ADSL2 speed drop (19mb to 8mb)

[#1]

Howdy folks,

In the past week our download speed has dropped from it's usual 19mbps to 8mbps. Upload speed remains the same. We only use ethernet & BT DSL checker says 'up to 21mbps'.

DSL Modulation Type: ADSL_2plus
Annex Type:                  Annex A/L
                                      Upstream            Downstream
Current Rate (Kbps)    992                      18999
Max Rate (Kbps)          1256                    18184
SNR Margin (dB)          6.5                        7.8
Line Attenuation (dB)   3                           7
Errors (Pkts)                 0                          0

Look forward to your suggestions. Thanks in advance!

[#2]

Welcome to the forum, @fastfog.

Looking at the router data you have posted, the only question is: are you connected by wifi or ethernet?

Your 'current' and 'max' rates show you are still connected at a very nice high speed, and your reported SNR and attenuation mean you should still be getting around 17.5 down (allowing for overheads).

You must be in the exchange to get those figures.

[#3]

Thanks @jab1. Well spotted yes - the exchange is at the end of our road. Connected by ethernet to the router.

[#4]

OK, that rules out one of the commonest questions then.

I would have suggested running the BT speed check, but that appears to be FUBAR'd at the moment, so how about trying the Thinkbroadband checker?

If that comes back with similar results, check your ethernet cable and connection.

As an aside, do you have a wireless device to see what you get wirelessly, just as another check?

[#5]

Think broadband came back very similar. Just did the speed test on my phone to check from Wi-fi and it was a similar 8mbps.

Only other thing worth mentioning - I played about with the DSL settings around a week ago on the router (curiosity killed the cat!), but have since put them back to ADSL_2plus & Annex A/L. Would that cause some sort of problem?

[#6]

I'm no expert on routers - tend to leave hardware alone, but I would say whatever you did at that time could potentially have caused a problem.

Which router is it, and apart from 'playing around' with it last week, have you got any non-standard settings/configurations on it?

[#7]

Hello @fastfog

I have checked the connection and the speed is showing within estimates on our side. Although our tests aren't picking up an external fault, this does not mean there isn't one and we would need to rule out the following as the cause, you internal wiring, equipment, or wireless.

1) Please plug your router into the test socket with no other devices connected to your phone line. A guide on how to locate your test socket can be fount here; https://community.plus.net/t5/Library/Testing-From-The-Master-Socket/ba-p/1322242.

2) Disconnect and reconnect the cable that goes from the DSL port on the router to your microfilter/master socket making sure it is a snug fit.

3) Also, please make sure there is no damage to the cables.

4) Go to http://speedtest.btwholesale.com and complete the test right to the end.

Please follow the online instructions and put input your telephone number to upload the speeds to the BT servers and please raise a fault online by going to http://faults.plus.net, letting us know when you have completed this. 

[#8]

@SammyM The BT speedtester is, as I mentioned in an earlier post, very unreliable as as a guide to true speeds - I ran one this morning which said I was only getting 2.68Mbps, whilst its' 'running' test reported between 7.8/8.1.

If the test is only to flag to BT, OK, but it is not an accurate representation of speed.

[#9]

Hello @jab1

Thanks for getting back to me. This may be the case, however we would need a wired speed test performed in the test socket with no Wi-Fi devices connected. We ask that BT speed test to be run as it allows a copy of the results be sent to our faults team. However www.speedtest.net can be used once the equipment has been setup in the preferred manner, and an image of the result can be provided to us.