BT/Eircom won't give me faster than 1Mb option - but line looks OK?

WexKil

The local exchange (rural co Kildare) has only recently been enabled.
When I ordered b/b from BT I asked for the 3Mb package but was told that after doing a line test my line would only support 1Mb and that was all they could offer me.
Eircom said the same thing so I stuck with BT and went for the 1Mb option (in bundle).

Here's the stats from my BT modem
Broadband Line Status
BT Voyager 2110
Line Mode G.DMT Line State Show Time
Latency Type Interleave Line Up Time 00:08:21:15
Line Coding Trellis On Line Up Count 1

Statistics Downstream Upstream
Line Rate 1024 Kbps 128 Kbps
Noise Margin 29.3 dB 26.0 dB
Line Attenuation 3.0 dB 2.0 dB
Output Power -2.0 dBm -4.4 dBm

From a 2005 post by AdMMM:-
Noise Margin
The higher the number the better
6dB or below is bad and will experience no synch or intermittent synch problems
7dB-10dB is fair but does not leave much room for variances in conditions
11dB-20dB is good with no synch problems
20dB-28dB is excellent *
29dB or above is outstanding *


Line Attenuation
The lower the dB the better.
20dB and below is outstanding *
20dB-30dB is excellent
30dB-40dB is very good
40dB-50dB is good
50dB-60dB is poor and may experience connectivity issues
60dB or above is bad and will experience connectivity issues

If I understood AdMMM’s post correctly my Line Attenuation (*) is outstanding and so is the Noise Margin (SNR).
I am almost next door to the exchange.

The above stats from my BT Voyager modem would seem to suggest to me that there are no issues with my line – have I read this right and if so what should/can I do next? Am I missing something? Some posters have talked about a "shared" line - what is this?

Thanks for any help.

CameraStuff

Hi,
There my be a fault on the line that is easily rectifiable. Not all sales people are on the ball. Try again with them and advise them of your stats, you should be on nearly 24mb with those stats.

WexKil

No joy :mad:

BT sales say that my line is testing for 1Mb according to the tester they run on Eircom's system (Its a small rural exchange and they are reselling Eircom broadband). Went though the Line Att/ SNR stats with them but they say if 1Mb is what the tester comes up with, that's all they can sell me. Apparently I'm really lucky :rolleyes: cos a number of lines off the exchange can't even do 1Mb and so cant have broadband at all.

Guess I'm stuck, will keep trying every 4/6 weeks, may be do some negotiations in 11mo (when contract up)....O2, 3, VF all not a runner - signal too weak for 3G/HSDPA. No wireless service either - and only possible there is a Mb anyway.

...

Bohrio

WexKil wrote: »

No joy :mad:

BT sales say that my line is testing for 1Mb according to the tester they run on Eircom's system (Its a small rural exchange and they are reselling Eircom broadband). Went though the Line Att/ SNR stats with them but they say if 1Mb is what the tester comes up with, that's all they can sell me. Apparently I'm really lucky :rolleyes: cos a number of lines off the exchange can't even do 1Mb and so cant have broadband at all.

Guess I'm stuck, will keep trying every 4/6 weeks, may be do some negotiations in 11mo (when contract up)....O2, 3, VF all not a runner - signal too weak for 3G/HSDPA. No wireless service either - and only possible there is a Mb anyway.

...

Dont give up just yet.

Your problem is that sales are basing their opinion on Eircom's preliminary test (prequal). This is a test that Eircom run on each line every few weeks. For what I can see your prequal either is too old or belongs to a older line.

Wait a few weeks for a new prequal and then ring them again. Obviously you wont know when this is going to happen so just wait a few weeks and ring Tech Support again, then ask them if they could check your line again.

If you ring tech support and give your line stats they might be able to put you on a higher speed (they wont upgrade you but they can advice their customer service to do it). You might need to insist a bit when youll ring them..

towel401

WexKil wrote: »

No joy :mad:

BT sales say that my line is testing for 1Mb according to the tester they run on Eircom's system (Its a small rural exchange and they are reselling Eircom broadband). Went though the Line Att/ SNR stats with them but they say if 1Mb is what the tester comes up with, that's all they can sell me. Apparently I'm really lucky :rolleyes: cos a number of lines off the exchange can't even do 1Mb and so cant have broadband at all.

Guess I'm stuck, will keep trying every 4/6 weeks, may be do some negotiations in 11mo (when contract up)....O2, 3, VF all not a runner - signal too weak for 3G/HSDPA. No wireless service either - and only possible there is a Mb anyway.

...

even a half-meg DSL connection will 'feel' a lot faster than 3G. and its a lot more reliable

WexKil

Thanks Bohroi

Will do - I also hear that everyone else in the village is being told the same thing by Eircom and BT - lines are testing for 1Mb only. I've heard rumors that 1/2 people have been able to get 3Mb but nothing confirmed as yet.

MunsterCycling

Backhaul problems so trying to keep the demand down?

MC

WexKil

I suspect something like that myself ...
It would explain why everyone I've spoken to is being told the same story.

lynchie

If those stats from your modem are correct, then you have a really good noise margin on your line and you are located right beside the exchange? Attenuation that low could only come from you being right beside the exchange or else your line has some serious faults?

WexKil

I was afraid that as Lynchie suggested that there might be something wrong with my line as I am only 1 garden away from the exchange - literally!!. However, as I posted before, everyone in the village is being told by both Eircom and BT sales as appropriate that their line is testing @ 1Mb only - but without a proper explanation why (i.e. reason given is "that's what the computer says").

I'll try again in a month or so. Maybe by then the Eircom tests might be updated.

WexKil

Rang BT in mid-December asking about 3Mb. They told me it was available and I got upgraded just before Christmas.

So there IS a Santa!!!

Happy New Year