Does it affect broadband service who you buy it from?

[VectraMan]

Bugger all. I'm now on an "upto 20Mpbs" 21CN connection.

It's exactly the same as it was before, I get about 4Mbps.

21CN refers to BT's backbone network, nothing to do with ADSL as such. However it does mean they're offering >8Mb to ADSL customers that can get it on 21CN exchanges. Mine connects at 19,960Kb, which means about 16Mb in practice, though it's the 1Mb uplink that makes the most practical difference.

FTTC is what you're waiting for if you live the wrong side of the tracks (figuratively speaking).

[PRC1964]

21CN "planned" for Q4 where we are. how much of a difference does it make if you are over 4km from the exchange.

Bugger all. I'm now on an "upto 20Mpbs" 21CN connection.

It's exactly the same as it was before, I get about 4Mbps.

[Tarquin Farquhar]

21CN "planned" for Q4 where we are. how much of a difference does it make if you are over 4km from the exchange.

I'm about 2 miles in a straight line. 500k is the best I can get. There are no alternative providers (such as Virgin Cable: I could pay someone else for the same broadband over the same line if I wanted). And 3G is available in my area - like, at the bottom step at the end of the garden path, if you hold the dongle up high.

21st Century?

[lilelvis2000]

But we do have a 21CN exchange!

21CN "planned" for Q4 where we are. how much of a difference does it make if you are over 4km from the exchange.

[xoggoth]

Our ADSL broadband is pretty good now but we didn't change providers, just went to a different higher speed (and cheaper) account with the same one.

As far as I can make out, that required a different connection at the exchange and I think it is that that has made the difference.

[Ardesco]

Good place to find out what is planned in your area is here:

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/se...xchange-search

Will let you know what is enabled on your exchange, when BT are planning to enable things (of course them planning something is no guarantee they will ever do it) and which LLU providers are available.

Quite a useful little site.

[Tarquin Farquhar]

Living where I live I don't expect to get a 21CN connection until 2200.

But we do have a 21CN exchange!

[Fred Bloggs]

Ditto. A measly 512Kbps. Takes an age to upload anything. But at my office I'm with Be and get 23Mbps down and 2.5Mbps up. makes the VPN to my client's office useable.

When I was with Orange I noted that we often had disconnects and that when the weather was miserable we often could not get connected. I switched to Zen which improved the line speed slighty and we never had problems with getting a connection. Our line was marginal on the attenuation and so disconnects were inevitable and due to the line condition.

Living where I live I don't expect to get a 21CN connection until 2200.

You must live in the house the other side of us then!

[lilelvis2000]

Reading that, you could be living next door to us!

Ditto. A measly 512Kbps. Takes an age to upload anything. But at my office I'm with Be and get 23Mbps down and 2.5Mbps up. makes the VPN to my client's office useable.

When I was with Orange I noted that we often had disconnects and that when the weather was miserable we often could not get connected. I switched to Zen which improved the line speed slighty and we never had problems with getting a connection. Our line was marginal on the attenuation and so disconnects were inevitable and due to the line condition.

Living where I live I don't expect to get a 21CN connection until 2200.

[Fred Bloggs]

I have 500k and I am told that changing provider won't make any difference because it's the last mile from the BT exchange that does that. I have a Vodafone dongle too, and it doesn't get 3G in my house. I'd give up using the internet if CUK weren't so stimulating.

Reading that, you could be living next door to us!

[Tarquin Farquhar]

I have 500k and I am told that changing provider won't make any difference because it's the last mile from the BT exchange that does that. I have a Vodafone dongle too, and it doesn't get 3G in my house. I'd give up using the internet if CUK weren't so stimulating.

[doodab]

I have zen, works good, apart from the time we were migrated to 21CN and lost phone service for a week because our number was redirected to some random blokes house. That was BT's fault though.

[BoredBloke]

We are with Sky and initially the string and polystyrene cups that BT laughingly call a phone network used to give us 3.7mbps but lately it's dropped to 2. Don't know why though although we have bought some new wireless phones and their base is close to the router - don't know if that would have any effect!

[Tarquin Farquhar]

We're with TalkTalk and while the broadband works fairly well most of the time, we get the odd glitch - we drop offline, or a site can't be viewed (but can on a mobile phone through 3G). We live somewhere where 8Mbps is about the limit, and so while TT aren't great for customer service, I wondered if getting broadband from someone else will improve the quality? Or are the problems we see likely to be with the exchange?

8 Mbps? You get Mbps??

[d000hg]

We're with TalkTalk and while the broadband works fairly well most of the time, we get the odd glitch - we drop offline, or a site can't be viewed (but can on a mobile phone through 3G). We live somewhere where 8Mbps is about the limit, and so while TT aren't great for customer service, I wondered if getting broadband from someone else will improve the quality? Or are the problems we see likely to be with the exchange?