Patchy inconsistent service in the evening

[UHF]

Hello,

2.5 years of happy, no problem service and now in the last two months I have a sometimes unusable service in the evenings. First thing in the morning I can achieve 5500kbps and then I get the usual slow speeds of 300-2000kbps after 5pm. The real problem is that the service is patchy. I get instant DNS resolving and the browser says 'transferring data' but nothing happens, often for up to several minutes. Then I get a burst of data, then another wait.

I've been told by F2S that this is contention with other users of the line from the exchange. I think this is nonsense. Would I get this patchy connection? If I try the Met Office website it tends to be instant while other sites are doing nothing. To me this suggests poor traffic shaping and caching popular sites at their end (Tiscali unfortunately). Am I correct? Any suggestions, other than migrate?

Thanks

Simon

[atsw]

Up until a few months ago you were probably on a BT IPStream connection. While not always a perfect system, it's pretty good. Since that time F2S (Tiscali) have been moving all their clients over to the Tiscali LLU network or their DataStream network. I think it's fair to say that neither have a particularly good reputation compared with BT IPStream!

You can find out if you're on a LLU connection by popping your telephone number in here -> http://adsl24.co.uk/checker.php

Scroll down the results to the section headed "current availability". If it says "Your line is currently on an LLU broadband service." then you're now on the Tiscali LLU network. If it says you can migrate for free then you're on BT IPStream. Not sure what it says if your line is Datastream, I don't know anyone with a DataStream line!

Andrew

[UHF]

Thanks for the reply. It says 'migrate for free', so I guess I'm on IPStream. I really can't see that bad contention with other users means getting bursts of data - surely it would just be slower. I don't want to migrate as £14 a month for 10Gigs (unmetered at night), static IP address, no port blocking, some free email/webspace is all pretty good - when it's actually running at 5.5Mbps!

[Ferret42]

Have you checked your exchange to see whats available? If it has Entanet LLU then you might be able to get up to 10mb for a £1 more simular package

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php

http://adsl24.co.uk/checker_24mb.php

[UHF]

I'm on Topsham exchange Devon EX3 0DS. It says Virgin Media and Talk Talk are available. Talk Talk had a bad reputation I think.

[Ferret42]

Well if you can stand your patchy connection then I would stay with F2s as you are on a fair deal.

Perhaps one of the f2s staff that visits this forum will have a look at your line, you’re probably on a datasteam product by now and F2s can tinker with the virtual paths, which may improve your connection.

[UHF]

Thanks for your help. F2S are basically blaming contention, but if this is the case then the Met Office site wouldn't be almost instant whilst everything else lags.

[UHF]

It's just after midnight and my connection speed has increased with no patchy service. This occured at 00:00 - I was downloading a file. Their traffic shaping aren't they?

[Chaz]

Yup, seems that way.

[JeffG]

Just checked, and I am on the LLU. Since it would cost me £40 to move back, why haven't they paid me my £40 fee to move me to LLU (without asking, I might add)?

Or doesn't it work that way?

(Make that £47 - I forgot the VAT)

[atsw]

Doesn't work that way (but you knew that didn't you ).

The £47 is the charge BT make to an ISP who uses their platform to bring a customer onto their system (i.e. from LLU). I suspect the charge also applies when leaving IPStream and going to LLU, but as the LLU ISP saves a bundle by using their own kit, in the long term the ISP saves a lot of money and therefore absorbes the IPStream -> LLU migration cost. I suspect (but don't know for sure), that Tiscali get some sort of bulk migration discount for doing lots of migrations in one go, therefore saving themselves even more money in the long term.

I left F2S (just!) before Tiscali started all their bulk migrations in February/March this year. I've been on an IPStream connection since I first had ADSL (512K with Demon), everything was excellent with F2S right up till the point I left (2Mb and then MAX), and it's still going extremely well with my present ISP (see sig).

I have a 4MB sync, so not expecting any great improvement when ADSL2+ goes live at my exchange later this year. Been watching the forums over at ADSL24, as they are the first ISP (an Entanet reseller) to start offering ADSL2+ on the new BT network. Initial reactions are interesting - I shall sit on the fence for a while before taking the plunge I think (I waited for six months before moving to MAX, and that was a very wise decision as it allowed all the 'bugs' to be sorted beforehand !)

Andrew

[Graphic]

Originally Posted by UHF

Hello,

2.5 years of happy, no problem service and now in the last two months I have a sometimes unusable service in the evenings. First thing in the morning I can achieve 5500kbps and then I get the usual slow speeds of 300-2000kbps after 5pm. The real problem is that the service is patchy. I get instant DNS resolving and the browser says 'transferring data' but nothing happens, often for up to several minutes. Then I get a burst of data, then another wait.

I've been told by F2S that this is contention with other users of the line from the exchange. I think this is nonsense. Would I get this patchy connection? If I try the Met Office website it tends to be instant while other sites are doing nothing. To me this suggests poor traffic shaping and caching popular sites at their end (Tiscali unfortunately). Am I correct? Any suggestions, other than migrate?

Thanks

Simon

This is exactly the same service we are receiving. I have contacted support several times over this and someone from here has also looked at my connection.

They changed something which improved the reliability for a little while but now we are back to it being unusable again. Much more and we will be moving.

[UHF]

It's Friday evening, 1.8Mbps and a usable, continuous service... until they decide to fiddle around again.

[UHF]

Well, since my last post everything's been fine. The patchy service has gone. The evening slowdown isn't bad, still 1.8Mbps.

[chor]

My connection suffered something similar after Tiscalli took over F2S. At around April time, the connection speed halved overnight. When I complained, customer support kept saying there is nothing they can do. Till now, the connection is still running at half speed. Anyone has similar problem?

[killie99]

I'm beginning to get really annoyed with F2S. My speeds are fine for a few days and then I am at a crawl, my IP profile goes to 192kbps or something equally awful even though I'm syncing to the exchange at 2.2Mbps - my line stats never change, attenuation and snr are constant regardless of what my IP profile is at and my modem isn't detecting any errors so I'm 99.99999999999999% certain it isn't a line or equipment issue. This lasts about 24 hours and then my IP profile is back instantly to almost 2mbps and the whole cycle starts again ......
Is it possible for F2S to set my IP profile lower when they choose or is this purely an automatic process?

[onceupon]

F2S tell me they do not shape traffic but that they do throttle P2P. Their explanation for slower speeds in the evenings is very simple. Contention.

Do I believe that? Guess.

[Itsmee]

Hi,

See my post here, seeing the same thing

Hey! What's going on? Why so slow?