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Why is my attenuation so high

  • 29-11-2013 1:53pm
    #1
    patrickpc
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭


    Hi there,

    I am about 1.4km via the road network from the Eircom cabinets - ADSL and VDSL. The cabinets are connected to the NewtownMountKennedy exchange which is Fibre enabled.

    My modem is showing a download attenuation figure of 123 which suggests I am about 9-10km from the cabinet. I am getting about 2.5Mb download on ADSL at best.

    Can anyone explain how my attenuation could be so high when I am relatively close to the cabinet ? I have connected the modem directly to the main drop point with nothing else connected. As it stands the max speed I can obtain is 7Mb.

    Is there anything I can do ? Can I get Eircom out to check the line ?

    Thanks,

    -P


Comments

  • #2
    kaizersoze
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,042 ✭✭✭kaizersoze


    patrickpc wrote: »
    Hi there,

    I am about 1.4km via the road network from the Eircom cabinets - ADSL and VDSL. The cabinets are connected to the NewtownMountKennedy exchange which is Fibre enabled.

    My modem is showing a download attenuation figure of 123 which suggests I am about 9-10km from the cabinet. I am getting about 2.5Mb download on ADSL at best.

    Can anyone explain how my attenuation could be so high when I am relatively close to the cabinet ? I have connected the modem directly to the main drop point with nothing else connected. As it stands the max speed I can obtain is 7Mb.

    Is there anything I can do ? Can I get Eircom out to check the line ?

    Thanks,

    -P

    That 123 attenuation figure is without doubt a false. You won't get DSL sync over ~65db and with that you'd struggle to get 1 meg speeds.

    If you're still on ADSL which you suggest, then your distance from the cabinet is irrelevant. It's the distance from the exchange that's important.


  • #3
    patrickpc
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭patrickpc


    kaizersoze wrote: »
    That 123 attenuation figure is without doubt a false. You won't get DSL sync over ~65db and with that you'd struggle to get 1 meg speeds.

    If you're still on ADSL which you suggest, then your distance from the cabinet is irrelevant. It's the distance from the exchange that's important.


    OK - thanks.

    Has anyone else on here had issue with high attenuation figures ?

    I have ordered eFibre so hopefully this won't be an issue once installed.


  • #4
    ZiabR
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,575 ✭✭✭ZiabR


    Who are you with?


  • #5
    ED E
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 36,169 ✭✭✭✭ED E


    You're line is faulting or your modem is f'cked if its reading 123dB.


  • #6
    patrickpc
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭patrickpc


    kaizersoze wrote: »
    That 123 attenuation figure is without doubt a false. You won't get DSL sync over ~65db and with that you'd struggle to get 1 meg speeds.

    If you're still on ADSL which you suggest, then your distance from the cabinet is irrelevant. It's the distance from the exchange that's important.
    logik wrote: »
    Who are you with?

    I am with Vodafone. I am getting a constant download rate of between 2.5-2.6 Mbs and upload of about 0.3Mbs.


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  • #7
    patrickpc
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭patrickpc


    ED E wrote: »
    You're line is faulting or your modem is f'cked if its reading 123dB.

    The modem seems to be working Ok - I rarely have to reboot it. I think that the neighbours are all getting around the same download rates so could it be a fault on the line to the cabinet ?


  • #8
    seaniefr
    Registered Users Posts: 301 ✭✭seaniefr


    It sounds like your profile is set to 3072Kb/384Kb download/upload (3meg) and as the other poster has said your modem is probably f**ked:)
    my downstream attenuation is 57dB (4Km from exchange)and I can manage to connect at the above profile & my actual speeds are exactly as you describe(2.5 down/.03 up)


  • #9
    patrickpc
    Registered Users Posts: 188 ✭✭patrickpc


    seaniefr wrote: »
    It sounds like your profile is set to 3072Kb/384Kb download/upload (3meg) and as the other poster has said your modem is probably f**ked:)
    my downstream attenuation is 57dB (4Km from exchange)and I can manage to connect at the above profile & my actual speeds are exactly as you describe(2.5 down/.03 up)

    I upgraded the firmware on my modem Belkin Surf+ and the attenuation is now reading 56db which is more like it as I reckon I am about 4km from the exchange, via the cabinet about 1.5km away.

    Am I right to think that my attenuation should drop to about 20 or so once I am upgraded to fibre via the cabinet 1.5km away? According to this site http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/max_speed_calc.php I should be getting upto 20Mb if this is true.

    Anything would be better than the 2.5Mb I'm on today.


  • #10
    seaniefr
    Registered Users Posts: 301 ✭✭seaniefr


    patrickpc wrote: »
    I upgraded the firmware on my modem Belkin Surf+ and the attenuation is now reading 56db which is more like it as I reckon I am about 4km from the exchange, via the cabinet about 1.5km away.

    Am I right to think that my attenuation should drop to about 20 or so once I am upgraded to fibre via the cabinet 1.5km away? According to this site http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/max_speed_calc.php I should be getting upto 20Mb if this is true.

    Anything would be better than the 2.5Mb I'm on today.
    That unfortunately depends on Eircom am afraid. I would guess that you will be in the same boat as me but I hope not (no date on when the exchange will get fibre and all the promises in the world when I rang Eircom cancellations) I am changing to a fixed wireless provider in December getting (hopefully) 6Meg down 2 meg up as Eircom don't give a flying F**K about people like us around 4km from the exchange:cool: & I have had it up to here paying for a phone line that I don't use!


  • #11
    Lennyzip
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 352 ✭✭Lennyzip


    How is the distance from the cabinet worked out using the line attenuation figure ?

    Edit : ah ok found this

    Less than 1km = 24Mbit
    1.0km = 13.81dB = 23Mbit
    1.5km = 20.7dB = 21Mbit
    2.0km = 27.6dB = 18Mbit
    2.5km = 34.5dB = 13Mbit
    3.0km = 41.4dB = 8Mbit
    3.5km = 48.3dB = 6Mbit
    4.0km = 56dB = 4Mbit
    4.5km = 62.1dB = 3Mbit
    5.0km = 69dB = 2Mbit


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  • #12
    kaizersoze
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,042 ✭✭✭kaizersoze


    patrickpc wrote: »
    I upgraded the firmware on my modem Belkin Surf+ and the attenuation is now reading 56db which is more like it as I reckon I am about 4km from the exchange, via the cabinet about 1.5km away.

    Am I right to think that my attenuation should drop to about 20 or so once I am upgraded to fibre via the cabinet 1.5km away? According to this site http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/max_speed_calc.php I should be getting upto 20Mb if this is true.

    Anything would be better than the 2.5Mb I'm on today.

    These are the extended reach profiles.....

    15M_3M_R 15 3 1400m
    12M_1M_R 12 1 1700m
    7M_1M_R 7 1 2000m

    You'll be put on one to suit your line. There are also Rate Adaptive (RA) versions of the profiles.


  • #13
    kaizersoze
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,042 ✭✭✭kaizersoze


    Lennyzip wrote: »
    How is the distance from the cabinet worked out using the line attenuation figure ?

    Edit : ah ok found this

    Less than 1km = 24Mbit
    1.0km = 13.81dB = 23Mbit
    1.5km = 20.7dB = 21Mbit
    2.0km = 27.6dB = 18Mbit
    2.5km = 34.5dB = 13Mbit
    3.0km = 41.4dB = 8Mbit
    3.5km = 48.3dB = 6Mbit
    4.0km = 56dB = 4Mbit
    4.5km = 62.1dB = 3Mbit
    5.0km = 69dB = 2Mbit

    They are ADSL2/2+ figures and not 'real world'. You wouldn't get 2 meg at 69dB in a month of Sundays. You'd even struggle to get sync.

    This site is a tad more realistic and gives VDSL output as well.
    Still not real world but a bit closer.

    http://www.speedguide.net/dsl_speed_calc.php


  • #14
    lucernarian
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,235 ✭✭✭lucernarian


    I think eircom themselves get confused over attenuation figures. I was once quoted 78dB for my family's phone but it can support 3072/384 and at 55dB attenuation. The line is 6k long from house to exchange, almost as the crow flies. I can't honestly explain it! (the VDSL rollout didn't change those figures)


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