Line Stats
Your DSL modem continueously monitors the quality of your DSL service. You can obtain line stat information from your modem to assess the quality of your line and service.
Bell is responsible for the quality of your line and it is worth noting that most of your monthly payment to NCF goes to Bell to provide DSL on your line.
How to obtain the line stats from your DSL modem
- Log into the web interface of your modem (how to log in)
- In the left column, click on 'Broadband Connection'
- In the left column, click on 'DSL Connection'
- In the top-right area, click on 'Details'
Depending on your modem model and configuration, the numbers may be displayed with commas and periods in the European manner, which is the reverse of what is common in North America. For example: 1,000.12 for 'one thousand decimal 12' may be displayed as '1.000,12'.
How to interpret the line stats
Bandwidth
It is normal and good for bandwidth down to be about tens times the bandwidth up. You can confirm this number by doing a speed test.
Line Attenuation
Attenuation is a measure of how strong the signal is from the Bell office ('DSLAM'). Note that Lower is better as it indicates less attentuation.
| Attenuation (dB) | Rating |
|---|---|
| 0 to 40 dB | Excellent |
| 40 to 50 dB | Good |
| 50 to 60 dB | Fair |
| > 60 db | Poor |
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR or SN Margin)
Signal-to-Noise is a measure of noise on your line. Too much noise can obscure the DSL signal. Higher is better as it means you have more signal than noise.
| Signal-to-Noise (dB) | Rating |
|---|---|
| > 20 dB | Excellent |
| 10 to 20 dB | Good |
| 6 to 10 dB | Fair |
| 0 to 6 db | Poor |
Errors
The error figures are an indication of how many packets had to be retransmitted because they contained an error and is caused by line noise. The error counts are cumulative since the time DSL sync was last obtained. To reset the error counts, do a software restart of your modem, or power cycle your modem, or disconnect your DSL line for a minute or two.
The significance of error counts is unclear and may not be significant. Some modems may misreport errors and even with errors, your service may be fine.