View Full Version : STM outside of official hours
Seems to be a lot of people being STM'd before the official time of 4pm, and this has been confirmed as happening by technical support but nothing is being done to fix it :(
how do you know they are not doing anything to fix it?
Because it's taking longer than it takes to build an housing estate. I would think it would be a simple fix when it's all to do with time slots.
While STM trials are suspected of being run in several areas, there have apparently also been faults in the STM operation on some UBRs which do have to be fixed on-site.
The monitoring of the newsgroup that I've been doing (haphazardly -- I need to work+sleep sometimes) -- suggests that 'irregular' STM reports are less frequent than a few weeks ago.
But the number of UBR-related problems seems to be increasing...
The areas suspected to be part of the STM trial are Preston, NE8 and OL4, with TA5, WN7 and Blackpool looking possible.
Just read about the new times. and we all know that trials usually get rolled out to everybody. and they still won't drop the unlimited adverts because they know that is the the main word a new customer would look for when ISP hunting.
Definitely being STM'd here in Bournemouth. This has happened now for a couple of weeks. I am on the XL broadband and if i go over my d/l limit after 11 am but before 4pm, or after 9pm but before 12pm sure as clockwork i'm STM'd.
Got technical support to admit as much today after first telling me i had the wrong modem ( He told me i had a 120 when i assured him it was a 250) then he told me i was on the wrong server! Eventually he agreed i was being "capped" and put my speed back to normal.
Looking at the newsgroups this seems to be happening a lot!
I don't downlaod massive amounts and don't feel i abuse the service, and always stick to downloading outside of their STM hours.
This just feels underhand and deceitful though. I stick to their puplished hours yet still i am penalised through no fault of my own :mad:
Rant over! ainsy.
Definitely being STM'd here in Bournemouth. This has happened now for a couple of weeks. I am on the XL broadband and if i go over my d/l limit after 11 am but before 4pm, or after 9pm but before 12pm sure as clockwork i'm STM'd.
Got technical support to admit as much today after first telling me i had the wrong modem ( He told me i had a 120 when i assured him it was a 250) then he told me i was on the wrong server! Eventually he agreed i was being "capped" and put my speed back to normal.
Looking at the newsgroups this seems to be happening a lot!
I've *never* seen TS on the newsgroup 'turn off' STM and they've frequently denied being able to do so.
And the comments made by unattributable staff on various phone helplines have routinely proved to be incorrect.
I'd really appreciate it if when you next believe that your connection is being STM'd 'out of hours', you report it to vm.support.broadband.cable (and include the first part of your postcode in the subject line so that I can monitor their response) and, if confirmed, add you to the data that I'm collecting.
Alternatively, if you don't want to bother reporting it, just monitor your *upload* speeds -- it should be limited to 128kbps for M (2Mb) and L (4Mb) connections and 192kbps for XL (20Mb) -- if you're uploading any more than that then you are not currently being STM'd.
I will definitely report it on the newsgroups. I've only just set up the newsgroups today as i'm sick of the language barrier from TS on the phone.
It was TS on the phone that confirmed what i had already suspected. My download and upload speed droped to 4987 and 186kbps resp ( i have neen monitoring both) at aprox 11.35 am this morning. This has happened several times recently. TS restored it back to 18000, 720 approx as i was speaking to him on the phone.
When this has happened before i havn't reported it but sure enough after 5 hours up and down speeds returned to normal!
the-cable-guy
11-04-2008, 17:55
since STM was introduced for me its been kicking in from 7pm - 12am.
kryogenik
11-04-2008, 18:30
The areas suspected to be part of the STM trial are Preston, NE8 and OL4, with TA5, WN7 and Blackpool looking possible.
Alright chief, I gave you my postcode in the NG.
I should say I can't get this to kick in right now and I have tried a couple of times, though it definitely was happening last week (or thereabouts).
I'll try again over the weekend. I'm sure it was happening more sat/sun anyway.
squirrel1970
12-04-2008, 15:43
Uh, this STM stuff, fine if you're uploading/downloading huge files, but what if you're not?
I've just done some general surfing since I got up at noon today (lie in... which is a rare thing) and now I'm storming away at a ridiculous 1.27Mb............ WTF??
(4mb connection, secure wireless connection to 7 month old laptop, dlink router....Vista Home premium, SP1...)
Not had any issues until now, and currently, it's like wading through glue...
Well this is me now, and no downloading has taken place at all today :-
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2008/04/31.png (http://www.speedtest.net)
It has been ridiculously slow for ages now, now I'm being STM'ed, I mean wtf.
Technical support say that anything to do with STM is not a fault, and not something they would raise a ticket for.
So it looks like they told us and the media the official rules about how STM works and how it benefits everybody, leave it a couple of months till it all calms down a bit, and then alter the times while nobody is looking :mad:
I'm getting STM'ed out of published hours too.. whether or not I download/upload anything at all... told them on the Newsgroup... where the subject is getting very common...
Come off it Gary.
You've incorrectly taken two comments from a single TS staffer who's obviously not understood the nature of the query in amongst a torrent of largely irrelevant discussion and extrapolated it to VM 'policy'.
There have been numerous occasions in the last month where TS have referred problems with STM operating out of published hours to (I believe) the network department.
I've not checked but I'm fairly sure that operating tests and trials of STM at different times and trigger points is covered by VM's T&Cs.
TS are necessarily kept in the dark over these trials. Having a pop at them is pointless.
If you really feel that complaints about irregular STM are not being addressed, escalate the issue by calling CS or write the CEO a letter!
---------- Post added at 13:42 ---------- Previous post was at 13:42 ----------
I'm getting STM'ed out of published hours too.. whether or not I download/upload anything at all... told them on the Newsgroup... where the subject is getting very common...
Excellent, Taf. Many thanks for taking the time.
Come off it Gary.
You've incorrectly taken two comments from a single TS staffer who's obviously not understood the nature of the query in amongst a torrent of largely irrelevant discussion and extrapolated it to VM 'policy'.
There have been numerous occasions in the last month where TS have referred problems with STM operating out of published hours to (I believe) the network department.
I've not checked but I'm fairly sure that operating tests and trials of STM at different times and trigger points is covered by VM's T&Cs.
And when support say they have asked and we'll post back when we get a reply. they never get a reply to anything. we keep saying that support are as much in the dark as we are but that is only if we are to believe they really didn't know anything about the start of the STM trials. everything since then we are to believe that they really are in the dark about current events, when it could be the opposite and they actually do know what is going on behind the scenes but have been told to act dumb and say they don't know but they will ask and find out.
The reply by that one particular member of the support team was made in the thread asking if there is any update to the STM out of hours problem, I don't think he has got confused this early on a Sunday.
Whatever is happening it is all covered in the T&C's, which was also pointed out by technical support earlier last week.
lostandconfused
13-04-2008, 14:07
Definitely being STM'd here in Bournemouth. This has happened now for a couple of weeks. I am on the XL broadband and if i go over my d/l limit after 11 am but before 4pm, or after 9pm but before 12pm sure as clockwork i'm STM'd.
Got technical support to admit as much today after first telling me i had the wrong modem ( He told me i had a 120 when i assured him it was a 250) then he told me i was on the wrong server! Eventually he agreed i was being "capped" and put my speed back to normal.
Looking at the newsgroups this seems to be happening a lot!
I don't downlaod massive amounts and don't feel i abuse the service, and always stick to downloading outside of their STM hours.
This just feels underhand and deceitful though. I stick to their puplished hours yet still i am penalised through no fault of my own :mad:
Rant over! ainsy.
Not to be critical, but you just proved that they person you were talking to didnt really have a clue. But then when he says hes your being managed you accept that? Is that because thats what you wanted to hear?
It is 2.36pm and I am being traffic shaped again.
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2008/04/30.png (http://www.speedtest.net)
Just to add some more information. I rang the premium broadband help line and they said that yes, my connection was officially traffic managed at that moment. They then told me that the official times for sunday traffic management are from 2.30pm to 10pm, and durning the week 3pm to 9pm. It does seem to make some sense as it did kick at around 2.30pm as he said. (1.34 pm GMT time in the speed test is actually 2.34pm gmt summertime).
kryogenik
13-04-2008, 18:26
They then told me that the official times for sunday traffic management are from 2.30pm to 10pm, and durning the week 3pm to 9pm.
lol.
Are people there just picking random times out of the air or what?
Official...??
---------- Post added at 18:26 ---------- Previous post was at 18:10 ----------
I'll try again over the weekend. I'm sure it was happening more sat/sun anyway.
Sunday 13/04/2008 14:14:02 to 16:16:21 - 3.17GB
No shaping took place during this download.
It is 2.36pm and I am being traffic shaped again.
[...]
They then told me that the official times for sunday traffic management are from 2.30pm to 10pm, and durning the week 3pm to 9pm. It does seem to make some sense as it did kick at around 2.30pm as he said. (1.34 pm GMT time in the speed test is actually 2.34pm gmt summertime).
If the times you were given were accurate, it would imply that you'd exceeded your STM trigger (3GB down and/or 1250MB up) in 4 minutes!
Now I know that 20Mb is *fast*...
:)
Down the Pub
13-04-2008, 20:20
If the times you were given were accurate, it would imply that you'd exceeded your STM trigger (3GB down and/or 1250MB up) in 4 minutes!
Now I know that 20Mb is *fast*...
:)
generally i would give benefit of doubt, but now it's happened to me. working on some bits for work (equipment manuals and drivers etc etc .....very boring stuff i know), but at around 3pm my d/l slowed right up. didn't think much off it as was d/l from various websites so thought it may have been due to their connections. anyway went out for a few hours to take the dog out, came back and hey presto still the same. checked this speed against usenet and the dreaded speedtest and this sites own speed test and they confirm that at the moment i only seem to be able to get 4.5meg down max and 180kb up, even rebooted my modem and router to see if they were playing up but to no avail.
now if i had gone over the cap which i hadn't, i had only done 700meg odd i would have had no complaints. but to have it hit me for maybe a quarter of it and an hour early gets on my goat (i did d/l about 3.5gigs at about 6 this morning, not that that should make a difference).
edit............it just took 23sec to update this reply................bring back snail mail, it always seemed quicker.
Just a plea from me...
If your connection slows right down and you believe that your connection has been hit by STM outside of the advertised hours, please consider getting TS to confirm it, either by phone or the newsgroup, and ask them to pass on your frustration.
If VM don't hear that you've noticed the irregular STM cutting in, they'll have free rein to adopt it nationally!
TIA
brundles
13-04-2008, 20:50
I agree with what you say about reporting it and complaining ASAP, but in terms of free reign to adopt it nationally, do you really think it will make any difference to VM how many complaints they receive? :(
I agree with what you say about reporting it and complaining ASAP, but in terms of free reign to adopt it nationally, do you really think it will make any difference to VM how many complaints they receive? :(
Unfortunately it doesn't really matter what I think -- if VM don't get the message that plenty of people are noticing the 'adjusted' STM times (and possibly data limits) and it's causing them inconvenience and frustration then they'll doubtless see the trials as giving them the green light to extend it.
Anyway I've made a complaint using the formal complaint system within Virgin Media. It will be interesting to see what the results from that are. If they want to change the STM times then they should tell us that they are being changed. I am not against STM as a principle, I just want to know the hours that it will be on. I'll let you know what the results of the complaint are. I should know in a day or so.
Interesting link (http://forums.hexus.net/1392701-post1.html)
Not to be critical, but you just proved that they person you were talking to didnt really have a clue. But then when he says hes your being managed you accept that? Is that because thats what you wanted to hear?
I must admit he did come accross as being a bit clueless! He did however have the technical know how to bring my download and upload speeds back from STM quoted figures to normal as he was talking to me!
Wether the CS guy was clueless or not i am certain it was STM as i have watched it kick in as i am downloading from the newsgroups, several times now. As i have said, this was outside of their puplished hours, was checked to verify up and down speeds and lasted for 5 hours! What else could it be?
I didn't accept it because "thats what i wanted to hear" i accepted it because i knew i was being STM'd.
vBulletin® v3.8.11, Copyright ©2000-2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.