Whirlpool

Have been on the Liberty plan for about 2 years now, and the shaping has always been crippling to my internet. I mean, it takes forever to load a website, and sometimes it doesen't even load. Forget about games or downloads.

I was capped yesterday, and have noticed a significant improvement in the speed this morning. Websites actually load, I can download files and play games. It's still slow, but it's not crippling.

Anyone else notice this?

It fluctuates for me sometimes, I can download at 50 kb/sec when capped at some stages, then some other times I can't even start a download. They don't seem to get the idea of capping correctly...

Extronic writes...

They don't seem to get the idea of capping correctly...

I don't think it's them – they send the 64_64_64 configuration file and it's up to the modem to enforce the 64k speeds. So maybe it indicates a problem with your modem?

I know when I was shaped it was pretty dismal – smack bang on 64k

Murphmeister writes...

and have noticed a significant improvement in the speed this morning.

What day does your billing period start? Tomorrow?

≤ Matt ≥ writes...

they send the 64_64_64 configuration file and it's up to the modem to enforce the 64k speeds. So maybe it indicates a problem with your modem?

The shaping is not implemented via modem configuration (it used to be ... a long time ago).

JunkCrusader writes...

The shaping is not implemented via modem configuration (it used to be ... a long time ago).

Isn't it? I assumed it was, as when I got shaped, my modem spontaneously rebooted....

It is done via QoS as putting the config in the modem was open to exploitation.

JunkCrusader writes...

The shaping is not implemented via modem configuration (it used to be ... a long time ago).

No, you have it round the wrong way. It used to be QoS, but now it's the modem.

manpageman writes...

No, you have it round the wrong way. It used to be QoS, but now it's the modem.

Happy to stand corrected if you are prepared to explain how you know this to be the case.

I also believe it USED to be through the mode, but now is QOS or whatever. I think i read somewhere people did something to their modem and could avoid being shaped?

brad_89 writes...

people did something to their modem and could avoid being shaped?

They certainly did. Was not hard on the SB4100 as you could change the configuration from the LAN side. The SB5100 and SB5101 will only load a configuration from the WAN side, so you have to have the right equipment to connect to the coax port to reconfigure it.

BTW – BigPond can detect if you have altered the configuration.

JunkCrusader writes...

BTW – BigPond can detect if you have altered the configuration.

So does that mean those people got in "trouble" back then, or didn't bigpond know at the time? And how long ago did they change from modem to qos?

brad_89 writes...

So does that mean those people got in "trouble" back then, or didn't bigpond know at the time? And how long ago did they change from modem to qos?

Bigpond did find out soon enough and the customers got fined for violation of the TOS. They changed it years ago to the exchange level. I know this because a family member works for Bigpond and installs Cable, (which is why I get free Internet).

JunkCrusader writes...

It is done via QoS as putting the config in the modem was open to exploitation.

Its done both on the modem and the UBR (cable headend). and its just more then 64kb.

As it with BPI (Baseline Privacy Interface). look at task under http://92.168.100.1 (for the surfboards) with optus they havn't enable it yet but telstra have.

I can indeed confirm an increase in my speed! I got shaped last week. I didn't even realise I was shaped.. I thought something was playing up until the Bigpond usage gadget displayed that I had gone over my usage and I was now indeed capped.

I can assure you it's MUCH more bearable than it was before. ;) Not fast, but faster than it used to be whilst shaped. Not sure how long it'll last though.

Hope it becomes the norm now. ;)

Edit: Hopefully it's not just my imagination :P

Junji writes...

I can indeed confirm an increase in my speed!

Can you do a http://speedtest.net test and post it?

http://www.speedtest.net/result/300166326.png

Okay, so it probably was my imagination, although looking at those speeds it is a TAD bit faster compared to what I normally get when I'm shaped. :P

Junji writes...

Okay, so it probably was my imagination, although looking at those speeds it is a TAD bit faster compared to what I normally get when I'm shaped. :P

Hardly faster. It's not even 64k.

64k in terms of capped speeds refers to 64 kiloBIT/s which is ~8 kilobyte/s so 64 kbs is pretty awesome for capped speeds, unless that meter reads in kilobits, not very clear :/ the whole kbs vs kBps vs KppSxBs nonsense does get confusing though =S i just wish those dam ISPs would stick to kilobytes/s

It's hardly faster but it's been averaging 8-9 kB/s which has made a world of difference to my usual 5 kB/s.

It's not that fast, I know. In terms of what it's normally like and how responsive it is atm, the difference is quite noticeable particularly when signing onto MSN or trying to log onto gmail.

I wish I had some evidence to back me up from the speed when shaped before and the speed whilst being shaped now otherwise what I'm saying but unfortunately I don't and what i'm saying could be misjudgement on my account. =(

Junji writes...

It's hardly faster but it's been averaging 8-9 kB/s which has made a world of difference to my usual 5 kB/s.

Maybe the real shaping speed was 56kbps and it's been increased to 64....

64 is stil pretty usable if you set your MTU to something optimized for dialup.

flurobmx writes...

unless that meter reads in kilobits, not very clear

Of course it reads in Kilo Bits per second, Kbps. It always has, and ISPs have nearly always quoted Kbps, or now, Mbps (Mega Bits per second). Remember modems? 14.4, 28.8, 56 Kbps.

Maybe Bigpond has improved the QoS method they use to shape accounts. As everyone knows, it never felt like 64 Kbps before. It always felt slower than that, since 64 Kbps is actually quite usable if you have the correct settings for your network.