds in June, appartently it only happened 2 days ago (still to get that confirmed as neither BT or Eircom seem to know).

swoofer

Yeah, I agree, it will only take 10 years or so. We should be glad we have something slightly better than dial up.

To intoduce a so callled upgrade that is worse than the previous sticks in the craw quite a bit.

gb--

DonJose

In Mullingar, I just got upgraded from 3mbs to 5.1mbs, is it my line that wont allow me to upgrade to 7.6mbs?

Max Allowed Speed (kbps) 5120 512
SN Margin (dB) 10.00 14.00
Line Attenuation (dB) 40.50 21.00
CRC Errors 6 1

DECEiFER

DonJose wrote: »

In Mullingar, I just got upgraded from 3mbs to 5.1mbs, is it my line that wont allow me to upgrade to 7.6mbs?

Max Allowed Speed (kbps) 5120 512
SN Margin (dB) 10.00 14.00
Line Attenuation (dB) 40.50 21.00
CRC Errors 6 1

Looks like it. Those stats are not good.