We're currently on the lookout for individuals who would like to be part of a broadband case study.
Taking part in a case study couldn’t be easier. A 10 minute phone conversation with a journalist and brief photo shoot (usually conducted in your own home) are all that’s required.
We'd like to cover examples in the following areas:
*Mobile broadband use overseas *Speed issues *Rural broadband failings *Poor customer service
Should you have a story to tell and be a willing case study volunteer, either e-mail me (dan.drage@consumerchoices.co.uk) or jot down your experiences below.
Hi Dan Recently friend had BT install on option 2 total broadband connection with their double the coverage of other ISP providers wireless hub ? OK am I cynical ? quite experienced in wireless tech so installed system and from previous experience with BT hubs no probs, good service and fast ? OH BOY was I in for a shock ! FACTS local exchange less than 1000metres away, BT hub ETHERNET =1 Wireless connections 2 ? One of the wireless setups wouldn't even detect the hub ! 2 = the speeds were noticeably and I mean NOTICEABLY SLOW on page loading even YAHOO full page up to a MINUTE so thought I'd speed test the line ? OH YES was I in for a SHOCK up to 8Mb ?? here's the result Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test: -provides background information. Your DSL connection rate: 8128 kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 kbps(UP-STREAM) IP profile for your line is - 135 kbps Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 112 kbps it was .10Mb note point 10 not even 512K !! little faster than a 57K modem !! PHEW !! but fast broadband NEVER ! wireless connection this morning didn't work at all ! reset hub and checked with limited connection sat right next to it and it didn't on the wireless connection that does recognise the hub initially recognise the hub to start with ! I'm badgering them BT that is re the hub unit as I suspect its not working properly so will advise you re what happens OH and here's a gem from BT and NO they did NOT tell him the connection was up to 2Mb at the time of booking something again I am raising with them ! Thank you for your e-mail dated 28/7/08 about the broadband service.
I am very sorry to hear of the difficulties you have experienced related to the speed.
In relation to your enquiry I can inform you that BT Broadband offers speeds up to 8Mb, however we can only provide you with the best speed that your line can support.
At the moment your line can support broadband speeds up to 2Mb and this would have been advised to you at the time of the order.
We will provide the Broadband service at the fastest speed that yourline will support, but we cannot guarantee that every customer will receive the fastest speed.
The main factor which determines the speed at which a customer can receive Broadband is the length of the cable between their house and the exchange.
Lines longer than 10km are unlikely to be able to receive Broadband at all. The speed that lines shorter than 10km will be able to receive Broadband at depends on a variety of factors. As I already mentioned, the length of the line is very important, but there are other factors that can affect the result, such as the amount of joints in the line, the use of aluminium etc.
Each line is routed to the exchange individually and so it is possible, indeed likely, for neighbouring houses to receive different speeds. I'm afraid that BT will not be able to investigate for each individualline why they can only receive certain speeds, nor are we able to re-route or upgrade lines in order to provide customers with faster ADSL - the limit is a result of current technology, not any omission on the part of BT.
Whatever the result, BT undertakes to supply every customer with the fastest speed that their line will support.
I would like to inform you that you can check you speed of your broadband connection visit our website for information and advice at www.bt.com/help/broadbandspeed.
hi we are with tiscail isp 3 yrs phone 1yr 12 mths ago we wanted tiscali tv phone and broadband i was told tv was not avilable in our area (itis) but agreed to upgrage to phone on their advice now my 12mth contract is up i wanted to amalgamate all three services easier said than done! after 12 calls to tiscali at 71ppm again they tried to fob us off by saying its not avialable in our area so engineering checked and it is and was 12 mts ago the point is we live 20 ft from digital exchange but tiscali never upgraded our phone line 12 mts ago so not only have we been getting 3.5 meg broadband and paying for 8 meg we cannot get tiscalli tv because when you first go to bband or tv tiscali orders bt to upgrade the line at their cost and bt does (ofcom rules) this was never done since it is now 12 mts since leaving bt (phoneline) bt refuse to upgrade the line so beware if taking tiscali make sure you get all three as tv cannot be added later they say it can. but if you only have phone and broadband your line will not be upgraded as a result im off to virgin our street was cabled (opticaly) by yorkshire cable years ago so no probs there just wish id done it years ago!
I do not usually have problems with customer services except on intial contact when one can be kept waiting for considerable lengths of time and especially during the wee sma' hours. Having experienced immediate responses on downloading when using the hotel's PCs when on holiday at the Gran Canaria I have become disillusioned by our UK standard outside of the greater London area and probably most cities. I live in a semi-rural environment which one suspects is not commercially viable to upgrade the line so even with a PC that rates within the top 30%, download speeds throughout the day can be ingratiatingly slow. The Internet has rapidly become part of everyday life but to those of us who reside in remoter areas it has become a necessity and it can reduce the use of one's motor car to travel to town so there is an indirect benefit to be gained here. Regretfully, although taking part on this forum my preference is, otherwise, to remain incognito publicly.
Broadband Case Studies
Posted - 21/07/2008 : 15:25:56
