New cabinet install :)

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martyyn

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#1578878 23-Jun-2016 10:48

So, it's been a week and I've seen everything from 26 to 32Mbps on the line status page in the modem. Its currently telling me:

Line standard VDSL2
Downstream line rate (kbit/s) 26792
Upstream line rate (kbit/s) 4638
Downstream SNR (dB) 9.5
Upstream SNR (dB) 9.2
Downstream line attenuation (dB) 22.5
Upstream line attenuation (dB) 9.2
Downstream output power (dBmV) 18.5
Upstream output power (dBmV) 6.9

What's concerning me though is any speedtest I've done I get nowhere near the connection rate. I did a couple of tests the other day when the connection told me it was 32. With everything switched off around the house and connected via ethernet to the Spark modem I only got 22. In my garage (which admittedly is two netgear gigabit switches away and on the end of two 20m cat5e cables) I only get 9.

These differences didn't exist on my old ADSL connection where I would connect at 16/17 and any speedtest from any ethernet connected device would be 15/16.

So is this normal from VDSL ? Or do I need to revisit my internal wiring ?

I had a master splitter installed when we first moved in 4 years ago but it's at the furthest part of the property to where I really need it. When the tech came around for the VDSL upgrade all he did was replace the modem. The Spark website tells me a new master jack point will be installed.

I'd really like to have the demarc/splitter somewhere else. It's currently in a bedroom under a bed. The port on it is a basic old phone connection. Would it hurt to just buy a mega long cable and move the modem to be in the middle of the house with the other devices connected to a switch next to it ?

hio77

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#1578952 23-Jun-2016 12:37

if your able to get full speed at the modem, and less of that after switches thats something with your internal network. check a switch isnt running a 10mbit due to a dodgy cable or something?

any added distance to your line will affect it, its up to you to decide if that is a reasonable loss for your conveyance. I would suggest cat5e at the least for any extension to cut down on any losses, the standard BT flat cable extensions are not good for dsl at all.

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martyyn

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#1578955 23-Jun-2016 12:43

hio77:

if your able to get full speed at the modem, and less of that after switches thats something with your internal network. check a switch isnt running a 10mbit due to a dodgy cable or something?

Nope, only got 22 at the modem and not the 32 it said I was connected at. Good point about the cable, hadn't thought of that.

hio77:

any added distance to your line will affect it, its up to you to decide if that is a reasonable loss for your conveyance.

I think I'm just going to take this chance to rethink everything. You know how it is, you move in, you set a few things up to just get it going. Then the kids grow and now both have phones and laptops, you set up an office in the garden, you then start streaming all your tv and before you know it just adding to what's already there is not the answer.

I should take the chance to look at a patch panel. It's not something I've done before, but how hard can it be ;)

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#1578962 23-Jun-2016 12:54

martyyn:

<snip>

I had a master splitter installed when we first moved in 4 years ago but it's at the furthest part of the property to where I really need it. When the tech came around for the VDSL upgrade all he did was replace the modem. The Spark website tells me a new master jack point will be installed.

<snip>

Your old master splitter is probably an ADSL one. VDSL requires a VDSL splitter (different frequencies are involved) - specially if you're on a long line.

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martyyn

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#1579587 24-Jun-2016 15:01

Sideface:

Your old master splitter is probably an ADSL one. VDSL requires a VDSL splitter (different frequencies are involved) - specially if you're on a long line.

I'm just on the online chat with Spark now. They are saying the tech would have left the old splitter because it is already VDSL capable. Does that sound right ?

Id much rather have an RJ45 jackpoint so I can move the modem to somewhere else and use Cat cabling rather than a long BT phone line.

hio77

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#1579599 24-Jun-2016 15:09

martyyn:

Sideface:

Your old master splitter is probably an ADSL one. VDSL requires a VDSL splitter (different frequencies are involved) - specially if you're on a long line.

I'm just on the online chat with Spark now. They are saying the tech would have left the old splitter because it is already VDSL capable. Does that sound right ?

Id much rather have an RJ45 jackpoint so I can move the modem to somewhere else and use Cat cabling rather than a long BT phone line.

would totally depend if it was checked by the tech.

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martyyn

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#1579600 24-Jun-2016 15:11

hio77:

would totally depend if it was checked by the tech.

I don't remember seeing him touch it at all. He looked at it and then got me to swap the modems over.

Is it worth me getting the jack changed to an RJ45 ? I dont use the phone jack at that point at all.

[e] The reason being would changing to an RJ45 to RJ11 cable allow me to use a 20m long one and move the modem somewhere more suitable ?

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hio77

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#1579622 24-Jun-2016 15:17

martyyn:

hio77:

would totally depend if it was checked by the tech.

I don't remember seeing him touch it at all. He looked at it and then got me to swap the modems over.

Is it worth me getting the jack changed to an RJ45 ? I dont use the phone jack at that point at all.

Depends if the chorus callout fee they will charge is worth it to you really.

i personally have BT jack on mine, purely because i dont want to deal with disconnecting the internet. My phoneline itself is all over rj45s as thats less of an issue to take down for a little while.

ultimately, that extension you dont want to be a flat ribbon cable style as they simply are no good for dsl.

a cheeky alternative would be BT to rj45 converter, use proper twisted pair from there to your new location. That would limit the affect the flat ribbon cables have on the line all together.

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martyyn

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#1613054 17-Aug-2016 09:42

Update time.

Thanks to @Wheelbarrow01 I had a Chorus tech come around (the same bloke who got me to install the VDSL router rather than do it himself) with the intention of installing a VDSL splitter.

He said it was a waste of time as there was no difference between an ADSL and VDSL splitter, they are both the same. He swapped it anyway (but cut a hole in the wall to put the splitter in the cavity which I wasn't all that happy about), connected the router to the new RJ45 plug and it connected at 32Mb. Significantly up on the 24Mb I had previously. To be fair though the 24Mb was with the router on 10m of BT cable in a cupboard in the hallway which we know is not ideal.

My connection stats are now:

Downstream line rate (kbit/s) 32492

Upstream line rate (kbit/s) 4984

Downstream SNR (dB) 9.3

Upstream SNR (dB) 9.1

Downstream line attenuation (dB) 21.8

Upstream line attenuation (dB) 8.8

Downstream output power (dBmV) 18.6

Upstream output power (dBmV) 7

So this weekend I removed all the existing wiring. I left the router next to the RJ45 plug, used the supplied RJ45 to RJ12 cable and ran 10m of Cat5E directly under the house to a switch in a better location. This then has short Cat5e to the TV, the AppleTV and an old Linksys WRT54g WAP I had lying around for wifi. I then ran two new 30m lengths, one to my office and another 30m to the garage.

Speedtest on the AppleTV is 22Mb, on my office pc is 22Mb and in the garage is 22MB.

So why the 10Mb difference from the router connection stats above ?