My IP Profile has dropped. Is this normal?

[#1]

It's changed because of an unexpected event!
(but no-one expects the Spanish Inquisition!  )

[#2]

Your lucky your profile has only dropped a little, mine has dropped from 7000 to 500 (see below)
Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    IP profile for your line is - 500 kbps
    DSL connection rate: 448 kbps(UP-STREAM)  5568 kbps(DOWN-STREAM)
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 437 kbps
Also my sync rate has dropped from 7100 to 5568, this time last year I had a problem where my sync rate dropped from 7100 to 5000, it slowed my Broadband down but nothing noticable,  I phoned plus.net who got BT out the following day who switched me to a different pair, which solved the problem.
Now I've got the problem back again but the broadband is running at a sluggish speed as you can see from the results above, I've been told by plus.net that I will need to wait 48 hours to see an improvement, then I was told I had to wait 72 hours, then tonight I get an email saying:
Dear Mr Waite,
Max is a dynamic system and as such your speed will change from time to time. The new speed can be anything between 400Kbps and 8000Kbps. We have no control over this speed and can do nothing to increase it.
There is little that we can do to increase a profile, the important thing you need to understand is what your modem or router is picking the line speed up at. It is this speed that the exchange uses to set the profile.
You can do the following to try to get the speed increased again though.
1, Use the master socket in your property and not an extension lead.
2, Re-boot your router or modem once a day to force the line to re-sync. This can sometimes get the exchange to re-evaluate your line profile but make sure it is only once a day and not multiple times a day as that can cause the line speed to drop.
The updates happen every 5 - 7 days and there is no guarantee that the speed will increase if and when we receive an updated profile.
I can understand your frustration in this issue.
Kind regards,
link:csa removed
I feel that I am just being fobbed off, not once have Plus.net offered to test my line, I am just being told to wait the most frustrating thing is the only reason I am still paying for plus.net and not jumped ship to a free broadband provider is that when I need support I was hoping that I would receive a fast and efficient service. Seems I was wrong!
Moderators note by Roger (rogerloxton) Customer services Agent name removed as per the link:rules

[#3]

Edit: Advice removed as none is being sought. 

[#4]

Has the way BT operate ADSL Max changed since May 2007, as I cant understand why plus.net got BT out and found the fault and rectified it within 18 hours last May, this time I have been told I have to wait 5 - 7 days to see if my profile changes and from the email I recieved it basically implies that if the profile doesnt change I've just got to accept that.
Why are plus.net telling me different things I've been told to wait 48 hours, then 72 hours and now I am being told that profiles are updated every 5 - 7 days, what will I be told next that I have to wait 30 days, why are plus.net now so afraid of getting BT out to investigate my Sync problem when this time last year they came out in less than 18 hours?
When I've investigated problems with other customers broadband ISP's such as Talktalk are able to adjust the customers profile whilst I'm speaking to them, why cant plus.net after all plus.net are owned by BT.
I have tried plugging the router into a different filter and plugged that into the test socket but still no change, I have also tried my spare router which gave the same results, so that pretty much rules out a problem with my wiring and equiptment.

[#5]

If you just want to rant I suggest you start your own thread and NOT hijack Jessica's. 

[#6]

I agree with that sentiment, there seem to be a lot of people at this moment ranting about speeds, but earlier on I did post a similar problem to Jessicas and got not a glimmer of recognition.  Yesterday I switched off my router and back on several hours later, the BT speed went up from 6000 to 8000, no other changes made by me, CSC had told me thats what it is go away.  My reason for trying the switch of was that I had changed to channel 3 from my long term 6, I had hoped that  iwould go to another channel, no I stayed on 3, also I was still on the same gateway.  OH well, what ever will be will be, lets see what happens in the next three days.

[#7]

Quote from: waitenet

Why are plus.net telling me different things I've been told to wait 48 hours, then 72 hours and now I am being told that profiles are updated every 5 - 7 days, what will I be told next that I have to wait 30 days, why are plus.net now so afraid of getting BT out to investigate my Sync problem when this time last year they came out in less than 18 hours?

I don't really know what the support person was thinking and gave a response that may be interpreted as a fob off.  Changes of the IP Profile take 3 to 5 days after a sustainable upward increase in sync speed.  A downward resync on the other hand will within 10-75 minutes or so change your profile too (downwards of course).

Quote from: waitenet

I have tried plugging the router into a different filter and plugged that into the test socket but still no change, I have also tried my spare router which gave the same results, so that pretty much rules out a problem with my wiring and equiptment.

You do not say if you have tried a different filter?  Filters which have deteriorated are the most usual cause of a lower sync speed.

[#8]

Yes, I have changed the filters twice.
Sorry Jessica for hijacking your thread (as HP Sauce has said) it wasnt my intention to carry on like this I will start a thread of my own.

[#9]

Mine speed dropped today - hugely.
This was because my noise margin went from its normal 6dB to 24dB!
Because I have a netgear router (DG834GT) this is correctable by a couple of command line commands.
(Available on request).
I was synced at about 8032kbps, when things went sour this dropped to 1760kbps.
I will await the BT profile...

[#10]

If you're lucky "blip logic" will mean it's ignored. If not, 3 days of sloth await.

[#11]

I don't think that 'blip logic' is used any more.  Read about "Adaptive Max Logic" here: http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/IPprofile.htm

[#12]

Quote from: waitenet

Yes, I have changed the filters twice.

Hmm, could it be that BT switched your card at the DSLAM and put you back at the old card/line?  Worth checking with BT directly if they were doing some work at your exchange when your speed profile dropped.

Quote from: waitenet

Sorry Jessica for hijacking your thread (as HP Sauce has said) it wasnt my intention to carry on like this I will start a thread of my own.

Well, it's not too much of a hijack anyway - it is on the same topic at least?

[#13]

Over the past 2 weeks my sync dropped to 7000 on 3 occasions I used the DMT progarm to bring it back up to 8120. 
Its been rock steady all this week.
would you like the link?
puddy

[#14]

Quote from: waitenet

Has the way BT operate ADSL Max changed since May 2007, as I cant understand why plus.net got BT out and found the fault and rectified it within 18 hours last May, this time I have been told I have to wait 5 - 7 days to see if my profile changes and from the email I recieved it basically implies that if the profile doesnt change I've just got to accept that.

There have been subtle changes to IPStream Max logic since then but nothing that really affects the way that we'd raise a fault to BT. Do you know what your line stats are? I'd warrant a guess that your target SNR has increased which in turn will have lowered your sync rate. In addition to this a very low sync event has dropped your IP profile to 500kbps. A few days synchronised at a higher speed should see this go back up.

Quote

Why are plus.net telling me different things I've been told to wait 48 hours, then 72 hours and now I am being told that profiles are updated every 5 - 7 days, what will I be told next that I have to wait 30 days, why are plus.net now so afraid of getting BT out to investigate my Sync problem when this time last year they came out in less than 18 hours?

Apologies for the conflicting advice. Unfortunately though, Max logic is far from straightforward. Here's an excerpt from a BT Wholesale briefing that was circulated back in January that explains some of the finer detail:

Quote

The information supplied below supplements the original briefing content and is for guidance purposes only. It is liable to change without notice to ensure the effectiveness of the service to all customers. Changes will tend to be minor to meet the loading on our systems. The information supplied below provides a good representation of the general basis for operation. Percentage Increase in IP Headline Rate*      Period before the BRAS profile changes begin   Greater than (%)                  To (%)                                            hrs           250                                3100                                                4           40                                  250                                                12           20                                  40                                                  24           15                                  20                                                  48           10                                  15                                                  72           8                                    10                                                  96           0                                    8                                                    120 * Information on the line rate ranges and their associated BRAS profiles can be found in the BT IPstream Max Customer Handbook The 7 timeslot windows from 4 to 120 hours used by Adaptive Max Logic represent the earliest time when BRAS alignment will occur for each window. Actual timings may vary dependent upon the volume of concurrent changes requested at the time. It is expected that under normal circumstances that all changes will be completed before the next window commences. BENEFITS • The BRAS is aligned to the line rate sooner for larger percentage line rate gains, • Ability to manage end user expectations more easily • Diagnostics advisors are better informed of when BRAS alignments may occur. • Improved experience for end users and Communication Providers KEY FEATURES OF ADAPTIVE MAX LOGIC • Improvement over the original 3 day logic – one rule applies to all • Not based on how much the line rate has dropped • Based on percentage line rate gains • BRAS upward profile moves based on percentage increases in the IP headline rate ◊ Higher percentage increases will align BRAS profiles more quickly ◊ Lower percentage increases will align BRAS profiles less quickly • Initial/ first synchronisation on Max for new, regraded, reset lines or lines having a different Service Option* applied. – the existing rules still apply • Lower rate synch events – BRAS profile will adjust downwards as per previous logic • Line rate percentage gains are calculated using the Headline IP Rate ◊ E.g.576 = 500kbit/s, 3264 = 3000 kbit/s, 6888 = 6500 kbit/s • Moves BRAS profiles more equitably – higher percentage line rate (IP headline rate) gainers move to their new BRAS profile more quickly • Percentage line rate gains are cumulative. They do not have to be achieved in a single sync rate increase ◊ Subsequent synch events can add to the total percentage IP headline rate increase ƒ Can be on more than one sync event e.g. 20% and 50% increases on subsequent sync events ƒ Can reduce the originally calculated BRAS profile change period ƒ E.g. The IP headline rate of a line increases by 25%. Its target BRAS alignment window is 24 hours from the time of that synch event. • 2 hours later a synch event with a 30% higher IP headline rate occurs • The cumulative increase is 55%. The revised BRAS alignment window is now 12 hours • Because 2 hours have expired since the first increase, the line could now expect to align after 10 hours from this second event If this line were to experience a further improvement of 220% 2.5 hours later (e.g. a storm has recently cleared from the area), then: ƒ The cumulative increase is now 275% and qualifies for the 4 hour window ƒ However, the 4 hour window start point has been passed by 1 hour ƒ Adaptive Max Logic would align the line’s BRAS profile up to an hour later (subject to system loading). ◊ The clock will only reset if: ƒ a subsequent sync event’s line rate would result in no change to the current BRAS profile or ƒ a subsequent sync event’s line rate would effect a lower BRAS profile than that in place prior to this sync event • Applies to any sync rate gain – not only after a previous drop in sync rate • Applies equally to BT IPstream Max and BT IPstream Max Premium products The IP headline rate is used as this aligns with the BRAS profiles BT Wholesale uses. “Swinger” behaviour - where a line synchronises at higher and low rates in a repetitive pattern - is monitored over a period of 24 hours. Lines showing such behaviour will only be aligned to the BRAS profile of the lowest rate encountered in the pattern. Once tagged as a “Swinger”, a line would have to demonstrate stability over a 3 day period to resume normal working. NOTE: To benefit from any potential line rate increases it may be necessary to reset or restart routers or modems. Examples (for illustration purposes only) Example 1 - Large percentage increase Line rate has dropped to 576kbit/s, but on next sync this increases to 7360kbit/s • Line Rate = 576kbit/s • IP Headline Rate = 500kbit/s • BRAS profile = adsl500 • New Sync Rate = 7360kbit/s • New IP Headline Rate applicable to new line rate = 6000kbit/s • New BRAS Profile applicable to new line rate = adsl6000 • Therefore ((6000 - 500)/500)*100 = 1100% increase In this example Adaptive Max Logic will act more quickly (approximately 4 hours) to move the BRAS profile to the required adsl6000 profile. Example 2 - small percentage increase The initial line rate is 7936kbit/s. It subsequently, syncs at 8096kbit/s • Line Rate = 7936kbit/s • IP Headline Rate = 6500kbit/s • BRAS profile = adsl6500 • New Sync Rate = 8096kbit/s • New BRAS Profile applicable to new line rate = adsl7000 • New IP Headline Rate applicable to new line rate = 7000kbit/s • Therefore ((7000 - 6500)/6500)*100 = 7.7% increase In this example Adaptive Max Logic may not move the BRAS profile to the required adsl7000 value for 5 days. This is because there is a low percentage increase in line rate. Consequently, there is a less dramatic effect on throughput. BT IPstream Max circuits may move up to higher BRAS profiles over a period between a few hours and 5 days, dependant on the percentage increase and the period the line rate increase is sustained. The above examples show the two extremes. It is estimated that more than 60% of lines requiring upward BRAS profile changes will be moved before the original logic’s 3 day settings.

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When I've investigated problems with other customers broadband ISP's such as Talktalk are able to adjust the customers profile whilst I'm speaking to them, why cant plus.net after all plus.net are owned by BT.

Chances are that these were not BT Wholesale managed circuits and were instead provisioned on LLU. We have a few thousand customers provisioned on a Tiscali Wholesale LLU product and we can change their profiles ourselves. This is because Tiscali provide us with an interface to directly control the DSLAM settings at the exchange. BT Wholesale though do not offer this functionality.

[#15]

Thanks for clearing a few things up Bob.
My IP Profile has risen to 4500k but my sync rate is still a lot lower than it used to be, on my Vigor 2800 is used to sync at around 7300k and on my Netgear DG834G I would sync at 8128k, support say that my SNR is high and suggested that I plug my router into my test socket, I therefore have removed the front panel from the master socket and plugged my router directly into the test socket, my readings are still a lot lower than they were  my Vigor 2800 syncs at 5950k and my Netgear DG834G syncs at 7000k.
I have advised plus.net of this, however, it seems that my plees for help are now being ignored as they are no longer responding to my ticket.
Its really frustrating as I have two ethernet cables trailing up the stairs from my router to my computers for the past 48 hours which is very unsightly not to mention dangerous. On the 24th May 2007 I had excatly the same problem, plus.net instructed BT to investigate and BT switched me to a different pair which resloved the problem, the whole process from reporting the fault to getting it fixed took 18 hours (which was very impressive), I have been on to plus.net about this fault for the past 7 days and now they are ignoring my problem. It just shows me how the quality of plus.nets support has gone down hill over the space of a year.