My rant to Telecom (xtra)

[Fatjim]

Also, I have a sneaking suspicion that my modem (Netgear DG834G) doesn't allow user-entered DNS server addresses.

You could just put the DNS entry on your PC.

[Fatjim]

This test is tcp based, so you tend to get the best results when testing to the closest server.

[Fatjim]

Strange. Some of us are still doing okay. We use Telecom out of Welly, so maybe its the residential lines that are useless. Ours is a corporate line.

Commercial services are better performing because the Telcos want to be able to charge a premium for the service. This gives more markup and better bonus's.

[Ixion]

The reason is the contention ratio. The number of other users you are sharing the line with. When Telescum "unleashed" their ADSL they also (quietly) massively increased that number. The number of users per line is much lower for business lines than residential (of course each "user" on a business line may have lots of "internal users" ).

Non-leased business lines, the ratio is usually about 20:1 (leased lines, of course, there are no other users). Residental is usually about 50:1. Except that Telescum has now put it up to a reputed 148:1.

So they removed the throttle on the line, but put nearly three times as many users on each line. Surprise surprise, connection speed drops for each user.

[Fatjim]

The reason is the contention ratio. The number of other users you are sharing the line with. When Telescum "unleashed" their ADSL they also (quietly) massively increased that number. The number of users per line is much lower for business lines than residential (of course each "user" on a business line may have lots of "internal users" ).

Non-leased business lines, the ratio is usually about 20:1 (leased lines, of course, there are no other users). Residental is usually about 50:1. Except that Telescum has now put it up to a reputed 148:1.

So they removed the throttle on the line, but put nearly three times as many users on each line. Surprise surprise, connection speed drops for each user.

I believe Telecom allocate an amount of B/W per user for ADSL, i don't know about other access methods that would be used for Business users. TelstraClear, supposedly use a subscription ratio of 4:1 for business (n fact it's more like 1:1 in a lot of cases because their network is massively underutilized), and monitor average utilization for res users/international.

If you access over Telcom ADSL, whether it's resold or not, you are going through a rate limiter based on the number of the that ISP subscribers.

[Fub@r]

The reason is the contention ratio. The number of other users you are sharing the line with. When Telescum "unleashed" their ADSL they also (quietly) massively increased that number. The number of users per line is much lower for business lines than residential (of course each "user" on a business line may have lots of "internal users" ).

Non-leased business lines, the ratio is usually about 20:1 (leased lines, of course, there are no other users). Residental is usually about 50:1. Except that Telescum has now put it up to a reputed 148:1.

So they removed the throttle on the line, but put nearly three times as many users on each line. Surprise surprise, connection speed drops for each user.

When I had the Xtra/Telecom guy ringing me to keep my business I brough up the whole issue of the contention rates and fullspeed customers going on to lower contention rate lines hence making the unleashed internet a 2 teir system. He denied that Telecom had changed the ratios, to which I replied BULLSHIT!

Think the guy gave up on me after that

[Fatjim]

When I had the Xtra/Telecom guy ringing me to keep my business I brough up the whole issue of the contention rates and fullspeed customers going on to lower contention rate lines hence making the unleashed internet a 2 teir system. He denied that Telecom had changed the ratios, to which I replied BULLSHIT!

Think the guy gave up on me after that

I believe they increased them about 50%. But It was before the the new plans by quite some time.

[Spuds1234]

If you had a car with broken air conditioning, and the workshop dude told you to just wind the window down, would you be satisfied?

I can definatly see where your comming from, but if I owned a car, I would probably have to kill myself. I cant even handle sitting in a car and being driven. Its the lack of wind in the face. It doesnt feel right.

[mstriumph]

if it makes you any happier, Australian telecom [telstra] are just as awful .............

however, i DID get a full month's refund from them when i stayed on the phone for over half an hour about my broadband connection recently .... every time the woman [for whom english was, i'm guessing, NOT her first language] gave the 'standard' explaination i countered with "but why? could you explain all that again to me please?" [and variants on that theme]

..... in the end she gave a sort of squawk [she may have been crying] and said "ok lady i give you full credit for december month, yes?" [i can't reproduce the accent here, but you get the drift]

was only $30 - and it cost more than that in my time [was works phone]---- but it felt WONDERFUL

*hugs memory to her, smiling ................*

[Squeak the Rat]

I actually feel quite sorry for the telco call centre staff. It doesn't mean I go easy on them, but they must cop some flak from annoyed customers. Mind you I had a lady from the managed networks division ask if i had a router. No dear, i connect to your network with this twig.

[Karma]

they must cop some flak from annoyed customers.

More than you know.

[jrandom]

You could just put the DNS entry on your PC.

Family and friends tend to visit my place with their laptops and hop onto the 802.11 network. It's bad enough having to remember a WPA password; I'm not going to make them all change their networking configuration as well.

[pervert]

Mind you I had a lady from the managed networks division ask if i had a router. No dear, i connect to your network with this twig.

You could just have an ADSL modem like I do, no router.

[Fub@r]

Mind you I had a lady from the managed networks division ask if i had a router. No dear, i connect to your network with this twig.

I can top that........

Was running traceroutes for the guy at Xtra support whilst I'm on the phone to him giving him the pings etc and he asked me to check that my router was plugged in and turned on

[kro]

Brian, that 16000/8000 is more like it !!!!, I want what you're having !!!!