Project lightning/Fttp limitations?
 

Hello.

Wondering if anyone on here has any good/positive experiences with new build project lightning expansions using the FTTP/RfOG technology they're using for many of them?
I'm in a rural Village (RG23 7 Oakley Hampshire - area 31) that went live a couple of weeks back and have never got the 300mbits I'm now paying for.

Thing is though the system didn't let me order 300. Averaging at about 50 (normally a solid 20 up though). It didn't even have vivid 200 gamer.

I didn't realise normal vivid 200 didn't have 20 up so once it went live I phoned retentions to cancel or see if I could have gamer or vivid 300 and he said the system didn't show it as explicitly allowed but the computer didn't refuse when he put it on.

For the 2 hours I was on 200 I was getting around 180 which was great. Since going to 300 I don't think I've seen more than 150 once.

I've been doing some more intimate diagnostics and tests over the last 72 hours (speedtest.net and fast.com tests every 15 minutes via a script) and have not hit more than 50 in these 72 hours (average is around 30/35) but upload has been solid. This has pretty much ruled out contention for me (can't imagine contention is too bad at 3/5am on a Sunday morning?) and also given I'm one of such a small number of people with VM installed at the moment.

So I'm wondering if anyone smarter than I here knows of any limitations with the new project lightning installs that use the FTTP/RfOG technology?
As this is all relatively new to me and I've never had RfOG before I don't really know where to begin.

I've made a much more detailed post over at http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/.../false#M169291 including my line stats and ping monitor.

If anyone could shed some light or suggestions for me to try It'd be much appreciated.

Kind regards,
Rob

Re: Project lightning/Fttp limitations?
 

No limitations with the architecture, speed issues will be caused by congestion at the CMTS, nothing to do with the fact its FTTP.

If you want to PM me your details I will happily look at the network stats for you and see if there is any congestion issues in the area for you.

Apart from the CMTS, is there a possibility it could it be a fractured drop fibre?

Re: Project lightning/Fttp limitations?
 

Doubt it.

Re: Project lightning/Fttp limitations?
 

your upstream power is bordering on being too low for the traditional cable connection but I don't know if that matters if you have got fttp, I haven't looked into the technology and I am confused why it looks like you have got a normal hfc connection with a shub3.

Your graph sucks ass as well.

Maybe it's the power levels. If the superhub is set for a long run of coax, but it's only travelling 5 feet to the ONT outside, it might be overpowered.

Re: Project lightning/Fttp limitations?
 

The upstream power level is fine. All that's probably happened is that the tech has installed a forward path attenuator rather than a normal attenuator

Re: Project lightning/Fttp limitations?
 

I'll check if it's a FPA or normal one when I get home tomorrow! - Out of curiosity what's the difference? Is there any documents or knowledge available as to how one of these fttp installs should look like and components fitted/standard practice? I imagine things like power levels and associated issues *should* be a thing of the past (in theory - Reality often takes a different route I know :) )

As far as I'm aware the SH3 doesn't get "set" for anything in particular - the whole point of the RFoG tech is that there's no special equipment or modifications in the home just an ONT (I don't think it'sa "true" ONT though but a R-ONU (RFoG optical-networking unit). I think the eventual "true fibre" path involves upgrading the box on the outside of the wall to a true ONT after all the headend stuff is done and some work in the cabs as well. Naturally that'll come in many years time as RFoG looks like a very promising way to deliver DOCISS3.1 with Gigabit(??) speeds in the future) on the outside of the house powered by a plug inside with coax going into the inside portion of the box. Out the other hole comes a normal coax link and off to the splitter in the same fashion as a normal HFC.

I'm not too confident in the quality of the fibre cable. I mentioned it in the other thread but it took them 4 times to blow it through from the street cab to the house. First 3 attempts they said they got a red light on the box on the outside of the wall (no idea what that means - they indicated a complete link down) and the 4th time they had an orange/amber light for about 20 minutes it kept switching between green and orange but then settled on green. They waited 15 minutes or so and it didn't switch back so they then sealed it all off and set up the SH3 (although they had to phone up twice to get me taken out of the walled garden).

The engineers were very late as the first job of the day took 5 hours - it took them 6 pull attempts to get the line in there and they eventually did do it but they put it down to being bad/damaged fibre in the van. They did say they grabbed it from a fellow installer near their home area as they didn't have any in the van the day before when noticed they had 5 fttp installs to do the next day. They only completed job 1 and 2 (mine) that day by which time it was 8pm and they went home. There was a job before job 1 2 streets down but they turned up and went to pull the fibre from the street cab but there was no electronics in it just an empty cab! - They joked about this happening in new areas and makes me wonder if the network isn't fully built out yet and (fingers crossed) limited backhaul links up to the headend are causing my issues.

It's worth pointing out that next door had theirs installed yesterday afternoon as well. They're on vivid 200 and I borrowed some of their internet time and over 4 hours with my Intel NUC attached running the same scripts they were getting bang on 200 (well a shy bit over) during every test while I was floating around 40. So I'm starting to think it's an issue relating to my install.

So really curious to see whats going on here - as well as a chance to learn something about the new RFoG

Re: Project lightning/Fttp limitations?
 

Have just responded to your message rssfed23, seeing your last post does make me think that it could be drop related rather than the Puma chipset issue with the current hubs. Your signal levels look pretty good though so I'm stumped on this one otherwise! Looks like it needs a call out to check things over again.

Re: Project lightning/Fttp limitations?
 

Thanks a million for checking that weesteev

Good to know I’m not contended on a new line card ;)

I’ll phone up support and get an engineer out to check things.

This is where the real fun begins!