lmsbman

I've just been making enquiries with BT to get broadband. Apparently, I live too far away from the telephone exchange. I live in a city for ***** sake. God knows how anyone gets it who lives out in the sticks!

Scooby96

whats your postcode?

lmsbman

SP2 9PB

civictyper

Tell me about it.

Milton Keynes is supposed to be a super new city but I can't get broadband, cabled digital TV or freeview. I can't even get shot of BT as they have the rights to the phone lines [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

brett555

just checked on the bt.com website. It is available to you it says.

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Results

For Postcode SP2 9PB

Good news! BT Broadband is available in your area and a preliminary check on your postcode shows that it will be possible for you to receive the service. For an even more accurate result please check again using your telephone number.

When you place your order, we will fully test your line to make sure that it's ready for BT Broadband.

We look forward to you signing up for BT Broadband.

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give them a ring again , you can book online aswell.

www.bt.com/broadband/

lmsbman

Brett555

Thanks, but I've already done that. When you try to order it, it just says that I'm too far away from the telephone exchange. I don't know where it is, but I doubt that I'm more than 6km from it.

Fatman

Can't you request that BT actually run a signal-to-noise test on your line? AFAIK that's actually the determining factor on whether or not they'll actually install/activate the ADSL service. The postcode/distance question merely indicates the 'ball-park' S/N you might have.

ProperCharlie

we got told that we couldn't have 1 meg at work due to being "too far from the exchange" despite being in the middle of stevenage. still, the 1/2 meg seems to work fine, and since i'm the only lazy c**t here who spends the whole day on scoobynet, it doesn't really matter.

Fatman

Makes sense - bandwidth is linked to the S/N ratio. The S/N at your distance from the exchange can't support 1Mbps, but is OK at 0.5Mbps. Testing the S/N was the first thing the engineer did when installing my ADSL connection. If it doesn't meet the threshhold value for the service requested, they won't install it, 'cos it wouldn't meet the bandwidth value you've been sold.

what would scooby do

civictyper - have you been in touch with the Milton Keynes Broadband action group as there are other solutions other then ADSL for MK

Floyd

iTrader: (9)

Check out Pipex extreme ADSL. I'm in MK and BT didn't do it for me but i'm now on PIPEX

If you do then please say I recommended you as I get a free month

F

civictyper

Nice one WWSD.

Didn't realise there was a group/alternatives. I'll get searching.

Many thanks

civictyper

Are you serious Floyd ?

Cos I'll get some details off you if/when I sign up. Just got to do some hard selling at home with Miss Type R. Many thanks.

[Edited to add]

Uggh. Just done the check and I'm not close enough to the local exchange. Bollox Cheers anyway.

[Edited by civictyper - 12/5/2003 12:26:25 PM]

jjones

the limit is currently 6km line length (not physical distance to the exchange) there is away of checking your phone length using the engineers codes from your handset. (does not work if you have isdn).

there is a rumour that the line length is going to be upped next year giving another 500m or so - (do not take this as gospel).

i guess there may be wireless solutions for an area like milton keynes.

goto http://adslguide.org.uk and www.ispreview.co.uk an see what you can unearth

civictyper

Cheers jjones.

A bit of extra length in the system would be more than welcome as dial up is a nightmare.

I'm pretty sure that longer distances could be covered if they reduced the data rate but there you go. TBH I'd be glad for ADSL running on 256 kbit/s.

Aaaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhh 56k.

blair

My exchange just hit the trigger level today

civictyper

Barsteward

Only kidding. Enjoy

blair

BT were doing some "extended reach" trials which were meant to push the distance from exchange to phone back a distance. Have a look at adslguide.com for lots of useful info

The quality of the signal is the main limiter - the BT checker seems to think that I could only get 512kbps on one of my lines but 1mbps on the other

AFAIK the only way to really find out if its viable is to get an engineer out to test the line

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Your more than within the distance from the town centre where the exchange is to where you are (looks less than 3km actually ) so i would try again.

Tony

what would scooby do

Civictyper - http://www.bb4mk.org

civictyper

Thanks for all the help chaps.

Having done the postcode checker BT reckons that I'm ok. Doing to phone No. checker tells me I'm not.

I'm going to get them to do a line check. Hopefully I'm ok in which case **** flicks here I come

[Edited by civictyper - 12/5/2003 4:07:17 PM]

jjones

Distance From Exchange

Dial 17070 . Then press option 3 (fast test) then press option 1 (to say you are authorised, don't worry about 'not being officially authorised'). The press option 2 (ring back test). Then put the phone down.

You will get called back by the test facility within about 10 seconds, one of the bits of information given will be distance from exchange (in kilometres).

*The distance result may not be accurate if you have a 'DACs' fitted. It is not 100% accurate but does serve as a guide.

any probs? see It doesn't work? (below)



It doesn't work?

You need a BT line that doesn;t have isdn installed.

You need to use a touch tone phone (don't think it works without one).

You have caller line id (CLI) blocked, if this is the case then on dialling 17070 the message will include 'there is no CLI detected for this circuit'. You can get round this by dialling a prefix before 17070, the prefix is 1470, so the full line test number will be 1470 17070.


DO NOT DO ANY OF THE ABOVE UNLESS YOU ARE AN AUTHORISED BT ENGINEER