[clug] Recommended cabling person?

[Rod Peters]

On Tuesday 08 December 2009 22:02:41 Alan Vidler wrote:
> Hopefully someone can recommend someone:
>
> When I moved from two independent phone lines to one line plus
> ADSL1 back in early days of ADSL the bloke simply put a splitter
> in the roof and re-used the #2 phone line as ADSL (it went to my
> then computer room so was where wanted). Since then things have
> moved on and I now have ADSL2+ in theory, but still use my ADSL1
> modem as it delivers at least as much as a borrowed ADSL2 modem
> (about 5MB/s from ISP (iiNet) server)
>
Are you able to locate your exchange cartoographically ?  Internode have a 
chart of max achievable speed v distance to exchange.  If you are at 5Mb/s 
distance, then not much point in investigating further.

I have not moved to ADSL2. TransACT still have differential pricing between 
ADSL1 & 2 and appear to be one of the few carriers who limit ADSL2 speeds, 
depending on monthly fee paid.  

I also regard marketed ADSL2+ speeds as largely vapourware.  An objective test 
might be:

find a "quiet time" for you ISP *and* the server from which you are 
downloading (for our timezone that might mean Aust server during wee hours)

download a large file (CD of Linux distro would be good example) and review 
average download speed.  

might have to repeat for at least one other server, to check whether server or 
Tolstra's ADSL infrastructure are  the bottleneck.

If you are still getting only ~ 5 Mb/s, then your distance to 
exchange/in-house setup would appear to not be the limitation.

Nevertheless, faster speeds are definitely possible.  I work at one site where 
Indernode is used as the ISP and sustained 8 Mb/s on max 8Mb/s link is 
routinely achieved during business hours, but not after hours.  They are 
actually using ADSL1 modem on ADSL2 link - very similar to your setup.

> I'd *love* to have someone who knows about such things look at
> the in-house setup and see whether it is contributing to limit or
> it is just distance from exchange....

Most ADSL routers have a line speed tester.  Even in the days when my service 
was limited to 400 kb/s, by the telco,  the tester informed me that the line 
was capable of 8 Mb/s.  This is a very easy first check to run.

As one of their FAQ items, Internode recommend that the total length of "flat" 
telephone cable connecting modem to telco's fixed line not exceed 2m.  Easily 
rectified.

> Such expertise probably is now available, unlike back then....
>
> Alan V
>
> - - - - - - - - -
>
> On 8/12/2009 9:43 PM Rod Peters sent:
> > On Tuesday 08 December 2009 19:17:44 linux-request at lists.samba.org wrote:
> >> [clug] Recommended cabling person?
> >>  From: Chris Smart <mail at christophersmart.com>
> >>  To: CLUG List <linux at lists.samba.org>
> >>
> >> My Aunty and Uncle just moved to Canberra from Sydney and we need to
> >> cable the phone line (which is in the living room) over to the
> >> computer room at the other end of the house so that they can get ADSL.
> >
> > That may not be the best topology, if they are getting a fixed line
> > installed. TransACT hard-wire a splitter at the barge board and run a
> > dedicated ADSL line from there to customer's chosen location.  There may
> > be some advantage in minimising the length of voice grade cable,
> > particularly for ADSL2+.
> >
> > A corrollorary is that, if they are using a TransACT partner as ISP then
> > no action required because the sub-contractor will run the ADSL line
> > anyway.
> >
> >> Does anyone have anyone qualified that they can recommend, or shall I
> >> just look in the yellow pages?
> >>
> >> -c
> >
> > Rod


Rod