Looking for more users to help track broadband performance
A week ago, we sought volunteers interested in working with ICM Research who are carrying out some research into broadband speeds.
ICM are currently still looking for additional panellists on the following services, including recently added TalkTalk 80Mbps service:
- BT Infinity 1/2 Broadband ('up to 38/76 meg')
- Sky Fibre Broadband ('up to 40/80 meg')
- Virgin Media ('up to 30/50/60/100 meg')
- TalkTalk ('up to 40/80 meg')
- O2/BE ('up to 20/24 meg')
- Orange ('up to 20/24 meg')
Users on other ISPs/packages listed on the form (link below) are also still able to register their interest. Those selected to take part will receive a testing device to connect to their broadband connection as well as a payment for £25 from ICM once the system is set up. You may also be invited to take part in further surveys on your broadband service.
Sign up for the broadband panel
Comments
@Scotty: It is open to VDSL customers. BT Infinity, Sky Fibre and TalkTalk.
@AndrueC: I'm a VDSL customer but using BT's FTTC via IDNet, not BT Infinity. I'm using the same fibre though, can I apply? It's not clear.
Well I did sign up when it was first launched. Feel free to contact me!
@timmay- I'm not really interested in applying tbh, but others in a similar position may be.
The ICM page is very specific about the ISPs it is interested in, but the drop-down list includes "Other".
Some clarification by Seb (or other!) would be welcome.
I signed up for sky fibre but never heard antyhing
Oh rapture!!40 meg broadband!
Today Talk Talk are delivering me 0.2 Mbps!!!!
Even this is not consistent!
@billford I'm on O2 LLU, why would I need to select "Other"
I also applied for the samknows performance monitoring when that was first launched and heard nothing back.
@timmmay- possibly because O2 is in the drop-down list?
@timmay- sorry, I misread your comment- as O2 is in the list you don't need to select "Other"
But the inclusion of "Other" in the list means it's not clear whether or not Infinity" means only that BT product or "Any BT-based FTTC product".
I can hardly wait for ICM Research to look next into SuperSlow broadband on market 1 20CN exchanges providing only ADSL at a high monthly cost to the end user in order to help subsidise the relatively low charges for Fast and SuperFast Broadband :P
@timmay I applied too and had an email saying they were considering me as an applicant but they needed more details, so I did but then never heard anything .
Filled it in again with another e-mail address.
Well if they're already not bothering to contact people who've alread applied, I don't think I can be bothered either!
£25 and £5 per survery, time to switch from samknows to this? Seriously I hope these guys actually make live data avilable to the public.
@chrysalis Yes, they probably will release it to the public this this test is
probably being conducted to show how fast the UK's broadband network is! - thus
the reason they are leaving out slow broadband customers of people who have
ADSL/ADSL2+.
...It is also possible they may share their results with the government so they can
brag out these statistics of how fast UK broadband is:
Example of a speech by the government/thinkbroadband:
"Statistical analysis of broadband customers show that 98% of people had over
30Mbps broadband speeds. This shows that we are on target to have the fastest
broadband network in Europe by 2015."
*Applause and gratitude given to the government*
It's all just a pseudo to show how fast the broadband is in the UK ...by leaving
out the slow broadband customers - which is the majority of the UK.
We aren't recruiting the full panel, but are helping to find users on products which are currently under-represented. We aren't involved in the selection of users nor in the testing.
ICM are looking for BT Infinity which is a retail product, not BT FTTC Wholesale via other providers.
- seb
- over 5 years ago
@seb, I have looked on ICM's website and have found nothing relating to becoming a panellist for tracking broadband performance.
Do you know who ICM's client is for this?
It would be good to know details of the testing (any restrictions on usage so as not to affect the results etc) but I guess it's always possible to decline if you get selected.
The UK does not have a SuperFast BB network there are just certain areas within it that do and by 2015 that area will be larger but it will still not be a UK Network and that is the long and the short of it.
scottie4642: its YOUR fault for only buying 'cheap as sh!t' net...
Its not for nothing that TalkTalk got the award for 'worst provider'.... :/
Yet again VM ADSL customers are left out! We get a dreadful service with appalling 'support' in my opinion.
Fibre and cable may be the coming method of delivery but many rural areas will wait years before we are even offered any improvements so rural businesses struggle with very slow connections. In my area that means no one gets better than 4 mbps down and under 1 mbps up, compare that with local towns and you see 80 mbps doesn and around 4 mbps up! But they have fibre already.
Surveys that leave out a major delivery system are biased and hence unreliable.
@michaels_perry I completely agree with you there, however you should feel lucky with your broadband speed on ADSL! I get maximum of 0.23Mbos down and 0.94 Up!! ...this is why they don't want people like me on their survey.
...and it appears this post has been deleted!
comnut: Even cheap as shit should provide a certain level of service. From talking to others who live here, the rest are just as bad e.g. BT and Sky. I am not a Games enthusiast who apppear to need the latest, fastest service. I do agree, however, that TT's Customer "Service" is a joke!!
how long will the testing last and would you be able to keep the tp-link router? they provide for testing... it's gotta be better than the superdud im using
It says, "This survey is not accepting additional responses at this time. Thank You!"
Nice up-to-date link!
Well I got accepted for this and they are shipping out their hardware to me :D got confirmation of hardware dispatch today.
me too.. also on 100 meg
The tp-link WR1043ND router delivered only has ports 7 echo and 22 ssh open, so locked down for the survey purposes, not surprisingly!
It only runs speed tests when the rest of the network wired and wireless is idle, which in our house isn't very often!
david is the wireless signal improved? i play mw3 on xbox and i get a weird freeze move ,freeze move, freeze move then alls ok and everyone in game gets it a second after me... i hope the tp-link router stops this
The box does nothing but flashes. The WLAN is not even lit up. But it's testing. I read somewhere you could view the results. Could you on the samknows box? I got mine in the post once but used it as a draft excluder and left it at my old house in a cupboard covered in dust.
got mine today but how do you connect the wireless to it
wan is lit up on mine , ive seen it test twice today so its working fine
I asssume given the paltry instructions that I can only use this device as a switch and a testing device - i cant find a way to access it to enable DHCP or wireless - is that correct? If so its a bit of a pain having to have 2 routers sat there.
that's right i did email them ask asked about the wireless here is the reply i got from them
Yes, please continue to connect wirelessly to the superhub.
"The device cannot actually be connected to wirelessly, it merely operates to test your line-speed."
I really want to get onto this wirelessly. Really annoyed that there doesn't seem to be a way
Has anyone received the promised payment as yet?
ICM speed testing router arrived!
mines been connected for about 2 weeks now, no payment yet!
I got mine well over a month ago, connected it, got my £25 cheque - cashed it, then complained to ICM as I'm getting awful spikes (at an almost hourly rate - when the test light flashes) while playing BF3 and using TS3 Voip. I e-mailed ICM about this, got a reply from Connor asking to check how I connected it, but also admitting they are aware of some problems. I replied belatedly, but have not had another reply since 10 days now ....
You would get more panelists I'd you opened it up to ADSL/ADSL2+ customers. However I know you will not do this since it is a super fast broadband only test.
Therefore, why don't you open it up to VDSL customers? I am not one of them, but don't they qualify as super fast broadband customers?