Date   : Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:30:32 +0200
From   : rick@... (Rick Murray)
Subject: [OT] ADSL capabilities

Hi,

I am looking for advice.

My Livebox (a Livebox Mini/Sagem, if it matters) is connected to a phone 
line. There is no traditional phone, it is broadband only with the phone 
via VoIP.
Various websites quote the line as being about 4.4km. I can walk from 
the house to a big green box by the Mayor and it is around 2.5km. Unless 
the "real exchange" is hiding in the forest, that's *IT*.

I was told that my original wish, 8mbit, was not possible because of 
where I lived. I then, a few weeks later, had to specify exactly where I 
lived, which makes me dubious as to whether they just said that because 
I'm "not in a town" or if anybody actually bothered to check.

So I have 1mbit.

The livebox diagnostics reports:

       1.14 Att?nuation Up (dB)                      : 21,1 dB
       1.15 Att?nuation Down (dB)                    : 49,8 dB
       1.16 Signal bruit Up (dB)                     : 2,0 dB
       1.17 Signal bruit Down (dB)                   : 11,0 dB
       1.18 D?bit maximum possible ligne Up (kb/s)   : 952 kb/s
       1.19 D?bit maximum possible ligne Down (kb/s) : 4132 kb/s
       1.20 Puissance ?mise (dBm)                    : 12,5 dBm
       1.21 Puissance re?ue (dBm)                    : 15,3 dBm

My current measured is around 980-1300 kb/s upload, and about 265 kb/s 
download. I have noticed on the odd time my download when running 
FreeDownloadManager (and thus grabbing a large file in chunks) actually 
whizzes past the 1mbit limit, not by much, but it does.

In the very beginning, the quality was rubbish and dropped out a lot. I 
downloaded a tool that talks to a special server and tags every failure 
with an incident report. After each run of this tool, the quality would 
improve. Nearly immediately and even in the middle of the night. I 
suspect the local exchange was being guided as how best to set itself up 
to talk to my box. Five or six runs over a two week span, not had a 
problem since then. The Livebox doesn't crash anymore either, though I 
don't know if this is at all related.
Anyway, after some hiccups, the service has been a reliable megabit.

Shame we can't say the same for Skype, eh Mick? :-)


Now, here's the rub. 1mbit and 8mbit cost THE SAME. I am paying the same 
for my 1mbit as the original 8mbit I wanted to begin with. Thus the 
question I am about to ask.


The question: The livebox reckons I can nearly max out the upload 
channel. I think 1mbit upload is the fastest offered on this type of 
ADSL. As for download, it ranges between 3800 kb/s and 4400 kb/s - yes, 
those numbers do change!

I am assuming that if I ask to be converted to 8mbit, it will throttle 
back to something that works - thus around 4mbit. I would be perfectly 
happy with this as it will be four times faster for the same price. 
After all, I *am* in the country here!

But the big question - do I stand to lose? I mean, is 1mbit and 8mbit 
the same thing, only with a speed restriction? Is there some sort of 
technical difference where the 8mbit version will not step back to 
~1mbit but would just shut down instead?

Is it worth asking for an upgrade to 8mbit (=4mbit for me), or should I 
stay with 1mbit?


Best wishes,

Rick.

-- 
Rick Murray, eeePC901 & ADSL WiFI'd into it, all ETLAs!
BBC B: DNFS, 2 x 5.25" floppies, EPROM prog, Acorn TTX
E01S FileStore, A3000/A5000/RiscPC/various PCs/blahblah...