on 22-05-2021 12:47
I have had a look at my downstream power levels on my Hub 3.0. I believe that the addition of a 3dB forward path attenuator (or maybe more?) might be needed. I realise my levels are still within the -6 & +10 dBmV band, but surely getting them closer to what I believe the optimal level of 0 dBmV would be beneficial?
Please can I get some guidance on where best to source one from. Are they something that can be posted to me by Virgin, or can I purchase one directly from somewhere? I have found some by searching the internet but they often refer to satellite and not cable. Is there a difference?
Please see screenshots below of my stats for reference:
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22-05-2021 12:58 - edited 22-05-2021 12:59
Hi ,
Thank you for your post. For clarity the optimum levels for your broadband are -6 to +10. Forward path attenuator will make no difference to the performance of your modem.
on 22-05-2021 14:12
As stated the levels are within spec, so VM will take no action. You can get an FPA if you wish, but IMHO it will not make any difference.
However, you have a small amount of PostRS errors, but not sure if they are historical? Can you reboot the Hub and keep an eye on those, as ideally PostRS errors should be zero.
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on 22-05-2021 14:53
From memory I sourced mine from Amazon, but a quick Google brought this up Technetix Forward Path TV Signal Attenuator 3dB UHF / virgin / "F" connector m-f | eBay
As for PostRS errors, they are "usually" caused by noise on the circuit, and not by the power levels being not zero.
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on 22-05-2021 16:56
@sprog1033 wrote:I realise my levels are still within the -6 & +10 dBmV band, but surely getting them closer to what I believe the optimal level of 0 dBmV would be beneficial?
You get no added benefit if your levels are at 0 its better to be around +6
22-05-2021 18:33 - edited 22-05-2021 18:35
Regardless of what is suggested 0 is not the optimal power, the optimal power is between 10 and -6, there will be no Benefit whatsoever from moving levels down a couple of points.
I can only suggest that if you feel there is an issues with your service to give us a call and we can have a technician find the true cause but I can guarantee your power levels are fine.
In terms of the post errors than they are perfectly acceptable. There are only a few hundred which is very minimal. I would only consider it to be a problem once they are in their thousands and over a shortish period of time. If your hub has been online for a while and you’ve only got a couple of hundred post errors then that is nothing to worry about and you really should t see an impact.
Errors are caused by noise which is most likely out of your control and you can check all of your connections are nice and tight. Loose connections can cause ingress.
if you would like me to help you out with a visit from a technician please let me know.
on 24-05-2021 13:51
Thanks for your reply, sprog1033,
Sorry to hear that you have been having connections issues with your broadband. I've run some remote diagnostics on your connections, and it does indicate that you are currently being affected by a local area fault for capacity issues ref#F008841265 and we are working to get this sorted as quickly as possible. The current ETA fix time is 03 JUN 2021 13:00. Apologies again for the inconvenience.
Cheers,
Corey C
on 22-05-2021 12:56
Hello
Are you experiencing any problem like slow speed as looking at your stats as you have already stated they are within range, changing closer to 0 will not make any difference ?
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22-05-2021 12:58 - edited 22-05-2021 12:59
Hi ,
Thank you for your post. For clarity the optimum levels for your broadband are -6 to +10. Forward path attenuator will make no difference to the performance of your modem.
on 22-05-2021 13:04
Hi DJ_Shadow1966,
Generally no, the connection is mostly fine, but there are certainly times when especially the upload speed drops significantly. My guess is that the slow-downs have been more related to potential over-utilisation in our area than our local connection to the network. I was just wondering if getting the downstream levels closer to 0 would give it more headroom to drift before causing an issue.
on 22-05-2021 13:13
Hello
One thing you can do to check if there is a utilization issue is to setup a BQM - https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality.
You should get a graph similar to what I have.
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/a65083dae8b127d335117017b79717b4ae64b94e
Regards Mike
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on 22-05-2021 13:36
Hi Mike,
Many thanks for your continued interest in helping me. I have had a BQM setup for a few years now. I tried following up utilisation issues that were evident in the BQM in the past, via this forum, without success at the time. Since the reduction in lockdown requirements the BQM has been looking reasonably good (for a DOCSIS connection).
My original post was not intended to be for the purpose of looking into over-utilisation though.
Below is my current BQM and below that an example of previous over-utilisation issues:
on 22-05-2021 14:12
As stated the levels are within spec, so VM will take no action. You can get an FPA if you wish, but IMHO it will not make any difference.
However, you have a small amount of PostRS errors, but not sure if they are historical? Can you reboot the Hub and keep an eye on those, as ideally PostRS errors should be zero.
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on 22-05-2021 14:43
Hi Adduxi,
Many thanks for your response. I take on board the general consensus of all responses so far that if the power levels are within -6 to +10 dBmV then there if little point in trying to get the downstream level to 0 dBmV. That said, I may still experiment to see if I get a stop to the few Post RS Errors.
Please can I get some guidance on where best to source one from. I have found some by searching the internet but they often refer to satellite and not cable. Is there a difference?
Below shows how long it has been since my last re-boot.
on 22-05-2021 14:53
From memory I sourced mine from Amazon, but a quick Google brought this up Technetix Forward Path TV Signal Attenuator 3dB UHF / virgin / "F" connector m-f | eBay
As for PostRS errors, they are "usually" caused by noise on the circuit, and not by the power levels being not zero.
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on 22-05-2021 14:59
Hi Adduxi,
Many thanks for the suggestion.