topic Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed in Broadband

Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Dragon_14 — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 09:24:53 GMT

I am thinking of renewing, but need to know my GMS before I do so, and this figure appears to be deliberately omitted from the renewal offer. Are you not obliged to provide this? Can someone at Plusnet tell me it please? I have been on the chat line and they cannot help. I have found my last introductory email and it is not on there either. Thank you.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

corringham — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 11:17:09 GMT

It seems a bit random as to whether a guaranteed minimum speed is given for a particular line.

They often say the speed will be determined in the first 10 days (or 3 weeks, or month), and then the minimum guaranteed speed will be set to a fraction of that.

I no longer have a Plusnet connection, but the only choice I have (ADSL2+) has a guaranteed minimum download speed of 2.5Mbps, but of course there is no guaranteed minimum speed at all for upload. The guaranteed speed used to be a little higher when I had a connection, but seemed to drop with each renewal.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

DS — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 20:27:07 GMT

@Dragon_14

There is a way to find your Minimum Guaranteed Speed (and if you're like me keep a copy for future reference)

But, you would need to start by borrowing a neighbours address - you're not doing anything wrong - as long as you don't go all the way to the end and order broadband!!!

Go onto the Plusnet site - https://www.plus.net/broadband/fibre-and-phone/ - and click on Find My Deals

Then (being as you're already a customer) use your postcode

But on the next page choose a neighbours house number - don't worry, I won't tell on ya

It should look like this:

Then on that screen simply click on the Package and Speed Details

It'll look like this:

HTH

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Dragon_14 — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 08:39:52 GMT

Thanks - ingenious!

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Dragon_14 — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 08:40:24 GMT

Thanks for your comment.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

mystreet1 — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 14:28:32 GMT

You can also do exactly the same from your PN BB.

Just go to the site and and look for the best deals, but don't select existing customer. Select an address for your postcode.

Same result as above.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Don101 — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:03:18 GMT

So Ive just upgraded to Fibre only, from unlimited fibre and phone. Not changed over yet, but on in my account my speed was given as 36mb estimated. If I upgraded to fibre only it was given as 6mb! I phoned technical to query it, and they checked and said I should get 29 to 39 with fibre only, guaranteed minimum of 27mb. Transferred to upgrade dept. on the phone, who assured me these figures were correct. So I went ahead. just received several emails about my new package, all giving an estimated download of 6 to 6 mb!!. I did exactly what DS said below and checked my neighbors line - 39 to 41mb estimated download speed.

So I did a speed test on my line, guess what 7.03 mb download. I did it twice!!

Maybe plusnet can explain? Or maybe I should cancel before it goes through.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Mustrum — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:08:55 GMT

@Don101 or maybe you have a fault on your line that needs sorting out first.

Whilst you still have a phone, dial 17070 option 2, is the line quiet?

Are you plugged into the Master Socket?

Are you able to log into the router and post the stats - idealy the Help Desk Tab from Advanced/Technical ?

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Don101 — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:43:36 GMT

Thanks. We never use the phone line and have no phone to test it with.

We"ve had line problems before, and plusnet support were very good, both times a bt engineer came out and sorted it. Last time the problem was in the box down the road, the connections were all rusty!

Just not sure why plusnet technical and sales claim we should get 29 to 39 mb, then the paperwork clearly states 6mb ! Which means if I go ahead with that, and thats all I get then its not there problem anymore!

I"ll raise an issue with technical, maybe they can check the line properly and send an engineer if necessary.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

DS — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:50:39 GMT

@Don101 wrote: snipped

So Ive just upgraded to Fibre only, from unlimited fibre and phone. Not changed over yet, but on in my account my speed was given as 36mb estimated.

If you upgraded and then checked what your minimum speed is then there's a likely chance that speed hasn't updated yet

However

Do you mean you've updated to Full Fibre (as in Fibre to the premises - FTTP - which requires an ONT installation) or Faster Fibre (Fibre to the cabinet - FTTC)

If you have moved to the FTTP service then the speed estimate is still showing at the old FTTC speed - don't quote me on this as its been a while, but the minimum speed guarantee uses historic speed results (IIRC from BTw Speedtester) for your line (and as part of my 'testing' that produced the above images, one of my neighbours has never has the internet and he's lived their since he was born and even his address is showing the same speed as mine - we all share the same telegraph pole). I think the minimum speed guarantee is then reset to the newer (higher speed)

@Don101 wrote:

If I upgraded to fibre only it was given as 6mb! I phoned technical to query it, and they checked and said I should get 29 to 39 with fibre only, guaranteed minimum of 27mb.

Fibre only, and I'm saying its FTTP, there are no loses in Fibre Optic (as it uses pulses of light) and thus the length of the line doesn't really matter and you would be set as close (possibly even at the top whack - IDK) to your chosen speed package.

Those speeds quoted don't relate/tally with FULL fibre

@Don101 wrote:
Transferred to upgrade dept. on the phone, who assured me these figures were correct. So I went ahead. just received several emails about my new package, all giving an estimated download of 6 to 6 mb!!. I did exactly what DS said below and checked my neighbors line - 39 to 41mb estimated download speed.
So I did a speed test on my line, guess what 7.03 mb download. I did it twice!!

Maybe plusnet can explain? Or maybe I should cancel before it goes through.

Nope, I'm baffled by the 6mb estimated download, this make no sense unless (as Mustrum is alluding to) you have something not right with the connection and recorded speed results (IF this is what Openreach use) of 6Mbps are somehow being logged, but I very much doubt this

As I've mentioned, the minimum speed guarantees will, for the most part, be referring to FTTC speeds, though as more move (or a forced) on to Fibre All The Way (imho a better marketing ploy) these minimum speeds for thise around us will start to increase

I could of course have this totally wrong.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Mustrum — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 22:12:31 GMT

@DS wrote:

snip

I could of course have this totally wrong.

You are, and are as often, over complicating things.

No FTTP here, just a change from FTTC with phone to Fibre as PN calls SOGEA.

But as PN systems use current line speed for those change figures, and not bother to look at what the line should be supporting, and as faults have not been reported the results are as they are.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Don101 — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 22:15:39 GMT

Thanks for your replies

My "upgrade" is essentially exactly the same as before, but with no phone number. Copper to the box down the road, then fibre.

I was previously given a speed of around 36, and it has been that fast before when I tested it.

If I "upgrade" to fibre only, (same, just no phone number" then its estimated as 6!. I just tested it and im getting 7mb.

I think my copper line is rubbish and they dont want to be responsible for fixing it, so if I agree to a speed of 6 and only get 7, then its no longer ther problem. Thats what I think is happening.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

jab1 — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 22:33:14 GMT

@Don101 If you were getting ~36mb/s immediately prior to an essentially 'flick a switch' change - i.e. no real change to your connection, there is no reason for it to drop to ~7 - in fact I would be, to say the least, extremely suspicious.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Mustrum — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 22:31:47 GMT

@Don101 you have to take some responsibility for this, if your line is not performing as it should then you should report a fault. PN will not know your line is operating slower than it should until you tell them.

In the mean time, they will just use your current line speed as the basis for the new guaranteed minimum.

Even when you spoke to PN they say you should be getting more, so get used to checking your speeds more often, better still log into your router now and then and do something when you see significant synch loss that you clearly have now.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

greygit1 — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 23:06:36 GMT

At which point no contract has been agreed, and there is no "Minimum Guaranteed Speed" (or spoon).

The "i" in the little round circle might give more details.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

DS — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 23:25:37 GMT

Mustrum, I am sorry for over complicating things and that I must be doing this often. It wasn't my intention to annoy anyone.

And its become totally obvious that I misread/misunderstood and I'll just add this, move on, and allow you to continue.

I read upgrade as just that, IMHO moving to fibre only isn't an upgrade. Sorry about how I wrongly understood that.

(and I say that respectfully to the OP - its how I read it)

I did say do you mean you updated, that should have said upgraded but sorry about that too

(I was assuming an upgrade was being based on a speed upgrade/increase, not the loss of phone and I was asking a question)

Where the OP wrote not changed over yet I also assumed the estimated speed of 36mb was pre-upgrade and this estimate was going to increase too. Sorry for misunderstanding.

Regarding the estimated speeds and my IIRC - this was roughly how this was explained to me from Warren Buckley when I dealt directly with him. I don't remember that exact conversation. Sorry for any confusion

In some of my posts I try to lighten the mood as this place isn't how it used to be, Sorry about this too

(or maybe its always been this bad and I didn't notice this prior to 2019)

In my (and I genuinely thought) methods of explaining my reasoning's in simple to understand terms, which I now see can become a chore to read, I was only trying to help. Clearly I'm doing this wrong too and the efforts of my peers are the best way forward for my fellow Plusnet customers.

The explanation of my neighbour never having broadband also served a purpose for future readers, in case they ever thought like I used to. I'm sorry about this too and accept this wasn't required in assisting Don101

And I have forgotten at which point the MGS is altered when the Fibre speed is upgraded / increased.

Anyway, sorry once more Mustrum and sorry to you too Don101. I'll unsubscribe after posting.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Don101 — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 23:50:53 GMT

Thanks again for your replies, incl DS. I"ll raise a support issue and get them to check the line. If I can"t get more than 7mb download I will cancel the "upgrade".

With regards to actually upgrading to "full fibre", we had people digging up all the pavements in Edinburgh for several years and laying fibre optic cables everywhere. We have them all down our street. No idea who owns or uses them. Whenever I put my address in to see what I can get, it"s not full fibre. Plusnet don"t offer it for my address, nor does anyone else as far as I can tell, but I have a plastic tube with a cable in it pocking out of the pavement in front of my house.

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 00:22:39 GMT

@Don101 wrote:

With regards to actually upgrading to "full fibre", we had people digging up all the pavements in Edinburgh for several years and laying fibre optic cables everywhere. We have them all down our street. No idea who owns or uses them.

@Don101 try putting your address in to the Ofcom Broadband Availability Checker

and see whether you get any results for "Ultrafast"

or alternative broadband providers listed after "Networks in your area"

It looks like Openreach have nearly completed installing FTTP across Edinburgh -

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 00:36:08 GMT

@Don101 wrote:

If I can"t get more than 7mb download I will cancel the "upgrade"

I would very much doubt that the "upgrade" could be reversed.

Once Openreach have removed the analogue phone signal from your FTTC connection to "upgrade" to Plusnet 'Fibre' (AKA SoGEA), I'd imagine it would be impossible to have FTTC reinstated since the 5th September 2023 "WLR stop sell"

Re: Guaranteed Minimum Speed

Don101 — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 08:25:59 GMT

Thanks PlanetX, Ive got until the 6th before they remove the phone number. I will check that website.