NTL contention ratio

Anyone know what it is ?

After all the recent hassles, decided to see what else is about, Gio now offer 512 kbps at 2 different ratios, 20:1 and 50:1 - 50:1 is now £20

How does that ratio compare to NTL, although given recent NTL service level a piece of damp string may be just as effective.

Bring on the Gio horror stories too

[etccarmageddon]

20 to 1

[erol]

This one just keeps running and running.

NTL contention ratios are simply not directly comparable to BT DSL ones.

The other point I usualy make at this juncture is that despite NTL's marketing that states otherwise, NTL's contention ratios are not guaranteed in any way. They are the 'target' that is aimed for but not always achieved (imo). BT's maximum contention ratios are guaranteed in the contract between BT wholesale and the ISP in question (for IP Stream based DSL products, which are the majority right now).

If you are looking for customer feedback on any UK ISPs I would recommend a visit to

www.net4nowt.co.uk
or
www.adslguide.com

[etccarmageddon]

I suggest you try Freeserve as they give you a months ADSL trial - so if your speeds are pants, you can ditch it!

Originally Posted by erol

This one just keeps running and running.

NTL contention ratios are simply not directly comparable to BT DSL ones.

Why not?

NTL contention ratios are simply not directly comparable to BT DSL ones.

Is that because ASDL 'always on' really means 'always able to connect very quickly' if connection ratio allows, so in between browses so to speak the line is dropped, and another (new) connection attempted when you move to the next page/link ?
just guessing really

[etccarmageddon]

no Bob it aint that!!!

it's cos with ADSL your contention is futher away from the exchange... so you're sharing a larger pipe with a larger number of users. e.g. instead of 200 people sharing a 10mb pipe you'd be 2000 people sharing a 100mb pipe....

so the amount of bandwidth is proportionally the same but as you are sharing it with a larger number of users, the effects of 'band width hogs' are less.

e.g. on your 200 user pipe, if 25% of your users are bandwidth hogs, you're more likely to feel this than if you were on a 2000 user pipe with 25% band width hogs.

(I think!)

[BBKing]

It's because contention ratio is only useful as a comparator on identical sized pipes. Since ntl have different sized pipes to DSL and they're different sizes in each direction, you end up with an invalid comparison.

[handyman]

Originally Posted by etccarmageddon

I suggest you try Freeserve as they give you a months ADSL trial - so if your speeds are pants, you can ditch it!

Not only can you cancel after a month but if you return the modem (which you have too) you get your months sub refunded too, essentially a complete free month if u want it.

[grungebucket]

A minor correction to an earlier post, by erol.

The best place for broadband help is http://www.adslguide.org.uk

This site has helped me greatly over the past 20 months and recently won an industry award.

The .com site hasn't been around long, is based in Holland, and seems to be sadly lacking, knowledge wise, about the UK market.

Just my 2ps worth

[Neil]

Originally Posted by grungebucket

A minor correction to an earlier post, by erol.

The best place for broadband help is http://www.adslguide.org.uk

This site has helped me greatly over the past 20 months and recently won an industry award.

The .com site hasn't been around long, is based in Holland, and seems to be sadly lacking, knowledge wise, about the UK market.

Just my 2ps worth

Doesn't Adslguide specialise in ADSL rather than cable BB?

[grungebucket]

Originally Posted by Neil

Doesn't Adslguide specialise in ADSL rather than cable BB?

There's quite a lot on cable in this forum:-

http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=otherbb

and here :-

http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=ntlhome

I'll accept that there's more, however, about ADSL

[Dooby]

i always thought the main difference between ADSL and cable contention was to do with where it starts. with ADSL you essentially have a dedicated 512 ( or whatever ) line to the exchange in the form of your phone line ( i dont think this is strictly true, but its near as dammit ) and then once you get to teh exchange your connection shares the pipe from teh exchange to the internet backbone with anyone else on the exchange.
with cable you are sharing the local loop bandwidth with other people in your area ( by local loop i mean the cable outside your house ) so you are 'contending' with your next door neighbours...but that bandwidth is then not contended at the head end....

[grungebucket]

Originally Posted by Dooby

i always thought the main difference between ADSL and cable contention was to do with where it starts. with ADSL you essentially have a dedicated 512 ( or whatever ) line to the exchange in the form of your phone line ( i dont think this is strictly true, but its near as dammit ) and then once you get to teh exchange your connection shares the pipe from teh exchange to the internet backbone with anyone else on the exchange.
with cable you are sharing the local loop bandwidth with other people in your area ( by local loop i mean the cable outside your house ) so you are 'contending' with your next door neighbours...but that bandwidth is then not contended at the head end....

Sounds reasonable.

Cable is more like a network connection whereas, with ADSL, you have something more akin to a dial-up connection. You're telephone line is connected to a different part of the exchange but you can use your telephone and broadband connection at the same time.

With ADSL, contention is normally 50 but you can pay more, for a business connection and get 20. As you've said, it depends on how many other ADSL users are sharing your exchange.