VDSL

[bk T]

My friend is currently having ADSL with Spark. He went online check for availability check and that VDSL is available in his address, Great!

So, he applied online to upgrade to VDSL.

This morning, he received an email from Spark:

" Thank you for your application online.
I'm sorry to advise that ADSL and VDSL is not available at your address. To receive a reliable ADSL and VDSL service, line noise is required to be 15 dB or less. Your line noise is at 15.2 - 16.2 dB unfortunately this means that the ADSL/VDSL service wouldn't work on your line.

Thanks" He is very disappointed. Isn't Spark's responsibility to improve the line noise level and line quality? The email says that ADSL and VDSL is not available at his address. WTF, he has ADSL for years already!

[wratterus]

The VDSL coverage maps aren't always 100% correct, and in some cases, although you could technically get VDSL, it can actually be worse than ADSL.

Do you know what your friend's current sync speed is on ADSL?

It is certainly not Spark's responsibility to improve the noise level. That is physics - how far from the cabinet/exchange, how many other connections on that cable bundle etc etc. Getting a master splitter installed if there isn't one already is the best thing your friend can do to get their line as good as possible.

Are they in an area where Fibre is coming, or not? If they are not, there are some more improvements to VDSL coming, which could improve things, but that would be a wait until next year and see type situation.

Feel free to PM me their address and I can have a quick look at what info is available.

[wratterus]

From the info that I can see (which is the same available to anyone using a combination of the broadband map and Chorus' own site) it looks like that area is not viable for VDSL. The whole street is on ADSL, and sync speeds around 3 - 10 Mbps are common. This street is in line to get Fibre in Jan 2019 so the best thing to do is just to wait it out until then.

Looking at the maps I think (best guess) that street would be on MOD/BT which is on the corner of Carmen Ave and Dominion Road, and possibly the cable comes in from the south end rather than the north end of Waitomo Ave, which would make it over 1km.

To give you an idea, a place on the intersection on the southern end of your friend's street seems to have VDSL at 21Mbps. I'd say if your friends line was perfect, VDSL might just be better than the ADSL currently, but not by a lot. Either way you'd 100% want to get a master splitter installed before trying. That is likely to improve the ADSL a little anyway.

[dugimodo]

Also at some point Spark or Chorus or both tightened up the criteria for broadband, originally they would connect it at a customers request even if it fell outside recommended limits. Now however they will not, it's intended that anyone who gets broadband via ADSL or VDSL can expect a minimum performance level. There are a few customers around with broadband service that they would not be able to get it if they applied now. Somebody decided consistent performance levels was more important than connecting some marginal customers.

VDSL works best at < 900M from the cabinet or exchange but will give some benefit outside that. I think the current loss and noise limits for broadband connectionms equate to approximately 2km and at that distance VDSL may still help a little but probably not.
At ~ 3km which is well outside what's offered these days all the different ADSL/VDSL technologies in use in NZ converge at the same speed and even ADSL2 no longer has an advantage over ADSL1

[Alex B]

Why would it be Sparks responsibility? They don't own the line. You could talk to Spark about getting Chorus or whoever the wholesaler is to put in a master filter to see if this brings the line noise down, but this will be at the cost of your friend and may not improve the line much. Depends how good the internal wiring is for the house.

[piroska]

The email says that ADSL and VDSL is not available at his address. WTF, he has ADSL for years already!

get him to bump it up a level. To a manager. And point out he already has ADSL.
VDSL may or may not be available. Was for friend, isn't for my brother. Because of the way it works:

https://computer.howstuffworks.com/vdsl2.htm

[bk T]

Why would it be Sparks responsibility? They don't own the line. You could talk to Spark about getting Chorus or whoever the wholesaler is to put in a master filter to see if this brings the line noise down, but this will be at the cost of your friend and may not improve the line much. Depends how good the internal wiring is for the house.

He paid Spark for the service. It's Spark's job to get Chorus to get it right. Simple logic. Let's assume that his internal wiring is OK, as he got his internal wiring done for the whole house two years ago.

[Alex B]

I wouldn't assume that at all. Does he have a master filter? If not, get one. If he does, then that may be as good as things will get.

[Chilling_Silence]

Still not Sparks responsibility to keep Chorus information accurate. Two different companies these days, remember?

Now, doesn't matter if his house wiring was done two years ago, it can still develop issues in that time easily. In-laws house got done, then 9 months later it was buggered and needed a tech to come fix again, for reasons I don't recall. Odd, but it does happen.
Third, get a master filter, it may be sufficient, but even better, if he puts in for a "New" install, alongside his current, they can't then say "Sorry, line quality is too poor". It'll cost an install fee possibly, but, might be just the ticket needed