Can anyone advise on my broadband speed issue?

I've had intermittent speed issues with my broadband over the last two
months. I live out in the sticks and my broadband is rated at 512k -
I get typically 480k when things running OK.

About 2 months ago I suddenly had periods of reduced speed - typically
30k or less. Having tested from my (old BT style) master socket, with
different PCs/filters/cables I concluded it must be the wiring
somewhere in the house.

The setup is as follows:
Master Socket--->Extension Socket 1-->Estension Socket 2-->Modem

The first extension is hard-wired from inside the master socket
(legacy of the past occupants). Extension 2 is hard wired from inside
of extension socket 1.

To cut a long story short I have now replaced all the sockets (inc.
the master socket with like), all the cables and all the extension
sockets. For a couple of weeks all has been fine... but after a
couple of days off-line I'm suddenly back to 30k again.

If I connect directly to the master socket - and importantly
disconnect the extension - I get 480k. Otherwise, I get ~30k at
extension 2 and ~80k at extension 1. Throughout voice has been
fine.

Is there something I am missing?? This is driving me nuts, I find
myself slowly coming around to my wife's theory that mice are chewing
the cables.

Any help much appreciated.

Mev

On 21-Aug-2007, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

> If I connect directly to the master socket - and importantly
> disconnect the extension - I get 480k. Otherwise, I get ~30k at
> extension 2 and ~80k at extension 1. Throughout voice has been
> fine.
> Is there something I am missing??

Yours is not an ideal configuration. Best seems to be an ADSL
filter at the master socket, where the incoming line terminates
at the BT provided termination unit. Then the phone extensions
run from the phone socket, and a separate line goes to the
ADSL socket. The ADSL socket can be a BT style one with
a BT plug to RJ11 lead to feed the modem/router.

I use a short RJ11 to BT plug which plugs into a BT style
slave box adjacent to the incoming BT box. At the modem
end another BT slave (no capacitor) box, and a BT plug to
RJ11 lead.

That way any impedance changes on the phone side should
be fairly isolated from the ADSL side by the ADSL filter. With
nothing in shunt, only a direct electrical connection from the
filters ADSL RJ11 to the modems RJ11.

A note on wiring if needs be you can use one wire as a draw
wire for two more, one for phones, one for ADSL, thus keeping
the circuits separate. For the ADSL use twisted pair such
as CAT5. Less satisfactory is phones and ADSL in the same
cable on separate pairs.

On 21 Aug, 00:22, my3...@hotmail.com wrote:
> I've had intermittent speed issues with my broadband over the last two
> months. I live out in the sticks and my broadband is rated at 512k -
> I get typically 480k when things running OK.
>
> About 2 months ago I suddenly had periods of reduced speed - typically
> 30k or less. Having tested from my (old BT style) master socket, with
> different PCs/filters/cables I concluded it must be the wiring
> somewhere in the house.
>
> The setup is as follows:
> Master Socket--->Extension Socket 1-->Estension Socket 2-->Modem
>
> The first extension is hard-wired from inside the master socket
> (legacy of the past occupants). Extension 2 is hard wired from inside
> of extension socket 1.
>
> To cut a long story short I have now replaced all the sockets (inc.
> the master socket with like), all the cables and all the extension
> sockets. For a couple of weeks all has been fine... but after a
> couple of days off-line I'm suddenly back to 30k again.
>
> If I connect directly to the master socket - and importantly
> disconnect the extension - I get 480k. Otherwise, I get ~30k at
> extension 2 and ~80k at extension 1. Throughout voice has been
> fine.
>
> Is there something I am missing?? This is driving me nuts, I find
> myself slowly coming around to my wife's theory that mice are chewing
> the cables.
>
> Any help much appreciated.
>
> Mev

I have 6 phone sockets in the house, all working. I have 3 phones
coneccted permenatly but only using two bt filtes. The speeds i get
are .. 2784,1865,1760,1472,1600,1408 Kbps downstream. The fasterest
socket has a BT logo on it. Each socket's speed changes slightly
everytime i get connected to BB. Aol said i sould be getting 4Mbps but
1.9Mbps was the best. It must be the lngth of these cables.

"legacy from my past occupants"

On 21 Aug, 13:05, john smile <johnsmile...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On 21 Aug, 00:22, my3...@hotmail.com wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > I've had intermittent speed issues with my broadband over the last two
> > months. I live out in the sticks and my broadband is rated at 512k -
> > I get typically 480k when things running OK.
>
> > About 2 months ago I suddenly had periods of reduced speed - typically
> > 30k or less. Having tested from my (old BT style) master socket, with
> > different PCs/filters/cables I concluded it must be the wiring
> > somewhere in the house.
>
> > The setup is as follows:
> > Master Socket--->Extension Socket 1-->Estension Socket 2-->Modem
>
> > The first extension is hard-wired from inside the master socket
> > (legacy of the past occupants). Extension 2 is hard wired from inside
> > of extension socket 1.
>
> > To cut a long story short I have now replaced all the sockets (inc.
> > the master socket with like), all the cables and all the extension
> > sockets. For a couple of weeks all has been fine... but after a
> > couple of days off-line I'm suddenly back to 30k again.
>
> > If I connect directly to the master socket - and importantly
> > disconnect the extension - I get 480k. Otherwise, I get ~30k at
> > extension 2 and ~80k at extension 1. Throughout voice has been
> > fine.
>
> > Is there something I am missing?? This is driving me nuts, I find
> > myself slowly coming around to my wife's theory that mice are chewing
> > the cables.
>
> > Any help much appreciated.
>
> > Mev
>
> I have 6 phone sockets in the house, all working. I have 3 phones
> coneccted permenatly but only using two bt filtes. The speeds i get
> are .. 2784,1865,1760,1472,1600,1408 Kbps downstream. The fasterest
> socket has a BT logo on it. Each socket's speed changes slightly
> everytime i get connected to BB. Aol said i sould be getting 4Mbps but
> 1.9Mbps was the best. It must be the lngth of these cables.
>
> "legacy from my past occupants"- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Thanks for your replies. I'll follow up your suggestions. What I
don't understand though is why it would go from 480k to <30k
overnight???

Could an issue on the BT side of my master socket display these
symptoms? (e.g. the old wire that runs out and up the side of my
house and up to the bracket that supports the telephone wire). Or is
this definitely an internal issue?

cheers

Mev

> Thanks for your replies. I'll follow up your suggestions. What I
> don't understand though is why it would go from 480k to <30k
> overnight???
>
> Could an issue on the BT side of my master socket display these
> symptoms? (e.g. the old wire that runs out and up the side of my
> house and up to the bracket that supports the telephone wire). Or is
> this definitely an internal issue?
>
> cheers
>
> Mev


Have you got a 'new type' BT Master Socket - the NTE5?
http://www.austin-taylor.co.uk/pages/nte5.htm

Are all your Secondary Sockets - Slave/Extension sockets?

Steve

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> On 21 Aug, 13:05, john smile <johnsmile...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> On 21 Aug, 00:22, my3...@hotmail.com wrote:

> Could an issue on the BT side of my master socket display these
> symptoms? (e.g. the old wire that runs out and up the side of my
> house and up to the bracket that supports the telephone wire). Or
> is this definitely an internal issue?

I'm afraid both are possible.

> Have you got a 'new type' BT Master Socket - the NTE5?http://www.austin-taylor.co.uk/pages/nte5.htm

No. Old style BT.

> Are all your Secondary Sockets - Slave/Extension sockets?
>
> Steve

Yes.

The issue appears to be primarily caused by the fact that my first
extension is hard-wired from the *back* of my (old style) BT master
socket. Even when nothing is plugged into the sockets elsewhere on
this extension, and my modem is plugged into the front of the master,
I'm getting ~30k.

However, disconnect the extension from the back and connect my modem
to the front of the master = 480k. Any suggestions as to why this
would be??

Can I just ring up BT and ask them to replace my old-tyle socket with
a new one?Would I have to pay for this?

Thanks for your help

Mev

On 24-Aug-2007, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

> Can I just ring up BT and ask them to replace my old-tyle socket with
> a new one?Would I have to pay for this?

Naughty, but it's only 2 wires, and there is an eBay listing
of NTE5's with moulded BT logo, for a fiver. If needed a
plastic IDC tool won't break the bank.
As to your problem,. the hard wired extension may be
doing something funny with the ring capacitor line, or
the extension device may present an excessive load.
I found an outside mechanical ringer pretty well kills the
ADSL speed.
If rewiring to an NTE5 the only important thing is to
preserve the A & B wire order, if at any time BT
were to query how there is no record of an NTE5 say
two guys came last time and his mate fitted it, it
probably just didn't get recorded. I know nothing,
I'm just a simple woodcutter.