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Another reduced speed query

uren1980
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Registered: ‎28-10-2009

Another reduced speed query

Hello
Since I had broadband I have had about a 2MBit connection, probably due to the distance (I live on one side of cheltenham, the exchange is on the other). This seemed ok with the odd disconnection, while annoying, we just worked around. Now since 7pm last night I have had sync speeds of somewhere between 1MBit and 2MBit. I usually sync at 2600 to 3000 but profiled down to 2MBit (as I would expect). The only thing I have noticed is that my SNR is now 16db instead of 9 or 9.5db. Is there anything I can do get my 2MBit back. I can give stats (I run routerstats constantly, logging my connection stats) if required (that's why I knew when my problems started).
Now I was just going to post the above but I just read "I'd hope to see something like the attached". (And the attched picture showed a smooth SNR graph). Now my SNR graph contains many many drops (I just counted 9 greater than 3db drops in an hour graph) and I'm wondering if I have a line fault. Now I only have a DECT phone (No corded phone, sorry) and did a BT quiet line test but if I was to hear any crackle or hiss, there was hiss but it was very faint with my DECT phone volume on full. I don't trust that as the DECT phone could be causing the hiss. I'm buying a corded phone tonight to check again later on. I have even changed routerstats to check at 5 second intervals with a phone on my shoulder to see if I can hear anything but so far no luck. If I can't hear any problems, then BT won't hear anything and will charge for the visit if I get them in.
Now at the moment I am getting 1MBit which, for me, is not good enough to do the things I like to do (I did a good piece of university work on IPlayer and ITVPlayer so you can see what I like to do with my connection).
What I want is the fastest broadband available on my line... and I know that 1MBit is not the fastest it could be.
Can someone help?
21 REPLIES 21
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: Another reduced speed query

Hi there,
only just spotted your post. If you use the Reply button when replying (rather than Quick reply), then below the box you'll see an Additional options button. You can browse to the folder where you've saved any pictures, etc  and then attach them to you post.
Well you seem to be doing all the right kind of checks, and it's always best to double check your phone line for noise with a corded phone but it sounds like the very faint hiss is fine. Keep checking the line for crackles and other intermittent noises though.
Here's a tip for when you're doing further tests -  When you need to swap things around for testing, powerdown your modem/router and wait several minutes before unplugging anything that disconnects it from the line eg. it's cable, the filter, master faceplate etc. Don't do this more than 5 times in an hour, and then leave it alone for the rest of the day. This is to help prevent the exchange DLM from thinking you have an intermittent line problem.
If you can post the full ADSL line stats from your modem/router (sync, attenuation, SNRM, power - down & up) and a RouterStats Noise Margin Graph or 2, we'll see what other advice could be given.
Chris
Legend
Posts: 17,724
Thanks: 600
Fixes: 169
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Another reduced speed query

Ouch, I've just ran a quick line test and you're now connected at less than 500k which in turn has given you a profile of 350. I'd suggest making sure you are plugged into the master socket and then raise a fault to us at http://faults.plus.net if your sync speed hasn't improved then.
Former Plusnet Staff member. Posts after 31st Jan 2020 are not on behalf of Plusnet.
whitehead14
Dabbler
Posts: 11
Registered: ‎14-08-2009

Re: Another reduced speed query

Is it true of all broadband companies that when you first sign up they allow fast as possible access, then after a while you are downgraded to a slower speed to allow new users faster speeds?

If I were to take out a savings account and six months later check out the interest its paying I would find that its paying a lot less than the new accounts. I suppose this idea would have been ridiculous when it first started happening, now its the norm.
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: Another reduced speed query

No it's not, your suggestion is ridiculous.
uren1980
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Registered: ‎28-10-2009

Re: Another reduced speed query

Ok, firstly thank you Chris for looking at my line. This is another problem, I occasionally get syncs at 500k-ish and the usual profile problems for a few days.
Now I've got a proper corded phone(£4.50 from Argos) and can't hear any crackles on the line but I do hear a little hiss on the line. I'm not sure if that's a fault or not. I do get about 3 reconnections a day, so I have to keep my eye on the sync speed to make sure that my time on 500k or less is as short as possible.
On the whole master socket front, I have none. I live in a flat that was built a few years ago (2005) and all the phone sockets (I have four) are silver sockets (like the light switches) and none are BT style master sockets. I would be testing from the master if I had one. I suspect that the master socket is outside the flat.
On the powerdown problem. To check the line I plugged an old BT Voyager 2110 router to the line. Now that crashes while plugged in (even with 3.30r firmware) and is unusable after about 30 minutes (I'm suspecting that the line . In trying to see if I could improve my time on the voyager, I did keep restarting it so some restarts recently are from that.
Current stats from router:
Uptime: 0 days, 0:06:22
DSL Type: G.992.1 annex A
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 448 / 1,888
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [kB/kB]: 0.00 / 0.00
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 11.5 / 17.5
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 26.0 / 42.0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 22.0 / 15.5
Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / ALCB
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): 0
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 1 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 39,393
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 114
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 25
I'm noting the SN Margin number (It used to be 9-10db, now it's 15-17db). I don't have routerstats for when the 500k bit happened.
I have picked a point when I am not in the house as an example of my routerstats output. I will point out that this is at 5 second sampling of router. (First Pic, ...1930.jpg)
The second pic is when the router was sampled at default routerstats rate. Same day. (...0845.jpg). Again, I was out of the house at the time.
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: Another reduced speed query

There is something behaving very intermittently there. On RouterStats graph setup I'd change the plotting to every 8 secs and 900 points per page which is 2 hrs per graph and should give a better overview (also set ramp mode).
Keep checking that phone line. If you don't hear anything crackling when those dips are happening then you're going to need to do some checks.
That very faint hiss shouldn't be a problem.
If you don't here any crackles, then powerdown so you can try another filter, but whilst you are powered down, unscrew each of your phone face-plates and have a look behind. One should have a yellow sausage shaped capacitor and two other components, a surge arrestor & a resistor, the others should not. Also note the colour of the wires on each terminal and the number of the terminal and how many wires on each terminal.
The one with the capacitor is the master, but try the master after the filter swap if the problem carries on, unless you happen to be using it already!
Only swap one thing at a time, otherwise you won't know which the cause was if it goes away.
If still no luck, borrow another modem/router if your voyager won't behave. PN can lend you one if you can't borrow one from a friend.
uren1980
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Registered: ‎28-10-2009

Re: Another reduced speed query

Did what "anotherone" said. I have changed my routerstats preferences accordingly and here is 2 hours of internet stats. At 19.18 there is a dropout because I changed splitter, which has dropped my sync rate slightly but the rest has been left alone. I have done some quiet line tests but still can't hear anything.
uren1980
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Registered: ‎28-10-2009

Re: Another reduced speed query

Today's situation. Had a night of constant sync at 1800-ish so BT profile now at 1500k. It's a lot better than 350k but I'm still pining for the 2MBit days.
If someone at Plusnet could kick my profile to 1500k it would be appreciated.
Noise graph still strange. Will continue to monitor situation.
Any suggestions gratefully appreciated.
Noise graph of last two hours posted.
uren1980
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Registered: ‎28-10-2009

Re: Another reduced speed query

Have made some progress. I have found the BT master socket (I am assuming that a large yellow thing marked "C" and looked like a capacitor marked the master socket) and have plugged the router to that socket. Immediate improvement on sync speed  I am now on 2048k instead of 1700-1800. I am now rejigging my network to keep everything like it was. Might take a bit but I hope this is a bit better. I am tempted to mark master on the socket to inform future residents. Now my next problem is that for a brief second I synced at 900k or something and my profile has dropped accordingly. BT's blip logic doesn't work on my line so I'm on 750k profile for a bit.
Anyway, If the line improves then I will ask to see if my SNR target can be dropped.
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: Another reduced speed query

I'm afraid with all those drops still, the Target SNRM is highly unlikely to change or be changed.
The reason for asking you to look at and report about your wiring was because you don't have an NTE5a Master Linebox, your wiring can't be isolated and so eliminated as a major factor in your problems which I believe it is. Again I'll remind you about powering down when you want to disconnect or swap or reboot etc. otherwise the exchange Dynamic Line Management will continue to think you have a more severe problem as I mentioned in reply #1.
Another thing worth a mention here is when/if you need to powerdown disconnect/reboot, try to do it between 0900 -1430 when noise levels should be lower, and you then may get a better sync speed.
uren1980
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Registered: ‎28-10-2009

Re: Another reduced speed query

Ok, Anotherone, you're right that I haven't got a NTE5 master socket but I have found the master socket, the big capacitor did help in that respect. At this point, I CAN eliminate the internal wiring and I believe that although it may not be the cause of the problems, using the master socket makes the problem not so severe. As an example, I have posted the last two hours. The SNR drops are less frequent and, so far, haven't caused a drop of the connection. 10 hours without a drop is usually unheard of in this house, at 15db or 9db target SNR. My sync rate has increased (as I have posted before), and I am just waiting for my BT profile to go back up, and it should be 1500k as well. Now all I would like is to at least try 9db SNR again and see if my connection is still stable. If that can't be done, I'm sure you can have the line reset to the training period (as I have maximised the connection and know what filter to use and in which socket, oh the joys of investigating a rubbish phoneline installation), this may be advantageous and BT's computers can do the SNR margin calculations. To be more scientific, I shall post an evening SNR graph this evening for comparitive purposes.
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: Another reduced speed query

I'm afraid just plugging into the maser when you don't have a test socket, where the rest of the wiring becomes disconnected, does NOT eliminate the internal wiring - because it's still connected. That's why I asked for the colours of the wires connected to each terminal identified by number and how many wires on each terminal - at every socket. Then you could be given some more advice - which is more likely to have a significant effect.
If you have a digital camera, a clear photo of the wiring at the back of the master would be a great help.
uren1980
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Registered: ‎28-10-2009

Re: Another reduced speed query

I had already taken a picture, it's not the best quality as it's the only camera I have and since it is a little better, I dare not fiddle again for a bit but here is the picture.
uren1980
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Registered: ‎28-10-2009

Re: Another reduced speed query

As promised, an evening graph.