Slow speed on BT Broadband

I've been a BT Broadband user for a year or two and have been
reasonably happy with the speed. Since installing my new (much faster)
PC I haven't done any tests until today. But with symptoms of sluggish
downloads I just went to http://www.testmy.net/d_load.php and got a
consistent rating over several tests of only 0.8 Mbps.

Am I right that I should expect 3-4 Mbps? Any advice on practical
steps I should take to isolate the cause and get it fixed would be
appreciated please.

(Just checked speed of the Pipex Broadband connection my wife uses,
with same tests, and that was 2.1 Mbps.)

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Terry Pinnell wrote:

> I've been a BT Broadband user for a year or two and have been
> reasonably happy with the speed. Since installing my new (much faster)
> PC I haven't done any tests until today. But with symptoms of sluggish
> downloads I just went to http://www.testmy.net/d_load.php and got a
> consistent rating over several tests of only 0.8 Mbps.
>
> Am I right that I should expect 3-4 Mbps? Any advice on practical
> steps I should take to isolate the cause and get it fixed would be
> appreciated please.
>
> (Just checked speed of the Pipex Broadband connection my wife uses,
> with same tests, and that was 2.1 Mbps.)

Well, if you insist on using SHIT ISPs (both of them) what do you expect ?

I get > 6Mbps day in day out.

Graham

Terry Pinnell wrote:

> (Just checked speed of the Pipex Broadband connection my wife uses,
> with same tests, and that was 2.1 Mbps.)

http://www.speedtest.bbmax.co.uk/res...6221&v=4426374

100% predictable and probably only costs a few more folding per month than
yours does.

ISP ? Idnet. One of the very best in the UK. Maybe even THE best. NO
Indian call centres, totally British staff who know what they're talking
about you can call on an free 0800 number. Faults ? What faults ? If you
do get one it's rare it takes more than 2 hours before it's sorted wheras
Tiscali (Pipex) will hapilly take 2 MONTHS like they did with my
neighbour.

Fancy trying it ? There's no migration cost and just a one month contract.
They work on the basis that the best way to keep customers is to provide a
top-notch service instead of tying them into nasty contracts.

Email me on the address in my headers, move to Idnet mentioning my details
and we both get a £10 pressie.

Graham

> > Am I right that I should expect 3-4 Mbps? Any advice on practical
> > steps I should take to isolate the cause and get it fixed would be
> > appreciated please.

As you are with BT use BT's speedtester.
Look in your routers control panel to determine your sync
speed, attenuation and SNR (Signal Noise Ratio).
Try the same speedtest with all phones stuff and
ADSL filter removed, plugging straight into BT's
master incoming line jack. Which will give the
fastest sync speed for the line and modem
combination.
Take the same measurements with and without
the phones and compare.
I trust that there is no long extension wiring
or other fancy wiring of phones, extensions,
fax machines, caller ID units, extesion ringers
involved, and that if you have extension wiring
it isn't running parallel to mains wiring, and that
your above quoted speed doesn't involve a
wirelees link to your router.
Report back, so we can comment on the
results of your tests.

> I've been a BT Broadband user for a year or two and have been
> reasonably happy with the speed. Since installing my new (much faster)
> PC I haven't done any tests until today. But with symptoms of sluggish
> downloads I just went to http://www.testmy.net/d_load.php and got a
> consistent rating over several tests of only 0.8 Mbps.
>
> Am I right that I should expect 3-4 Mbps? Any advice on practical
> steps I should take to isolate the cause and get it fixed would be
> appreciated please.
>
> (Just checked speed of the Pipex Broadband connection my wife uses,
> with same tests, and that was 2.1 Mbps.)

The speed you get depends on a variety of factors such as the line length
and how noisy the line is. All sorts of other factors can mak a significant
difference. The first thing to do is to check the wiring and equipment.

This is a good place to start and explains the basic steps.

http://www.dslzoneuk.net/socket.php

Follow the steps carefully and if need be make the changes. Any suggestion
that just changing ISP is a cure for all broadband ills is ludicrous and
should be ignored.

Peter Crosland

Peter Crosland wrote:

> Follow the steps carefully and if need be make the changes. Any suggestion
> that just changing ISP is a cure for all broadband ills is ludicrous and
> should be ignored.

Naturally. The likes of BT don't score badly at all - it's just a conspiracy.

Graham

On Thursday 05 June 2008 8:15 pm, in MID <(E-Mail Removed)>,
Eeyore ((E-Mail Removed)) wrote:
> Terry Pinnell wrote:

>> I've been a BT Broadband user for a year or two and have been
>> reasonably happy with the speed. Since installing my new (much faster)
>> PC I haven't done any tests until today. But with symptoms of sluggish
>> downloads I just went to http://www.testmy.net/d_load.php and got a
>> consistent rating over several tests of only 0.8 Mbps.

That test site consistently give me results of about half (or worse) the
speed that I get from other speedtest sites, and from real-world downloads.

>> Am I right that I should expect 3-4 Mbps?

Who knows ?

>> Any advice on practical
>> steps I should take to isolate the cause and get it fixed would be
>> appreciated please.

What's your sync speed ?

>> (Just checked speed of the Pipex Broadband connection my wife uses,
>> with same tests, and that was 2.1 Mbps.)
>
> Well, if you insist on using SHIT ISPs (both of them) what do you expect ?
>
> I get > 6Mbps day in day out.

Me too.

http://www.speedtest.bbmax.co.uk/res...1329&v=4427220

--
Ian...

Eeyore <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
>
>Terry Pinnell wrote:
>
>> (Just checked speed of the Pipex Broadband connection my wife uses,
>> with same tests, and that was 2.1 Mbps.)
>
>http://www.speedtest.bbmax.co.uk/res...6221&v=4426374
>
>100% predictable and probably only costs a few more folding per month than
>yours does.
>
>ISP ? Idnet. One of the very best in the UK. Maybe even THE best. NO
>Indian call centres, totally British staff who know what they're talking
>about you can call on an free 0800 number. Faults ? What faults ? If you
>do get one it's rare it takes more than 2 hours before it's sorted wheras
>Tiscali (Pipex) will hapilly take 2 MONTHS like they did with my
>neighbour.
>
>Fancy trying it ? There's no migration cost and just a one month contract.
>They work on the basis that the best way to keep customers is to provide a
>top-notch service instead of tying them into nasty contracts.
>
>Email me on the address in my headers, move to Idnet mentioning my details
>and we both get a £10 pressie.
>
>Graham

Graham: Thanks. That test reported a very great improvement, to 3.4
Mbps download and 381 Kbps upload. I'm not averse to changing ISP as a
last resort, but I'd like to avoid the hassle if at all possible. So
I'll first do some more research and experimenting.

Peter: Thanks. Will study that as suggested.

---------

Just had a long conversation with BT Support, a pleasant and patient
chap in India. But although he is convinced from tests we conducted
together that I am "getting 4.4 Mbps; and that would be 6 Mbps if you
moved the Prestige router to your main phone socket downstairs", I am
so far unable to square that with *my* tests. The only test he appears
to regard as authentic/reliable is the one at
http://www.speedtester.bt.com/
I found that myself before phoning BT, but it fThat failed to work for
me. And during my phone session, on repeating the attempt I get a
message that I must wait 3 hours! Not a very useful test IMO.

BTW, in case it has any bearing, although I have successfully had a
Remote Assistance session with BT two months ago from this PC (over a
username/password issue) unfortunately it failed to work tonight.

Any further help would be welcomed, as I'm rather out of my depth on
this stuff.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

> Graham: Thanks. That test reported a very great improvement, to 3.4
> Mbps download and 381 Kbps upload. I'm not averse to changing ISP as a
> last resort, but I'd like to avoid the hassle if at all possible. So
> I'll first do some more research and experimenting.
>
> Peter: Thanks. Will study that as suggested.
>
> ---------
>
> Just had a long conversation with BT Support, a pleasant and patient
> chap in India. But although he is convinced from tests we conducted
> together that I am "getting 4.4 Mbps; and that would be 6 Mbps if you
> moved the Prestige router to your main phone socket downstairs", I am
> so far unable to square that with *my* tests. The only test he appears
> to regard as authentic/reliable is the one at
> http://www.speedtester.bt.com/
> I found that myself before phoning BT, but it fThat failed to work for
> me. And during my phone session, on repeating the attempt I get a
> message that I must wait 3 hours! Not a very useful test IMO.

The BT test is very specific and is intended to establish if the speed
problem is in the BT part of the network. For most other purposes it is, as
you have found out, useless. This is a much more useful tester

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html

Remember that the test results are only a snapshot at the time of the test.
A test at a busy time may not give a true picture of the line speed.

In order to eliminate any wiring faults it is normal to conduct the tests
using the test socket behind the reoveable faceplate but that does NOT
guarantee an increase in speed.

> BTW, in case it has any bearing, although I have successfully had a
> Remote Assistance session with BT two months ago from this PC (over a
> username/password issue) unfortunately it failed to work tonight.
>
> Any further help would be welcomed, as I'm rather out of my depth on
> this stuff.

Be aware that changing ISP is a very last resort and quite pointless unless,
and until, you have eliminated any hardware/wiring issues. Also remember
that unless you move to a cable ISP the line to the exchange will be the
same regardless of which ISP you use though some ISPs have their own
equipment in the exchange. However, you do need to do the basic things
first!

Peter Crosland

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>
>> > Am I right that I should expect 3-4 Mbps? Any advice on practical
>> > steps I should take to isolate the cause and get it fixed would be
>> > appreciated please.
>
>As you are with BT use BT's speedtester.
>Look in your routers control panel to determine your sync
>speed, attenuation and SNR (Signal Noise Ratio).
>Try the same speedtest with all phones stuff and
>ADSL filter removed, plugging straight into BT's
>master incoming line jack. Which will give the
>fastest sync speed for the line and modem
>combination.
>Take the same measurements with and without
>the phones and compare.
>I trust that there is no long extension wiring
>or other fancy wiring of phones, extensions,
>fax machines, caller ID units, extesion ringers
>involved, and that if you have extension wiring
>it isn't running parallel to mains wiring, and that
>your above quoted speed doesn't involve a
>wirelees link to your router.
>Report back, so we can comment on the
>results of your tests.

Thanks a lot, very helpful. I'll experiment along those lines and
report back.

The Prestige 600 Series router is connected by cable to my PC and the
phone extension socket here upstairs in my office. The master incoming
socket is downstairs. The connecting cable doesn't run closely to the
mains as far as I know.

I take it from your suggestion that the broadband connection will work
if I remove the ADSL filter, Is it just the voice line that will
suffer?

See also my later reply when I reported my discussion with BT, and the
failure of the BT speedtester. I'm unable to try it again yet, because
of the inflexible 3 hour wait ;-(

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK