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View Full Version : Does anyone have 100/10 yet?

MarkProvanP
20-02-2011, 00:01
Hi everyone, been lurking for a bit now. Watching VM staff and forum members battle over the definition of a router is rather entertaining, by the way. :L

We've just ordered the 30Mb upgrade over the 20Mb we have now with the SurfBoard modem, and we're going to wire our house with Cat5e in the summer. Hopefully that means that even if VM pull an o2 when it comes to releasing the SuperHub upgrade, we'll still be able to use it as a standard modem to work with the pfSense firewall we're going to use. :)

Unfortunately, in the G82 area (ex-Telewest) the upload and 100Mb upgrades are 'in planning' so it will be a while until we get them, which is an awful shame. I'm just wondering if anyone has got both yet, since it would be useful to hear the experiences of those cutting-edge first-adopters.
qasdfdsaq
20-02-2011, 00:04
There are a few, as have been posted in other threads, and some experiences have been good while some not so good as always.

Unfortunately my area (and the rest of Edinburgh) is also "in planning", thanks TW... but from what I've seen, for most people 100mb does what it says on the tin - achieving the headline speed isn't too hard, and most of the problems experienced relate more to the superhub than the connection itself.

From what I've been told, our areas will probably get the upload increase sometime in the August '11 to March '12 range, dunno if 100mbps will be coming within this timeframe or even later.

Just my 2 cents. I don't have either.
Gavin78
20-02-2011, 01:31
I was under the impression that the netgear modem and routers they supplied for 50mb where able to reach 200mb speeds?? so is there an opt out option when upgrading to 100mb to keep the existing modem and router even if you pay the £70 fee?
qasdfdsaq
20-02-2011, 02:50
The standalone modem they supplied is able to reach 200mb speeds, but VM don't allow it on 100mb (and almost certainly won't on 200mb); this was never a Netgear device though - it's an Ambit. The router supplied with it was a Netgear for a short period and then a D-Link, both of these only go up to 100mbps. Since both are capable of 100mbps, in the way VM are currently delivering 100mbps to the Superhub, there's no real technical reason why you can't keep using it - however VM do not allow it for reasons known only to them.

The Superhub on the other hand is technically capable of 400mbps but I'm guessing VM are likely to limit it to 200mbps in practice.
MarkProvanP
20-02-2011, 13:02
It does seem quite odd that they've switched so quickly to the Super Hub, after announcing how wonderful their standalone DOCSIS 3.0 modem will be:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/06/virgin-media-testing-docsis-3-0-to-new-limits-with-200mbps-3d-a/

That was just under two years ago, and they said it could do 200Mb/s back then...
philwhite100
20-02-2011, 13:26
I like the idea of having 100meg but not having the choice to keep my 50meg service modem. It performs without fault unlike some of the comments i hear about the superhub.
dragon
20-02-2011, 19:18
It does seem quite odd that they've switched so quickly to the Super Hub, after announcing how wonderful their standalone DOCSIS 3.0 modem will be:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/06/virgin-media-testing-docsis-3-0-to-new-limits-with-200mbps-3d-a/

That was just under two years ago, and they said it could do 200Mb/s back then...

I seem to remember reading somewhere (might have even been on this forum) that it's due to the number of upstream channels the Superhub can lock onto vs the number of channels the standalone modem was capable of.
Nopanic
20-02-2011, 19:41
The standalone modem they supplied is able to reach 200mb speeds, but VM don't allow it on 100mb

That's not true, I don't know what the call centre's are being told now, but the VMNG is setup in the backend to accept 100Mb.
qasdfdsaq
20-02-2011, 21:34
That's not true, I don't know what the call centre's are being told now, but the VMNG is setup in the backend to accept 100Mb.
Interesting to know. I know it's capable of the configuration used, but Masque and BenMcr have both been adamant it's disallowed.

If it can be set up on 100mb then I'm more than happy, as it'd mean I wouldn't have to put up with the Superhub when 100/10 becomes available in my area.
Peter_
20-02-2011, 22:20
You will find that people upgrading to 100Mb have an engineer go out to the property and if they have a VMNG300 they remove it and fit a Superhub, the reason is supposed to be to do with channel bonding.

I am aware that the VMNG300 has been used on trials over 100Mb along with a couple of other models that never made the grade.

It is Virginmedia that decide how the 100Mb upgrade is rolled out and what equipment they want used.
General Maximus
20-02-2011, 22:32
It is Virginmedia that decide how the 100Mb upgrade is rolled out and what equipment they want used.

All I want to say is if it ain't broken don't fix it.

I think it is such a shame that they are getting rid of the nice new modems so quickly. Btw, as I had to pay £50 for the modem (one of the first customers when it rolloed out) is it technically mine? It is going to be a bit poo if I paid for it and then they force me to buy another new one which I technically dont need it, especially when the new one is going to be worse than the old one.
Peter_
20-02-2011, 22:38
All I want to say is if it ain't broken don't fix it.

I think it is such a shame that they are getting rid of the nice new modems so quickly. Btw, as I had to pay £50 for the modem (one of the first customers when it rolloed out) is it technically mine? It is going to be a bit poo if I paid for it and then they force me to buy another new one which I technically dont need it, especially when the new one is going to be worse than the old one.
As the old adage states all equipment remains the property of Virginmedia, even if you paid a fee for it as otherwise we would not support it.
Nopanic
20-02-2011, 22:41
Interesting to know. I know it's capable of the configuration used, but Masque and BenMcr have both been adamant it's disallowed.

If it can be set up on 100mb then I'm more than happy, as it'd mean I wouldn't have to put up with the Superhub when 100/10 becomes available in my area.

Those guys know the rules better than me, vm may have said they don't want it to be used ...??
Peter_
20-02-2011, 22:48
Those guys know the rules better than me, vm may have said they don't want it to be used ...??
The engineers on here have said they all carry hubs and Superhubs nowadays and they would replace the VMNG300 with a Superhub if they had to replace the modem.
joveonmars
21-02-2011, 01:42
As far as I know the VMNG300 can do 100Mbps download but will struggle with the 10Mb upload something about 4 upload channels on the VMNG300, 8 upload channels on the superhub.

Free installation & superhub offers terms & conditions apply see http://shop.virginmedia.com/broadband/up-to-100mb.html

Activation charge still applies though as far as I know.

I used to have the VMNG300 & going to the superhub added 2 miliseconds to my ping so not enough for me to complain. I used to get 8ms ping to Birmingham now I get 10ms.

on Speedtest.net the London (Namesco) and Paris servers are the only ones that can do upto 100Mb. the London (Namesco) server struggles to reach the 10Mb upload.
qasdfdsaq
21-02-2011, 01:52
As far as I know the VMNG300 can do 100Mbps download but will struggle with the 10Mb upload something about 4 upload channels on the VMNG300, 8 upload channels on the superhub.


Incorrect, both modems can handle over 100mbps upload fine. The Superhub has 8 downstream channels, not upstream. Both modems have the same upstream capability - only 4 channels. In either case the 10mbps upload service only uses 1 upstream right now anyway.
Nopanic
21-02-2011, 07:31
If a customers has 50Mb and a VMNG can customer care just update the account, or is there a restriction now to send a Superhub ?

I'll have to test it ..

I can understand VM wanting only the Superhub to be allowed, but the as said the VNMG is a good piece of kit ..
Peter_
21-02-2011, 07:33
If a customers has 50Mb and a VMNG can customer care just update the account, or is there a restriction now to send a Superhub ?

I'll have to test it ..

I can understand VM wanting only the Superhub to be allowed, but the as said the VNMG is a good piece of kit ..
I would ask Ben about that scenario to be honest.
joveonmars
21-02-2011, 09:46
Incorrect, both modems can handle over 100mbps upload fine. The Superhub has 8 downstream channels, not upstream. Both modems have the same upstream capability - only 4 channels. In either case the 10mbps upload service only uses 1 upstream right now anyway.

I knew the numbers 4 & 8 had something to do with it, as for the superhub being forced on everyone, maybe the it has mindcontrol built in so VM can take over the UK? or maybe its easier to do a modem update if averyone has a superhub?
zekeisaszekedoes
21-02-2011, 11:50
Hmmm. The way things stand as of now, I'd much rather have a reliable 50Mb service with the VMNG300 and seperate router than a shaky 100Mb service with the Super Hub.

I think it might have come up before, but surely the VMNG300 will work for the new 30Mb tier as it already handles the 50Mb one just fine?
qasdfdsaq
21-02-2011, 13:09
I knew the numbers 4 & 8 had something to do with it, as for the superhub being forced on everyone, maybe the it has mindcontrol built in so VM can take over the UK? or maybe its easier to do a modem update if averyone has a superhub?
It doesn't really help though, as it's only going out to new customers. All existing customers on 512k, 2mb, 10mb, 20mb, 50mb, etc. will all have different modems, and they all need to be maintained. I still see 8 year old SA modems the size of my monitor in active service in some people's homes.