BT SIN 498 Compliance
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simon194
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Tue May 08, 2012 2:04 pm
BT SIN 498 Compliance
With Openreach now requiring all VDSL2 modems and routers to be compliant with SIN 498, is the original 8800NL compliant?
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billion_fan
- Posts: 5377
- Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2011 4:30 pm
Re: BT SIN 498 Compliance
Openreach only requires SIN 498 compliancy for modems that are supplied by their CPs (service provider customers).
End customers are able to use equipment that is not SIN 498 complaint.
The original 8800NL has not passed BT's MCT for SIN 498 and there are no plans to put this through.
We have a number of modems aimed at service providers currently going through the MCT process.
End customers are able to use equipment that is not SIN 498 complaint.
The original 8800NL has not passed BT's MCT for SIN 498 and there are no plans to put this through.
We have a number of modems aimed at service providers currently going through the MCT process.
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simon194
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Tue May 08, 2012 2:04 pm
Re: BT SIN 498 Compliance
The impression I get is that any VDSL2 modem/router has to be compliant because of this:
" From March 2016, all VDSL equipment must have passed BT's SIN498 MCT testing in order to be connected to any VDSL line provided by BT Openreach (regardless of your ISP) . The purpose of approval is to have a consistent network experience/performance by ensuring that CPE meet minimum performance and compatibility requirements."
" From March 2016, all VDSL equipment must have passed BT's SIN498 MCT testing in order to be connected to any VDSL line provided by BT Openreach (regardless of your ISP) . The purpose of approval is to have a consistent network experience/performance by ensuring that CPE meet minimum performance and compatibility requirements."
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gatekeeper
- Posts: 167
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 4:45 pm
Re: BT SIN 498 Compliance
What about the 8900AX-2400? Is that compliant?
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billion_fan
- Posts: 5377
- Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2011 4:30 pm
Re: BT SIN 498 Compliance
When BT FTTC was engineer install, whether through BT Infinity or one of the many resold services such as Plusnet Fibre or Sky Fibre, the engineer would connect via a supplied BT Openreach modem. That BT modem had to be SIN 498 compliant. This didn't stop thousands of users replacing the modem with an all in one box solution such as a Billion or an Asus.
The only difference now is that BT is no longer supplying the BT Openreach modem, because VDSL has become a wires only service (no engineer required - ship out modem and filters). They have asked their ISPs to provide their own kit, with the stipulation it must have passed BT labs MCT SIN 498.
BT wholesale customers (all their service provider customers) have therefore had to source SIN 498 compliant modems themselves. That doesn't stop you replacing a new SIN 498 compliant Plusnet Fibre modem with a Billion or Asus in the same way it didn't before. Plusnet probably won't support you if you log a problem and then tell them you have a Billion router on the line - but they wouldn't have done so in the past either, unless you had the old Openreach modem connected.
So in effect the situation hasn't changed. You can chose to use a SIN 498 modem if you want, or you can use a non-SIN 498 modem. BT can't physically stop you. Their ISPs may not support your different kit, however I'm sure customers will keep the supplied modem handy like before in case of any line issues.
BT test labs only have the capacity to test around 20 modems a year, and there is a long waiting list.
We are gradually getting all the Billion models in the queue for SIN 498 testing, but none will be done this year.
The only difference now is that BT is no longer supplying the BT Openreach modem, because VDSL has become a wires only service (no engineer required - ship out modem and filters). They have asked their ISPs to provide their own kit, with the stipulation it must have passed BT labs MCT SIN 498.
BT wholesale customers (all their service provider customers) have therefore had to source SIN 498 compliant modems themselves. That doesn't stop you replacing a new SIN 498 compliant Plusnet Fibre modem with a Billion or Asus in the same way it didn't before. Plusnet probably won't support you if you log a problem and then tell them you have a Billion router on the line - but they wouldn't have done so in the past either, unless you had the old Openreach modem connected.
So in effect the situation hasn't changed. You can chose to use a SIN 498 modem if you want, or you can use a non-SIN 498 modem. BT can't physically stop you. Their ISPs may not support your different kit, however I'm sure customers will keep the supplied modem handy like before in case of any line issues.
BT test labs only have the capacity to test around 20 modems a year, and there is a long waiting list.
We are gradually getting all the Billion models in the queue for SIN 498 testing, but none will be done this year.
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gatekeeper
- Posts: 167
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 4:45 pm
Re: BT SIN 498 Compliance
billion_fan,
Simon194 has a point. If, as you're saying, Openreach are requiring open-market VDSL/ADSL2+ modems that are issued by service providers to their customers to be SIN498-compliant - and, generally-speaking, service providers tend to pick, mainly for reasons of cost, fairly mediocre models - then at the very least you'd expect devices such as the Billion 8800NL and the Billion 8900AX-2400 to meet the same standard, or better it. How can anyone possibly say that a given model actually conforms unless it's undergone the test?
I think it's rather disheartening that the 8800NL has not passed SIN498, though that may or may not be because there's been either unwillingness to supply it for testing or simply because it was added to the back of the queue. As for the 8900AX, it seems unlikely that service providers will choose that particular Billion model to supply to their customers, so it may well transpire that the 8900AX might also fail SIN498 - if it's not already been tested and found to be actually conformant.
Note that the UK service provider IDnet offers the 8800NL to its VDSL customers.
Not withstanding the difficulties of scheduling such testing with Openreach or an approved testing agent, I think it behoves Billion to see that all of its currently-purchaseable VDSL2 models do actually comply, plus future ones of course. Perhaps, for expediency reasons, older Billion ADSL-only devices should be exempted. In Openreach's view, this does, after all, represent a minimum acceptable standard of performance.
For those who might be interested in seeing the rationale for SIN498 and what the test procedures involve, have a look at the following:
http://www.sinet.bt.com/sinet/SINs/pdf/498v7p1.pdf
Simon194 has a point. If, as you're saying, Openreach are requiring open-market VDSL/ADSL2+ modems that are issued by service providers to their customers to be SIN498-compliant - and, generally-speaking, service providers tend to pick, mainly for reasons of cost, fairly mediocre models - then at the very least you'd expect devices such as the Billion 8800NL and the Billion 8900AX-2400 to meet the same standard, or better it. How can anyone possibly say that a given model actually conforms unless it's undergone the test?
I think it's rather disheartening that the 8800NL has not passed SIN498, though that may or may not be because there's been either unwillingness to supply it for testing or simply because it was added to the back of the queue. As for the 8900AX, it seems unlikely that service providers will choose that particular Billion model to supply to their customers, so it may well transpire that the 8900AX might also fail SIN498 - if it's not already been tested and found to be actually conformant.
Note that the UK service provider IDnet offers the 8800NL to its VDSL customers.
Not withstanding the difficulties of scheduling such testing with Openreach or an approved testing agent, I think it behoves Billion to see that all of its currently-purchaseable VDSL2 models do actually comply, plus future ones of course. Perhaps, for expediency reasons, older Billion ADSL-only devices should be exempted. In Openreach's view, this does, after all, represent a minimum acceptable standard of performance.
For those who might be interested in seeing the rationale for SIN498 and what the test procedures involve, have a look at the following:
http://www.sinet.bt.com/sinet/SINs/pdf/498v7p1.pdf