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Would lower contention make a big difference to congestion @ peak times?

  • 12-09-2010 6:50pm
    #1
    Dcully
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 14,713 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Basically my eircom 3mb bb is slowing down every evening at peak times while being perfect during the day.
    Gaming is impossible in the evenings as is streaming etc.
    I realise eircom use contention rate of 48:1, Magnet are offering me eircoms resold broadband but with a better ratio of 12:1.
    Im wary of entering a 12 month contract with Magnet if it doesnt actually improve things.

    Note: there are no fibre operators in the town so its eircom or as i say magnets offering.
    Im tired of waiting on eircom to address this issue,its been 5 months now with myself and a few more gamers in the town constantly ringing to complain.


Comments

  • #2
    watty
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    In theory.

    But it depends on where and why there is congestion. If there was 10:1 contention and EVERYONE tried to do download at once 3Mbps would give you 0.3Mbps.

    Contention is the ratio of overselling the bandwidth. Customer numbers, not users actually connected.

    Congestion is due to the amount of people actually connected using actual data exceeding the capacity. Youtube or torrents is much worse than people reading web pages.

    There is no way to know if it's better or worse because despite an ASAI and Comreg Code of practice no-one is publishing their actual real off peak and peak average speeds.

    Contention is a very rough guide.
    48:1 is brilliant if 90% of users only doing odd web browsing.
    Even 12:1 is rubbish if EVERYONE decides to replace TV with streaming. You need almost 1:1 contention (i.e. none) to support peak time streaming.

    This is why Magent video only works sensibly on their own fibre and UPC's forthcomming VOD will only be on Fibre powered DOCSIS 3.0 parts of their network.


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