Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

I can see what you mean, but my argument is when I was on 10 MB up to Thursday I was getting a constant 9 MB on my 10 MB connection, since upgrading to 20 MB my speed is still at 10MB if not lower and the only variable that has changed is the connection speed as my PC is still the same as of last week. Unless my PC is not configured correctly for 20 MB but was for 10 MB

I have done the game server download by downloading 4 large files 700mb-1gb and working out the speed and that again only yields results of between 8MB - 12 MB and not the 20 MB I should get.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

If it is possible to connect directly the PC or even a laptop directly to the modem you then run the speedtest below as this is what I would run if I spoke to you.

If you are a Virgin Media customer then the best speedtest is from the links below.



click on these 2 gamefiles battlefield_2142_demo.exe and bfme2demo_english_final.exe and save them to your desktop, and then wait a couple of minutes then write down the transfer rates on the files that are running add them together then multiply them by 8 and you will get a truer download speed.

Remember to stop and delete the files.

i.e : 250Kbps X 8 = 2Mbps, 500Kbps X 8 = 4Mbps, 1250Kbps X 8 = 10Mbps, 2500Kbps X 8 = 20Mbps

Then add 10% to the final figure to account for any processes running on your computer.


http://www.virginmedia.com/testmyspeed/manual.php

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

I have done this numerous times over the past 2 days, downloading 4 large files 500mb-1gb in size and then working out the speed and the results tend to be between 8MB and 13 MB and not the 20 MB I am paying for.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Is that direct or through the router, if it the same direct then you need to call in again.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

ok direct cable modem connected to my desktop

downloadng them 2 large files form the game server

here are my results

download rate

90 kb/sec
80 kb/sec

add together and multiply that by 8 =1360

does that mean I am getting 1.3 MB speed

that is truly shocking

and just to confirm this

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2009/10/8.png

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

If you are getting those sort of speeds then the is an issue somewhere and needs to be checked, you need to call in again.

Try on Monday after 0800 for s UK call centre.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Jellyfish, it does sound like it could be unacceptable levels of oversubscription in your area. You may well have been moved to a new UBR when you upgraded. To save you time trying to troubleshoot a non-existent problem, it would be well worth your your time posting on the newsgroup to see if you have oversubscription problems on your current UBR. You'll get a reply within 4 working hours and if it is oversubscribed then there is no point in any more troubleshooting from your end, if it isn't oversubscribed then carry on with reporting it to Virgin customer support. Click on the connection link at the top of this page to find your UBR but it might be worth asterisking out the CUST number when you post.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

To back up Caph's assessment of oversubscription (and to build on my earlier suggestion):

10:00 15 Mbps Kids/students still in bed
11:00 10 Mbps Kids/students have stirred
12:00 05 Mbps Kid/students are busy
13:00 06 Mbps Kids/students munching lunch
14:00 04 Mbps Kids/students seriously at it again
15:00 09 Mbps Kids/students doing/watching sport stuff

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

some good news, this morning I am getting a solid 20 MB using the games files download

1000 kb/sec
1250 kb/sec

with calc comes to 19.8 MB

but my argument is never had any issued when I was on 10 MB only since going to 20 MB

will monitor it thru the day and see

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Great that you've got good news for now.

I think what we're asking you to do going forward is to view the issue through the traffic contention lens.

Cheers

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

if lets assume the issue is oversubscription on the UBR how long does it take for VM to look at the issue and then resolve it

lets assume I moved to 50 MB would I get pushed a new UBR ? I assume each BB speed you subscribe to has its own UBR (10, 20 and 50)

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

So far as I know, the UBRs are DOCSIS sensitive (there are other experts who know the full skinny). 50 Mbps is DOCSIS 3 and use UBRs other than those used for 10/20 Mbps which I believe can share UBRs (DOCSIS 1.1).

I haven't moved to 50 Mbps from 20 because I prefer the capping (STM) to be in place to protect my average service.

The 50 Mbps service currently has no STM and so there is a subscription overload (IMO) that makes contention in some places very high as kids/students go mad with downloading, streaming or gaming.

To resolve contention is a balance that VM have to strike against their reputation, versus investment cost, versus STM policies. I'm quite sure that VM will look at a speed complaint, do their line test (probably with a QoS override from their IP address) and declare the line to be OK if they don't see unexpected attenuation or SNR. And that would be right. It's an "up to" service and to some extent a postcode lottery (see Manchester for details). VM know where they have to increase capacity (again see Manchester for details) and can choose between capping or infrastructure investment.

Hope that answer helps.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

I finally got my 50Mb working on Thursday and www.speedtest.net showed 50.4Mb on it's London server - all others showed lower.
As of yesterday The London server has been showing 22-28Mb so I wasn't happy.
Having read this thread I tried downloading some of the Game Demos and got:
Adding up the speeds of the 5 files I was downloading consecutively was giving me a steady speed of 6.52Mb/Sec - which works out at 52.16Meg

I'm happy with that :)

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Excellent feedback. Speedtest.net afficionados take note!

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

As I always say I will trust that any day over any other speedtest site and our 2nd line expect any caller to have been tested via that site before we call them.