There are several different approaches you can take to this, peacey. First you can check your modem settings: point your browser to
http://192.168.100.1/ (this won't work if you have a proxy set, unless you enter that IP in exceptions for the proxy), log in with 'root' as the username and password, and look at the Operation Configuration page. For the 10 Mb service, it should read 'Maximum Downstream Data Rate: 10240000' and 'Maximum Upstream Data Rate: 512000.'
Next, there are a couple of speed tests within the ntl network - in other words, you are not including (by and large) WWW conditions in your test. One is the Cable Forum test: just scroll up and click 'Speed Test.' The other is Robin Walker's test: try
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d...speedtest.html
And then, venturing outside into the WWW, there are any number of tests: try the
Irish Speed test, for instance.