Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

No, I specifically said I wanted the next tier down now it had become 4meg. She confirmed that and changed my package.

When I called back she insisted I was indeed on 4meg now but that it was (yawn) "only up to 4meg". She even transfered me to Tech support where I was still told I am now indeed on 4meg and not 2 meg. I explained that even my upload speed was 20k and she said she didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned upload speeds.

So I managed to draw my own conclusions that I am indeed on 2meg and the area hasn't been upgraded yet. Now if customer services and tech support both insist that I am on 4meg when I am clearly not, there is a problem.

It's just a shame that the real people spoiling this thread are people like chrisjones, who find it amusing to laugh at what can be real problems for some customers (not just the "when is my speed going to be changed") - people spend money on this service. I expected better when I pay my money. Especially when it comes to giving me simple information that should be a mouse click away.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

AND??????????????
What spoils threads like this is people like you who expect the world at you feet when you say so!!
When have you ever given NTL a positive post on any subject?
Stop ****ing whining and give the speed upgrades a chance to take effect!
And no, I don`t work for NTL. I`ve had my problems with them in the past as have most people on here and also had problems with my Gas supply amd my Electric, What a ****ing nation of ******s we`re turning into because we can`t get what we want, when we want it!!!!!!!!!!:mad: :td:

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I suggest you go take some f*****g reading lessons. It's SIMPLE. I wanted a decent speed, 10 meg was nowhere near what they said they would deliver. I asked the girl to switch me to 4meg...THATS 4MEG. she said that was fine....no mention it was still 2meg, no nothing. OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE STUCK WITH 10 MEG FOR NOW.

As it is that isn't good enough when my girlfreind is using the net to talk to people, use her webcam etc, while I am on Xbox live without me getting lag. That's what I pay for and that's what I wanted. I don't give a rats ass if they upgrade in 2008. I would have stuck with 10meg. I didn't want 2 meg and it's not what I asked for.

If that doesn't sink into your thick skull after me having explained it countless times now, I suggest you go see a doctor as you clearly have learning difficulties.

Oh and it's called a service for a reason. I pay - they service me. They aren't running a charity - they get money for doing this. And what the hell is wrong with me asking for something - not being told it wasn't available, and then being fobbed off by telling me I have it when I don't? As it is I am stuck now on this speed as you can't switch back and forth so quickly.

I didn't expect a goddamn thing from NTL - I went through a whole conversation with the girl explaining how bad my speeds were and that 4 megs would just about do me for my needs. All she needed to do was say "wait a while longer as 4meg isn't in your area yet". How hard was that? I would have stayed on the 10 meg line and been happy until the upgrades were in effect in my area. NOWHERE IN MY POSTS HAVE I SAID I EXPECTED THEM TO DO ALL UPGRADES ON JUNE 1ST. I SAID I EXPECTED TO BE ON 4MEG BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I ASKED FOR AND TWICE I HAVE BEEN TOLD I AM ON IT NOW - NOT TOMORROW, NOT NEXT WEEK, BUT NOW. The implication was that 4 meg was available then and there to me. THAT'S WHY I EXPECTED IT.

This country is in a mess because some folks are p*****s and won't speak up for themselves - instead having a shoddy service and being too polite to complain. NTL would rape everyone up the backside if we all took your attitude.

edit: i will give NTL a positive post when they do something positive for me. That's quite obvious really isn't it? I am not going to start saying how wonderful they are when they keep fobbing me off time and again when I have had problems.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

The title of this thread needs to be changed ASAP! Maybe its given us all a completely wrong impression!

Also, patience here! If it hasnt been upgraded give it a few days and ntl: mite surprise you! Maybe theres some problem at their end with firmware or contention? Its an ongoing process. If you dont get 4 Meg by the end of the month - THEN COMPLAIN!

Jeez chill out people. Everyone wants 4 Meg here, hell, I want it ASAP to but Ive got AS levels coming up, so Im focusing on them too, worry about something else for the moment, that should take your mind off the 4MB issue.

Also, im quite sure that you will get lag or ping spikes while gaming and someone else using the connection at the same time, its inevitable. Ive had this exact problem on 1 Meg and 2 Meg while playin Source and my bro being on MSN, also the webcam will cause it to lag more as more data is being sent through. Also, Im not sure if youre hosting here or playing of another server, but if you are hosting, cut down on the number of people on. Tht should help although you will have fewer players

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Why didn`t you stay on your 10 meg connection then ********, 4 meg is not as fast as 10 meg or do i need to work out the maths for you to get it into your thick skull!:disturbd: :disturbd: :disturbd: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce:
******.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

OOOHHH!

Cue Human Torch, FLAME ON!!

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Because if you opened your eyes and read my previous posts, you will see that I never got better than 4 megs ish on the 10 meg package. It was fruitless to stay with 10meg when I could pay for 4meg and basically get the same speed I was getting on the 10meg package. That's why when I saw they had changed the 2meg package to 4meg I called them - and hence why I am ****ed off that for the next (maybe month) I am stuck with a 2meg line. I didn't want it and ddn't ask for it.

But again, I mentioned this right at the beginning when people were getting arsey and accusing me of expecting immediate upgrades. When it wasn't, and never has been, what I was talking about.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Mod Time!

And yes, you are ****ed off and so am I [I want 4MB] but theres no reason to be so harsh. Chill out! people. If its so bad, why dont you make them refund your money or give it to you cheaper. Call up customer relations and have a word with them.

And if it really is THAT BAD then go DSL!

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I will apologise if I have become rude or offensive. But I don't like people having digs at me when they hadn't even bothered to read what my gripe was in the first place. Instead bldinly assuming I wanted NTL to upgrade immediately.

In fact I even posted a question asking what stops them doing it the same day for everyone and if there was a technical reason why not. And as I said, it was a genuine question.

Then to top it off - you get people like chrisjones who seem to think it's ok to laugh at other peoples problems. Broadband is a real luxury for me, and I don't like throwing money away. Maybe for people like him it's throwaway cash, but for me it isn't.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

http://www.chetnet.co.uk/portal/foru...ead.php?t=6780

Dosn't look like they'll be doing anything until Tuesday or Thursday.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Last time some was upgraded before their area was ready had problems and some found they was removed back to their old speed. They will not upgrade any until they have resegmented and checked. If you wasn't getting full speed on 10mb then your area would need the work before they can do it.

Its only common sense really. I know this as I have dropped down in speed at peak times which means my area couldn't get the upgrade until they have resegmented and perhaps upgraded..

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

As far as I understand, one reason is that some Modems and STBs will fail when the upgrade is applied. NTL upgrade area by area to minimise the effect of these failures on the technical support lines, and also to ensure an adequate supply of modems.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Im aware BBB has sucky peering but I haver never heard of them getting local contention and having problems with speeds to other BBB users.

Thanks for the explanation on how the TV works on ADSL.

For EU I go on feedback of friends who live there. for example germany who is very dominently DSL shaping and slowdowns at peak times is unheard off, they probably do have some form of contention but its low enough so that the customer doesnt feel it.

---------- Post added at 01:30 ---------- Previous post was at 01:16 ----------

You sure about this? Their was certianly no reseg when 10 meg was rolled out at my old address and if I am not mistaken their wasnt one for the 3meg rollout either. My own experience tends to be they rollout and **** hits the fan and the resegs come a few months too late.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

From what I can see most of the complaints on this thread are from people who are telling other people to be patient. Every other post is from someone moaning about people being impatient when there's hardly anyone being impatient. You couldn't make it up. :rofl:

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Ok - I am not on NTL and wont be until i move in 4 weeks (can't wait for 10mb) but this is how things like this work.

The upgrade people in chunks and seeing if all is well and going onto the next group and doing the same. It's not a case of pushing a button and it's all done.

I know a lot of you wish it was but what it if people started getting 250kb speeds and not the 4mb ntl would be in peoples bad books. It looks like there upgrading in groups and the "exchanges" (if thats what ntl thingys are called) at the same time.

So say theres 100 customers on 3 "exchanges"

Ntl goes to "Exchange 1" and upgrades and this has 40 people on only 20 people get the upgrade while the next group wait - this is to see if people are getting the speeds they are paying for and no bugs come up and the same for the other 2.

Getting to the point here is "good things come to those who wait". I used to be the same on a lot of things wanting them now but I know now to wait for things if i really want them.

I don't think NTL are a bad company even with all these 1000s of complaints on forums i have been reading. Lets face it they are 1 of 2 (or just the 1 and only now?) cable providers in the UK and in the latest issue of custompc the say: your street is allocated a certain amount of bandwidth so if 10mb users and if any 4mb dont get the full speed then i suggest you goto the kid down the road with 5 pcs downloading 24/7 and not ntl - ntl cannot tell him what to do he pays for it like anyone else - unless he starts loosing ntl money (which ya he would).

Just be happy ntl are upgrading you it's not going to hurt - ntl could of done this as a suprise upgrade and not said anything and i bet 98% of you wouldn;t notice for a few days so whats it hurting.

you have the same speed and the same price and soon to be DOUBLE the speed at the same price so way to go NTL for giving more bang to the buck.

Just for the thread i suggest people get this months custompc mag it has adsl v cable in it and tells you just how cable works and maybe then you wont bother ntl but the person next door taking the bandwidth.

I dont mean to sound nasty or anything just would like to point it out and see if we can get people to just look forward to it instead of getting into foul moods over something that didn't even need to happen or goign to happen. HEY! I'm still on 2mb and only get 1.5 most of the time from my BT line - and that gets a lot of packet loss and high pings.

Just as someone said "think happy thoughts" grab a beer or something and watch some tv or g out get some fresh and lighten your head from pwning n00bs on CS!

BTW Cableforum - can you get news on this so called "1mb upload increase and from 24mb - 30mb increase for 10mb (by the end of the year)" - an ntl engineer told my mate that in grimsby and someone else said the samething on NTLHELL would like to know thats all :)

Anyway - enjoy you lucky 4mb people! And take what I said on board!

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I'm sure they'd go see this kid as it's against ToS to run any more than 3 devices off of your NTL connection and a "fair use" policy comes into bandwidth usage :)

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

ohh boo bloody hooo! I wasnt laughing at ANYONE, I was just having a little fun, trying to lighten up the mood and chill people out a little!

You seem to have taken it a little too much to heart as you have mentioned me twice now in subsequent posts ..

Please for the love of God, stop with your gripes and chill out, it was nothing personal - If you check back through the other couple of hundred threads in this topic you will see that quite a few of us have been having a running 'joke' about this whole situation just to try and make some fun from it all...

Dear oh dear - it now seems im the Cable Forum bully!

woooo saaaaaah! *Rubs temples furiously.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

there's no way of detecting how many pcs are on a connection, is there?

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Re: chrisjones. Some people actually want some helpful advice when they are spending what to them is a reasonable amount of cash. They don't need someone rubbing their temples, making silly noises and trying to be light hearted about it.

As I see it, it contributes nothing to this thread. Other than rub peoples noses in the fact that obviously your broadband works fine. Well, well done - go and give yourself a pat of the back. Or assume the lotus position, or whatever it is you do when you make those noises.

Do you not think that people are at the end of their tether when they come and post here? I know for me I try and get sense out of NTL whenever I can. Posting here is a last resort that maybe someone has an answer, knows how to word something better to maybe get an engineer. Whatever it is they are seeking, this is a place to vent or to get advice. People who have everything working just fine and so like to make light of other peoples problems ain't funny. It's arrogant.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

So I thought but when I questionned this a time a go, CS seemed to be able to find out how many PCs were connected even when they were behind a NAT gateway of some kind (ICS/Router/etc)

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I suggest that if you lower the aggression in your posts you might find help to be more forthcoming. If you object to the way someone has posted then feel free to use the 'report this post' feature as has already been done on you.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Can anyone report if their area has been done please?

At least then we can get an idea as to how things are progressing.

We can also get some feedback as to how well the upgrade works.

Does anyone know what changes the upgrade makes, if any, to the information in the STB menu?

In other words, how do you know when you have been upgraded?

I say this because in the past people have beeen upgraded without knowing it simply because they did not reboot their Set Top Box.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Large areas of the UK are once again caught up in a swathe of riots as customers demand the new speed increases due to be delivered by the end of the month.
NTL have instigated a roll-out of higher speeds (2Mb to 4Mb, at no extra cost to their users), which should be in place by the end of June 2006. This information was sent via EMail to most (if not all) of their existing customer base, which should in reality have been a reason for joyous festivities to take place as, once again, the customer would benefit from an increase in internet speeds (this time coupled with the removal of a bandwidth usage cap), for no extra outlay every month. Instead it has led to a series of riots, as customers who need the new speeds instantly are demanding that they receive them instantly.

One unhappy customer is reported to have said " Yo, I'm *****, I've bin wiv NTL 9 munfs and me n me mates all wanted fast speeds so we cud get all them games n movies off the net ya know... like so we dint ave to pay for em like *giggle*. We is real mad that we has to wait another couple of weeks 'cos we wants em now before the markets get flooded, know what I mean mate *wink* "

The latest riots are similar to the earlier unrest caused by NTL attempting to increase customers speeds for free, causing the CS phone lines to be constantly busy dealing with demands for instant upgrades. It is assumed that the latest idea of now charging customers for these calls may be an attempt by NTL to free up valuable resources to allow the promised increases to procede quicker.

NTL are unavailable for comment at this time.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

HaHaHa thats top quality and well thought out.
Theres no need to stress. Good things come to those who wait

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Hahah love it, trouble is, its true!!! :O

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

hahahaha, That is just to funny. Wait about 2 weeks and you'll get the upgrades, jesus, its free, just wait...

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

#

They more than likely do it by MAC address. Its the same with any managed network environment. If you have say a 24 port managed switch and 23 ports have single PC's connected, then you will see just one MAC address per port. If you add another switch or hub to the port 24 and connect 4 PC's to that, then the port will display 4 MAC addresses for that physical port.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Yes you're probably right, I never thought about MAC Addresses being shown through a NAT Gateway even if IPs are not.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

As I can't be bothered sifting through the arguments to find useful posts;

Has anyone been upgraded as of yet?

Or have there been any updates in news?

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

all the billing ?, advertising, an emplyees have been upgraded for this £24.99 free upgrade, but as yet not one single modem, perhaps on tuesday.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Maybe thats why there doing upgrades next week on a few areas?

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

i wonder if there is any company out there that can offer speeds like 10Meg without using the words "up to"?

and actually mean give you at all times 10Meg...........

there wont be

ik

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Very good point! My adsl says upto 2mb and i only get 1.5 - 1.8 :)

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Although I 'phoned NTL on Friday to downgrade, I was still on bund03 (10mb) until this morning when we found ourselves having to re-register the computers with no word or warning.

On midnight yesterday morning (Saturday), I checked my speed with the PC Pitstop website. The 10mb (bund03) was giving me 112kb/s up and 1271kb/s down.

Now that I've had to reboot and re-register, the STB says I'm on "mid" (which must mean 2mb/4mb). PC Pitstop now says 191kb/s up and 1868kb/s down. The second time I test, I got 196kb/s up and 1891kb/s down. So I'm paying less and getting a better service now. (Well, all things being equal, I'm probably getting exactly the same service. ;) )

And, of course, I've noticed no difference in my internet experience - other than the satisfaction of having an extra tenner in my pocket come the end of the month. ;)

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

went up to the 2mb service and did not notice much difference as I hardly download at all and online games played just the same so I jumped back to the one meg and I even got on some price deal with it so Iâ₠¬ÃƒÆ’¢â€žÂ¢m paying about £10 less. Iâ₠¬ÃƒÆ’¢â€žÂ¢m now only paying 14.99 for it.

I was going to try the new 4mb but I keep thinking why bother, the difference I notice will be small as online play is fine as it is on the 1mb. And anyway it sound like it will be up to 4mb so you could get anything and my 1mb works great and is solid near the 1mb.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Yes, there is... virtually every business arm of an ISP will sell you a flat 10mb connection that gives you 10mb all the time... but it costs.... it costs a whole lot more than 34.99 a month... remove the decimal point and youre probably close.... the home 10mb market isnt meant to be red hot maximum pace 24/7/365 without problems.... thats why you only pay 34.99

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

show me

ik

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Probably looking at about £400/month for 2MBit SDSL

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Here is pretty much what I started with a few pages back. "Seems I jumped the gun as well despite them saying they had changed me down to the 4 meg service, it is actually 2 meg I am getting at the moment. Ugh, wish they would have warned me it hadn't changed in my area yet, as I would have stuck out 10 meg a little longer. ah well.

I then started getting people saying I was too eager for the 4meg line. That I should just leave NTL - that I have no patience at all. When all I said was that I was disappointed NTL hadn't given me a heads up.

It was then that everyone thought I was a.n.other moaner because the speeds hadn't been changed on day one. When my post had nothing to do with that at all. But it didn't stop people being petty with their silly noises and giggles etc. I had a valid point to make. And had explained how I had mentioned it to NTL first.

So people have reported my posts? So what? I wouldn't know how to report a post and wouldn't wish to either. I'd rather someone sent me a PM or posted something here if they had a problem - they are quite safe hiding behind their keyboards, it's not like I will come looking for them???!!!. This isn't primary school where you run off and tell the teacher is it? How petty of them I have to say. It's a shame that some folks can't speak up instead of what amounts to going behind someone's back. I am rather pleased that I wouldn't stoop to reporting someone. especially if it meant they may get suspended. It's a forum at the end of the day - no matter what someone may say to me I wouldn;t want to deprive them of visiting here. Shame really that some here don't feel the same way.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

the report post is the warning sign below other users names.

but pesonally I am not having a go at anyone on this thread.....

I am just trying to figure out why people these days everyone wants exactly full speed 24/7/365 and want the change immediately, especially when it has been said it would be during the month not at an exact date.

ik

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I can guarantee you that no matter how bad posts got from other people - I will NEVER use the report button. It's the internet, I would just log out and come back later. I don't have to live with anyone here so who cares?

But thanks for pointing it out anyway.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

This is Cable Forum and this is how we deal with things around here. Reporting you for comments they found to be offensive was the right thing to do and I encourage all users to do the same if someone posts anything which they feel in inappropriate. Also the admin's decision is final.

Anyway, back on topic, any further off-topic posts will be removed.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I think the concern maybe that now NTL have stated "up to" they have free reign to mess about with the speeds any way they see fit and use the "up to" clause to justify it. This could include the traffic shaping many have voiced concerns over too.

Also, what happens when you are "upgraded" and your speed drops to less than the 2mb speed you were originally on while still paying the same price of £24.99, what do we do then when they have the "up to" clause to wave in your face?

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Retrovertigo - I like many, due to the sheer size of this thread, have neither the patience or the time to read all posts, and try to keep a track of each one.

Having read your 'description' of the original post, I can see why you feel upset that NTL did not advise that 4 meg actually meant (potentially up to 30th June) 2 meg (ignoring that you never quite get what it says on the tin - but that is industry standard, not just NTL).

Obviosuly, some people have picked up the 'I want 4 meg' message, as just another person wanting today what has been promised by the 30th - and some have gone for the light-hearted comment.

Personally, I like 'like-heartedness' - it sometimes diffuses situations, and does not often result in a worse position, but in some cases in can. Your comments seem to suggest for you, in this particular time, the latter is the result. That is the problem with written statements, they can often be miss-interpretted. You can't beat good old fashion body language.

So, my suggestion (probably cause more issues, that it resolves, but so be it), lets put this particular post to bed. NTL did give incorrect info, but in all reality (apart from changing you back to 10 meg) can't do anything about it. Either way, by the 1st July (hopefully) it should all be back to a position we all want.

As for NTL (and as a Project Manager working in Infrastructure IT), I can see this project having a requirement (upgrade all as per previously advised), by the end of June. We can only comment on their Success or Failure on the 1st July - that is their deadline. If they choose to upgrade all on the 30th, and it works, it is a success. Not a particularly good way of managing a project - but it does tick all the right boxes as far as a project is concerned.

You rarely roll-out to all a product or upgrade at once. There must be a risk of things going wrong (believe me, for all the preparation that goes on - there are always issues on the day) - so you have to roll them out in a co-ordinated way. The roll-out needs to be advised to stake holders (you could argue we are stakeholders, and should therefore know the roll-out - and this is a valid comment) - but lets not shoot NTL until the 1st.

NTL are trying - they have many issues (I remeber being told Caller ID within a few months - that was about 5 years ago), but as long as they move in the right direction, at the right speed, we should all be better off.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

http://globix.com/network/access/

thats who I have in the company I work for. 100% SLA @ 10mbit and we get 10mbit all day long.

Another we have used is http://www.uk.clara.net/claraaccess/...ines/index.php

You would have to contact each individual ISP to get prices tho, as they are dependant on your location, but the distance from the exchange makes no difference at all.

---------- Post added at 17:48 ---------- Previous post was at 17:19 ----------

and another...

http://www.verizonbusiness.com/uk/pr...ated/index.xml

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I am sorry to jump back to the argument and, I could be wrong but, if the woman/man on CS said he was putting someone on to the 4mb service, would that be because they have changed all the billing services now and there is actually NO 2mb service now. I do realise that we are ALL still on 2mb but it may be a case of computer says nooooo. :p:

I remember the last upgrade did something like that (another free upgrade btw). If this is the case i hope that it will ease some peoples minds and everbody just chill.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Obviosuly, some people have picked up the 'I want 4 meg' message, as just another person wanting today what has been promised by the 30th - and some have gone for the light-hearted comment.

Personally, I like 'like-heartedness' - it sometimes diffuses situations, and does not often result in a worse position, but in some cases in can. Your comments seem to suggest for you, in this particular time, the latter is the result. That is the problem with written statements, they can often be miss-interpretted. You can't beat good old fashion body language.

.. Thats more like it...

Seriously tho - Niether I nor anyone else (im hoping) was out to upset anyone...

ok END of..

Tubbles - thats a good theory, in-which case it would be the system thats lying, not the poor old CS OP trying to do his/her job as best as.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

so are you looking for access to the net for your business?

as all of your links were for business users.

ik

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Sorry to jump in but all the prices you will have seen will be for businesses as that kind of connection is usually not intended for the home market. Sure, if you have the money, I'm sure any business would sell you that kind of connection but they wouldnt offer it to you as a matter of course.

Where I work, we have 4Mb and 6Mb leased line circuits to the internet, I believe those cost us around £1000 p/m for the pair. I have also recently commissioned 10Mb circuits between three sites and I can tell you that the installation rate was around £9000 per line (BT Wholsesale pricing) but that is based on a fixed private circuit over fibre.

SDSL however I have found is priced similiarly but without the huge install fee - Bulldog offer half-decent pricing but leased lines are much more stable (and costly).

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

My original post said any "business arm of an ISP" and you asked me to show you..... If you can afford it, you can get one installed at home...

I'm not looking for a line, as I'm already happy with my 10mb at home with all its quirks, as I know what it costs to have my 100% stable 10mb line at work. Its only listed on their business services page, cos 99.9% of home users would never be able to afford it.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

There is obviously no doubt that that's exactly what happened to me when I spoke to someone. The frustration comes when you know it's a simple fix. I would have thought that some kind of status page showing the regions and order they were due the upgrades, would save both NTL and their customers a whole lot of hassle?

I think what gets people annoyed is the not knowing part. Or that maybe their area was upgraded, but for some reason their modem didn't receive the upgrade. At least then you have some point of reference.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

NTL really had to change their tier descriptions from the 1MB, 2Mb, etc and quote them all as "up to" because of the way the internet works and the expectations of some customers. The speed at which you can download something is governed by many factors, not just the limit set by the configuration file that your modem is using. How many times do you see "I pay for a 10Mb service but get nothing like that"? Whether you can get it depends on factors such as the speed at which the other party can upload to you, the contention on the various networks that the data has to pass through and what every other customer on your UBR is doing.

In the early days of cable broaband there were relatively few customers on fairly low speeds. In the main customers tended to get 100% of the advertised speed. As the number of broadband customers worldwide has increased rapidly and speeds have been substantially increased at the same time then the ability to sustain maximum speed has gone. In the future as speeds get faster still then it will become even less likely that anything like the maximum speeds will be attainable.

Using "up to" is not a cop out by NTL but more a true reflection of what speeds on high speed home broadband connections are achievable.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

too much fuss here - there's only roughly 3 weeks to go - why not save the fuss until next month. currently they are on target so what's the problem.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

While in principle you are probably right. Wouldn't it be better to give everyone as close a speed as possible? Even if this means artficially restricting speeds for some people?

If I buy food by the pound, I expect to get what I pay for. I don't expect to get 2 pounds of potatoes, while someone next to me gets 4 pounds but pays the same price.

I don't believe that NTL are incapable of knowing what the network can handle speed wise, versus the maximum number of people who might want it.

For me that is what is most annoying. Maybe a fairer system would be for them to monitor what speeds people get and charge them accordingly? It may be too complicated to implemnet - I have no idea - but it seems they can monitor gig usage per month so speed shouldn't be any different. Kind of like a gas or electricity meter I guess. But as an example you can build different Sky packages depending on what channels you require.

Maybe if speeds were tallied once a month and charge either at 5,6,7 up to 10meg and with maybe £1-2 difference between each tier.

Ok, probably a nightmare to control. But the alternative is that some here are getting as low as 3 meg on a 10 meg line. That's a huge discrepency between best and worst cases and indicates that NTL are overstretching themselves in some areas.

For the record these are merely some thoughts bobbing around my head and aren't in anyway me screaming that this is what NTL should be doing tomorrow as soon as they open the offices!! ;)

But I do know that if NTL said to me, "we are sorry but because of contention etc. we can only guarantee 5 megs instead of the usual 10....BUT, we will charge you £30 per month instead of £35. I'd be more than happy doing that.

Oh and just to add. Someone said I never say anything positive about NTL. Well, for me, Tech support have been amazing on occasion. Twice they have needed to visit my house to check my modem in the past year or so. Both times they came within 2 hours of me making a phonecall. That's oustanding I have to say. I doubt many companies could beat that to be honest. Plus they followed up each visit with a phonecall the day after to see if I was happy with the service.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

looks like enjoymarcus might be the first posted update and he appears to not even know it :)
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...598#post754598

funny if he is, as its been said that the major stuff happens tuesdays,and less so thursdays, arr well, at least thats progress perhaps......

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Regarding the "up to" I think its reaonable to expect full burst in twilight hours every day, as during that time of day no isp should be maxed out, and perhaps a slowdown to around 60% of max burst during peak times. Thats what I would call reasonable. On a 20:1 contended product where the shared bandwidth is at least 4 times the user's burst speed so in this case 40mbit I think this is easily achievable.

The problem with both BT and NTL at current I believe they are contending at way higher then 20:1 probably nearer 50:1 to allow them to sell broadband agressivley and in addition in NTLs case they are not sharing 4x users burst instead its 2.7 in some areas which only have 27mbit. I think if a user is getting sub 2meg speeds on a 10meg burstable line they have every right to complain, they should of course verify it isnt the source server first tho by checking from multiple locations.

Also I wish people would stop spreading the impression that NTL are carefully making sure people get full speeds etc. first, this isnt true as many people found out in the last few upgrades, why would ntl suddenly change their policy now? Dont be at all surprised if you go from a solid 2mbit connection to a variable 4mbit connection. Also 10 meggers dont be surprised that once these upgrades are complete you suffer slower speeds.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Actually Chrysalis makes a very good point there. It seems NTL struggle to maintain 10meg for a fair few people - and that's just the folks who are knowledgable about these things. Once they start to roll out 4megs as a standard you can't help but feel that those on 10meg (with speed problems) might feel the pinch even more than they do at the moment.

My area is a haven for students and NTL vans have been an almost permanent fixture where I live since last Sept, when the influx of students happens. It isn't any coincidence that the speeds in my area (of people I know) are noticeably slower than some people experience.

That's where the true problem lies. Taking on new customers with no regard for whether the infrastructure can handle it. Once everyone here starts being upgraded to 4megs (whether they like it or not) you just know that a stable service will more than likely disappear.

I suppose they are like the water companies at the moment. They want the customers and the cash - but don't want to spend any of it on maintaining the backbone of the company. It will be interesting to see what happens.

*these views are my own thoughts and observations and in no way are indicitive of me demanding anything from NTL as soon as is humanly possible.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Routers aren't switches, a router of any kind running NAT or otherwise will present one MAC address to the rest of the network, its' own interface.

CS have no idea about how many devices are connected behind a NAT router it's possible to work this out but it's not a trivial exercise to say the least.

---------- Post added at 09:19 ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 ----------

So if ntl have such control over capacity management why have your speeds at peak time dropped at all? All they can do is guess at the bandwidth demand increase. Resegs can be delayed or just not happen. Rest assured ntl will contend as much as they can get away with, they will be happy to let the network congest until they get too many complaints.

It's really quite bizarre the way that you complain like crazy but still stick up for these guys and continue paying them for a sub-standard service while berating those who seek more competitive deals from the company and those who have deals just thrown at them whether they ask or not. You would presumably refuse to pay a lower rate for your services if they offered it.

As far as ntl go with regards to you and every other residential customer when dealing with them one at a time it's all about mind over matter. They don't mind because you don't matter.

---------- Post added at 09:20 ---------- Previous post was at 09:19 ----------

You're welcome.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

You are talking about standard switches. Something 99% of NTL customers won't have. AFAIK. Routers using NAT do not expose the MAC address of any device inside the network to any device outside it. AT&T did come up with a method that can effectively guess how many devices are attached to a router, but I don't know if there is a precise method.

Edit: Carl got there first.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Hi, first post here. I have a quick question about the 4mb service that is due to happen at some point and am worried that my modem might not be able to cope. It's one of the original Motorla Surfboard modems that we had when we first got broadband. CS don't know if it can handle the new speed and I don't want to get an engineer out for nothing and be charged for it.

Thanks

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

It will handle 4 Mb and welcome to the forums:welcome:

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Sweet, only problem is if I try to access the modem using 192.168.100.1 (I think that's it), there is nowhere to put in a username and password so can't check the operational configeration page.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

No, I'm Spartacus!

Anyway, what happens when you enter in that IP?

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I just get a motorola surboard page which shows some details on the modem, there is a page you can change values on but that's it. I can't double check at the minute as I'm work till 5 now.

Oh and I get that a lot :)

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

:):) That is quite funny though!! :)

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

me and my wife's spartacus.......

oh sorry wrong film, welcome anyway spartacus.

ik

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Alas - Are all things 4mb calming down??

Ive seen less crazy episodes of Dr Who!

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Yes, we've given up on NTL. ;)

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

LOL - he beat you by miles!!!!!

I wasnt 100% sure about the router business. I know that NAT Routers only expose one IP address to the big bad world so I guess that should follow for physical addresses too. Bit of a schoolboy error !!!

/me runs off to buy "Networking for Dummies" :erm:

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Hey I might have found out the reason why the roll out is taking so long - Ive found the person in charge of all the roll outs...

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2006/06/19.jpg

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Or it could just be because they know they've the whole of June to do it, and want to adopt a methodical staggered approach to it all :dunce:

There are a fair few uBRs to 'do'. and a fair few cards inside those uBRs. You're talking upwards of 2000 CMTS cards. Perhaps a little bit less grief towards the people who'll be doing the uplift would be in order. I know those chaps work bloody hard.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Errrr..... I was joking

*Bangs head on desk in total frustration.

Arrrgh - I give up.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Make it a funny joke next time then ;)

I think we've seen the first trickle of 4Mb upgrades havn't we now?

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I believe so, some fella in .... Nottingham is it?

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Yep, i think that was right :)

Now we're gonna have half of Nottingham posting saying that they havn't got it yet :LOL:

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I nearly had a heart attack there! I started a download of Ubuntu and got a start speed of 460kb/s which stayed for a while but dropped off to my normal 2 meg :(

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I had that kind of thing on my 4Mb TW line, started at 1260kbps.. stayed there for about 35 seconds then dropped to 480ish. Liking it :) Shame i'm not a 10Mb'er though :p

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I wonder if its a side affect of something, I've had short stints of speed before but nothing that high.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I wonder which 'lucky' area will end up being last in line for the upgrade ... probably the least likely area - you watch :-P

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

I have a serious question - I mean honestly, I do. If anyone here at anytime could have clicked on the upgrade to 10meg option on NTL's site. Why does a roll out of less than half that speed need to be done region by region?

I am not being sarcastic - it's a genuine question. There must be a reason, but I can't fathom it.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Wherever you live will be the last...

---------- Post added at 16:23 ---------- Previous post was at 16:22 ----------

Because not everyone will click it all at the same time. However the upgrades are being given to every customer, whether they need it/wanted it or not.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Well yeah I took that as a given. I kind of meant that potentially the system must be capable of having everyone upgrade if they had wanted. And so having to do a slow roll out to ensure it all worked seemed at odds with that. But I'm no tech head - and was just curious.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Im guessing since its a 'freebie' it will be done as cheaply and reasourse frienfly as possible.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

While I'm on a roll asking questions in a "polite manner" :) - howcome you can't change speeds more than once a month? Is it merely a billing issue? I know this is veering off-topic somewhat. But if someone knows, I'd appreciate an answer. Thanks.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Could this be what we're all waiting for?

Hopefully..

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Don't hold your breath, thats general network maintenance

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Can I just make a suggestion to NTL with regards the roll-out order for the upgrades:

Start with the areas which still do not have VoD ! ;)

We do deserve some reward for our patience ! :angel:

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

i hope all these areas, have better fun than i have had in the last week....

I am in the Lancashire area

Last Wednesday went down 1930hrs.....nothing said about it, rung helpilne and got told wont be back until morning...

Thursday morning tried it...its workin...i forgive them...
Thursday evening on and off ALL night....
Friday morning nothing again....
Friday evening/sat morning on and off....
Then at lunch on saturday.................nothing....rung them teatime was told big probs, and would be back on in morning....
Sunday nothiong again...was told to rebooot, again.....told them to stick it, as i had done that numerous times, and they decided to get an engineer....

But how thick do they actually get....

She said i will book an engineer...okay i said, but not through the week it will have to be Sat morning...her reply - Tuesday morning...which bit she didnt understand baffles me....

Then get home from work on Monday...and its workin again....

Not cancelling engineer until closer to the time....

But it wasnt just the modem that were flashing lights like the runway at Manchester, but also the light was flashing on my STB

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Has Glasgow been updated from 2mb to 4mb yet does anyone know? I just dropped my connection from 10mb down to 4mb to save a bit of money, but ADSL Guide is getting performance in line with a 2mb connection...

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

nope, just one user in Nottingham (NG1) so far, perhaps we might see some action on tuesday or thursday.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

It may be a load of guff, but the guy I just spoke to in BB tech support told me that they've got a technical issue upgrading from 2mb to 4mb at the moment and it may take a week or 2 to resolve. Oh well, I guess I have to get used to slumming it for a while.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Update from ntl:-

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/article/...-speed-uplifts

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

If I were to use the online tool to upgrade back to 10mb would it happen, or will I still be stuck down on 2mb?

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

When did you downgrade? If it's within 30days of another upgrade/downgrade that has taken place then no. Otherwise, yes.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

The situation seems to be that all the NTL CS peoples screens now say 4meg, not 2meg i.e. the billing system appears to have been globally upgraded. However, the actual upgrade for customers will not occur until their area has been physically upgraded at the UBR level - this should happen by the end of June.

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

Hopefully this'll subdue a few people?

The article says what has to happen to modems, I'd assume the samsung STB's would be able to handle 4mb no problems?

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

It won't affect me but its good to see they starting with one of the best networks... not that I am biased at all.

Keep up with the woooo saaaaaahs in other areas, its a small upgrade, not a life dependant operation....

Re: New Speeds - June 1st
 

This info includes no details for those of us who are still on set top boxes. These will also need a config upgrade, surely....

The message reads to me as if those on a STB will be completely left out (as suggested earlier)

I sincerely hope this is not the case.