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How does the hardware affect line speeds?

Bridgebuilder
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎10-09-2012

How does the hardware affect line speeds?

Can anyone explain why line speed appears to be  a lottery?  Last year I had a steady 1.6Mbps. In January BT replaced a main cable nearby and my speed dropped to 1Mbps (and has stayed there). Surely a brand new cable should give some improvement or maintain the existing speed?
My neighbour has 2.6Mbps and so does someone three doors in the other direction (and this guy connects into the same roadside box as me). Am I to believe that the condition of the BT main cable and connections is so variable that there can be a variation of 150% in speed?
Perhaps more to the point can the connections in the roadside box have a disproprtionate effect (this has been suggested when Plusnet connected one of these 2.6 gentlemen..........the suggestion was that the crimped connectins in the roadside box were generally of a poor quality). 
Incidentally, as a new customer, Plusnet have told me my estimated possible line speed is 1Mbps.
Where is this speed measured to; the roadside box? the master socket in my house?
36 REPLIES 36
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
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Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

if you want some diagnostic help please post the information requested here http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,96155.0.html
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
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Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

Can you find the attenuation in the stats reported by your router. That will tell is whether the speed you are getting is reasonable for your line.
Edit: That's one of the things given in the information Jim has requested.
jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)
Bridgebuilder
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎10-09-2012

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

This is where the user loses the will to live. I may be able to obtain the line stats though the Plusnet supplied router (Technicolour) is not listed.
However surely it is possible to answer the technical generalities. Like if you tested every line in a roadside box would there be a variation of 150% between the best and worst?
Also can the connections in the roadside box significantly affect the speed?
also do the line stats simply reflect the effect of any bad connections in the roadside box rather than what is available up to the roadside box?
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
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Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

As a generality, line speed is vastly more likely to be adversely affected by something on your premises than by all other factors.  If you tested the line speeds at a roadside box, they would be all the same except for a small percentage of bad results.  
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

I have added a link  on how to get the stats for the Technicolor 582n here http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,96155.0.html
Bridgebuilder
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎10-09-2012

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

OK. So I follow the instructions:--
Log in to the router using 192.168.1.254...it works.
Login using the router Username and Password; OK take the info off the card that came with the router and I reached the homepage.
Line stats are "to be found in the Broadband connection" from the home page menu. OK, this gives me the page shown in the instructions but............
I have been asked to provide Noise Margin, speed and attentuation(upstream and downstream).
the page I am looking at has Uptime, Bandwidth & data transferred.....definitely not Noise margin etc.
So what am I doing wrong?
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
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Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

Click on View More then click Details (top right corner)  (assuming the page layout is the same as the TG585v8)
David
Bridgebuilder
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎10-09-2012

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

Thanks for reply #4.
so if the line speeds in the box are similar that means I am losing 1.6Mbps compared to my near neighbour who has 2.6Mbps.
So how does one check whether the losses are between the roadside box and the master socket or within the house?
Perhaps the real question is whether Plusnet will show more interest in my line speed than BT used to  (once I am able to provide the line stats).
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

Post the full line stats (the link I gave included the View More part) then connect to the test socket (the link explains it) and report the stats again
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
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Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

Quote from: Bridgebuilder
So how does one check whether the losses are between the roadside box and the master socket or within the house?

One removes the faceplate from the Master Socket thereby disconnecting all the telephone extensions (if your house is wired properly).  Behind the faceplate is another socket called the Test Socket.  You connect your router (via a filter) to that and look to see if your sync rate has changed (once you get to grips with reading the parameters off your router).  There is no point in doing anything else immediately because there are various throttles applied to your connection speed which won't all change straight away if your sync speed improves.  But if it does improve then your problem is in the house.  If it does not then it is on the line (assuming your filter, cable and router are all working correctly).
Bridgebuilder
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎10-09-2012

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

The line stats are;---
Noise margin....SN margin (is this what you want?) 20.0/7.1; Attenuation 29.5/55.0.
Line speed is 0.71Download; 0.32 upload (this is taken from speedtest.net because the link given does not work...programme not reponding)
i will investigate the "test socket" but may have  aproblem because I have an old style master socket (predates the one that you could hardwire into).
adamwalker
Plusnet Help Team
Plusnet Help Team
Posts: 16,871
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Fixes: 221
Registered: ‎27-04-2007

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

@Bridgebuilder
If you do have a test socket available what would be really helpful is to provide a comparative set of line stats, i.e one set where you are connected to the test socket and one where you are not.
If that isn't possible then doing the same but with a set of stats where there is just the router connected to the line (no phones etc) then another with your regular set up could help us identify a problem.
Adam.
If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Adam Walker
 Plusnet Help Team
Bridgebuilder
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎10-09-2012

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

Line stats:---
1)normal connections:
Line attenuation 29.5/54.5
SN margin 20.0/9.6
Speed ping 26, download 0.98, upload 0.34.
2)Connected into the master socket.
Line attenuation 29.5/54.5
SN margin 20.0/6.0
Speed ping 26, download 0.98, upload 0.37
3)connected into master socket with all phones disconnected
Line attenuation 29.5/54.5
SN margin 20.0/6.0
Speed ping 26, download 0.98, upload 0.33
hope this helps.
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
Fixes: 10
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: How does the hardware affect line speeds?

Are those speeds the results of speed tests or the sync speeds?
Results of speed tests take a considerable time to reflect changed line conditions (hours if not days).
What we needed was the sync speeds reported by the router.
jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)