Broadband - Virgin

[dummy61]

Hi

I have been with Ntl which became Virgin a number of years now and was told I was 8 mb which I am paying £18.00 per month, I only have broadband from virgin nothing else.I find out today I am on 2mb for £18.00 and that they have never had 8mb then I get a letter saying they are making changes which might affect the speed which now I find will not make much difference to me anyway with just finding out I am on 2mb.

I decided to change my broadband supplier, when I spoke to virgin to ask for my MAC key, they went on about the exchange because of where I live and they are the only ones that can give me they speed I pay for, they asked about who I was thinking of going to I mentioned Be unlimited at 24 mg, they told me because of where I live I would not get that, they also mention a few more, they also mentioned a sight that I could look on which tell you if you can get the speed from the broadband supplier it sound like samcose which I looked up but cannot find can some one help please and explain if this is so.

Thankyou in advance for you help from a even more confused person.

[tvtimes]

I take it your on ADSL then?

Because of your distance from the exchange you will get the same speeds from whichever supplier you choose as they use the same network.....BT's. Whether you choose Be*, VM, Sky, whoever, you will experience the same restrictions because of the distance you live from the exchange.

[joglynne]

Hi dummy61 and welcome to the forums.

I think the site you have be referred to is samknows (http://www.samknows.com/broadband/checker2.php) You might also be interested in reading this thread (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/63/4697-want-adsl-read-on.html) which covers all things ADSL. It does start in 2003 but a lot of the information is still relevant. Other treads here (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/63/) may also help you make a decision.

[MovedGoalPosts]

Are you currently usiing cable for your broadband, or are you using ADSL? They are two different technologies, albeit that both are broadband. You only need a mac code if you are getting Virgin Broadband via your BT type phone line i.e. ADSL.

The speed at which you can get ADSL broadband is substantially affected the further you are from the BT exchange. Essentially the quality of the wiring is important and resistance degrades the signal and thus speedd. Cable works differently such that distance is not a significant factor. Both ADSL and cable can be compromised by the number of users sharing the connection, and it's this that causes most issues.

The fastest speeds on ADSL rely on something called LLU and ADSL2, which means the ISP (internet service provider) will have installed their own kit at the BT exchange. This is how Be aim to get 24meg services, but remember this is a maximum speed, that few will achieve. If the kit isn't installed then you will be restricted to a maximum 8 meg service via most BT exhanges using something called ADSL max

[dummy61]

Hi,
I have checked arround, I saw that Be was LUU, so I thought I go with them, I asked them what the speed would be they said 1.5 megs, now I am totally confused, there is only one exhange and that is in Urmston. From this one exhange different broadband companies use it, setting there equipment up. What I want to know is say I up my meg with virgin so pay more, how do I get a higher meg if I can only received 1.5-2 meg. Does this mean people arround my area that are paying £37.00 for 20 meg will only get 2 mg please can someone explain how this works,

[joglynne]

Are you, by any chance, confusing ADSL Broadband suppliers such as Be (which works through your phone line and whose speed would depend on the distance you are from the nearest exchange ie Urmston) with Cable broadband (which is delivered by a Virginmedia cable that is run directly to your house from a green box which will be situated at the roadside somewhere near to your home)

If you pay for 20MB BB with Virginmedia then you should get somewhere approaching that speed depending on the time of day and the pressure of users sharing your server.

The restriction in the level of BB (1.5 -2 MG ) that you mention is an ADSL issue and does not apply to Cable BB.