Speed...what the heck?

[#1]

I have speed issues.....groan I hear many of you sigh....not another one.  Well, here we go....
Tried the broadband speed tester....67kbps and 69kbps.....methinks there is something afoot.
Try the link to the BT speed tester.....it tells me that my username and details are incorrect, and will not proceed with the test.
Obline fault checker tells me that the interchange is experiencing unusually heavy contention.....BT website says rubbish, everything is operating properly.
What is going on? Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you are my only hope!

[#2]

Just out of interest...tried another broadband speedtester and the results are as follows....
Speed Test Results
Date 09/09/08 22:34:25
Speed Down 125.31 Kbps ( 0.1 Mbps )
Speed Up 370.15 Kbps ( 0.4 Mbps )
Port 8095
Server speedtest1.adslguide.org.uk
Anyone?

[#3]

Have you checked your monthly usage to see if you have exceeded it?

[#4]

I got option 3, 30GB bandwidth.
Last months useage 2.22GB, and not even close to that so far this month.
Dont think its that, but thanks.

[#5]

Ahh slow speeds are horrid aren't they. Are you noticing the speeds being slow at certain times of day or are they like this all the time? Have you noticed your router drop sync much recently? Have a look through James' guide and try some diagnostics if it's contnuing http://community.plus.net/blog/2007/07/02/broadband-speed-faults-how-to-diagnose/

[#6]

Quote from: beefeb

Try the link to the BT speed tester.....it tells me that my username and details are incorrect, and will not proceed with the test.

The BT Speedtester often gives this error message - it basically means its too busy, and it timed out retrieving your details - persistance is the only remedy I'm afraid, something which is particularly hard when you are experienceing such poor speeds.

Quote from: beefeb

Obline fault checker tells me that the interchange is experiencing unusually heavy contention.....BT website says rubbish, everything is operating properly.

Which exchange is it?
If its heavy contention causing the issue, there's little that can be done about it, but if its something else, its worth digging further.
Can you access the stats for your router?
They look something like this, and can be found via the web interface for it. (Location varies dependant on model, but if you post which router you use, somebody will be able to point you in the right direction if you need help)
DSL Status
  Connection Status Connected
  Upstream Rate (Kbps) 832
  Downstream Rate (Kbps) 8128
  US Margin 16
  DS Margin 11
  Modulation GDMT
  LOS Errors 0
  DS Line Attenuation 27
  US Line Attenuation 24
  Path Mode Fast Path

[#7]

Hi Beefeb,
I'm afraid that you've had what's often referred to as a blip on your line.  Basically this means that your router has reconnected with the exchange at a low speed and BT have lowered your IP Profile to a very slow speed, 135Kbps in your case.
This will normally take a couple of days to pick up if your connection remains stable.  I'm afraid it's just a case of waiting.
Here's a link with some more information:
link:speed

[#8]

I also had some issues last night with general lagginess and 'spluttering', Did speedtests, and these were terribly stuttery. Did a bit of gateway hopping, to no real avail.  Browsing was a bit better on one gateway. Looked at the graphs, but sisnt really understand them, but it looked as if gold traffic was experiencing some drops, and I wondered if that was the issue. My router has been losing sync alot more than usual during the past few days, but never really had a low sync event, apart from once where I synced at 1670, rather then the usual 5500 ish.  Put the sync issues down to the terrible weather we have been having in the north west of late, never had this before, but SNR has stayed put at 6.5dB.

[#9]

It probably was down to gold drops, Penfold.
It was Patch Tuesday yesterday

[#10]

Quote from: Jameseh

It probably was down to gold drops, Penfold. It was Patch Tuesday yesterday

Does that mean - and I am guessing here - that if Microsoft get a lot of bugs that Plusnet will
"do things" to the traffic that might cause my router to lose sync?
I don't use many Microsoft products - in fact I'd much prefer to lose a connection to Microsoft than to wait 3 days to get my speed back.

[#11]

Quote

"do things" to the traffic that might cause my router to lose sync?

Nope, this wouldn't cause you to lose sync at all. The gold drops refers to packets travelling across our networks, they are categorised depending on the priority of them. Therefore it doesn't take 3 days for speeds to increase again.

[#12]

Still the same, laggy browsing, and speedtests all over the place. This is the same as what happened a few weeks ago for me, and mysteriously got better. Also my router is resyncing alot more than normal, but sync never goes below 5000, although for some reason BT have me profiled at 4000. Router now resyncs 1-2 times a day, whereas, it used to go forever with no resync (best 66days, avarage around 40ish days). Can anyone provide an explanation. ( I have a filtered faceplace connected to the router via Cat5 cable, to a dedicated ADSL socket upstairs).

[#13]

Hey there, apologies for not reposting, I got called away for 2 days with my work.
Just rechecked my speed.....its as bad as ever....so much so that I cant really use the net, my gaming is non existant!
Jameseh.....is there anything you guys can do to give BT a kick up the a** and get my connection back up to proper speeds, as I am paying for a service that I am not receiving and it is extremely frustrating.

Thanks.
P.S. thanks for the other suggestions guys.

[#14]

Hi beefeb have you raised a fault with us yet?
If not go to https://faults.plus.net/ complete the questions and we'll take it from there.
Post back with the ticket ID and we'll keep an eye on progress.

[#15]

Hi Beefeb,
Like Mark says, you're going to need to raise a fault via that link.
I've just checked your line again this morning, and it looks like your connection has dropped.  That could mean that you've turned it off, or that your problem is connectivity related, rather than being a speed issue.