Marginal Broadband speed - what are my options

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › Marginal Broadband speed - what are my options

pjays

109 posts

Master Geek

#114841 4-Mar-2013 23:38

Hi

We are just south of Christchurch (in Rural Springston) and currently on ADSL broadband. We live a fair way from the exchange/cabinet - pretty much on the limits I think.

A couple of years ago when Broadband at the gate 'arrived' . Pretty variable speeds but seldom below 1MB and often around 2MB and sometimes over 3MB.
This has slowly degraded and I ended up changing ISP's (from Slingshot to Snap) not because I thought that Snap would be faster but because they might be easier to deal with. (In general I have found this to be the case)

Currently max speed is 1.4MB at a very quiet times. Peak time in the evening .3MB. Sometimes slower. Pretty much unusable.

Snap have indicated that the synch speed at the gate is 2.4Mb although last time I called them it was 1.5MB so again quite variable.

My query is to understand if this is something that is 'fixable' or whether its just capacity on the line?
I have been reading a lot here on Geekzone re a master splitter and would go with that if I thought it would help, but the variance I am seeing makes me suspect that at peak times we are really struggling and that a splitter would not help.

But, also wondering if the system speed at the gate means that there is something else in the mix here.
It seems lower now than it has ever been. Subsequent to moving to Snap, have heard that Slingshot may have their own gear in the exchange - so perhaps they are faster than Snap - I thought that they all just used the same gear?

I did ring Chorus and they implied that nothing is planned for the exchange and that perhaps I should look at the Vodafone RBI wireless option that appears to be an option.

Details from my Router that hopefully helps clarify things

Any advice greatly appreciated - thanks

From the robots queries
Your ISP and plan = SNAP 50GB
- Type of connection (ADSL,)
- Your modem DSL stats - as per graphic
- Your general location (or street) - Bethels Rd Springston
- If you are rural or urban = RURAL
- If you know your connection is to an exchange, cabinet or conklin (Not Sure)
- If your connection is to a ULL or wholesale service Not sure?
- If you have done an isolation test as per the link above - I have tested standlone speed via ethernet cable not wireless

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

5969 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#774671 4-Mar-2013 23:38

Hello... Our robot found some keywords in your post, so here is an automated reply with some important things to

note regarding broadband speeds.

If you are posting regarding DSL speeds please check that

- you have reset your modem and router

- your PC (or other PCs in your LAN) is not downloading large files when you are testing

- you are not being throttled by your ISP due to going over the monthly cap

- your tests are always done on an ethernet connection to the router - do not use wireless for testing

- you read this topic and follow the instructions

there.

Make sure you provide information for other users to help you. If you have not already done it, please EDIT your

post and add this now:

- Your ISP and plan

- Type of connection (ADSL, ADSL2, VDSL)

- Your modem DSL stats (do not worry about posting Speedtest, we need sync rate, attenuation and noise margin)

- Your general location (or street)

- If you are rural or urban

- If you know your connection is to an exchange, cabinet or conklin

- If your connection is to a ULL or wholesale service

- If you have done an isolation test as per the link above

Most of the problems with speed are likely to be related to internal wiring issued.

href="/forums.asp?forumid=49&topicid=96226">Read this discussion to find out more about this. Your ISP is not

intentionally slowing you down today (unless you are on a managed plan). Also if this is the school holidays it's

likely you will notice slower than usual speed due to more users online.

A master splitter is required for VDSL2 and in most cases will improve speeds on DSL connections. Regular

disconnections can be a monitored alarm or a set top box trying to connect. If there's an alarm connected to your

line even if you don't have an alarm contract it may sill try to connect so it's worth checking.

I recommend you read these two blog posts:

- Is your premises phone wiring impacting your broadband performance?

(very technical)

- Are you receiving a substandard ULL ADSL2+ connection from your ISP?

I am the Geekzone Robot and I am here to help. I am from the Internet. I do not interact. Do not expect other replies from me.

These links are referral codes: Sharesies | Mighty Ape | Norton 360 | Lenovo laptops | Geekzone Price Comparison

NordVPN

Protect your online activity with NordVPN (affiliate link).

yitz

1873 posts

Uber Geek

#774688 5-Mar-2013 00:03

864 kbps upstream you are on a Conklin. There is limited capacity from the cabinet you are connected to back into the network. As more people join broadband in your area and data caps on broadband plans go up performance will only get worse during peak usage times.

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#774707 5-Mar-2013 06:23

If you're on a Conklin there is nothing you can do. These are unfortumately becoming a massive nightmare and I know people at Chorus who really wish now they'd never deployed the things in the first place.

pjays

109 posts

Master Geek

#774967 5-Mar-2013 13:44

Okay - thanks for this.

So its seems pretty certain I am on a Conklin due to my upload speed (864kbps)? Should I/could I confirm this via my ISP or with Chorus themselves?

I was under the impression that all ISP's used the same Chorus gear available to them in the exchanges/cabinets. Hence when i changed from Slingshot to Snap then I thought that it was all going to b ethe same hardware involved. Is this not the case and do Slingshot have their own gear which could be faster? If so how could I confirm this?

Is there any standard type of approach that I can make to Chorus to see if they would upgrade their gear. Or is that something that my ISP should be doing?

I am monitoring the various threads re Master filters and installation but seems that this may not be the real issue here (even if it would help a bit) If things are only going to get worse then I need to consider other options, and possibly even reverting back to wireless. I would prefer not to but it seems that perhaps I hjave no real choice if I want usable internet connectivity at sometime other than 6am!

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#774969 5-Mar-2013 13:48

You don't contact Chorus as you are not a customer of Chorus

John

RunningMan

7962 posts

Uber Geek

#774970 5-Mar-2013 13:50

Chorus, (well, your ISP via Chorus) should be able to confirm the Conklin question.

The peak time slowdown is very common with a conklin, however, it is not uncommon with BUBA connections as well.

The 45dB downstream attenuation indicates you are either many kilometers from your exchange / cabinet, or there are some serious wiring issues to address - either way, this will have a significant negative impact on your connection sync rate.

What modulation is your DSL connection using? Also, what does the spectrum tab on your modem offer?

yitz

1873 posts

Uber Geek

#774971 5-Mar-2013 13:54

pjays: So its seems pretty certain I am on a Conklin due to my upload speed (864kbps)? Should I/could I confirm this via my ISP or with Chorus themselves?

Snap should be able to tell you.

In the end "nothing is planned for the exchange" can only mean one thing you're stuck either on Conklin or a ASAM, both of which have limited backhaul capacity. Additionally if you're being served from a cabinet (ADSL1 cabinets aren't shown on the Chorus SAT) then most likely the lines cannot be unbundled through UCLL so I doubt Slingshot had their own equipment.

bagheera

459 posts

Ultimate Geek

#774980 5-Mar-2013 14:07

looking like you will need to look at other boardband option if you want better - i know there are some wireless providers Canterbury area that may cover you (can not remember their name now) - suggest you do some goggling for wireless boardband provider in your area, will be pricey to setup, but some wireless provider pricing after the install about the same as adsl and same caps too, some are not so good. From using wireless connection a few years ago, we got good ping and full download speed (played wow with 180 ping and had a team speak server on it too.)

RalphFromSnap

776 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

Snap Internet

#774998 5-Mar-2013 14:33

Hi Peter,

You are connected to the Springston exchange to an Alcatel 7300 (ADSL1 only) This DSLAM is feed by multiple E1's but is not at this time showing any signs of congestion.

We have done a line check and based on the estimated attenuation on your line you should be seeing higher sync speeds than 2Mbps, we will ask Chorus to go and check this out and report back to you soon!

(Just for Geek sake there are 2 ASAM's and 2 Conklin DSLAM's in the Springston Area, and there are no current plans for upgrades, even under RBI, SPN/A is also a waiter cabinet, but you are connected to SPN)

Cheers

Snap

0800 BROADBAND (276 232)
www.snap.net.nz

@SnapInternet on Twitter
Snap Internet on Facebook

Our Social Media Team:
^RO Ricky - Technical Lead
^AT Ashleigh - Retail Marketing Coordinator

RunningMan

7962 posts

Uber Geek

#775023 5-Mar-2013 15:16

Right, that's excellent information from Snap!.

Given it is expected that your sync speed should be higher, there's two basic reason - internal wiring (most likely) and external wiring (less likely).

Snap! have got Chorus on the way to check the external, but I'd suggest checking your internal as well.

DarthKermit

5346 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#775076 5-Mar-2013 16:23

sbiddle: If you're on a Conklin there is nothing you can do. These are unfortumately becoming a massive nightmare and I know people at Chorus who really wish now they'd never deployed the things in the first place.

Can someone explain what a conklin actually is? Wikipedia doesn't have an article on them and I'm sure it would be helpful to me and others to know. Thanks.

Whatifthespacekeyhadneverbeeninvented?

RunningMan

7962 posts

Uber Geek

#775099 5-Mar-2013 16:42

DarthKermit:
sbiddle: If you're on a Conklin there is nothing you can do. These are unfortumately becoming a massive nightmare and I know people at Chorus who really wish now they'd never deployed the things in the first place.

Can someone explain what a conklin actually is? Wikipedia doesn't have an article on them and I'm sure it would be helpful to me and others to know. Thanks.

In broad terms the are a (now) relatively old small DSLAM with a fairly low speed backhaul connection to it. Think a cabinet, but limited to ADSL (not 2+) and with a much slower feed to it.

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#775115 5-Mar-2013 17:00

DarthKermit:
sbiddle: If you're on a Conklin there is nothing you can do. These are unfortumately becoming a massive nightmare and I know people at Chorus who really wish now they'd never deployed the things in the first place.

Can someone explain what a conklin actually is? Wikipedia doesn't have an article on them and I'm sure it would be helpful to me and others to know. Thanks.

A Conklin is a "pizza box" (small unit like a pizza box) style DSLAM that does ADSL1 and is fed by E1's as backhaul, typically 4 E1's delivering 8Mbps.

I think there was somewhere in the vicinity of 1000 of these deployed at the peak, mainly in rural areas that would have had no DSL from the main exchange due to distance.

With the recent increase in data caps there are now a large number of Conklin's suffering massive congestion issues and there is no easy fix. These area's have E1's as backhaul because fibre isn't an option.

pjays

109 posts

Master Geek

#775325 5-Mar-2013 22:24

In answer an earlier question ... sorry - I cant see the DSL Modulation but have included the Spectrum

RunningMan

7962 posts

Uber Geek

#775434 6-Mar-2013 09:08

Given the scale on the graph goes up to 1104kHz, I'd suggest it is syncing at ADSL (G.DMT) not ADSL2+, which is correct for the Alcatel 7300 that you are connected to.

Also, it's all the higher frequencies which are attenuated, which may well be just a very long line which you can't do that much about (and would fit with the 45dB odd attenuation).

Let's wait on the result of Chorus' visit.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5