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ADSL Firmware Version :

Line State :
Modulation :
Annex Mode :
Max Tx Power :
Item
SNR Margin
Line Attenuation
Data Rate

7.00.01.00 - 7.00.01.00 7.00.04.00 Annex A - 01.07.2c - 0.54


Connected
ADSL_2plus
Annex A
-38 dBm/Hz

Downstream
31
42
570

Upstream
31
30
186

Unit
dB
dB
kbps

As an ADSL n00b I wanted to understand how the technology works and how to get the most out
of it. In essence if you want to improve speed and increase stability you need to familiarise
yourself with SNR (signal to noise ratio) and attenuation. Many ADSL-routers will provide you
with those stats.
SNR or Signal to Noise Ratio:
Describes the ratio of usable data-signals on your line. You can associate the signal with the
data traveling across your ADSL-line and the noise as the unwanted interference affecting the
signal. The higher the number the better for this measurement. In some instances interleaving can
help raise the noise margin to an acceptable level.
6dB or below is bad and will experience no synch or intermittent synch problems
7dB-10dB is fair but does not leave much room for variances in conditions
11dB-20dB is good with little or no synch problems
20dB-28dB is excellent
29dB or above is outstanding
If your SNR is below 12dB you are pretty much screwed and will not get a consistent level of
ADSL-service. You could try to convince Telkom to rewire the cabling but this is unlikely to
happen.
Attenuation:
Is the reduction in signal strength on your phone line. In ADSL this may be reported as loop
loss and is the natural deterioration of the ADSL signal over distance from the exchange.
Attenuation is normally directly linked to the length of your line. Copper is traditionally used in
the local loop and the higher gauge of copper will give the best signal, however some lines may
have some aluminium or aluminium joints on the line which will increase resistance as will
oxidisation of joints. The lower the dB the better for this measurement.
20dB and below is outstanding
20dB-30dB is excellent
30dB-40dB is very good

40dB-50dB is good
50dB-60dB is poor and may experience connectivity issues
60dB or above is bad and will experience connectivity issues
The standard signal attenuation spread for a given speed is somewhere in the region of 25-30dB
for ADSL1 speeds (if we had ADSL2/2+ this would be).
The following guide (distance vs. attenuation vs speed) gives you an guestimate what you can
achieve:
<1km should be 23-24Mbit (nice speed, but doesnt it bug you that Telkom people walk through
your bedroom?)
1.0km = 13.81dB = 23Mbit
1.5km = 20.7dB = 21Mbit
2.0km = 27.6dB = 18Mbit
2.5km = 34.5dB = 13Mbit
3.0km = 41.4dB = 8Mbit
3.5km = 48.3dB = 6Mbit
4.0km = 56dB = 4Mbit
4.5km = 62.1dB = 3Mbit
5.0km = 69dB = 2Mbit
>5.0km (you are pretty much poked sorry for you)
You will not be able to fix attenuation (unless you relocate straight next to the exchange). You
will however be able to influence Telkom or your ISPs use tooling such as MRTG to measure
your variances and log incidents against them. It is unlikely that they will move the exchange
closer, but you could combat SNR (check your wiring, climb into the manhole and see if your
underground wire is of the cheap kind etc).
Update 2009/02/20: If you own a Netgear DG834XX ADSL router, you can try a custom
firmware which allows you to lock in the SNR check out the following post.

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