What speed am I going to get?

We're very open about the speed you're likely to get because we do everything we can to ensure it's the fastest your line can possibly handle.

It's important to rememeber that terms like "up to 8Mbps" and "up to 24Mbps" are terms we and other ISP's use to describe the unerlying technology used for a broabband connection and do not actually reflect the speeds you'll get. It's actually physically impossible to get 8Mbps speeds on an "ADSL Max up to 8Mbps line"

We were one of the first ISP's to sign up to Ofcom's Broadband Speed Code of Practice (details here). The crux of this code ensures that we give you an accurate and fair estimate of your expected broadband speed and that we deal with problems relating to speed in a fair and honest manner.

So what is the maximum speed I'll get?
Speed is determined primarily by the length and quality of your telephone line from your master socket in your house to the exchange. The "Sync Speed" is the maximum theoretical speed you line can handle when your modem negotiates with the equipment in your exchange (see below for Actual Speeds). Generally less than 2km you'll sync about 5-8Mbps, decreasing to 1Mbps at about 4-5km.

As a general rule of thumb, the closer you are to the exchnage and clearer your line, the better speed you'll be able to get.

Can I get ADSL2+ 24Mbps
There's currently only about 600 exchanges enabled but BT are working hard to get most done by the end of next year. If yours is not enabled yet, it may be in a few month's time - and we'll upgrade you to ADSL2+ as soon as it is, completely free. We're working on putting a checking engine into our speedtester but for now we can check manually for you after the order process or you can email us on sales@macace.net

Speed check
Type your telephone number into the box below to get an indication of the maximu sync speeds your line is likely to support. Bear in mind that this is the maximum sync rate and not the speed you'll get all the time. It's based on your distance from the exchange and data from BT on average speeds households in your area are getting.

Actual Speed?
In essence, you'll likely get 75%-90% of the estimated sync speed off peak and 25%-75% during the busy peak period of 5pm-11pm. This is because the whole of the internet in the UK, your exchange, our network and most websites, are all busier at this time of day so congestion occurs - lowering your actual internet speed. it's the same for all ISP's really, some more than others.... It's very difficult to accurately predict but this will give you a good idea of what to expect. Of course, your actual speeds will also vary depending on what other internet traffic is occuring on your ADSL line - other computers/devices downloading or uploading large files (even large emails) can significantly affect the "feel" of your internet speed.