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What speed will I get?
The question we all want to know!
It's important to remember that terms like "up to 8Mbps" and "up to 24Mbps" are terms we and other ISP's use to describe the underlying technology used for a broadband 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"
Speed is determined primarily by the length and quality of your telephone line from your master socket in your house to the exchange.
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. Generally less than 2km you'll sync about 5-8Mbps on and ADSL Max (20CN) exchange and 14-22Mbps on a ADSL 2+ or 21CN exchange, decreasing to 1Mbps at about 4-5km.
As a general rule of thumb, the closer you are to the exchange and clearer your line, the better speed you'll be able to get.
Can I get ADSL2+ 24Mbps
Most exchanges are now upgrade to BT's new 21st Century Network. 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.
Speed check
Type your telephone number into the box above to get an indication of the maximum 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 occurring on your ADSL line - other computers/devices downloading or uploading large files (even large emails) can significantly affect the "feel" of your internet speed.
What speed does the average MacAce broadband customer get?
Ofcom require us to show you what sync speeds our average customer can get so that you can compare performance between ISP's. We fair very well in these tests because our network is unrestricted and tuned to give everyone the fastest speeds possible:
Date: February 2013
| ADSL | Average Speed | Random sample of # customers | |
| ADSL | 6.71 Mbps | 95 | |
| ADSL2+ | 17.87 Mbps | 28 | |
| FTTC40 | 32.81 Mbps | 13 |
However, it is worth noting that these are simply the sync speeds and to not represent actual download speeds. For us, this is not too much of a problem, but other ISP's with over-contended networks might still have good sync speeds (the max the modem negotiates) but true download speeds would be a lot lower. We therefore do not feel this information, despite showing us in a very good light, is actually very useful as a comparison. Generally, the less you pay per month, the slower your connection will be in real terms at peak times.
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