Anyone know if this is quick / slow? Thinking of going to 02 but scared to death I'll break everything in the swapping over process.
I just want Broadband, not a phone etc so any tecchies got any suggestions / comments?
Tested at
Download = 1407kbps
Upload = 120kbps
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Broadband speed
Hi Fabio.....if you are payin for an upto 2mb connection thats a bit slow unless you tested it at a congested time....speeds do vary....also your location can limit your speed....a good test for this can be found at
pop your postcode in and it will tell you your current speed and your maximum available (via phone lines)....not sure how good the new mobile dongles are if they are affected by other factors like signal strength etc....Swapping from one isp to the other is far easier with broadband....most of the time you dont need to put their software in as its only a case of registering or activating their modem the first time you use it....We have a prob with virgin at the mo they are stopping folks downloading using torrents but other than that our speeds have always been as they should....Lots of isps claim speeds that are just not achievable on old phone lines etc so people are paying for a service that they will never get full advantage of.....
Cheers Gary
pop your postcode in and it will tell you your current speed and your maximum available (via phone lines)....not sure how good the new mobile dongles are if they are affected by other factors like signal strength etc....Swapping from one isp to the other is far easier with broadband....most of the time you dont need to put their software in as its only a case of registering or activating their modem the first time you use it....We have a prob with virgin at the mo they are stopping folks downloading using torrents but other than that our speeds have always been as they should....Lots of isps claim speeds that are just not achievable on old phone lines etc so people are paying for a service that they will never get full advantage of.....
Cheers Gary
I have a 3usb dongle.. and my other half has landline broadband.. he was watching me working one day, and mentioned it was as fast as the landline.. I would recommend it.. plus you're not tied to a contract with it too.. I rarely have problems.. AND you can take your laptop anywhere with it....
Casanova
I want a dongle!!!!
Trying to remember here reference time zones etc.....
I think that 5am our time is peak time for most of the US.....always causes a few bottlenecks and therefore a slowdown dependant on where your trying to connect to etc etc.
Anyhoo, any broadband service recieved through BT lines is never going to reach the offered speed. The run of cable between exchange and house bleeds off some of the signal strength. So unless you live 3 yards from your local exchange forget getting the speed you were sold, it just won't happen. Tis all down to copper cables i believe. (The great con of marketing, small print should always be read!)
On cable internet here, 10meg package no download limits, checked regularly with speedchecker, never been below download speed yet, runs about 450bps upload. Super fibre optics! The utter beauty of it is it costs less than an Orange 2meg connection with a download limit!
Can't recommend it enough to be honest.
I think that 5am our time is peak time for most of the US.....always causes a few bottlenecks and therefore a slowdown dependant on where your trying to connect to etc etc.
Anyhoo, any broadband service recieved through BT lines is never going to reach the offered speed. The run of cable between exchange and house bleeds off some of the signal strength. So unless you live 3 yards from your local exchange forget getting the speed you were sold, it just won't happen. Tis all down to copper cables i believe. (The great con of marketing, small print should always be read!)
On cable internet here, 10meg package no download limits, checked regularly with speedchecker, never been below download speed yet, runs about 450bps upload. Super fibre optics! The utter beauty of it is it costs less than an Orange 2meg connection with a download limit!
Can't recommend it enough to be honest.
Your broadband connection
Test in progress, please wait
Your speed test result: 2.3 Mb
The following services are available to you: ADSL
Virgin Media cable Compare Virgin Media cable products
Be Broadband LLU Compare Be Broadband products
You are connected to the XXXXXXXXX telephone exchange
You are approximately 709 metres from the exchange (straight line distance)
Hi Gary i went on that link and I got the above speed, im paying 10 month for the vigin media 2 MB
sorry if im being thick but is my speed ok as it seems to be running slow these last few days.
Also does it matter if we have 2 laptops and an Xbox 360 running at the same time?
Test in progress, please wait
Your speed test result: 2.3 Mb
The following services are available to you: ADSL
Virgin Media cable Compare Virgin Media cable products
Be Broadband LLU Compare Be Broadband products
You are connected to the XXXXXXXXX telephone exchange
You are approximately 709 metres from the exchange (straight line distance)
Hi Gary i went on that link and I got the above speed, im paying 10 month for the vigin media 2 MB
sorry if im being thick but is my speed ok as it seems to be running slow these last few days.
Also does it matter if we have 2 laptops and an Xbox 360 running at the same time?
Quote by TabbynTina
Your broadband connection
Test in progress, please wait
Your speed test result: 2.3 Mb
The following services are available to you: ADSL
Virgin Media cable Compare Virgin Media cable products
Be Broadband LLU Compare Be Broadband products
You are connected to the XXXXXXXXX telephone exchange
You are approximately 709 metres from the exchange (straight line distance)
Hi Gary i went on that link and I got the above speed, im paying 10 month for the vigin media 2 MB
sorry if im being thick but is my speed ok as it seems to be running slow these last few days.
Yup, you're getting what you paid for. If you're with Virgin it doesn't make any difference how far you are as it uses fibre optic not copper. It is actually "broadband" rather than aDSL which is a different technology totally, though over time the term broadband has grown to mean "fast internet".
The other thing to remember is that your actual speed will be governed by the server at the other end, how fast the route is between you and the server and how many other people are sharing your Virgin hub.
Also does it matter if we have 2 laptops and an Xbox 360 running at the same time?
Nope, they all share the available 2Mb so you will notice a slowdown if someone else is on at the same time, e.g. 1 laptop and 1 xbox on at the same time will have a max of 1mb bandwidth each (they don't in the real world, but for explanations sake...) etc
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:I have a wifi connection to a BT vouyager router, at any one time there may be up to 5 pc's using the connection (adsl via BT, 512k). Most of the time my signal stregnth is low or very low. Would investing in a better router improve my connection, if so what should I look out for?
Sorry for minor hi-jack.
H.x
Sorry for minor hi-jack.
H.x
Quote by H-x
I have a wifi connection to a BT vouyager router, at any one time there may be up to 5 pc's using the connection (adsl via BT, 512k). Most of the time my signal stregnth is low or very low. Would investing in a better router improve my connection, if so what should I look out for?
Sorry for minor hi-jack.
H.x
Wifi isn't the be all and end all that a lot of people think. It does have limitations, the prime one being range especially if there are walls in the way.
It also depends on other things in the way like DECT phones and microwaves as examples (it works on a similar frequency to bluetooth and microwaves, i.e. the block). It also depends on which wifi protocol/speed is being used eg, B or G etc.
Things can be improved by using routers and network cards using faster protocols (which also add better range through obstacles) like "Rangemaster" and other similar non-ratified standards.
To optimise the connection you already have it's best to have the base station as high as possible and away from DECT base stations.
Quote by Peanut
Wifi isn't the be all and end all that a lot of people think. It does have limitations, the prime one being range especially if there are walls in the way.
It also depends on other things in the way like DECT phones and microwaves as examples (it works on a similar frequency to bluetooth and microwaves, i.e. the block). It also depends on which wifi protocol/speed is being used eg, B or G etc.
Things can be improved by using routers and network cards using faster protocols (which also add better range through obstacles) like "Rangemaster" and other similar non-ratified standards.
To optimise the connection you already have it's best to have the base station as high as possible and away from DECT base stations.
I'm using wifi purely for the practical solution of having a long house with thick walls and I don't really want to start running cables around the place. The router is plugged in to the only BT socket in the house, as is the DECT phone but I can't really move either because of the possitioning of the pugs, and the fact that they're situated in the middle of the house and at the moment there is reception at both ends, all be it low. What is 'Rangemaster' and would I need to get a new card (currently )?
I apologise if, to those in the know, my questions area little basic but I'd rather appear a fool here than in Curry's/Dixon's/PC World (other outlets available)
H.x
Quote by H-x
Wifi isn't the be all and end all that a lot of people think. It does have limitations, the prime one being range especially if there are walls in the way.
It also depends on other things in the way like DECT phones and microwaves as examples (it works on a similar frequency to bluetooth and microwaves, i.e. the block). It also depends on which wifi protocol/speed is being used eg, B or G etc.
Things can be improved by using routers and network cards using faster protocols (which also add better range through obstacles) like "Rangemaster" and other similar non-ratified standards.
To optimise the connection you already have it's best to have the base station as high as possible and away from DECT base stations.
I'm using wifi purely for the practical solution of having a long house with thick walls and I don't really want to start running cables around the place. The router is plugged in to the only BT socket in the house, as is the DECT phone but I can't really move either because of the possitioning of the pugs, and the fact that they're situated in the middle of the house and at the moment there is reception at both ends, all be it low. What is 'Rangemaster' and would I need to get a new card (currently )?
I apologise if, to those in the know, my questions area little basic but I'd rather appear a fool here than in Curry's/Dixon's/PC World (other outlets available)
H.x
Your post gives insight to your problems, i.e. the thick walls and the DECT phone, both of which will interfere with wifi reception. The other thing that can cause slow down is numerous other wifi stations who are close and on the same channel (changing to another of 1,5,9,13 can sometimes help).
"Rangemaster" is Netgear's response to trying to get faster speeds and longer reception distances. Each of the large network component manufacturers have similar sorts of schemes utilising different methods of achieving the same goal. There is also a new wifi standard currently in ratifications , which takes the .11g 54mbs up to 74mbs but that won't be finalised until Dec 2009.
Whichever of the manufacturers you choose, and Netgear is one of the better ones for consumer use, you will need a router and a matching network card for each computer you want to use with it if you want to take advantage of the extra 'power'.
Failing that, you could always use your electric mains as your network cable. There are devices that will allow you to do that. They aren't particularly expensive, but they aren't particularly quick either but compare well to wifi speeds.
Quote by winchwench
>Feels sorry for herself<
Download 480Kbps
Which is more than fast enough for general web browsing etc. You only really need faster if you're downloading lots of large files.
Most of the time I exceed my monthly quota of 50gb so my ISP bandwidth limits me during the day to 128kbs and I manage to get by. But come night time I download like a bitch :twisted:
Quote by Peanut
>Feels sorry for herself<
Download 480Kbps
Which is more than fast enough for general web browsing etc. You only really need faster if you're downloading lots of large files.
Most of the time I exceed my monthly quota of 50gb so my ISP bandwidth limits me during the day to 128kbs and I manage to get by. But come night time I download like a bitch :twisted:
Shaddup- I'm busy feeling sorry for myself. Besides which, firefox keeps crashing on my lappie. I think I need to visit the tecchie thread.
What does grate is that we're paying £15 a month for standalone broadband with Tiscali when there are much better deals around- but not in this area. Double huff.
Quote by winchwench
>Feels sorry for herself<
Download 480Kbps
Which is more than fast enough for general web browsing etc. You only really need faster if you're downloading lots of large files.
Most of the time I exceed my monthly quota of 50gb so my ISP bandwidth limits me during the day to 128kbs and I manage to get by. But come night time I download like a bitch :twisted:
Shaddup- I'm busy feeling sorry for myself. Besides which, firefox keeps crashing on my lappie. I think I need to visit the tecchie thread.
What does grate is that we're paying £15 a month for standalone broadband with Tiscali when there are much better deals around- but not in this area. Double huff.
The other thing to piss on your misery is that speed test isn't particularly accurate for adsl users. A better one can be found at http://www,
The above one reported that I had 638kbs whereas checking the stat screen on my router showed I was actually running at (2300kbs).
As for Firefox, have you tried upgrading to the new version 3? Additionally FF's stability and memory usage (it has a super duper memory leak) can be alleviated by closing it and opening it back up every so often.
Quote by Peanut
Your post gives insight to your problems, i.e. the thick walls and the DECT phone, both of which will interfere with wifi reception. The other thing that can cause slow down is numerous other wifi stations who are close and on the same channel (changing to another of 1,5,9,13 can sometimes help).
"Rangemaster" is Netgear's response to trying to get faster speeds and longer reception distances. Each of the large network component manufacturers have similar sorts of schemes utilising different methods of achieving the same goal. There is also a new wifi standard currently in ratifications , which takes the .11g 54mbs up to 74mbs but that won't be finalised until Dec 2009.
Whichever of the manufacturers you choose, and Netgear is one of the better ones for consumer use, you will need a router and a matching network card for each computer you want to use with it if you want to take advantage of the extra 'power'.
Failing that, you could always use your electric mains as your network cable. There are devices that will allow you to do that. They aren't particularly expensive, but they aren't particularly quick either but compare well to wifi speeds.
That sounds intriguing, how might one go about it?
And if the isn't finalised yet, how can you buy routers with it available now?
I'm being dense aren't I...........
H.x
Quote by H-x
Your post gives insight to your problems, i.e. the thick walls and the DECT phone, both of which will interfere with wifi reception. The other thing that can cause slow down is numerous other wifi stations who are close and on the same channel (changing to another of 1,5,9,13 can sometimes help).
"Rangemaster" is Netgear's response to trying to get faster speeds and longer reception distances. Each of the large network component manufacturers have similar sorts of schemes utilising different methods of achieving the same goal. There is also a new wifi standard currently in ratifications , which takes the .11g 54mbs up to 74mbs but that won't be finalised until Dec 2009.
Whichever of the manufacturers you choose, and Netgear is one of the better ones for consumer use, you will need a router and a matching network card for each computer you want to use with it if you want to take advantage of the extra 'power'.
Failing that, you could always use your electric mains as your network cable. There are devices that will allow you to do that. They aren't particularly expensive, but they aren't particularly quick either but compare well to wifi speeds.
That sounds intriguing, how might one go about it?
As an example, that will help start your research
And if the isn't finalised yet, how can you buy routers with it available now?
I'm being dense aren't I...........
H.x
This happens a lot with these sort of standards ratification. The standards are out there and manufacturers can use them but the finalising process is so beaurocratic that it can take ages. Companies don't want to wait, profits are calling, so they go ahead anyway. Sometimes the standard changes slightly close to the end but in most instances it doesn't. The other thing to be wary of is that not every wifi device out there is standard, especially the ones advertising longer distances and faster connections. It's very much like the DVD format wars with lots of companies hoping their invention will reign supreme.
