adslmax problems - have to pay to get it ? wtf.. enta..

[KING]

Im with enta (ukfns) and i emailed enta directly to find out when my connection is getting upgraded and got this reply.

1st email
Please be advised that your line is currently running at a 512kb, the line checker is indicating that this line can suppport a MAX product of 250kb or greater. Please be aware that if you change products there is a risk that you may receive a slower speed.If you wish to go ahead with the change this will need to be initiated by request via UK Free Software direct and will incurr a £11 charge.

2nd email
Please be advised that your line is currently running at the Maximun speed it will sustain. The new high speed line checker is suggesting a slightly slower speed. If you change suppliers or request a regrade to the higher speed product you may end up with a slower speed. The new MAX products are only applicable to orders placed on or after the 31st March and as yours was placed before this you are on the standard product. Therefore if you require a change in product to attempt to gain a higher speed a £11 charge is applicable.

It does not say anywere on the ukfns website about £11 charge, i signed for the max package and i expect to get it.

Does anyone have maxdsl that says u will only get about 250kbps ? can you get faster than 512k ?

Whats the point of maxdsl if you cant even get the same speed as 512k, i thought that was the hole point of maxdsl in the first place that you could get faster.

If i change to maxdsl on enta, and decide its no good can i change provider before the end of the month can I get standard adsl back again at 512k ?

 

[horatioh]

Broadband MAX

I won't comment on the charges that you might have to pay, thats between you and your provider, but I will say that is a very real possibility that you can get lower speeds with the Max service.

The 'up to 8mb' downstream speed of the Max service is given based on the distance between you and your local exchange. If you have 512k now and that is the fastest you can get on the 'old' broadband services, then it is unlikely that Broadband Max will offer any benefit. It sounds like you are simply too far away from the exchange to go any faster.

One of my colleagues has just upgraded to Max and he lives right next to his local exchange and he is getting 7.5Mb whilst I live around 3km away from my local exchange and my line will only support 4Mb. Many of our customers with distance of 4.5Km+ are finding that Max isn't really an upgrade for downstream.

Very much a luck of the draw with British exchange geography!

 

[Unicast]

King - what is your downstream attenuation (dB) and S/N figure for your 512k conection?

 

[KING]

DS Line Attenuation 63
DS Margin 12

According to dslzone.net 1.3 - 2.1 Mbps
http://www.dslzoneuk.net/maxspeed.php

 

[ndc23798]

i would be vary wary of checkers min said 5.1-5.6 and currently on 3860 sync rate, as yur snr is only 12 i would of thought you might get few hundred kb more but remember if you get upto 780kb instead of 512 you will still be stuck on 512 as the ip rates only increase by 0.5mbs .

 

[Unicast]

Can't remember where I read this but I'm sure that with each stepwise increase in speed you lose 6dB from your S/N ratio, and you need something like at least a 9dB margin for a stable connection. So if my memory serves me right you won't see any benefit from adsl max. Sorry about that - sux bigtime doesn't it!