General Virgin Media should have matched BT FTTC - Page 5

ShadowTD · 14-03-2012, 11:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

Interactive activities, such as web browsing, are faster on BT 40mb than VM 50mb.

Just to throw my tuppence in here (Welcome back TC, it's been quiet without you!), I'd like to wholeheartedly agree with the above statement. Everything from YouTube to Netflix all feels significantly quicker ('teh snappy') on Infinity compared to my 30Mb VM connection. I now get 0 jitter with a consistent 14ms ping no matter what time of day I use my connection.

I'm also personally finding the wireless range on the Home Hub 3 to be better than the Super Hub, and I've had no reboots since it was installed 2 weeks ago. YMMV.

I'm hoping Infinity customers will get a free speed uplift, but that's probably wishful thinking. My 8mb upload has already made producing my YouTube channel a darn sight easier!

telfordcable · 18-10-2012, 16:01

Virgin Media should have 122 Meg down and 61 Meg up but they won't do it because they want upload slower as a snail!

iateallthepies · 18-10-2012, 16:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by telfordcable

Virgin Media should have 122 Meg down and 61 Meg up but they won't do it because they want upload slower as a snail!

10mb upload is quite sufficent for me...

And regards BT FTTC, my cabinet was suppose to be live March, it`s been in for months, then they ripped it out and put another one in, now pencilled in for Feb 2013.

No thanks, i`d rather keep my 100 meg Virgin connection....

|Kippa| · 18-10-2012, 18:35

Meh I used to have a VM connection at 50mbit but have just moved house to a none VM area and have BT with a conneciton at 10mbit down with no BT Infinity date set in my area yet. To be honest Telfordcable, compared to other people in the UK you have never had it so good. I'd be quite happy with a 30mbit or 20mbit connection DOWN never mind 60 mbit or 120mbit.

As for the upload speed isn't there restrictions based because of the cable tech. If I remember rightly cable was originally meant for mainly downstream with small upstream and the restrictions could be based on the fundatmental underlying tech. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

leexgx · 19-10-2012, 04:38

main issue is limited upstream channels on VM (4 Upstream on mine but 100+ on downstream) so when everyone gets home all them Upgraded users who now have 2 or 5mb upload use an already limited bandwidth and results in High ping jitter and then packet loss once upstream network load passes approx 60%

Download speeds (or should say Downstream) is perfectly fine on virgin its the upstream at the Local level that makes it look like an download speed issue when its the Upstream thats congested , Below on my monitor is an good example of Upstream congestion on Monitor Number 2 (its live so it may not be always congested from 6pm to midnight)

http://bqm.greenfrog.biz

roughbeast · 19-10-2012, 06:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by telfordcable

I cannot understand why is Virgin Media upgrade to 60 Meg from 30 Meg in the next 18 months is too long while BT had confirmed that all UK who had FTTC 40 Meg Down /10 Meg Up will be upgrade to 80 Meg Down / 20 Meg Up in early April with a nationwide instant (no area by area roll out)

Virgin Media took too long 18 months area by area roll out is a joke!
Virgin Media 30 Meg down upgrade to 60 Meg down is a joke!
Virgin Media 3 Meg up (upgrade) to 6 Meg up is a joke!

Only BT FTTC 80 Meg down and 20 Meg up in Early April will beat Virgin Media 60 Meg down and 6 Meg up. Virgin Media should have 80 Meg down and 20 Meg up to match BT.

If BT FTTC available in my area, I will say goodbye to Virgin Media because upgrade to double speed in the next 18 months is far too long to wait, and upload should have done better!

Main reason is that VM are working within legacy arrangements and kit; much more complicated, whilst BT is starting afresh with network built for purpose.

---------- Post added at 06:44 ---------- Previous post was at 06:32 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShadowTD

... Everything from YouTube to Netflix all feels significantly quicker ('teh snappy') on Infinity compared to my 30Mb VM connection. I now get 0 jitter with a consistent 14ms ping no matter what time of day I use my connection...

I'm also personally finding the wireless range on the Home Hub 3 to be better than the Super Hub, and I've had no reboots since it was installed 2 weeks ago. YMMV.

I get that quality of line with VM and always have. My ping is usually 12Ms, sometimes less.
Given that the SH and HH3 are 'free' you can out perform both modem/routers with your own router.

BTW TC's output is currently referred to as bovine poo. (bp)

Jong1 · 19-10-2012, 12:17

It's interesting. For the last few years I have been very happy with the downstream and much more limited upstream increases. The 1:10 ratio has pretty much met my needs.

But no doubt, with increasing cloud usage, and because downstream is already so high, I find myself, now, more frustrated by upstream limits than I am waiting for more downstream capacity.

The ridiculous delays in getting speed doubling to my region are not helping.

As a huge fan of VM internet for many years and although I have never been tempted to go ADSL, BT Infinity is starting to look interesting.

VM, you need to raise your game.

|Kippa| · 19-10-2012, 19:37

Just out of curiosty will BT Infinity be restricted with upload to the same extent as cable based broadband like VM? Specifically with fiber to the cabinet not fiber to the house? Or could FTTC BT Infinity be better than cable tech with regards to upstream?

qasdfdsaq · 19-10-2012, 20:06

FTTC is already way better than cable tech and will always remain better for upstream.

VM FTTN has at best, ten times less upload capacity than download. Openreach FTTC has the same amount of upload capacity as it has download.

VM FTTN until recently only had enough upload capacity to provide 0.1Mbps per customer in some areas, Openreach FTTC has enough capacity to provide 20Mbps dedicted per customer already and plenty of space for expansion.

Jong1 · 19-10-2012, 20:48

Interesting! This I did not know. The biggest problem in moving is my email address, which I use for dozens of things, some I probably could not remember!

qasdfdsaq · 19-10-2012, 20:52

Incidentally it took about 4 years after leaving VM before they finally realized I wasn't entitled to my @ntlworld.com email anymore and turned it off (last month actually), but I never had an issue since I've never really used it as my main email.

|Kippa| · 19-10-2012, 23:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

FTTC is already way better than cable tech and will always remain better for upstream.

VM FTTN has at best, ten times less upload capacity than download. Openreach FTTC has the same amount of upload capacity as it has download.

VM FTTN until recently only had enough upload capacity to provide 0.1Mbps per customer in some areas, Openreach FTTC has enough capacity to provide 20Mbps dedicted per customer already and plenty of space for expansion.

Sorry to be a pain in the arse, just two quick questions.

1. Don't VM do fiber to the cabinet as it is and just do the last bit of the connection with cable?

2. Is the restrictions of the upload due to the implementation of the standards of DOCSIS? If they theoretically dropped DOCSIS and started on a new standard from scratch could they do the same rate up as they do down with fiber to the cabinet and cable to the home?

qasdfdsaq · 19-10-2012, 23:53

1. No. VM do not do fibre to the cabinet.

2. Yes but they would have to build a whole new network similar to what BT has been doing for the last half of a decade.

Eeeps · 20-10-2012, 08:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by |Kippa|

Sorry to be a pain in the arse, just two quick questions.

1. Don't VM do fiber to the cabinet as it is and just do the last bit of the connection with cable?

2. Is the restrictions of the upload due to the implementation of the standards of DOCSIS? If they theoretically dropped DOCSIS and started on a new standard from scratch could they do the same rate up as they do down with fiber to the cabinet and cable to the home?

VM do more like FTAC (Fibre to A cabinet) since the fibre doesn't go to the cabinet you are connected direct to. It's a coax from there to the fibre point.

I guess the range of upstream channels could be expanded at the expense of downstream. However upstream is less efficient at the use of bandwidth due to the need to combine signals from many modems.

The biggest problem VM have is that cable is also used for TV that occupies the majority of channels. This is not helped by HD (you can only get two HD programmes into one channel but 10 SD)

qasdfdsaq · 20-10-2012, 12:21

Upstream channels cannot be expanded at the expense of downstream without breaking DOCSIS specs and getting custom built modems/STBs/TIVO receivers modified to use them. That would require replacing a huge amount of end-user equipment, cabling, in-street amplifiers, and cabinets to the extent they may as well build a new network. Unlike VDSL (e.g. BT Infinity) which can arbitrarily use any frequency for upstream or downstream, cable has fixed frequencies for each direction that cannot be changed.

TV doesn't really use any upstream channels so its presence doesn't really change much.