Guide - Getting the most out of your high speed Virgin Media (UPC) 240mb/s service

aaronm13 · 08-02-2015 8:40pm

Got my new router all set up in bridge mode and surprise surprise all the problems I've been experiencing have disappeared. Why do upc insist on supplying such crap hardware and forcing people to spend extra money to use the basic service they are already paying for. The router seems like money well spent even though I could have done without the extra expense. These problems aren't isolated as there are people on here every day with the same complaints, yet upc are in denial about their hardware. Thanks to bk for all the help and advice and also the guys in the how to bridge mode guide.

ED E · 08-02-2015 10:47pm

aaronm13 wrote: »

Got my new router all set up in bridge mode and surprise surprise all the problems I've been experiencing have disappeared. Why do upc insist on supplying such crap hardware and forcing people to spend extra money to use the basic service they are already paying for. The router seems like money well spent even though I could have done without the extra expense. These problems aren't isolated as there are people on here every day with the same complaints, yet upc are in denial about their hardware. Thanks to bk for all the help and advice and also the guys in the how to bridge mode guide.

Unfortunately most ISPs ship junkers. Ciscos and thompsons are muck, havent tried the Technicolor but it seems similar. Horizon (samsung?) is a farce. Eircom shipped super old Netopia units (motorola chipset) back in the day, new stuff is very very meh. Vodafones Huawei seems to be quite quite mediocre, 100Mbps switchports like.

The big issue is, with DSL providers(other than sky) its simple to use your own. The DOCSIS provisioning system and UPCs unwillingness to provision 3rd party kit make it a right pain to use something decent. They should just have a hardware switch on the back of each unit that enables bridging, no messing with SNMP, no fans, and for those that want it they can set up stable kit. Yes its a pain to have to spend more, but when you're on a €50/mo+ tariff for 2yrs a single outlay of ~€100-150 is a great long term investment.

bk wrote: »

Yup and that is reflected in UPC getting the number 1 ranking in all the speedtest survey sites results (netflix, steam, speedtest.net, etc.)

I just did a test on testmy.net, 211Mb/s

Note that the closest test server on this site is in the UK, that makes it less accurate then doing a test against heanet or one of the Irish speed test servers.

Dips were me downloading a metric sh1t tonne of stuff on a separate public that the samknows cant "monitor".

When not using UPCs own gear throughput is rock solid.

traveller2 · 08-02-2015 11:16pm

Evening folks,
I posted about the UPC package options a few months back, but didn’t follow up at the time.
Anyhow, our eircom line is currently on the blink and their customer service is dire with the issue not resolved so I’m seriously considering ditching them ASAP.
At the moment with have Sky TV only basic package (28 euro per month), may have risen by a euro lately.
The Sky package and service is excellent, but we currently have eircom phone and net, how quickly can I switch and would people recommend UPC?
My concern is I’ve seen some mixed reviews here regarding their TV, and I’m wondering would I be better off going for UPC net and phone, but keep Sky TV?
Currently, we are paying 28 month Sky and circa 48 with eircom, so approx 1240 euro over 18 months. The sky price experience is fine, but not impressed with eircom.
My options are.
1. All in with UPC for approx 1200 for 18 months (TV/Phone/Broadband). Based on 45 euro/240 MB package after four months. (This looks very attractive).
Or
2. Keep Sky (504 euro) and go for UPC Phone and Net for 730 euro, total is 1234.
Or
3. Is there another option as the difference between 1 and 2 as above price wise isn’t much given the fact that I’d be going UPC all our business. But then again is UPC net far better than everyone else in the market and worth it going with them?
4. Also, is it possible to haggle over the price of 1 as above.
5. When I last enquired with UPC I was all set to sign up, they tried to foist an activation fee or something like that, and I just didn’t bother going ahead with them as a result.
6. Also, I’m with eircom, and I imagine their MB speed is a lot less than 240MB offered by UPC?

bk · 09-02-2015 11:33am

traveller2 I think your best option would be to stick with Sky for TV and go with UPC for Broadband and Phone.

I don't think UPC TV is quiet as bad as some people make out, it is more just a case of people who are use to the Sky interface not liking something different. However given that you already have Sky and the extra cost is only a few euro over the 18 months, probably not worth swapping it too.

You could try calling Sky and try and get them to lower their TV cost for a few months. Say it is too expensive and that you are thinking of leaving for Freesat and Saorview. They will often give a discount to keep you. Don't let them try and sell you their broadband. It uses Eircom gear, so no benefit over Eircom there.

What you are getting from Eircom at the moment, depends on what package you are currently on. At the VERY best it is 100Mb/s (still less then half of UPC) at worst it could be as little as 1Mb/s

eamondunphy · 09-02-2015 5:54pm

i think i changed my upc 3925 into bridge mode correctly, but now i cant access my ciso router through its ipaddress.

is there any chance the ip address has changed, i cant seem to find its address anymore

edit, sorry, found it!!

bk · 09-02-2015 5:57pm

eamondunphy wrote: »

i think i changed my upc 3925 into bridge mode correctly, but now i cant access my ciso router through its ipaddress.

is there any chance the ip address has changed, i cant seem to find its address anymore

The IP address of the 3925? It should now be 192.168.100.1

ED E · 09-02-2015 5:57pm

eamondunphy wrote: »

i think i changed my upc 3925 into bridge mode correctly, but now i cant access my ciso router through its ipaddress.

is there any chance the ip address has changed, i cant seem to find its address anymore

edit, sorry, found it!!

Oh, seems you got it just as I hit quote.

For any others, its 192.168.100.1

eamondunphy · 09-02-2015 6:07pm

thanks for the quick reply guys.

so in the admin->management section, i've turned gateway setup(wan) internet connection type from router mode to "bridged only"

and in wireless->radio settings, i've disabled the wireless interface.

Now when i connect to the 5ghz network on my router, i get speeds of around 160-200mb but when i connect to the 2.5ghz network, im only getting around 40mb

i'm only sitting about 3 feet away from the router when doing these tests.

im getting similar speeds when i go upstairs.

Regarding the 2.5ghz, am i doing something wrong, my sky hd box only connects to the 2.5 network so would like faster speeds for it

ED E · 09-02-2015 6:36pm

Wireless N on 2.4Ghz will give you 40-60 typically. Thats normal. Sky box doesnt have the chip for AC or 5Ghz as it doesnt need it. 30Mbps is fine to pull down a few seasons in 720P.

RainyDay · 09-02-2015 9:08pm

traveller2 wrote: »

Evening folks,
I posted about the UPC package options a few months back, but didn’t follow up at the time.
Anyhow, our eircom line is currently on the blink and their customer service is dire with the issue not resolved so I’m seriously considering ditching them ASAP.
At the moment with have Sky TV only basic package (28 euro per month), may have risen by a euro lately.
The Sky package and service is excellent, but we currently have eircom phone and net, how quickly can I switch and would people recommend UPC?
My concern is I’ve seen some mixed reviews here regarding their TV, and I’m wondering would I be better off going for UPC net and phone, but keep Sky TV?
Currently, we are paying 28 month Sky and circa 48 with eircom, so approx 1240 euro over 18 months. The sky price experience is fine, but not impressed with eircom.
My options are.
1. All in with UPC for approx 1200 for 18 months (TV/Phone/Broadband). Based on 45 euro/240 MB package after four months. (This looks very attractive).
Or
2. Keep Sky (504 euro) and go for UPC Phone and Net for 730 euro, total is 1234.
Or
3. Is there another option as the difference between 1 and 2 as above price wise isn’t much given the fact that I’d be going UPC all our business. But then again is UPC net far better than everyone else in the market and worth it going with them?
4. Also, is it possible to haggle over the price of 1 as above.
5. When I last enquired with UPC I was all set to sign up, they tried to foist an activation fee or something like that, and I just didn’t bother going ahead with them as a result.
6. Also, I’m with eircom, and I imagine their MB speed is a lot less than 240MB offered by UPC?

Or option 7 - pay up front to install a free-to-air box with DVR and Saorview, and get all of the Irish and the main UK channels for no subscription, but no Sky channels

eamondunphy · 09-02-2015 10:20pm

Sorry, meant wireless 2.4ghz, but was still expecting more than 40mb wireless.

My sky downloads can be very slow, could have to wait an hour at times just to watch a 40min hd programme, so was hoping faster downloads on 2.4ghz would help

bk · 10-02-2015 10:40am

eamondunphy wrote: »

Sorry, meant wireless 2.4ghz, but was still expecting more than 40mb wireless.

My sky downloads can be very slow, could have to wait an hour at times just to watch a 40min hd programme, so was hoping faster downloads on 2.4ghz would help

Unfortunately the 2.4GHz frequency can be a very noisy one, with neighbours wifi points, DECT phones, bluetooth devices, taxi radios, baby monitors, hell even microwave ovens operating in this frequency!

You could try changing the channel that the router uses for the 2.4GHz frequncy, that sometimes helps.

If not, then you could try using powerline adaptors to directly connect you Sky box to your router or alternatively a 5GHz wifi access point connected by ethernet to the Sky box.

ED E · 10-02-2015 11:49am

eamondunphy wrote: »

Sorry, meant wireless 2.4ghz, but was still expecting more than 40mb wireless.

My sky downloads can be very slow, could have to wait an hour at times just to watch a 40min hd programme, so was hoping faster downloads on 2.4ghz would help

Thats far more likely to be the slow interconnect to their CDN in the UK/France rather than the wifi.

40Mb = 5MB/S which will give 300MB in a minute or 1.5GB(An hour of 720P) in 5 minutes. Plenty fast.

Sky have needed a caching node here for ages.

Wally Runs · 11-02-2015 1:46pm

I have just joined UPC on the 120 service. I got the Technicolor modem and I am having some issues, mainly with the wireless service, although the ethernet service acts up every now and again.

I am working through the issues with UPC, involves a lot of modem resets and reboots, but I am not sure I am getting to the nut of the issue.

The main issue is that the wireless service drops even for devices in the same room as the modem and when my PC drops its connection (it is Ethernet connected) the only website I can access is Boards.ie, the rest time out?

So does the wireless issue sound as if it might be solved by a C8 add on or can these new modems be defective out of the box?

Anyone.

apeking · 11-02-2015 9:46pm

I just got this too. I have set up the router in bridge mode. All working good but I can't access it remotely.

I thought with it being in bridge mode it would have passed everything to my router. Worked perfectly with old upc modem in bridge mode.

Edit: got it working by putting my WAN IP in the DMZ on the UPC router

chee · 12-02-2015 12:58pm

must say great detailed guide bk, thanks

I've upgraded to 240mb, ordered Archer C7 and set up as per instructions.
Getting full speed with wire but getting only 30-40Mb with wifi from UPC and Archer C7.
It must be my setting issue, but can't figure out where is the problem.

Also I can see both 2.4GH & 5GH on my mobile but can't see 5GH on laptop(Window 8.1, I5).

Any suggestion please?

Thanks

dublincelt · 12-02-2015 2:08pm

chee wrote: »

must say great detailed guide bk, thanks

I've upgraded to 240mb, ordered Archer C7 and set up as per instructions.
Getting full speed with wire but getting only 30-40Mb with wifi from UPC and Archer C7.
It must be my setting issue, but can't figure out where is the problem.

Also I can see both 2.4GH & 5GH on my mobile but can't see 5GH on laptop(Window 8.1, I5).

Any suggestion please?

Thanks

I have the exact same problem with an archer C8. Superb info in this thread by the way but looking forward to any advice offered here specifically.

bk · 12-02-2015 2:58pm

chee wrote: »

Also I can see both 2.4GH & 5GH on my mobile but can't see 5GH on laptop(Window 8.1, I5).

dublincelt wrote: »

I have the exact same problem with an archer C8. Superb info in this thread by the way but looking forward to any advice offered here specifically.

If you can't see the 5GHz network on your laptop, then it sounds like your laptop doesn't support 5GHz unfortunately

You should check the specs of your laptops wireless chip to make sure, but I highly suspect this is the issue.

You could buy a USB wifi dongle that supported 5GHz, though obviously that will mean a potentially ugly dongle hanging off your laptop.

2.4GHz unfortunately just gives you less speed. There are things you can do to improve the performance of it:

- Turn off the wifi on the UPC modem, it will just cause interference with the C7
- Make sure the C7/8 firmware is updated to the latest version
- on the C7/8, set the "Channel Width" in the 2.4GHz settins to "40MHz"
- on the C7/8, set the "Channel" from Auto to a specific number.
Play around with different channels and see what speed you get, your aim here is to get a channel that your neighbours aren't on *. Channel 1 or 11 are often good bets.

* There are various apps out there that will show you what channels your neighbours are using.

Hope that helps.

chee · 12-02-2015 5:02pm

Thanks for reply bk

Will try these steps after work this evening.

When I disabled WIFI on UPC modem, it stopped internet all together. That's why I enabled again.

Can I leave region as United States?

Thanks again for your help.

bk · 12-02-2015 5:21pm

chee wrote: »

When I disabled WIFI on UPC modem, it stopped internet all together. That's why I enabled again.

Can I leave region as United States?

When you disable WIFI on the UPC modem, you then have to connect to the wifi point on your C7.

The region should be set to Ireland, I need to double check it this evening. But I think the US only supports 11 channels, while Ireland should be 13 channels, I think, but have to confirm.

rebeve · 13-02-2015 11:52am

Upgraded to 240 and I am getting between 80 and 120 on the 2.4 MHz .I then tried a macbook with a 7260 ac card and the speed rocketed up to 233 while in the same room as the netgear ac router .I have ordered an ac card for my laptop .
I run win 7 - Ubuntu 14.04 and Kubuntu 14.10 .I
Will report back when card arrives .But from my experience with the Mac ,an ac card is a must for these ac routers .

bk · 13-02-2015 12:39pm

rebeve wrote: »

Will report back when card arrives .But from my experience with the Mac ,an ac card is a must for these ac routers .

Well obviously ac would be better, but just FYI, I get 200Mb/s over 5GHz 802.11n on my mac (no ac, older model, but high quality and specced n radio).

sulli · 13-02-2015 2:30pm

Hi BK, looking for a bit of info. I have just upgraded to the 240mb broadband and got rid of the telly. I have the Minix X8 H plus Android box for my tv needs..my question is do you think the existing cisco 3925 router will be able to give me the 240mb speeds? Or do I need to get a better router. Don't have a laptop or anything just Ipads and the Minix box! cheers!

bk · 13-02-2015 3:09pm

sulli wrote: »

Hi BK, looking for a bit of info. I have just upgraded to the 240mb broadband and got rid of the telly. I have the Minix X8 H plus Android box for my tv needs..my question is do you think the existing cisco 3925 router will be able to give me the 240mb speeds? Or do I need to get a better router. Don't have a laptop or anything just Ipads and the Minix box! cheers!

The Cusco is a very good router and should work fine.

The only issue with it is that it can crash sometimes due to overheating from running the higher speeds. Others have resolved this issue by simply placing a USB powered laptop fan under the Cisco to cool it.

Xpro · 13-02-2015 8:20pm

bk wrote: »

Well obviously ac would be better, but just FYI, I get 200Mb/s over 5GHz 802.11n on my mac (no ac, older model, but high quality and specced n radio).

Same as, getting savage speeds over Wifi on my macbook, also 802n card and UPC router alone.
From 80-120 on 2.4ghz( subject to low interference)
On 5 Ghz Im getting over 200mb all day long.

dublincelt · 13-02-2015 10:49pm

bk wrote: »

If you can't see the 5GHz network on your laptop, then it sounds like your laptop doesn't support 5GHz unfortunately

You should check the specs of your laptops wireless chip to make sure, but I highly suspect this is the issue.

You could buy a USB wifi dongle that supported 5GHz, though obviously that will mean a potentially ugly dongle hanging off your laptop.

2.4GHz unfortunately just gives you less speed. There are things you can do to improve the performance of it:

- Turn off the wifi on the UPC modem, it will just cause interference with the C7
- Make sure the C7/8 firmware is updated to the latest version
- on the C7/8, set the "Channel Width" in the 2.4GHz settins to "40MHz"
- on the C7/8, set the "Channel" from Auto to a specific number.
Play around with different channels and see what speed you get, your aim here is to get a channel that your neighbours aren't on *. Channel 1 or 11 are often good bets.

* There are various apps out there that will show you what channels your neighbours are using.

Hope that helps.

Thanks very much bk, turns out I connected to the wrong TP-Link network. Noticed there was also one with 5G listed so once I connected to that it worked a treat. Now getting 120mb on speed test, have 200mb UPC so delighted to have these speeds over wifi. Thanks again!

LaserChicken · 15-02-2015 1:45pm

Could anyone tell me if Motorolla Arris SB6183 SURFboard, would work with UPC, replacing the current router/modem, with just a simple cable modem. And I'm planing to connect it to my Asus RT-AC3200.

bk · 15-02-2015 1:48pm

LaserChicken wrote: »

Could anyone tell me if Motorolla Arris SB6183 SURFboard, would work with UPC, replacing the current router/modem, with just a simple cable modem. And I'm planing to connect it to my Asus RT-AC3200.

No, UPC don't allow non UPC modems to be used.

You can however use your own wifi router connected to the UPC modem.

rebeve · 17-02-2015 9:13am

7260 card arrived .I now get 170 on the 2.4 band .But the 5 band is awful less than 50 every time .The router is a netgear r6250 its a bit puzzeling

Update speed on the 2.4 now 237mb but 5Ghz is rubbish with the router less than 2 feet away

chee · 17-02-2015 4:58pm

bk wrote: »

If you can't see the 5GHz network on your laptop, then it sounds like your laptop doesn't support 5GHz unfortunately

You should check the specs of your laptops wireless chip to make sure, but I highly suspect this is the issue.

You could buy a USB wifi dongle that supported 5GHz, though obviously that will mean a potentially ugly dongle hanging off your laptop.

2.4GHz unfortunately just gives you less speed. There are things you can do to improve the performance of it:

- Turn off the wifi on the UPC modem, it will just cause interference with the C7
- Make sure the C7/8 firmware is updated to the latest version
- on the C7/8, set the "Channel Width" in the 2.4GHz settins to "40MHz"
- on the C7/8, set the "Channel" from Auto to a specific number.
Play around with different channels and see what speed you get, your aim here is to get a channel that your neighbours aren't on *. Channel 1 or 11 are often good bets.

* There are various apps out there that will show you what channels your neighbours are using.

Hope that helps.

Thanks bk
I've checked and yes my laptop doesn't support 5GHz and can't get over 30-40mb with 2.4GHz after trying all those things you mentioned.
I've also tested on my phone (Galaxy Note 3) with 5GHz but speed is even worse, less than 30mb.
So thinking to return Archer C7 to Amazon, as getting same speed with UPC modem.
Other option I was thinking to buy USB wifi dongle that supported 5GHz before I return C7, any suggestions on the dongle please, Which one I should go for? (ac or n)

Thanks again for your help.

Guide - Getting the most out of your high speed Virgin Media (UPC) 240mb/s service

Comments