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Originally Posted by BenMcr
That's comparing apples with oranges.
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Comparing one modem to another is like comparing apples and oranges? That makes no sense. AT ALL. They're more similar than different.
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Originally Posted by BenMcr
However both ntl and telewest went through multiple model numbers (and makers) of modems during their time, requiring swap outs during every speed uplift as they were unable to cope.
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Yet like I said, the Ambit 250 has kept up with multiple user needs and survived about half a dozen speed upgrades, and really only showed it's age when the upload contention increase was done. This is personal experience, but I hardly think I'm alone here. AFAIK the Ambit 250/255/256 (all variations on a theme) is still the most deployed modem on the VM network, regardless of who VM inherited the infrastructure from. There's a reason for that: it's still a damn fine modem.
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Originally Posted by BenMcr
Same will happen with the D3 kit as the technology progresses and (for instance) channel bonding is used. At some point the VMNG300 modems will be unable to keep up and will need replacing.
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But we're not even at the point where bonded downstreams are being used, am I right? The VMNG300 will handle 100Mb no problem even without changing the infrastructure, and there's been mention that it could handle 200Mb too, keeping it current for the next couple of years.
When the thing that is supposed to replace them chokes on a lot of UBRs despite being new and hallowed, I'd rather have the older more reliable piece of kit, as would almost every other customer. Super Hub = false economy a this point.
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Originally Posted by BenMcr
Choice of broadband kit has never been part of the broadband service (excluding whether you want a router or not).
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That's simply not true. A customer can choose between any of the deployed CPEs that VM still support, although it's not always easy. Case in point: I got the Super Hub, it was shoddy, so despite the fact VM wanted me to move to it as the CPE I refused, staying with the Ambit 250 and politely insisting on a VMNG300, which is now fully installed and works very well indeed.
Put simply, I chose not to be fobbed off with inferior kit and at a certain level I was wholeheartedly supported by the most knowledgeable VM staff I'd ever spoken to, who carefully agreed that the Super Hub isn't up to task on certain UBRs but is fine on others. It's a shame that in the face of this proof, you still choose denial.
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Originally Posted by BenMcr
Virgin have to make sure any setting works as is intended, is fully tested, is included in diagnostics for support staff, included in help documentation for customers, and is providing in a way that all customers can use it if they want to.
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Well in my case and that of countless others the Super Hub doesn't do any of that, whereas the VMNG300 does and activated much faster than the Super Hub did with far fewer resets. Latency is down too, even compared to the Super Hub running on the 20Mb DOCSIS3 overlay. As far as I'm concerned, that makes it a superior piece of kit: reliability over potential future speed increases, low jitter for the gamers.
Also, just purely speaking about customers on Super Hub R2X betas, testing is not even close to thorough. Not enough subjects signed up, not enough time between testing and release, more errors being introduced along the way in some instances. This mistake was even made with the VMNG300 (now fixed, obviously) and VM haven't learned from that since with another two CPEs, and exacerbated the problem by making them combined modem/router units. It was done in the interests of transparency - i.e. I see what VM were trying to do - but it seems to have backfired drastically enough that a Mk II is being rushed out.
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Originally Posted by BenMcr
Never said "newer = automatically better", I'm saying sometimes "newer = required".
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Agreed, but when "newer = three legged horse" and two older CPEs run rings around it there's obviously something wrong. People will take reliability over raw speed almost every time, because what good is higher speed if it's not stable enough to use in anything but short bursts?