ADSL speed dropped from 7 to 4.5 Mbps

[#1]

Signed up about 10 days ago and service was giving me over 7 Mbps down and about 0.5 Mbps up. Three days ago this dropped to 4.5 Down and 1.4 up. In addition the broadband service is constantly disconnecting. The broadband light flashes for ages then finally in!ternet connects but often only lasts 5 minutes and the connection is lost. I tried changing the filter but it makes no difference. I don't have a phone connected so can't check the phone line quality. I wonder what happened? The first week was fine but now it's quite disappointing!

[#2]

Are you sure about that upload speed of 1.4Mbps? Unless you have signed up to (and paid for) Annex M  the maximum possible upload sync rate on ADSL2+ is around 1.2Mbps.
To comment and give advice, forum members will need to know relevant stats about your connection as described  HERE.

[#3]

At the moment the speed isn't going to be great, but we need to fix the cause of the disconnections first.
Is your router in the master socket?
Any extension leads in use?
Is there any noise on your phone line (dial 17070)?

[#4]

Are you leaving to router switched on and connected to the phone line 24x7?  The radius log shows no "sleeping hours" connectivity which is characteristic of users who only switch the router on when they want to use the Internet, during the day.
That is not the best approach to obtain high speed dependable broadband.  The exchange equipment will see this as frequent link failure and act accordingly, producing undesirable results.

[#5]

Certainly did not sign up for annex M but recorded upload speeds (using OOkla) have reached almost 1.5 Mbps.
Am working on the stats but, as Townman indicated- I see that these are due to times when the router is switched off. I was advised to turn it off when not using it as power consumption could be quite high- is this not the case?
Router is in master socket
No extension leads in use.
As stated in my original post- I cannot check line for noise as I dont have a phone connected.
Please advise on 24/7 connection. Can I assume that if its switched off regularly then the speed will never stabilize at a high level?
Would it also explain why internet was disconnecting several times each time the broadband was used?
Thanks for the help.


What are the running cost of such a device?

[#6]

Most modem/routers use about £8 worth of electricity per year - it's hardly worth risking unwanted consequences from repeatedly switching it off IMO.

[#7]

Obtaining a corded phone (by one means or another - purchase or loan) would be a very useful diagnostic tool.  A poor voice line is very bad news for BB.
As for extensions, though you might not be using the phone, the presence of poor quality extension wires (to unused sockets) can also be very bad news for BB.
In short, for best performance BB, especially during the initial 10 day training period, please leave the router on 24x7.