FleaBytes - Trouble with Broadband? Flea OLE!

Is your broadband running slow?

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Broadband Speed

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LATE UPDATE:

The TWO MONTHS FREE OFFER is again available from Flea's Top Choice Broadband provider O2.

The Consumers' Association (Which?) and U-Switch amongst many others agree with our "best buy" choice!! Read more about the awards won by O2>>

You'll get your first 2 months FREE, a free ADSL2+ wireless router and no download limits - just sign up before the end of January 2010. Bag this offer or find out more about this 8Mbps service. With the offer, this works out at less than £6.50 a month for O2 mobile customers. Useful free extras include Free McAfee Anti-Virus and a useful allowance of FREE Webtexts so you can send sms messages from your pc - really handy of you're not too fast at 'thumbing' on your mobi!!!

If you're looking for higher speeds, here's a link to the 20Mbps service which is still only £10 a month for O2 mobile customers (or around £8.50 including the 2 months free offer). It includes all the goodies of the basic package but with more free webtexts.

If you'd like the latest 802.11N wireless router so you can network at home or in the home office over a wider coverage areas and enjoy local networking speeds up around 160Mbps, then look at the "pro-broadband" offer. With this you also get higher upload speed (up to 2.5Mbps), a dedicated customer service line, up to 10 email addresses and 500 free webtexts. Normally £17.50/month, the two extra free months give you the equivalent of £15/month for this preferential service. The enhanced upload speed makes this a good choice for gamers and those using broadband Voice services (VOIP)!

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NOW - back to the article......

If you've got trouble with broadband speed, you’re not alone! But do you really have a problem?

The first thing to be clear about is what type of Broadband delivery you have. Although it’s possible to have your broadband service delivered wirelessly by terrestrial radio or via satellite, the vast majority of users in our area will have it delivered via their telephone line or by Virgin’s coaxial cable (which is termed “cabled broadband”). Incidentally, if you have Sky broadband, don’t be confused - that’s delivered via your phone line, not via satellite!).

ISPs quote the highest speed their equipment can provide in theory but, unless you have cable broadband, then the highest speed you can get in practice depends mainly on the length of wire between you and your wideband transmission access point or or DSLAM*. (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexor).

*See below for more about the location of your DSLAM and how that affects your broadband speed

So if you think your link is slow, first base is to check its speed. You’ll find many ‘broadband speed checkers’ on the internet. Unless you have cable broadband, then for an accurate check of your own line speed, we suggest www.speedtester.bt.com . But whatever broadband service you use, if you try out www.speedtest.net.you’ll have more fun and can see how overall transmission speed and delay varies as you contact different servers all around the world.

• When checking your broadband connection speed: Make sure no-one else is using your internet connection at the time. If you are sharing your broadband connection (for example via a router), - ideally have all other computers switched off - or disconnected from the broadband line or from your home network.
• Make sure you have no other programmes running when you do the test - that includes programmes like virus checkers and file torrents that may run in the background and have your permission to access the internet without seeking authorisation on each occasion!
• Remember that your broadband service is Asymmetric - in other words the speed at which information can arrive at your computer (your Download or Downlink speed) will not be the same as the speed at which you can send information out (Your Upload or Uplink speed). You should not normally expect the Uplink speed to be more that about 1/10^th of the download speed.

So, although you may well have signed up for broadband at “up to 8Megabits per second” you may well find that your ‘real’ downlink speed could well be little more than 3Mbps and your uplink speed could well be as low as 200 - 300kbps if your DSLAM is not located in a cabinet close to you. (See more about DSLAMs below)

Another source of confusion about broadband speed arises from widespread misunderstanding of the expressions bits and Bytes. You really need to understand the difference between a ‘bit’ and a ‘Byte’ if you want to make sense of file transfer times over the internet.

So let’s understand what these terms mean...A “bit” is a “Binary Digit” - a ‘1’ or a ‘0’ - the only values your computer can really understand because it translates them like a switch as “ON” or “OFF”.

In the simplest terms, a Byte is just a string of eight bits used to represent a specific character that you generate when you hit a particular key (or key combination) on your keyboard. By convention, Bytes are designated with a capital B while a lower case “b” designates a bit.

Because Files store characters, the size of files and the storage media used to store them is usually specified in Bytes. e.g. kilobytes kB, MegaBytes MB, GigaBytes GB or even TeraBytes (TB), each of these being 1000 times bigger than the previous!

But Transmission Systems used to transmit data from one place to another have no interest in the data itself, they are designed only to ensure that each bit that arrives at one end of the system is faithfully reproduced at the far end. So the speed of transmission systems is measured in bits per second, normally shortened to bps or bit/s. (e.g. kbps, Mbps, Gbit/s)

Hence, transmission speed is normally quoted in bits per second, but file sizes are in Bytes. (1 Byte = 8 bits). So don’t expect an 8MB file to download over an 8Mbit/s line in one second - about 10 seconds would be more likely !

What other things may cause a slow connection

One other major factor affecting transmission speed and delay is Contention Ratio.

You don’t have a DSLAM to yourself - its onward transmission capacity is shared between you and others - the number of connections in part determining the contention ratio. (DSLAM contention is only part of the story because there will also be contention at other points in the transmission chain to your ISP and at the point where you connect into your ISP's web server). Because you are not transmitting and/or receiving continuously, the DSLAM is statistically designed so that, in normal circumstances, everyone connected to it should have a reasonable speed of connection when they need it. However, at busy times, or if some of the other users with whom your connection is shared decide to transfer large files, the capacity available to you may be restricted with the result that your speed will reduce and delay will increase.

A similar situation occurs throughout the world wide web, in that short-term capacity limitations on transmission systems and servers can result in delay to your 'packets' of Bytes.

Routing problems can also cause your speed to slow down - but that’s beyond the scope of this article. Watch out for a further article in which we will explain all about “packets” and how information is routed through the internet.

So, don’t panic if you line suddenly slows down - and don’t rely on a single speed test to determine how well your broadband is working. Take measurements at different times of day and on different days - as well as in different weather conditions because more people will use the internet on a cold wet afternoon than on a nice warm sunny day!!

Physical problems on the line can of course reduce the Broadband speed available to you. Remember the line starts in your house - so if you have broadband supplied via your telephone line, make sure you have micro-filters plugged into every telephone socket in the house - it’s easy to miss one!

Finally, the capacity of the remote site you are trying to connect to – and the amount of traffic it is handling, can cause very serious delay which has nothing to do with your own local broadband connection.

So if my line really is slow, what should I do?

If you’ve followed all our recommendations and you’re convinced your broadband service is not working as fast as it should, talk in the first instance to your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Ask where your DSLAM is located and what the contention ratio is. (Not all ISPs are the same - and many offer various contention ratios - although it will probably cost you more to improve that aspect of your connection! Typical contention ratio for home broadband is 50:1, Business broadband contention is typically 20:1)

They can often recommend small changes to your settings to improve things or, if that doesn’t help, they can get your line checked.

If you find your present ISP is unhelpful and you remain dissatisfied, then you could consider changing ISP. If your broadband is provided via your telephone line, you’ll first need what’s called a MAC code from your current ISP - and once you ask for that, most ISPs will start to fall over themselves to stop you leaving them!! (That’s a good tip!)

But if you DO decide to change - don’t jump from the frying pan into the fire!!

Ask your neighbours what system they use and how satisfied they are. Ask them how smoothly the installation went - and what level of support they received from their ISP when things went wrong. There's a vast difference between ISPs when it comes to customer service - and that is probably the single most important factor when you need it…there’s many horror stories of people trying to contact 'Tech Support' being put on hold so long the line drops out - or ending up with an advisor that can’t speak in a language they understand…. So please don’t just jump in to the cheapest you can find - or go with a “bundled deal” for no other reason than it being convenient!

If I decide to change ISP - how should I choose?

There's a few important things to watch out for when choosing a Broadband ISP. Here's what we think are some of the most important:

Is there a usage limit ? If so, what happens if you exceed it? Some limits are quite low – in some cases just a few GB per month, with a substantial price increase for a higher or unlimited allowance. Beware!.

Will they “unbundle” your phone line. Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) means the ISP leases you phone line from BT and provides your phone and broadband service independently. Not all ISPs do this and there have been many problems with certain providers who require you to agree to this – including even telephones that don't work properly afterwards. These ISPs very often fail to make clear that LLU is part of the deal – or the implications of doing it. But critically for you, if you subsequently decide to change ISP after your line has been LLU'd, you'll need to get your BT line back – and that can not only cause more delay, but can cost you a great deal of money because BT will almost certainly charge you a hefty reconnection fee!

Is the advertised price valid for the long term ? A lot of ISPs advertise their introductory rate on comparison sites – not always making it too clear that this will change to a higher rate later – and often not very much later!!!. Do your research and your sums carefully !!

Do you have to be locked in for a minimum period? This will present problems for you if you find the service unsatisfactory. Good ISPs will give you a choice – although you may pay a little extra for a shorter contract period

What comes free? Many but not all companies will include a free wireless router as part of your deal. If the equipment they provide is good quality and ready set-up, this can be advantageous. However, many will do their best to “lock” the router so that you can only use it with their branded service – and in some cases this can interfere with your ability to identify problems and control what the router is doing. (If you don't get a free router, beware buying second hand routers on eBay and the like – they are often the locked vareity!)

You should also check out the cost of support. Some companies still use premium rate lines for customer service, so the more incompetent they are, the more money they make from you while you suffer!!

Who are you really dealing with? Be aware that many firms have merged. For example Carphone Warehouse will be your ISP company if you choose Talk Talk, Tiscali, AOL, Pipex, Freedom2Surf Tele2, OneTel or Nildram! (Carphone Warehouse and Talk Talk have stated that they intend to split into separately listed companies in March 2010)

AOL have just re-launched their broadband and combined telephone & broadband. Another "cheap to start" offer, which quickly changes to £14.99 a month - PLUS £11.25 for an LLU'd line! AND there's still a 50GB limit on usage. In our opinion, you'd have to be nuts to go for this deal, although you do get "unlimited" UK landline phone call, including 0870 and 0845 destinations!

How good are they? In addition to checking out the experience of your friends and neighbours, have a good trawl around the Internet for forums and other user feedback sites where you'll get a very good indication of the standard of customer satisfaction offered by the ISPs you're considering.

Is what they offer what I need? For most broadband users, reliability is far more important than raw speed – accompanied of course by the availability of fast, effective and free support if needed.

Unless you want to download a lot of big files (like high quality images and videos) or play games over the Internet, then a reliable 2Mbps or more is probably adequate - and you probably won't be too concerned by download limits. Of course if you like playing interactive games on line, or downloading torrents of music and video, you should look for a higher speed and a lower contention ratio – but not forgetting the reliability factor!!.

Don't forget also that some ISPs block certain sites and facilities or will downgrade your service if they feel you are exceeding 'reasonable use'. This is irrelevant for most of us, but be clear about what you need so you can ask the right questions before you sign up!

What about Comparison Sites? By all means check out the “comparison sites” - just be aware that most have vested interest (via affiliate links) in the products advertised, so make sure you have a look at several such sites to get some balance into what you're being told – and consider theit views together with your trawl of forums and with your trusted friends' and neighbours'advice!

So who should I choose

Based on all the most recent independent reports, O2 Broadband is the best-rated ISP right now for the “average” user. Several of us here at Flea use O2 and there is unanimously agreement that everything has been absolutely brilliant since we made the change – in most cases that change resulted from unreliable service and poor technical support from a previous ISP.

Typical comments are “we’ve not once had to touch the free wireless router that comes as part of the deal” - and “they’ve just offered us a 30% discount to renew for another 12 months – that's under a fiver a month now and we didn't even have to ask!”.

This service is certainly great value - a virtual 'no-brainer' at £7.34 a month if you are an O2 mobile subscriber, (£7.50 once VAT returns to 17.5% in January) - but not so cheap otherwise – non O2 mobile users pay an extra £5/month. Also, of course, if you subsequently change mobile operator, then expect to pay the extra £5 a month for broadband only.

LATE UPDATE: FREE OFFER is BACK! O2 are offering your first 2 months FREE if you sign up before the end of January 2010. Grab it NOW

BT's broadband service is in our view expensive and some readers find it complicated to use. We particularly dislike the disparity between the introductory rate and the real rate that you start paying after just 3 months. For example, their entry level service, which has download limits, is advertised at £7.78/month when the real price is £15.65/month, which you start paying after just 3 months and are locked in for 18 months!

Sky are reported to have solved their earlier problems. Their broadband can be free if you find the right webpage on their site and want the package offered there. Otherwise broadband costs from £5 a month with a Sky TV package, (with some packages you get 6 months free!). It may be worth considering but remember that you may have transfer ISP if you decide to cease your Sky TV subscription

Virgin Cable is widely available in Watford, but some reports we've received about service quality and call centre performance are not encouraging. It's also quite expensive at £12.50 a month for their entry level speed and you're required to take a Virgin phone line for an extra £11.

If you want really fast service, then they'll give you up to 50Mbps (not yet available from providers who deliver via your phone line) but at £28 just for the broadband, you'd really have to need that sort of speed to make it worthwhile. (The good news is you'll get a couple of free months to start!). In our view, something to consider only if you intend to have a full “package” of Virgin services.

There are of course many other ISPs that are well-regarded.- and you can always try to negotiate a better price than advertised. Metronet (not the company that failed to fix the london tubelines) for instance was very highly rated and is now part of Plusnet which also offers good value at £5.99 for it's entry level service.

Well, we hope this has been helpful and that by following our advice, you benefit from improved service and better value. We're always delighted to receive emails about your experiences – and will do our best to publish them whenever possible

Below you'll find some educational stuff for that we hope “non-techies” will find interesting.

*The DSLAM

In the early days of broadband over telephone wires, the DSLAM was always in the Telephone Exchange and so your maximum broadband speed depended simply on how far you lived from there - or more precisely, the length of cable between you and the Exchange. Nowadays, more and more DSLAMs are being located in Cabinets, (those big green cast-iron boxes that sit on side of the pavement) with fibre optic cables connecting the cabinet back the telephone exchange. (This is called Fibre to the Cabinet - or FTTC ). Because Cabinets are the interface between the main cables from the Exchange and the much smaller cables that feed out to telegraph poles or other distribution points, they will usually be only a few hundred metres or less from you - and that’s why much faster speeds can now be offered over phone lines.

In fact the arrangement for broadband over telephone lines in our local area has become very similar to that offered by the ‘cable broadband’ provider (now branded Virgin). The only real difference now is that ‘cable broadband’ gets from the cabinet to you through a coaxial cable and, if you have a telephone, that will be connected on a separate pair of wires - while Broadband over telephony is connected from cabinet using a single pair of twisted wires that also connects your telephone.

Understanding Bits and Bytes

The Binary System that your computer uses is a counting system that uses ‘base 2’ rather than the base 10 or decimal system we are familiar with.

So, while in our decimal system, once a sum exceeds 9, we carry a 1 to the next higher column, in Binary every time a sum is greater than 1, a digit is carried to the next higher column. So while in a decimal number, the figures 0-9 can appear in the units, tens or hundreds columns and so on, in Binary only the figures 0 or 1 can appear and the columns represent values of units, twos, fours, eights and so on.

To illustrate, in Binary, 1+0=1, but 1+1 = 10 (1 in the “2s” column and 0 in the “1s” column). Similarly 100 in binary is equivalent to 4 in decimal. It won’t take you long to work out that 1111 in binary represents a decimal value of 15 so there are 16 possible combinations between 0000 and 1111. Similarly, 11111111 in binary represents a decimal value of 255 - so there are 256 possible values between 00000000 and 11111111. The first half (128) of these is used to identify the various basic characters and values that you can input to your computer via the keyboard. Originally, the final “bit” of the eight bit code was used for parity checking (a check bit to confirm that transmission had occurred without error), but for many years now, the other 128 bits have instead been used to provide what is known as an “extended character set”.

These eight bit groups, each representing a character, are known as Bytes - so each BYTE contains eight BITS.

Finally, it may be worth mentioning here one other counting system that you are likely to come across when working with computers - and that’s “hexadecimal system” - which counts in “16s”. It’s very useful because each unit in hex can be represented by four bits - sometimes called a “Nibble” - because it’s half a Byte! So a Byte can be expressed in Hexadecimal as just two characters. You will often recognise the use of the Hex system in router security settings.

The Hex system uses the normal decimal numbers 0-9 plus letters A-F, so values 0 - 9 are identical to decimal numbers, but above that 10-15 are translated as: .

Decimal; 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Hexadecimal A B C D E F 10 11 12

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Thanks for reading!

The Flea Team

This article was created on Sunday, 27th December 2009. It was last tinkered with on Saturday, 16th January 2010.

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