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slow thoughput on fibre

hazzardboy7
Grafter
Posts: 64
Registered: ‎26-09-2012

slow thoughput on fibre

Hi to all on the forum.
I would be grateful if i could have some advice.
I`m on the 80/20 fibre service, when i first had fibre broadband installed for months and months i was getting around 63 meg up and 16 meg down, then all of a sudden from around September of last year my speed has decreased, to around 48 to 49 meg, but the line profile has stayed pretty much the same all this time.
I have raised a couple of tickets with support, but these have been less than worthwhile, i`ve even now had tickets closed for no reason i can see.
I have replaced both the modem and router made no difference, i have 2 computers running on a wired connections, both showing pretty much the same speed, Ive replaced all the cables still no luck, i`m connected into the master socket with only a phone connected no extensions etc.
Do people think i should see faster speeds than this, plusnet have said if they drop to 46 meg they can raise a fault, as i`m getting 48 meg they can do nothing, why have i had a nearly 20 meg drop in speed, i`m 250 metres away from the cabinet and i know the cable is underground in pretty much a straight line.
I`m nearly out of contract with plusnet, overall i have been happy with the service provided but i will admit i`m thinking of leaving because of this, what really made me angry the other day is i had a ticket closed, i do expect better service than having a ticket closed on me.
thanks for any advice
13 REPLIES 13
Pettitto
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 6,346
Fixes: 5
Registered: ‎26-11-2011

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

Hi,
I'm really sorry to hear of the issues you're experiencing with the lower than expected FTTC speeds. I've taken a look at your line and can see that your modem is connecting at the Cabinet at speeds of 71Mb down and 20Mb up.
Can you please advise what router and modem you are using?
With regards to the ticket being closed, the ticket was a feedback ticket that you commented on which was closed in favour of your Fault Ticket - just to keep everything all in one place, it helps our Support Team keep track of the issue.
hazzardboy7
Grafter
Posts: 64
Registered: ‎26-09-2012

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

hi yes the modem is the one supplied by openreach, i then brought another one from ebay this is another one supplied by openreach but is slightly larger in size i think its the older style one that can be flashed (i haven't touched it other than tested it and its not been flashed)
On the router, i`ve tried the one supplied by plusnet and also i`m using a Asus RT -N66U,\ both showing the same throughput speed.
thanks
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
Fixes: 10
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

Have you checked the speed using a direct PC to modem connection (without the router) using PPPoE? http://community.plus.net/library/broadband/fibre-help-how-to-set-up-a-pppoe-dialler-in-vistawindows...
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)
WWWombat
Grafter
Posts: 1,412
Thanks: 4
Registered: ‎29-01-2009

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

As the router is synching at 71Mbps, and the IP profile (held by BT) is set to 68Mbps, the line appears to be continuing to work OK. Getting an Openreach engineer out is almost certainly a waste of time.
The next thing to check is whether PN are restricting your speed. The "current line speed" found on this account page will also limit you - it should be (almost) identical to the IP profile value seen in your BT speed check.
Adam will have probably checked that, so it suggests that the problem might lie elsewhere, and possibly within your PC or in your home network. It could be something installed in your PC (such as virus checker) or in your browser (such as add-removal plugins). We've seen cases where a PC has chosen to use a wireless connection, even while a wired connection has been made. And we've seen powerline devices connect through a neighbour's DSL connection instead. Are any of these a possibility?
Do you get the same reduced speed to other speed testers (eg speedtest.net or thinkbroadband.com)? Does it change in other browsers? Does it change if you use FTP through the command line?
Plusnet Customer
Using FTTC since 2011. Currently on 80/20 Unlimited Fibre Extra.
hazzardboy7
Grafter
Posts: 64
Registered: ‎26-09-2012

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

Quote from: jelv
Have you checked the speed using a direct PC to modem connection (without the router) using PPPoE? http://community.plus.net/library/broadband/fibre-help-how-to-set-up-a-pppoe-dialler-in-vistawindows...

hi no i havent done that, but i will do that i guess later tonight or tomorrow.
thanks
hazzardboy7
Grafter
Posts: 64
Registered: ‎26-09-2012

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

Quote from: WWWombat
As the router is synching at 71Mbps, and the IP profile (held by BT) is set to 68Mbps, the line appears to be continuing to work OK. Getting an Openreach engineer out is almost certainly a waste of time.
The next thing to check is whether PN are restricting your speed. The "current line speed" found on this account page will also limit you - it should be (almost) identical to the IP profile value seen in your BT speed check.
Adam will have probably checked that, so it suggests that the problem might lie elsewhere, and possibly within your PC or in your home network. It could be something installed in your PC (such as virus checker) or in your browser (such as add-removal plugins). We've seen cases where a PC has chosen to use a wireless connection, even while a wired connection has been made. And we've seen powerline devices connect through a neighbour's DSL connection instead. Are any of these a possibility?
Do you get the same reduced speed to other speed testers (eg speedtest.net or thinkbroadband.com)? Does it change in other browsers? Does it change if you use FTP through the command line?

hi yes its the same on other web browers, and its pretty much the same on all speed tests no matter what site they are preformed.
The internet is 100% connected to a wired connection, there is not even a wireless card installed on the p.c as i have no need for it, i will also try ot turn of wireless in the router, in case its on by default, but i know all the passwords where changed over etc, so no one is using the connection, but that is another thing i can try thanks for that.
i have heard of stories of anti virus slowing the speed down, and i did remove that back in December time, it made no difference.
I have just come home to seeing about 5 workmen doing some work right next to the internet cabinet, they are digging up the turf next to the cabinet, so no idea if this is related, maybe its nothing to do with the internet at all, but for sure someone is digging up the turf next to the cabinet, in fact there is a clear  cover installed over the cabinet as i write this, but the net is still working.
on the speed on my account it says this.....

Estimated line speed:
    There's no speed estimate currently held on your account.
Current line speed:
    67.8 Mb
is this normal because i did ask this a few times on the support tickets.
thanks al ot guys
hazzardboy7
Grafter
Posts: 64
Registered: ‎26-09-2012

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

ok been down the road to speak to the workmen.
yes they confirm the work being done is for fibre broadband, they tell me another new cabiinet is going in, the one there is too small and is either being replaced or at least having another one installed next to it.
he showed me the new cabinet its a lot bigger than the one there, that is in fact the one i saw with the wrapper on it.
I told him about the speed issues and he said they wouldn't be doing this work if it wasnt needed, he said he has been told the old cabinet isn't big enough, so maybe that is why my speed has got slower and slower, as its fulling up there isn't enough bandwidth in the cabinet, is that possible???
Anyway sounds like this might be the answer, but the guy did say it might not be, and again said he isn't an openreach engineer, but he said he can g/tee openreach wouldn't of installed the cabinet if it wasn't needed, so maybe i should just wait until the new cabinet is online, which he said wont be yet.
any thoughts
thanks
WWWombat
Grafter
Posts: 1,412
Thanks: 4
Registered: ‎29-01-2009

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

That "current line speed" is fine, and means that PN shouldn't be restricting things to anything less than your line is capable of, which would be downloads speeds in the region of 63-65Mbps. That the "estimated" speed is missing is not a thing to worry about.
As for the new cabinet, and the old cabinet being full: It is certainly the case that adding more subscribers to FTTC *can* cause speeds to drop. However, the impact is always seen in the sync speed (which you can't see directly), and is always then reflected in the "IP Profile" value you see in the BT speed test (the IP profile is approximately 3.3% lower than the sync speed).
In your case, that BT "IP Profile" has a value that matches perfectly well with your old speedtest results (ie 63Mbps), and shows that your slowdown (in downloads) is NOT caused by high subscriber numbers on the cabinet, or by the work going on around the cabinet. All the evidence suggests that the one place we can rule out for the slowdown is the line between your modem and the cabinet.
Plusnet Customer
Using FTTC since 2011. Currently on 80/20 Unlimited Fibre Extra.
hazzardboy7
Grafter
Posts: 64
Registered: ‎26-09-2012

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

hi thanks to all, i have been trying a few things in the last day or so, and i will post a reply in a day or so, but im hopeful i might of found the problem, and fixed it.
ill let u know if all is still ok later tonight
thanks
hazzardboy7
Grafter
Posts: 64
Registered: ‎26-09-2012

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

hi
this is the difference between the 2 speeds test. (see attached)
i think the problem was flash, if i used Firefox i noticed the speed was a lot slower than if i use internet explorer.
i found some info on  ther people getting the same problem, and there is a file you can edit in Firefox which stops this from happening, so it looks like i had no speed problems at all, it was in fact down to flash,/Firefox
i thought i had tried more than one web browser but i was trying different things last night, and noticed every time i tested the bt tester it was always a lot quicker. with explorer, so i narrowed it down, and the new attached speed test was taken when using Firefox.
I have Firefox installed on both computers.
Thanks to all for taking the time out to offer some advice,and the staff at Plusnet
w23
Pro
Posts: 6,347
Thanks: 96
Fixes: 4
Registered: ‎08-01-2008

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

That's good news.  Thanks for letting us all know what the problem was.
Call me 'w23'
At any given moment in the universe many things happen. Coincidence is a matter of how close these events are in space, time and relationship.
Opinions expressed in forum posts are those of the poster, others may have different views.
WWWombat
Grafter
Posts: 1,412
Thanks: 4
Registered: ‎29-01-2009

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

I too had problems with Firefox, but mine seemed to be the Firebug plugin IIRC. And only visible once we went from ADSL to FTTC. Now our lines can go so fast, it is easier for us to hit limitations elsewhere - and often from the strangest direction.
What fix did you do to Firefox? Or do you have a link to an explanation?
Plusnet Customer
Using FTTC since 2011. Currently on 80/20 Unlimited Fibre Extra.
hazzardboy7
Grafter
Posts: 64
Registered: ‎26-09-2012

Re: slow thoughput on fibre

hi i think it was this, but i will have to ask, as i didn't find the link myself
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/937794
i was also getting a freeze on some pages like the dial up days, when u got a line or part of a page, this is what made me check the speeds to be honest, i know something was wrong, but not sure what..
I thought i checked against these web browsers in December, but maybe i dint.
Now pages are much better at loading, speed 10 meg better as well.