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View Full Version : *All* Speed Increases Discussion In here. (Part 5)


meld51
06-05-2005, 17:51
I just had a letter fron NTL to say how pleased they are to announce an increase in BB speed from 1.5Mb to 3 Mb.

However, I have run a speedo check on my connection and as far as I can see I still only have 500Mb.....not even the 750Mb that they upgraded us to yonks ago.

Is someone pulling my leg?

Mick
06-05-2005, 18:08
I wish I had the 750MB Package. :p: :eek:

Seriously however.... its not a windup.

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/article/145/ntl-broadband-upgrade-speeds-from-8th-march

zovat
06-05-2005, 18:19
I just had a letter fron NTL to say how pleased they are to announce an increase in BB speed from 1.5Mb to 3 Mb.

However, I have run a speedo check on my connection and as far as I can see I still only have 500Mb.....not even the 750Mb that they upgraded us to yonks ago.

Is someone pulling my leg?

Just had that letter as well, only I upgraded a while ago.... :rofl:

have you rebooted the CM/STB ?

also, you may find that you need to go the the upgrade page : http://www.ntlworld.com/data-feeds/editorial/microsites/tierMigration/

and select the tier you are on (so you are effectively upgrading to your existing tier, but getting the new speeds.)

meld51
06-05-2005, 20:55
Well I don't have an STB to boot and my modem gets a reboot from time to time.


Hmmm.... I'll try the upgrade page you suggest.

paulyoung666
06-05-2005, 20:57
I just had a letter fron NTL to say how pleased they are to announce an increase in BB speed from 1.5Mb to 3 Mb.

However, I have run a speedo check on my connection and as far as I can see I still only have 500Mb.....not even the 750Mb that they upgraded us to yonks ago.

Is someone pulling my leg?


how are you testing it ??? :)

meld51
06-05-2005, 21:37
I'm using the McAffee speedometer

homealone
06-05-2005, 22:16
I'm using the McAffee speedometer

what do you get with this one

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/speedtest.html

?

lethalman
07-05-2005, 01:31
i know some verry good speed tests tools to pm or add me to msn messenger ,good think is my best mate tim works with ntl brondband and helps ppl with slow speeds and stuff. your walcome to add me.

lethalman3000@hotmail.com

Raistlin
07-05-2005, 02:47
Nice offer but there's plenty of links on here to free tools for speed testing already.

Also might not be a hugely great idea to post your email in a public forum like that unless you like shed loads of Spam arriving in your inbox daily.

The PM system is available should anybody wish to contact you and take you up on your offer though :tu:

etccarmageddon
07-05-2005, 11:24
Just got a letter from Goodland telling me my connection will be upgraded by end of May.

Graham M
07-05-2005, 12:22
Or you could just phone em and get it done now :erm:

meld51
07-05-2005, 16:32
I phoned the BB help and they said that I was still getting only 750kbit service. She logged it for an increase to 2mbit and said it would take 24 hours to happen.....we'll see. So I seem to have missed out on the last increase.

etccarmageddon
08-05-2005, 12:12
Or you could just phone em and get it done now :erm:

I'm happy to sit back and wait for it to happen.

hutchy
08-05-2005, 16:13
Hi,

I have a PACE STB and I'm on the silver broadband package. I've seen some people have had problems after getting a Samsung replacement STB, but it seems a 50:50 thing with them. Anyway, my question is, is it worth the hassle of upgrading? Surely with the increased speed you'll hit the 1GB "limit" quicker?

I'm asking because I tend to download *nix iso's, and various programming related things (It's a university thing).

Thanks in advance.

Graham M
08-05-2005, 16:14
Well..no the 1gb limit is there anyways, if youre downloading things, just dont download any more than u would on the lower connection speed and you wont hit the "limit" (there isnt a hard limit yet) any faster youll just get your files quicker which is a god send.

zitianaki
08-05-2005, 21:25
telewest and ntl one step closer to merging, does this mean ntl will offer the same products and no caps like tw do or be ablt to offer alot faster with no caps at a good price to compete with adsl 8Mb offers this summer

budwieser
08-05-2005, 21:44
what do you get with this one

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/speedtest.html

?

Hmmmm. I just tried it and it gave me this:::
Sun, 8 May 2005 19:43:22 UTC
1st 128K took 532 ms = 246376 Bytes/sec = approx 2050 kbits/sec
2nd 128K took 547 ms = 239620 Bytes/sec = approx 1994 kbits/sec
3rd 128K took 531 ms = 246840 Bytes/sec = approx 2054 kbits/sec
4th 128K took 531 ms = 246840 Bytes/sec = approx 2054 kbits/sec

These results appear to be rather fast: maybe this page was in the browser cache.
Could this be right and all is well with my 2mb connection?:erm: :D :D :D

Nemesis
08-05-2005, 21:51
telewest and ntl one step closer to merging, does this mean ntl will offer the same products and no caps like tw do or be ablt to offer alot faster with no caps at a good price to compete with adsl 8Mb offers this summer

We will wait and see ...

homealone
08-05-2005, 21:51
Hmmmm. I just tried it and it gave me this:::
Sun, 8 May 2005 19:43:22 UTC
1st 128K took 532 ms = 246376 Bytes/sec = approx 2050 kbits/sec
2nd 128K took 547 ms = 239620 Bytes/sec = approx 1994 kbits/sec
3rd 128K took 531 ms = 246840 Bytes/sec = approx 2054 kbits/sec
4th 128K took 531 ms = 246840 Bytes/sec = approx 2054 kbits/sec

These results appear to be rather fast: maybe this page was in the browser cache.
Could this be right and all is well with my 2mb connection?:erm: :D :D :D

it is usually reliable, the error message occurs because the software was written before a 2Mb/s tier was available - looks like you are sorted ;) :tu:

Ignition
09-05-2005, 04:36
We will wait and see ...

Not a chance in hell of ntl relinquishing the soft caps. Offering unlimited usage and not pulling up those who take the Michael is hurting Telewest, and as they upgrade speeds it'll just hurt more.

Regarding speed upgrades, I've no idea what ntl are planning, a little bird informed me Telewest have no plans at this time to do anything beyond trialling the 10Mbit service with a view to a commercial rollout next year if it goes well.

Obviously this is subject to change.

zitianaki
09-05-2005, 04:42
Intresting. tw seem to have all sorts of roumors 6/8/10Mbit ones i saw the 10MBit ones on a pdf file but the 6 and 8 was people on forums.

I would of thought ntl going with tw would make them one bigger company capable of offering alot more then they can now, i guess i was wrong ;)

etccarmageddon
18-05-2005, 08:58
Check your speeds folks - mine has been auto increased overnight.

bobna
18-05-2005, 09:53
what area are you in? ^^

etccarmageddon
18-05-2005, 11:31
baguley/wythenshawe

Dghoshal
18-05-2005, 12:25
I seem to have been automatically ugpraded too?!? I was on 1.5mb, now it looks like I am on 3mb? I did NOT want to upgrade because of the hard caps with the new plans! What is the hard cap on the 3mb service please, is it 30gb per month or 40 gb per month?

I am in Cardiff.

:mad:

DG

Chrysalis
18-05-2005, 12:27
On the top 2 tiers the cap policy is unchanged at 1 gig day soft cap. Only the bottom tier is affected.

Dghoshal
18-05-2005, 12:32
Soft cap? I was sure there was a hullaballo recently about it being hard caps? What happens with a soft cap? What will NTL do if you exceed the 30gb per month (1gb per day)?

Also is this cap based on download only or does will they count your upload too? Sorry for the newb questions, there are just so many posts here, some which seem to contradict others.

Many thanks,
DG

chilin_dude
18-05-2005, 16:40
Don't think I've had the auto-speed increase yet... I'm on the STB, and these are my speeds:
Wed, 18 May 2005 14:38:37 GMT
1st 128K took 4438 ms = 29534 Bytes/sec = approx 246 kbits/sec
2nd 128K took 2765 ms = 47404 Bytes/sec = approx 394 kbits/sec
3rd 128K took 3797 ms = 34520 Bytes/sec = approx 287 kbits/sec
4th 128K took 3813 ms = 34375 Bytes/sec = approx 286 kbits/sec

Nemesis
18-05-2005, 16:45
Soft cap? I was sure there was a hullaballo recently about it being hard caps? What happens with a soft cap? What will NTL do if you exceed the 30gb per month (1gb per day)?

Also is this cap based on download only or does will they count your upload too? Sorry for the newb questions, there are just so many posts here, some which seem to contradict others.

Many thanks,
DG

The soft cap is when they notice your are consistently going over the 1 Gig per day and write to you ... supposedly currently in force.

The hard cap is where you have a monthly download limit, and if you exceeed it you either pay for the extra bandwidth consumed or have a reduced bandwidth for the remainder of the month.

zovat
18-05-2005, 16:57
Soft cap? I was sure there was a hullaballo recently about it being hard caps? What happens with a soft cap? What will NTL do if you exceed the 30gb per month (1gb per day)?

Also is this cap based on download only or does will they count your upload too? Sorry for the newb questions, there are just so many posts here, some which seem to contradict others.

Many thanks,
DG

The CAP is currently soft, but there are trials going on of software to make it a hard cap....

If they use the S/W that is being looked at then when you reach the cap, you will get reduced speed (can be as low as 56k) or an option to buy more b/width.

The S/W counts both upload and download usage (although upload is normally a lot smaller unless you are constantly uploading - even p2p and gaming use very little unless you are the server)

zag
18-05-2005, 17:23
I hate it when support deal with the same type of call differently :mad:

I have tried the manual upgrade many times & i keep getting this error:


Error looking up cable modem details for 00:d0:??:??:??:?? (no SMS details). For further help, contact customer support on 0800 052 2000 If you need further help, please contact our customer support (0800 052 2000).
** MAC ADDRESS CHANGED **
When you call customer support, you may be asked for the following information: Applicationntl: Broadband Internet - Connection Speed UpgradeDate & Time18/05/2005 at 16:21Your username????Your Cable Modem Mac Address00:d0:??:??:??:?? **Your SurnameYour Postcode

Anyone else got this one????

What is more annoying is that some of you guys seem to have called NTL & they have done it over the phone!

I was told to wait grrrr :mad:

Dghoshal
18-05-2005, 17:40
:) Thanks very much for your answers, it is much appreciated.

DG

Ignition
18-05-2005, 19:34
Don't think I've had the auto-speed increase yet... I'm on the STB, and these are my speeds:
Wed, 18 May 2005 14:38:37 GMT
1st 128K took 4438 ms = 29534 Bytes/sec = approx 246 kbits/sec
2nd 128K took 2765 ms = 47404 Bytes/sec = approx 394 kbits/sec
3rd 128K took 3797 ms = 34520 Bytes/sec = approx 287 kbits/sec
4th 128K took 3813 ms = 34375 Bytes/sec = approx 286 kbits/sec

If on 300k you have to ask for the upgrade as the upgrade to 1Mbps comes with extra conditions (a hard transfer cap).

purenuman
18-05-2005, 19:45
The CAP is currently soft, but there are trials going on of software to make it a hard cap....

........ for 1mb but not 2mb & 3mb. They will continue to have no hard cap........

.
.
.
.
.

.......... for now ;)

Stuart
18-05-2005, 19:48
The CAP is currently soft, but there are trials going on of software to make it a hard cap....

........ for 1mb but not 2mb & 3mb. They will continue to have no hard cap........

.
.
.
.
.

.......... for now ;)

As, I believe, NTL are currently reviewing the situation...

purenuman
18-05-2005, 21:53
As, I believe, NTL are currently reviewing the situation...

They are constantly reviewing the situation and will strive to beat (on service and price) BT et al........ :D

They are just as likely to remove any restrictions for 2&3mb as they are to cap them.

It all depends on what the mainstream competition offer (not the low volume high speed ISPs)...

Stuart
18-05-2005, 22:19
As, I believe, NTL are currently reviewing the situation...

They are constantly reviewing the situation and will strive to beat (on service and price) BT et al........ :D



That's what I meant..

purenuman
18-05-2005, 22:31
That's what I meant..

:tu: :)

richardw
19-05-2005, 11:11
Leicester seems to have been auto-upgraded :tu:

ian@huth
19-05-2005, 12:06
They are constantly reviewing the situation and will strive to beat (on service and price) BT et al........ :D

They are just as likely to remove any restrictions for 2&3mb as they are to cap them.

It all depends on what the mainstream competition offer (not the low volume high speed ISPs)...Can you imagine what the situation would be if NTL decided to beat an 8Mb offering from a mainstream ADSL ISP and offer an uncapped service? Not possible in my view without massive investment on the existing infrastructure. That is with the existing customer base and without new customers being taken on because of the higher speed, lack of capping and cheaper price.

Paddy1
19-05-2005, 12:14
I was auto upgraded last week to the 2 Mb tier. As one who originally bought their cm and paying £20 per month I decided to wait for the auto upgrade so as not to lose my £5 discount but yesterday I got a letter saying that NTL are delighted to inform me that my line has been upgraded and that, as a result, they are removing the £5 discount in August. They even pointed out that if my cm should ever fail they will replace it free of charge... so just like everyone else thats paying £25. I feel an irate phone call coming on. I'm currently paying 13 quid for phone and tv and another 2 for international call discount. I don't use the tv as I have $ky so I'm going to cancel this and go back to BT paying £10.50 a month. Net result, a £10 loss for ntl.

ian@huth
19-05-2005, 12:46
I was auto upgraded last week to the 2 Mb tier. As one who originally bought their cm and paying £20 per month I decided to wait for the auto upgrade so as not to lose my £5 discount but yesterday I got a letter saying that NTL are delighted to inform me that my line has been upgraded and that, as a result, they are removing the £5 discount in August. They even pointed out that if my cm should ever fail they will replace it free of charge... so just like everyone else thats paying £25. I feel an irate phone call coming on. I'm currently paying 13 quid for phone and tv and another 2 for international call discount. I don't use the tv as I have $ky so I'm going to cancel this and go back to BT paying £10.50 a month. Net result, a £10 loss for ntl.Just how long did you expect to get that discount for? You have paid far less on average taking the purchase price into account per month for your broadband service than those who didn't have to buy. If there was an option now to buy your own modem and get a discounted monthly payment it certainly wouldn't be anything like £5 per month. NTL should really have looked at pricing on a regular basis and reduced that discount at regular intervals.

GuestUK
19-05-2005, 12:48
Ok, I know this may sound stupid, but is there any way to tell if I've been upgraded?

I accidentally clicked on a favourite of the NTL speed test and was shocked to see the speed reported as 2000kb/s. I retried and got the same results:
1st 128K took 531 ms = 246840 Bytes/sec = approx 2054 kbits/sec
2nd 128K took 531 ms = 246840 Bytes/sec = approx 2054 kbits/sec
3rd 128K took 532 ms = 246376 Bytes/sec = approx 2050 kbits/sec
4th 128K took 546 ms = 240059 Bytes/sec = approx 1997 kbits/sec


I then tried 3 more different speed tests I could find, and this is where I got confused.

1 of them reported my speed as 2 megabits - the other 2 reported my speed as 750kb/s (what I used to be/still am?)

741.8 Kbps - You 741.8 kbps


Loaded 754,928 bytes in
7.406 seconds = 815 Kb

Your speed is: 1923 Kb

Kind of misleading, as my speed used to be 750kb/s - but if I was upgraded, it'd be 2megabits?

I didnt do any upgrade myself (auto upgrade?). If it helps, I'm in the luton/bedfordshire area

Is there any way to find out if I've been upgraded? As I said, I know it sounds stupid, it's just peaked my curiosity

purenuman
19-05-2005, 14:40
Can you imagine what the situation would be if NTL decided to beat an 8Mb offering from a mainstream ADSL ISP and offer an uncapped service? Not possible in my view without massive investment on the existing infrastructure. That is with the existing customer base and without new customers being taken on because of the higher speed, lack of capping and cheaper price.

I totally understand and respect your opinion but regardless of the cost etc IF BT (or other large mainstream ISP) did then NTL will (plus a little extra) I've no doubt.

I doubt BT or any other large mainstream BB ISP will though as they are in a worse position than NTL regarding their networks as a whole.....

__________________

Just how long did you expect to get that discount for? You have paid far less on average taking the purchase price into account per month for your broadband service than those who didn't have to buy. If there was an option now to buy your own modem and get a discounted monthly payment it certainly wouldn't be anything like £5 per month. NTL should really have looked at pricing on a regular basis and reduced that discount at regular intervals.

:tu:

Paddy1
19-05-2005, 17:05
Just how long did you expect to get that discount for? You have paid far less on average taking the purchase price into account per month for your broadband service than those who didn't have to buy. If there was an option now to buy your own modem and get a discounted monthly payment it certainly wouldn't be anything like £5 per month. NTL should really have looked at pricing on a regular basis and reduced that discount at regular intervals.

If I'm honest, for the life of the cm. If it dies and I have to pay an extra £5 to rent one then that's fine and dandy. What annoyed me was the fact that they are "delighted" to inform me that they're charging me a 25% increase in price for an upgrade I didn't ask for and, frankly, could do without. I was perfectly happy on 750k.

How long has the broadband service been available without being tied to the tv/phone package? 2 years? I could have taken my custom elsewhere and saved £5 but chose not to and to give NTL my custom, even though I don't use the tv service. Now that they are charging me more I am taking my custom to a cheaper provider. Simple economics.

cynix
19-05-2005, 19:52
To be fair they also give the option of changing to 1Mbit for 17.99, so you'd be getting 1/3 faster speed for £2 less.

I had the £5 discount as well and had been waiting for the auto upgrade as someone on here mentioned that the discount would still apply if you didn't upgrade manually. However since NTL have now stated that this is not the case I just upgraded to 2Mbit manually today.

Paddy1
19-05-2005, 20:31
To be fair they also give the option of changing to 1Mbit for 17.99, so you'd be getting 1/3 faster speed for £2 less.

I had the £5 discount as well and had been waiting for the auto upgrade as someone on here mentioned that the discount would still apply if you didn't upgrade manually. However since NTL have now stated that this is not the case I just upgraded to 2Mbit manually today.

I would do this but for the 3GB cap. I, too, was waiting because of comments made here (not complaining about this in the least). If I'd known that they were going to up the price regardless I'd have upgraded manually, and before people jump down my throat for complaining while accepting the upgrade, if it was inevitable then I'd have taken it sooner rather than later. I am extremely pleased with NTL's broadband service and have been a satisfied customer for around 5 years and have no intention of cancelling it. It's just that by increasing the broadband price, they have forced me to reassess my comms services and there is a cheaper alternative so by increasing the price, they have effectively lost £10 per month.

tim
19-05-2005, 21:52
I opted to buy my SB4100 CM (£150) and pay £20/month.

I have had 2 bills since doing the manual upgrade from 750K to 2M and I am still being charged £20. :D

Just hope it stays that way :cool:

Paddy1
19-05-2005, 22:57
I opted to buy my SB4100 CM (£150) and pay £20/month.

I have had 2 bills since doing the manual upgrade from 750K to 2M and I am still being charged £20. :D

Just hope it stays that way :cool:

The letter said that, as a good will jesture, they would upgrade the line by July but not charge until the August bill.

Chrysalis
19-05-2005, 23:19
Morally you keep the £5 discount for lifetime of contract but I think everyone here knows you have more then your money's worth even over valuing the modem at £200 that would be 40 months worth of discounted price for even stevens.

Michael36
20-05-2005, 03:18
> Just how long did you expect to get that discount for?

It's not a discount.

The history is that you paid 40quid for the service and 150quid for a modem + installation to get the service. The 40 quid was reduced to 20quid and then an _option_ to rent a modem for a fiver was added. That was probably the ideal - customer choice - buy or rent [and because people could buy, a 2nd hand market would exist and because you bought you obviously didn't pay the rent too - unless you wanted to, I suppose, I never asked]

So now it's a "discount"? Noo. Perhaps I should nip into comet and give them a fiver for the TV we bought? ;) How long did I expect to not pay for the CM I already paid for? Err, well, since you ask - for ever and ever. :)

Just look at ADSL kit - it's not 150 quid. Ergo paying a fiver a month rental [and that's what it was] is, frankly, daft 5 years down the line. I'd have paid for probably 5+ NTL CM's given their bulk purchasing had I opted to rent. Some of you probably have.

NTL have since [for a long time now] merged / fudged what was a 20quid service + 5 quid rental into a single price and at the same time, sadly in my view and experience removed the option to buy [and removed the 2nd hand market]

Folk saying folk like myself have saved 150quid should think about that - I haven't won because you've lost - I did what made perfect sense and it's in the customer's interest to be able to do it. You should all have had that option - and you should all have that option today. The fact you don't is because it makes perfect sense for NTL to take a fiver a month extra potentially for years - because renting makes no sense - OTOH, with a bit of imagination they could probably have kept the purchases and got some to pay 150 quid for their CM, 150quid for a 5 year extended warranty, a fiver a month rental and pick up the tab for the meal to discuss it - but for the rest of us...

I'd save more if I could sell this CM to someone else if I ever move away from a cabled area or switch to another system - that's another reason why it's good and what NTL did by removing the choice was bad.

Renting for a fiver might have been fair enough given the prices back then - at the time when people asked which option they should do, posts generally questioned whether the short / medium term would make a purchased modem obsolete on the network [the earliest models were docsis 1.0 for example - but that hasn't happened yet] but pointed out the short length of time that the modem would be paid for even at 150quid and with few rental benefits [not the least because they pretend it isn't rent now]

Today a fiver is simply paying through the nose - as I said, look at the ADSL kit prices and market to see why [and consider that, the odd promotion aside, they charge a chunk of change ample enough to cover the price of the CM, for new installation anyway, so you've already paid for it before the first months rent-that-isn't-rent-because-we-stopped-calling-it-that leaves your account. Quack quack, waddle, waddle, it's not a duck? It always was :)]

So everyone paying the fiver might consider "Perhaps I could have bought a CM if I wanted to" and work out the saving [especially for 2nd user kit] rather than look at it as though a different group has some kind of discount.

Now with this change, I'm going to be paying the fiver for nothing [not that anyone with an NTL CM has gotten much] It's nothing to do with the speed increases. Sure, it's opportunistic of them to do this at the same time and mention it in the same letter, in the hope it will temper the blow [they'd have been better using the obsolete route though IMHO] - but at the end of the day it's no more related to it than adding the teachers.tv station or increasing the phone rental are - it's just a change of service / pricing being done at the same time as bunch of other changes.

The worse thing is, even if I ring and say "Ok, give me your CM then" I'm still being ripped off because their CM wouldn't cost what I'll end up paying a fiver a month for. Precisely because I've had a CM for 4-5 years means I know it's a daft idea to be still paying for it now - and thus even more daft to start paying again for it.

OTOH, it's a good service and yep, they have dropped the price significantly once and increased the speeds twice now [although they have no choice, back in the 40quid / 150quid CM days there was no one else, now there are lots]

But all said and done, it's probably good enough, having had 2mb for a few months, for me to be miffed about this but get over it :) I'll probably recoup the fiver by dropping some other part of the service instead. I did wonder when I upgraded online whether it'd be a symptom - at least they got a secretary to type a letter [one that'll be filed away for the day when they "forget" that they offered a "free" [only a fiver a month squire] replacement for future breakages - after all they forgot rent was rent :) ]

But I think everyone paying a fiver to rent a CM should firstly see that's what it was and imho that's what it still is, irrespective of what they say now - and secondly question, even if that's the choice they'd make - whether it'd be better to be a choice - like it once was.

Just my 2p (or you can rent it for 5p a week if you prefer)

Paddy1
20-05-2005, 04:58
You are George Galloway and I claim my five pounds :)


Seriously though, I'd actually forgetten paying 40 quid. They're still 10 quid down though.

Paul
20-05-2005, 06:56
Remember you are not just paying the cost of the modem when you rent it - you are paying for the support of it as well. If a rented modem dies then you get a new one free. If owned modems were still allowed then you wouldn't.

tim
20-05-2005, 10:04
Remember you are not just paying the cost of the modem when you rent it - you are paying for the support of it as well. If a rented modem dies then you get a new one free

So the flip side is that a CM that is owned by the customer does not get any support or free replacement.
That is to say there is no burden to NTL in that respect. Therefore the customer should not be charged (the £5 rental) for such services.

If my £20/pm goes up to £25/pm I will have a few chioce words for CS.

ian@huth
20-05-2005, 14:15
So the flip side is that a CM that is owned by the customer does not get any support or free replacement.
That is to say there is no burden to NTL in that respect. Therefore the customer should not be charged (the £5 rental) for such services.

If my £20/pm goes up to £25/pm I will have a few chioce words for CS.The current prices shown on NTL's price list for broadband services include the provision and maintenance of a cable modem within the cost. That price is not £20 for the service and £5 for rental of the cable modem. Whilst £5 may have been the difference between the price paid by customers who owned their own modem and customers who didn't some years ago there is no logical reason why this £5 difference should carry on in perpuity. Cost of cable modems has fallen significantly since those early days, service speeds have increased and prices for them have fallen. If NTL decided to provide a new low end tier at £4.99 per month including provision of a cable modem would you seriously expect NTL to charge you nothing for this if you moved to it and give you a penny credit into the bargain to make sure you retained the £5 discount for owning your own modem?

Taken the fact that cable modems prices are so low these days, what do you think NTL should charge for the current tiers if all customers were asked to buy and maintain their own modems? It certainly wouldn't be £5 less than current price list charges.

Let's face it, customers who bought their own modems in the first place have had more than their fair share of "compensation" for doing so in the lower charges they have paid over the years. It is customers who did not buy their modems who are subsidising the discount that they have been receiving.

Jules
20-05-2005, 14:22
Well I upgraded yesterday form 750 to 1mb (didn't want to change my box to get the 2mb as it is the old saying if it isn't broke etc etc) had a few problems last night that I managed to sort out with out the dreaded call to BB support so I am just waiting now for my bill to see if I will be charged £17.99 for it or if they will have forgotton to alter it and they still want £24.99

Michael36
20-05-2005, 23:14
> That price is not £20 for the service and £5 for rental of the cable modem.

Years ago - when CMs cost more so did other things.

If you're going to hypothetically dissect the price, it's not enough to say "CMs are cheaper" - while ignoring changes in everything else that makes up the cost.

CMs being cheaper is the reason why the fiver is too much today, and is more of an argument against paying 25 quid today compared with years ago, not one for it :)

[The "rent v buy", you get a replacement and maintenance etc, are worthy debates, but this isn't that debate - there's no point having that debate because as you've read, NTL have removed the option entirely from their service now] Although the comments about what you get if you rent / what you get if you buy, do show an interest in both options - let's hope NTL reintroduce buying, so the debates are worth having]

The debate is about the lack of choice and the unjustified increase in price that removing the buy option from those that had it [and imo, to those that never had the choice - I certainly wouldn't have joined NTL had the rental been forced]

But as I said in my last post, if you've owned a CM for 5 years and it's going tickity boo tickity boo without problems then you're not about to buy the line that the 300 quid you'd have paid was to support that CM. [No doubt people have had problems, in fact I'm willing to bet there are threads with problems from NTL's provided modems - another reason to offer choice]

The speed increases don't make the service worth more imo, they merely make it remain competitive - NTL know that and that's why they haven't increased the prices. If they weren't increasing speeds to 2mb at the same cost I imagine you'd soon be talking about NTL's service to yourself :)

As for the subsidy thing - who are you kidding?

But yep, you make a good point - what the price of rental is, given an option to buy that would subtracts that amount, [which is, until 1st June, 5 pounds]

As you say, it might not be justified forever because CMs are cheaper. Since I'm going to be paying the fiver I'm with you on the idea to get it reduced in line with the price of CMs. Let's hope it's quick.

banjo
23-05-2005, 18:11
Here we go again,I am on 2meg, does any one know of any problems ?
Mon, 23 May 2005 16:06:38 UTC
1st 128K took 1282 ms = 102240 Bytes/sec = approx 851 kbits/sec
2nd 128K took 1202 ms = 109045 Bytes/sec = approx 907 kbits/sec
3rd 128K took 1352 ms = 96947 Bytes/sec = approx 807 kbits/sec
4th 128K took 1892 ms = 69277 Bytes/sec = approx 576 kbits/sec

APS
24-05-2005, 08:33
Anyone heard if and when the Business Cable modems will get the same speed increases that domestic users have had. The original, unofficial news posted on this site said business cable users would get the boost, but no news yet, despite small business users paying >2 X more than domestic users and getting basically the same service.


APS

Scotianet
27-05-2005, 12:30
The letter said that, as a good will jesture, they would upgrade the line by July but not charge until the August bill.

Does anyone know if anyone in the Greenock area has been upgraded from 750 to 2Mb yet ? I have also had the letter saying that my discount will be removed and I would be upgraded in July. If anyone else in Greenock has been upgraded then why should I who has been a customer so long now have to wait til July because I was getting a discount for buying my modem ?

Ramrod
27-05-2005, 12:55
Can anyone here help the posters above (banjo, APS & Scotianet)?...Any ideas? :)

savvychels
27-05-2005, 17:44
I called today all set to be really narked about the fact that I've been paying £24.99 a month for 750 when the 1gig has been 17.99 for a while. Was told I'd been upgraded yesterday... Funny - my speed tests were still all 750.

Anyway after shuffling through a few people I got put through to someone who said for the set top box ones to leave STB off for at least 5 minutes as the upgrade info can take a bit longer to process, we did that and she called me back a few minutes later to confirm it all went through okay - had to reboot computer - go to http://www.ntlworld.com (http://www.ntlworld.com/) to re-register my computer with the set top box (need PID and password) and then go through a box reboot and computer reboot and VOILA! speed tests came back at 2MB.

I'm in South Dorset if that helps anyone else who might be waiting in this region.

Raistlin
27-05-2005, 17:48
<Excellent post snipped>

savvychels,

:welcome: to Cable Forum, hopefully you will enjoy your stay here.

Thanks for good helpful first post, look forward to hearing more from you in the future.

Regards,


Raist

alex_walke
27-05-2005, 23:12
well............its nearly the end of May, still no speed upgrade in Hemel Hempstead, is it something I need to do or is it a question of waiting?


I have a cable modem and currently on 750k if that helps! :erm:

paulyoung666
27-05-2005, 23:14
well............its nearly the end of May, still no speed upgrade in Hemel Hempstead, is it something I need to do or is it a question of waiting?


I have a cable modem and currently on 750k if that helps! :erm:


have you rang ntl up ???? , or have you rebooted the modem , i know mine needed it to get the speed increase :)

homealone
27-05-2005, 23:58
well............its nearly the end of May, still no speed upgrade in Hemel Hempstead, is it something I need to do or is it a question of waiting?


I have a cable modem and currently on 750k if that helps! :erm:

have you tried

http://www.ntlworld.com/data-feeds/editorial/microsites/tierMigration/

you will need to provide the correct user name & password for your account ;)

ford fairlane
28-05-2005, 02:27
hi

just to say thanks to homealone

followed his advice went to the ntl register page and bang twenty seconds later got my speed increase 750k to 2meg

thanks again homealone:) :) :)

Raistlin
28-05-2005, 02:52
Hi ford,

:welcome: to Cable Forum, hope you stick around.

Nice to see that your first post here represents another problem solved by one of the members.

Thanks for posting, look forward to hearing more from you in the future :tu:

fudge
28-05-2005, 10:43
Just a question regarding speedupgrades and top boxes, I am on 1mb broadband and have a small silver modem sat on my pc, i also have ntl tv which has the black pace box.
I have read on this forum that if you upgrade to more than 1mb you need a silver tv box, This confuses me as to why as i know 2 people who are on 2mb and have the same black pace box as myself. Could someone explain please as to why or if i would need a new silver box i i upgraded my speed. many thanks.

paulyoung666
28-05-2005, 10:49
Just a question regarding speedupgrades and top boxes, I am on 1mb broadband and have a small silver modem sat on my pc, i also have ntl tv which has the black pace box.
I have read on this forum that if you upgrade to more than 1mb you need a silver tv box, This confuses me as to why as i know 2 people who are on 2mb and have the same black pace box as myself. Could someone explain please as to why or if i would need a new silver box i i upgraded my speed. many thanks.


you would only need a samsung if you were getting your internet through the stb , as you are using a sacm then you wont need to change it :)

homealone
28-05-2005, 15:20
hi

just to say thanks to homealone

followed his advice went to the ntl register page and bang twenty seconds later got my speed increase 750k to 2meg

thanks again homealone:) :) :)

:welcome: to the forum, ford fairlane - glad that worked for you :tu:

- it is Robin Walker who deserves the credit, for his superb website, though - thanks Robin :)

chilin_dude
29-05-2005, 13:27
If on 300k you have to ask for the upgrade as the upgrade to 1Mbps comes with extra conditions (a hard transfer cap).Ok, thanks - Are they ever going to make it automattic?

Ignition
29-05-2005, 13:31
Ok, thanks - Are they ever going to make it automattic?

Pass.

I'd guess probably at some point, to avoid having too many speed tiers, 4 is already more than most cable ISPs have.

Paddy1
30-05-2005, 02:38
Ok, thanks - Are they ever going to make it automattic?

Mine was automatic about 2 weeks ago... Belfast area

chilin_dude
02-06-2005, 17:35
Mine was automatic about 2 weeks ago... Belfast areaCool, I can't wait then...

Racingdick
02-06-2005, 17:53
always worth a quick call to Tech support to double check when/if/how ur increase will take place

Enterian
03-06-2005, 21:45
YAAAAY! At last! I'm getting 3 meg on my STB!

alex_walke
05-06-2005, 01:35
hello chaps, my dad worked it out himself when browsing the ntlworld site how to upgrade our speed from 750k to 2mb, did it in a few clicks, moments later, the modem starts flashing and doing its business, 2 minutes later, run the speed test, HURRAH 2MB!!!! Well in NTL!!!

With the advance in technology it seems unthinkable that 2mb broadband exists considering ISDN was the best not so long ago. I just wonder in 10 years time, what speeds will we have in 2015? 50mb?? it seems unthinkable doesnt it? as 2mb seems very fast itself.

Now all we need is for the quality of streaming to be upgraded as the BBC still havent mastered their streaming of their radio, because it still stutters and alter the quality! Other radio stations on the net however are of good quality and dont have that problem of bandwidth issues.

juegee
05-06-2005, 14:38
I contacted NTL and by agreeing to the speed increase you are giving yourself a download limit. i have 750k service unlimited up and download and have been told that i will be upgraded wether i want it or not and will be restricted to 1gig per day of usage which includes emails surfing online gaming etc. i think this is totally unacceptable i am doing an online course i subscribe to realplayer for big brother and play call of duty 1 gig is going to go nowhere and thats withou NTL sending you stupid emails like auto replies and answers to questions you didnt ask

cookie_365
05-06-2005, 15:07
I contacted NTL and by agreeing to the speed increase you are giving yourself a download limit. i have 750k service unlimited up and download and have been told that i will be upgraded wether i want it or not and will be restricted to 1gig per day of usage which includes emails surfing online gaming etc. i think this is totally unacceptable i am doing an online course i subscribe to realplayer for big brother and play call of duty 1 gig is going to go nowhere and thats withou NTL sending you stupid emails like auto replies and answers to questions you didnt ask

The usage policy on 2Mb is exactly the same as the usage policy you already have on 750Kb.

juegee
05-06-2005, 16:17
Hi cookie thanks for your reply. i do not have a limit I subscribed over 2

years ago to the 512k unlimited package and i do not have a download limit. NTL told me I will be restricted to 1 gig per day from when they upgrade and if you exceed often you will be sent a letter regarding misuse

Jue

Graham M
05-06-2005, 16:19
Hi cookie thanks for your reply. i do not have a limit I subscribed over 2

years ago to the 512k unlimited package and i do not have a download limit. NTL told me I will be restricted to 1 gig per day from when they upgrade and if you exceed often you will be sent a letter regarding misuse

Jue

Load of rubbish, NTL ammended the AUP and everyone connected to the service is imposed with a 1GB/day usage limit regardless of their speed/tier, although it is not policed right now, it probably will be soon.

juegee
05-06-2005, 16:26
when when they do police they will be losing their custom from me.

cookie_365
05-06-2005, 17:13
Have a look at the *many* threads on the caps. They're not hard to find ;)

Semi On
05-06-2005, 18:38
hello chaps, my dad worked it out himself when browsing the ntlworld site how to upgrade our speed from 750k to 2mb, did it in a few clicks, moments later, the modem starts flashing and doing its business, 2 minutes later, run the speed test, HURRAH 2MB!!!! Well in NTL!!!


I tried that. All I got was this error message: "Unable to identify the cable modem MAC (or Ethernet) address. Please reboot your PC and Cable Modem and try again." :(

So I tried that - same again. My letter said I'd be auto-upgraded by the end of May, but perhaps the problem above is preventing that happening? I'll give it a while longer then I suppose I'll have to give CS a ring.

toytown
09-06-2005, 15:58
Has the automatic upgrade of the cable modems happened yet? My nephew is still on the 300k package and due to the great CS support when he phones up NTL he cant get it changed. He also tried upgrading through the website but cant remember his username password (idiot, i know), he is in the lichfield area if it helps.

Raistlin
09-06-2005, 16:03
AFAIK there was no automatic upgrade for 300k users. You had to call support and ask them for the upgrade.

What problems is he having getting NTL to change it when he calls?

Mick
18-06-2005, 03:38
Note that those 750K broadband customers with a black PACE Set top box, will receive a FREE automatic upgrade to 1MB if they do not arrange a Set top box swap as the black pace set top boxes are only able to provide the maximum of 1MB speed connection. Also note that there will be no change to the usage allowance (1GB daily).

Those to which the above applies - check your speed. The above applies to me and I am now surfing on 1MB. Check your speed here (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/speedtest.html).

dev
18-06-2005, 12:17
Those to which the above applies - check your speed. The above applies to me and I am now surfing on 1MB. Check your speed here (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/speedtest.html).

edit: for those that saw original post, the bursts was lan traffic :rolleyes:

how long is the current wiat for one of the silver set top boxes?

Mick
18-06-2005, 16:24
edit: for those that saw original post, the bursts was lan traffic :rolleyes:

how long is the current wiat for one of the silver set top boxes?

Have you phoned customer services and requested a STB exchange?

tkiely
21-06-2005, 23:37
Have just heard that freedom2surf are to start offering ADSL2 along with full rate ADSL. This means that once my exchange is sorted I will get 8mb for 24.99

http://www.f2s.com/adsl/homeuser.php

when will ntl catch up on this one?

Paul K
21-06-2005, 23:49
Have just heard that freedom2surf are to start offering ADSL2 along with full rate ADSL. This means that once my exchange is sorted I will get 8mb for 24.99

http://www.f2s.com/adsl/homeuser.php

when will ntl catch up on this one?
Already posted about freedom2search in another area of the forum, you can only get full speed if you are close to the exchange, no speeds are guaranteed and only certain exchanges are ready to go full speed and only certain others are planned to be upgraded any time soon.
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=30646
These are the exchanges that are ready to go
Can I get 8mbit broadband?
You can currently get 8mbit broadband though freedom2surf via the following easynet LLU enabled exchanges.
Bermondsey CLBER
Brixton WRBRIX
Canonbury CLCAN
Coventry CMCGF
Halfway WSHAL
Hinckley EMHINCK
Middlesbrough NEMI
Nuneaton CMNUN
Orpington (Alpha) LSORP
Parsons Green WRPGRN
Shoreditch CLSHO
South Harrow LWSHAR
Uxbridge LWUXB
Wapping CLWAP

geminian68
21-06-2005, 23:51
Sounds good but you're capped to 100GIG per month, where as ukonline 8MB capped 500GIG per month £29.99

LostintheNW
22-06-2005, 09:52
sorry to bring this up but only just found this thread, whats with the moaning about paying £5 to rent a modem? my modem is in my STB, I have it there whether I use it or and and rent it as part of the cable tv package (well actually I pay £15 for it and the box as its the 2nd one we have) and then I am paying the full price for the BB, so I am paying £20 for mine - get off your soap box, you have had the modems for years by all accounts and more than had your money's worth out of it.

HxBro
22-06-2005, 12:04
Sounds good but you're capped to 100GIG per month, where as ukonline 8MB capped 500GIG per month £29.99

f2s is uncapped at night, 100gig for daytime use should be enough for most people, big downloads can be ran through the night when your not using your computer.

f2s also don't block ports, the upload is higher, static ip

geminian68
22-06-2005, 21:34
f2s is uncapped at night, 100gig for daytime use should be enough for most people, big downloads can be ran through the night when your not using your computer.

f2s also don't block ports, the upload is higher, static ip

Thanks for the info, still stuck with 3MB, until my exchange is upgraded (should've been done in May).

As for 100gig, I still haven't used that much, this year, yet! ;)

tkiely
23-06-2005, 22:26
The f2s network is awsome too! check this tracert to bbc.co.uk

Tracing route to www.bbc.net.uk [212.58.224.85]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 * * * Request timed out.
2 19 ms 19 ms 18 ms i-194-106-33-153.freedom2surf.net [194.106.33.15
3]
3 18 ms 20 ms 19 ms i-194-106-32-12.freedom2surf.net [194.106.32.12]

4 21 ms 22 ms 20 ms bbc-gw1-linx.prt0.thdoe.bbc.co.uk [195.66.226.10
3]
5 24 ms 19 ms 19 ms 212.58.238.129
6 19 ms 23 ms 22 ms www40.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.85]

Trace complete.

when i had ntl it was more like 25 hops at 90-200ms

as you can tell, I'm a very happy customer indeed.

Terry

Ignition
24-06-2005, 00:24
The f2s network is awsome too! check this tracert to bbc.co.uk

Tracing route to www.bbc.net.uk [212.58.224.85]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 * * * Request timed out.
2 19 ms 19 ms 18 ms i-194-106-33-153.freedom2surf.net [194.106.33.15
3]
3 18 ms 20 ms 19 ms i-194-106-32-12.freedom2surf.net [194.106.32.12]

4 21 ms 22 ms 20 ms bbc-gw1-linx.prt0.thdoe.bbc.co.uk [195.66.226.10
3]
5 24 ms 19 ms 19 ms 212.58.238.129
6 19 ms 23 ms 22 ms www40.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.85]

Trace complete.

when i had ntl it was more like 25 hops at 90-200ms

as you can tell, I'm a very happy customer indeed.

Terry

*Slight exaggeration on the 25 hops Terry, think you'll find it's fixed now too!

Nice first hop, thank BT for that one.

BTW I win:

Tracing route to www.bbc.net.uk [212.58.224.115]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 7 ms 6 ms 9 ms 10.118.208.1
2 6 ms 7 ms 6 ms sot3-t2cam1-b-ge95.inet.ntl.com [80.4.226.141]
3 7 ms 5 ms 5 ms sot3-t2core-b-ge-wan61.inet.ntl.com [80.4.225.13
3]
4 7 ms 7 ms 7 ms gfd-bb-b-so-330-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.53]
5 10 ms 18 ms 10 ms tele-ic-2-so-110-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.74]

6 11 ms 9 ms 8 ms ntl-ge2-8.prt0.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.239.217]
7 9 ms 14 ms 9 ms 212.58.238.153
8 10 ms 9 ms 9 ms www15.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.115]

Trace complete.

You may win on hops, but then I see all of mine including the local ones, rather than a ton of invisible hops on BT's network hidden by ATM and then L2TP VPN ;)

Best try again...

Tracing route to www.bbc.net.uk [212.58.224.115]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 12 ms 6 ms 6 ms 10.118.208.1
2 7 ms 7 ms 7 ms sot3-t2cam1-b-ge95.inet.ntl.com [80.4.226.141]
3 13 ms 6 ms 6 ms sot3-t2core-b-ge-wan61.inet.ntl.com [80.4.225.133]
4 7 ms 6 ms 7 ms gfd-bb-b-so-330-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.53]
5 9 ms 8 ms 8 ms tele-ic-2-so-110-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.74]

6 9 ms 9 ms 9 ms ntl-ge2-8.prt0.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.239.217]
7 9 ms 8 ms 9 ms 212.58.238.153
8 10 ms 10 ms 9 ms www15.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.115]

Nah I still win :) I'm at the beeb before you're at F2S.

Freedom to Surf's network can't really be compared to ntl's. ntl's is nationwide, most of the work that ntl's network does is done by BT, F2S's network is some fibre and routers in datacentres.

Anyway this talk belongs in the 'alternatives to' section, as does this link to an F2S forum showing the happy and the less than happy side of being one of their customers: http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=f2s

Ignition
24-06-2005, 00:56
Have just heard that freedom2surf are to start offering ADSL2 along with full rate ADSL. This means that once my exchange is sorted I will get 8mb for 24.99

http://www.f2s.com/adsl/homeuser.php

when will ntl catch up on this one?

Ah btw not only is it capped but it's using the UKOnline network anyway, the same one that UKO are offering 8Mbit for less cash with 500GB/month cap on.

Google Easynet LLUStream for more info.

NTL response? Absolutely, once the full rate speeds are a BT Wholesale product, be stupid not to.

Chrysalis
24-06-2005, 04:35
Well the ms is disctated by distance as well, tkiely might be in north england or scotland.

here is mine from midlands, looking quite nice.

1 6 ms 7 ms 10 ms 10.8.143.254
2 13 ms 7 ms 6 ms leic-t2cam1-a-ge914.inet.ntl.com [82.3.35.149]
3 7 ms 7 ms 8 ms leic-t2core-a-ge-210-0.inet.ntl.com [82.3.33.6]

4 16 ms 9 ms 10 ms lee-bb-a-so-220-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.188.110]

5 14 ms 15 ms 13 ms pop-bb-b-so-100-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.238]

6 12 ms 15 ms 12 ms pop-bb-a-ae0-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.172.78]
7 14 ms 19 ms 14 ms tele-ic-2-so-010-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.86]

8 13 ms 14 ms 15 ms ntl-ge2-8.prt0.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.239.217]
9 21 ms 13 ms 14 ms 212.58.238.153
10 14 ms 13 ms 13 ms rdirwww-vip.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.131]

Nikko
24-06-2005, 04:47
Well the ms is disctated by distance as well, tkiely might be in north england or scotland.

here is mine from midlands, looking quite nice.

1 6 ms 7 ms 10 ms 10.8.143.254
2 13 ms 7 ms 6 ms leic-t2cam1-a-ge914.inet.ntl.com [82.3.35.149]
3 7 ms 7 ms 8 ms leic-t2core-a-ge-210-0.inet.ntl.com [82.3.33.6]

4 16 ms 9 ms 10 ms lee-bb-a-so-220-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.188.110]

5 14 ms 15 ms 13 ms pop-bb-b-so-100-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.238]

6 12 ms 15 ms 12 ms pop-bb-a-ae0-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.172.78]
7 14 ms 19 ms 14 ms tele-ic-2-so-010-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.86]

8 13 ms 14 ms 15 ms ntl-ge2-8.prt0.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.239.217]
9 21 ms 13 ms 14 ms 212.58.238.153
10 14 ms 13 ms 13 ms rdirwww-vip.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.131]

Is that adsl or ntl?

Anonymouse
15-07-2005, 07:41
have you tried

http://www.ntlworld.com/data-feeds/editorial/microsites/tierMigration/

you will need to provide the correct user name & password for your account ;)

I've been on 750K for a while; I just tried that link, but it didn't work. I looked for it on ntl's homepage and the link is:

http://bbplus.ntlworld.com/data-feeds/editorial/microsites/tierMigration/ (http://bbplus.ntlworld.com/data-feeds/editorial/microsites/tierMigration/)

Unfortunately, I can't upgrade at the moment because of the ongoing upgrade to the billing system. :banghead:

Oh well. I'll try again next week.