Speed dropped to 380kbs

[#1]

Can't Plusnet set the target SNRM to 3dB?

[#2]

Setting the target SNRM to 3db is possible however if the line gets worse than DLM will most likely move it back

[#3]

Heavy sigh! Down to 374kbs today.

[#4]

Is there a confusion here between kBps (Bytes) and Kbps (bits)?

The line speed is reported as 3.85Mbps (bits). Many data transfer applications confusingly report data transfer in BYTES. 380kBps (Bytes) would be reasonable for that line speed. Allowing for error checking, flow control etc., 10 bits per byte is a fair measure.

The key question here is are we looking at a reduced line speed? Is the data speed variability related to time of day?

[#5]

Did you read the previous replies? i think not. I get my readings from downloading 2 or 3 various large files from various websites simultanously using Netmeter, BT speed test has proven to be unreliable. Netmeter settings or uTorrent settings have not been touched, a few weeks ago they were both maxing at a constant 480KiB/s, am not sure what else i need to explain, my download speed keeps dropping no matter what time of day. Why dont you do the right thing & replace my modem at no charge, kinda strange how it seems to go on the blink not long after the warrantry runs out. If my modem pops (that noisy capacitor) would i still be charged a P7P fee? It's like hiring a car but you have to buy your own wheels to use it.

[#6]

The warranty on a router is probably 1 year, and you said yours is 5 years old. Some of the 582n routers gave out a high pitched whine noise when they were new, nothing to do with ageing components, it was a design issue from the removal of the USB port.

[#7]

I did carefully read all of your replies - the last one is the only one in which you used clear units - kBps rather than kbps.

However somewhat more importantly you’ve used KiBps which is a somewhat different metric. Ki is 1024 whereas k is 1000. That’s why you need to be very careful with the units reported.

End to end data transfer (kB) can be impacted by a whole host of things including how busy the end devices (your PC and the server) are.

Link synch rate (kb) is governed by your router, the line and the excahange. The diagnostics report the line speed as 3.8mbps. So the key question here is has that changed at all over recent weeks / months? If you want to look at speed issues you first need to know what’s happening on the line, not the end to end effective data transfer rate.

@staff - are you able to offer a synch history for this line please?

[#8]

I will repeat: I get my readings from Netmeter, Netmeter settings have not been changed nor has the way i set up my OS for many years. Netmeter readings showed i was getting a constant 480 (i was even getting 520 at one time for just over a week). I dont use Netmeter full time, i only check if my downloads are slowing down & webpages appear to be loading slow. When i first moved into this house 5 year ago i was only getting between 300-350, PN did something & then i was getting 480. If my can get 480 then why can i not get 480 now, been 2 weeks my speed has been down, something is amiss somewhere. I have done nothing to my system or my PC area. If it is something on my end you will get my sincerest apologies but i highly doubt it is on my end. Am not realy suer how to explian this. It dont really matter what the number is (KiB/s or kbs or whatever) in my case as the numbers have dropped, i also feel the slower speed by my regular webpages taking an age to load. Thankyou all so far.

[#9]

@grimples

I've had a look at all the responses on your thread and I think there are a couple of things that probably need to be clarified or looked at.

Firstly the router, if it's 5 years old then it's probably best to look at replacing that, either by us sending one out (and you being charged postage) or you replacing it yourself with a store bought one. To clarify the analogy you've used would not be applicable as the comparison would be your Openreach junction box which would be maintained by Openreach. A comparative analogy would be buying a TV with a one year warranty and 5 years later it stops working preventing you from watching TV. The supplier of your TV wouldn't replace it free of charge because it would be out of warranty. They wouldn't own the TV you would, the router is no different than that situation. The routers are issued out to allow connectivity to the service and are an optional extra and are your property.

Then there is the confusion over the usage of speeds, kbps, kBps, bytes etc. I know it's frustrating as from your side you just know the speed has dropped down but to allow us to correctly advise and fix the problem it needs to be clarified. So I think the best option is to just attach a copy of a couple of your speed tests to this thread. When you run these test please make sure nothing else is downloading at the same time otherwise it will give you false results. We'll then be able to clarify how the situation compares with the line stats.

[#10]

Joe,

Thanks for the catch. I think that knowledge of historical line speeds would be helpful. If there’s no change in line speed, then it’s easier to know where not to look.

[#11]

@Townman @grimples

Sorry you did request that previously and I forgot to add it to my previous post. Here is the sync data from the account from the past couple of months.

[#12]

Thanks Joe,

Those figures are the IP profile which is 88.2% of line synch speed. Ignoring the manual change to 6500 which is a bit futile, the profile has varied between 2800 and 3900 which is quiet significant and might point to an undetected line or router problem.

Is there anything indicating why? The frequency of profile updates could imply an unstable line or multiple end user router reboots giving rise to a perception of instability. What does the VR plot look like? Is CLT showing nothing?

@grimples,

What delft test diagnostics have you undertaken? Have you followed the slow speed guide linked to below? Have you run quiet line tests?

[#13]

I have rebooted router a few times for two reasons. Because of slow download speed or if eldest grand daughter brings her laptop (Win10) or her Tablet, they both cut my PC from the internet, only way to get my PC to connect again is to reboot the router, i have no idea why this happens, i have no knowledge of Win10 or of Tablets. Youngest grand daughters Tablet (same as eldest) does not cut me off. I have no idea what a delft test is even after a quick googe. I dont have a house phone anymore, house phone not used since Oct 2015.

[#14]

@Townman

Yes that 6500 is an odd one I checked as it's listed as a manual change and to be honest I cannot see any reasoning behind why someone has changed it to that. Other than that (which can be ignored) I think those variations are likely because of drops, which I'll go into in my response to Grimples.

@grimples

I'd advise not rebooting your router, this will not prevent speed issues and in fact will likely make them worse. Multiple disconnects in short succession will likely force DLM at the exchange to kick in which will then lower your exchange speed profile and then cause your connection speed to be lowered. This is what I think is causing the discrepancies in the IP profiles I posted above. When you're rebooting your router it looks like it's syncing a couple of times, I think this is lowering the IP profile and then when it stays stable it's increasing it again after a couple of days. Your connection logs seem to coincide with this theory. 

The best thing you can do for your connection is to make sure your router remains connected and in sync. On a faultless line this should give you a constant stable connection and the best speed possible, that's not to say a reboot every now and then isn't a good thing, but multiple reboots are definitely bad, especially for a connection on the lower end of the speed estimates, as yours is.

The fact your PC is dropping the router connection could be a number of things. It might be it's incorrectly assigning the same internal IP to the device and it's causing a problem. Removing all the devices off your home network list and reassigning them should resolve that problem. Alternatively it could be, as some of the evidence is starting to show, that the router is at fault in which case replacing it would supersede reassigning the devices.

As an FYI a quiet line test tests for noise on your telephone line, I did test the copper line and it came back perfectly clear, but if you want to make sure there isn't any excess noise you can buy a cheap analogue phone (for testing purposes) and dial 17070 from the handset choosing the 'quiet line test' option. Audible noise on your telephone line can cause issues with your broadband service, though in this case the drops and speed profile discrepancies seem to be because of manual reboots. 

In my opinion, and it's best practice with all fault troubleshooting, in the first instance I would suggest testing with an alternate router. You can either take one from ourselves as detailed in my previous post, or purchase one yourself from a store like Argos or Curry's etc,. Initially this would rule out the equipment as the root cause of any problems and then we could take it from there. 

I'd still suggest providing some speed tests and attaching images, and it would be extra useful to provide this with the current router and with a new router too, this will allow us to be able to see any differences between the routers but also clarify the units that are being provided and try and explain what they mean a little better.

[#15]

Cannot afford a new router, got no money, scrimping to save £197 for next line rental saver & i was sent a £114 water bill 4 weeks ago yet to be paid & i only got one packet of bacci (£21) left which lasts ten days. When i ask for free P&P am basically begging for it, it's not because of greed. I do remember seeing something about 'internal IP' using the same address in Event Viewer but the logs only go back to the 23rd this month, i have had 2 crashes the last couple of weeks. She has been told no more wifi for laptop or her Tablet, i myself very rarely have used wifi & that was my mobile. I will heed what you say & no more reboots, cannot be bothered now with anymore testing, av had enough. Again i thankyou all for your replies & patience. - - - As Townman was making his reply (message 27) i was making the one below also but decided to hang on a wee bit longer: "My contract runs out 30th Sep, please do not automatically continue monthly and could you comfirm this or will i have to make a phone call. Thankyou you all for your replies & your patience, mine has run out. Regards btw i have two TVs but i have not actually watched TV for over 20 year, maybe more."