Just got broadband - Advise needed.

S

Stevo2006

Registered User
Messages
142
Hi all,

I just got Digiweb (3Mg package) broadband installed on Friday.
To give this a bit of context, i was told by the engineer from Digiweb that i'm right on the limit in terms of distance from the base station but he'd try and see what kind of signal i'd get.
After moving from one side of the house, where there was a very weak signal, to the other side where there was a clear line of sight and the signal improved to what the engineer described as "just about there".

As i wanted the cable to run to the opposite side of the house, it was explained to me that the longer the cable, the poorer the service.
Last night i did a signal test and it showed that i was averaging 300-400 Kbs download speeds and 400-500kbs upload speeds!!

Now i have two questions:

1. If i shorten the cable by bringing it in through the wall in the adjoining room and attach it to a wireless router to send the signal to the other side of the house, will my speeds increase?

2. In the event of the above not being successful, and the speeds that i currently get is the maximum available to me, i'm i better off downgrading to the 1mgb option and saving myself a few bob?

Here is the thing, this is absolutely the only option available to me so i have to stick with Digiweb for the foreseeable future.

I'd be grateful for any advise.

Thanks,
 
Do you mean wireless in this context?
As i wanted the cable to run to the opposite side of the house, it was explained to me that the longer the cable, the poorer the service.
Click to expand...
Do you mean that you wanted to substitute a wired connection for wireless due to poor coverage/reception?

What length is the cable? Ethernet has upper limits on the length of a single run of cable - e.g. c 100m for a run of twisted pair.
Last night i did a signal test and it showed that i was averaging 300-400 Kbs download speeds and 400-500kbs upload speeds!!
Click to expand...
What exactly do you mean by "signal test"?
1. If i shorten the cable by bringing it in through the wall in the adjoining room and attach it to a wireless router to send the signal to the other side of the house, will my speeds increase?
Click to expand...
Maybe. But are you sure that the problem here is the speed on your LAN cable and not something else (e.g. the speed on your broadband connection itself)?
 
Clubman,

Sorry not sure how to multiquote.

Do you mean wireless in this context?
Yes

Do you mean that you wanted to substitute a wired connection for wireless due to poor coverage/reception?

Not sure i know what you mean here, the Digiweb antenae is at one side of the house, the cable running from it goes along the guttering to the other side if the house where it comes in through the wall to the modem.

What length is the cable? Ethernet has upper limits on the length of a single run of cable - e.g. c 100m for a run of twisted pair

Are you sure? I'm nearly positive the enginer told me it was 100ft. The cable length is probably around 80ft

What exactly do you mean by "signal test"?

I tested the speed of my broadband conection on irishisptest and it give me the figures i've already stated.

Maybe. But are you sure that the problem here is the speed on your LAN cable and not something else (e.g. the speed on your broadband connection itself)?

No i'm not sure, thats what i want to find out, hence point number 2 in my original post.




 
OK - it wasn't clear that your Digiweb package was wireless broadband. I can't see a 3Mbps package listed [broken link removed] so can you clarify exactly (e.g. link to) what you actually have? Note also the contention ratio so if, for example, you had 3Mbps with a 10:1 contention ratio then you are only guaranteed 3Mbps/10 = 300Kbps service although you may get better than that at times. It's possible that the speeds that you are getting are correct. You might be better off getting them to check your broadband service quality perfomrance in case there is something wrong there. At least do that before assuming that the problem lies elsewhere (e.g. with your LAN setup).
 
[broken link removed]

Its the Metro 3Mb option i have.
 
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Contention ratio on that is 36:1 so they are only guaranteeing you 3Mbps / 36 = c. 83Kbps! Check the terms & conditions of your agreement and the tecnical specs for the product for more on this.
 
Stevo,

I have the 1MB DigiWeb Metro Lite package for nearly 1 year now. You must remember that the maximum download speed available will (among other factors) depend on the number of people online at any one time. In my experience, I can only achieve a max download speed of 400-600kbps from 6pm- 10pm, but from 750kbps- 950kbps at all other times.
In your case, I think that the length of the cable from the receiver to the modem has to be slowing you down. If you can devise a way of shortening the distance between them, do so. Also investigate purchasing a wireless router that can boost weak signals.
Furthermore, are you sure that your receiver has a clear line of sight from the installation point to DigiWeb`s transmitter? How far are you from the transmitter? These are also factors that will affect the quality of your service.
Finally, if you have paid for a 3MG package, and are only achieving 300-400kbps, something is clearly not right. And remember, if you had gone for the 1MG package, you would probably only be getting 100- 200kbps!
 
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gebbel said:
Finally, if you have paid for a 3MG package, and are only achieving 300-400kbps, something is clearly not right.
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Not clearly at all - as per my contention ratio calculations above.

Also - post details of the specific cable used (e.g. 10/100 BaseT CAT5 or whatever) and the devices linked and somebody should be able to tell you if you are hitting the length limits for the wired connection. I would be surprised if this cable was significantly limiting your speed.
 

Clubman,

I asked the engineer at the time of installation what kind of cable he used and to my surprise he said "just ordinary coaxal"
 

Gebbel,

Yes i'm sure the reciever has a clear line of sight from the transmitter. We tried to get a signal originally from two other areas of the house but couldn't as we actually couldn't see the transmitter. You can actually see the transmitter from the area of the house that the reciever is on.

According to the engineer, i'm about 12 kms from the transmitter
 
I am only 2km from the transmitter. Even so, the distance should not explain the very poor download speeds. As I said earlier, perhaps the cable is just too long? Maybe a router can help?
If not, get onto digiweb
 
Stevo2006 said:
Clubman,

I asked the engineer at the time of installation what kind of cable he used and to my surprise he said "just ordinary coaxal"
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what sort of devices are being connected but it's years since I've seen ethernet over coax rather than twisted pair and, if I recall correctly, "ordinary" coax (e.g. for TV) may be 50 Ohm while ethernet coax was 75 Ohm - but I could be wrong.
 
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