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Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

TSher
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎03-11-2012

Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

Hi All,
I am currently having slow speeds on my broadband, at one point less that 1Mbps.  I have recently bought new Microfilters (Official BT ones from Amazon) just in case.  It is a new build house about 1Yr old and is less than 100Mts to the local cabinet and is approx. (Google Maps) 2.7KM to the exchange (Great Oakley).  I was hoping when moving in to have at least 3Mbps but since moving in I have had between 1Mbps - 2Mbps.  There is no master socket in the house and there is a digital cordless phone and Sky box connected to the BT sockets with Microfilters.  My router is connected to the BT point of where the outside cable comes in and all cables going to the local cabinet are under the ground.  I have raised a Plusnet ticket but no real help is there and I just can't believe that I can only get 1.2Mbps in a town which I am being told by plusnet is my maximum.  Even 1.8Mbps is a big increase at these low speeds and I would be happy with.  The Exchange does have fibre enabled but no news on when/if the local cabinet will be upgraded to support this.
I will post my stats from my router when I get home after work and hopefully somebody can at least tell me from the router stats if I should be getting anything any faster or if 1.2Mbps is my maximum.  From memory router is connecting to the exchange at just over 1800kbps.  My Plusnet IP Profile is set at 1.2mbps and BT speedtester reported it last night at 1.4mbps.  Within my plusnet account it says Estimated line speed is 2.5Mb.  Just confused and a little frustrated from it all as it always seems to be a fight when talking/responding to plusnet technical.  Although I have only had the ticket open this time for a couple of days I have used technical before and it just always seem to be a fight and different advice between support persons.
Thanks for any input.
Tony.
18 REPLIES 18
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

For completeness can you post the stats as they are then disconnect the phone and Sky Box and resync the router and report the stats again
Are there any other sockets in the house other than the one you are using
TSher
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎03-11-2012

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

Thank you Jim for the fast response.  I will post the requested details as oon as I can today.
TSher
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎03-11-2012

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

Hi,
I have a Belkin N600 router.  The stats from it with phone and sky connected are as follows:
Type Interleave Path
  Status Show Time
    Downstream Upstream
  Data Rate (kbps) 1816 444
  Noise Margin (dB) 7.0 20.1
  Attenuation (dB) 55.5 33.0
  Output power(dbm) 17.5 12.8
With the phone and sky box disconnected:
Type Interleave Path
  Status Show Time
    Downstream Upstream
  Data Rate (kbps) 1672 444
  Noise Margin (dB) 6.5 19.9
  Attenuation (dB) 57.0 33.1
  Output power(dbm) 17.7 12.8
There are other BT sockets in the house but they are not being used.  My line profile reported by PlusNet is 1.2Mbps and BT reported it as 1.4Mbps.  I have turned the router off a few times checking wires were OK etc.. and I haven't figured out how to just disconnect the session with this router as I know yourself have recommended this when needing to disconnect.
Thanks.
Tony.
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

The lower sync is probably because of the time of day when you resynched.
I suggest another resync at midday tomorrow which should improve it.
I don't know why the reported attenuation is higher when nothing else is connected
You should be getting a bit more speed than that given the attenuation but it is probably due to having a noisy line.
There is one thing you may be able to check given that you don't have an internal master socket and, I assume that you have one of these newfangled external NTE socket as described here http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/btsockets.htm is to have a look at your internal wiring - do it tomorrow while it is daylight - and see how many wires are connected.
There should be two wires coming into your first socket and only two going out
TSher
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎03-11-2012

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

Hi, I have had a look at the wiring and there are 4 wires connected in total, 2 x blue/white and 2 x white/blue. One is from the outside wire and I assume the other 2 go to the living room BT socket. Both connect to 2 and 5.
Thanks.
Tony.
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

That is how it should be - I am running out of ideas
Did you try the quiet line test - dial 17070 option 2
TSher
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎03-11-2012

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

Hi,
I'm haven't done that test before so I'm not sure what to expect. The line wasn't quiet. There was a low tapping type sound and low hiss noise. If it is supposed to be quiet then it wasn't.
Thanks.
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

That is a sign that you have a problem
Do you also get the sound when only the phone is connected. if you do then you should raise a voice fault with however supplies your phone line and don't mention broadband
Do you have a non DECT phone you can try
TSher
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎03-11-2012

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

Hi,
I don't have one at the moment but I can get hold of one. Is that to check if its the line or phone?  I took the living room BT socket off and that had a pair of orange attached. I took them off just to be sure, so the living room has 4 blues, I assume 2 to the master BT socket and 2 to the bedroom (nothing connected in this BT socket).
Thanks for your help, it is appreciated.
Tony.
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

it is to ensure  that it isn't the phone causing the problem - when you raise a voice fault they always ask that you check it with a corded phone
CliffTopp
Dabbler
Posts: 22
Registered: ‎30-05-2008

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

Quote from: TSher
is less than 100Mts to the local cabinet and is approx. (Google Maps) 2.7KM to the exchange

Although the actual distance to your exchange by road may be 2.7k BT has this thing about going round via the gasworks when installing telephone cable.  I've known of people living in the same street as the exchange having lines kilometres long.  A rough method of calculation is to divide the line attenuation by 13.81 only rough because this relies upon the cable gauge being 0.4mm and, occasionally, it might be different than that - mine is.  Alternatively you could use http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/max_speed_calc.php, which will give you a few more stats too.
When you look at the wiring in your first socket, can you determine which wires come from your line in (usually black) and which go to your extension (usually off-white).?  Since you don't have a BT test socket you cannot isolate the internal wiring when testing your line.  If there is a problem with your internal wiring you will be charged for any visit that bt organise to your house.  If you can decide which is which then I suggest you disconnect the extension wire before arranging a call-out (don't forget to label the disconnected wires with the connection number so that you can replace them later).  With any luck, if you are successful in getting BT to send an engineer out, he might install a bt socket for you when he comes and rewire your extension too.
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

Sorry CliffTop, that is poor advice. If there is not an external NTE as mentioned earlier by Jim and I note that this wasn't confirmed by TSher, then if there is no NTE5a (or b) internally then it is Openreach's responsibility to provide one.
TSher seemed fairly certain in the OP & reply #5 that his modem/router was plugged into the socket which had the incoming cable. The cable colours mentioned suggest that is proper CW1308 cable with a Blue+white trace on terminal 2 and White+blue trace on terminal 5.
TSher you need to check that these are the colours throughout at all sockets and only those are connected throughout and disconnect any further orange ones found. One of the sockets that you have should be a Master LJU if you don't have an internal NTE5a/b. This is identified by the yellow ring capacitor as shown on the Kitz page that Jim linked to earlier. If you don't have one at all, then go hunting for an external NTE or there will a least be some sort of connection box maybe a hidden NTE5b somewhere as the "incoming cable" you mentioned is not the external black sheathed "drop" wire.
As Jim has mentioned, on long lines especially, best to resync in Daylight, and as you've noted best to disconnect the session and power down rather than just pull a line plug or reboot. Same procedure for investigating cabling or swapping things about. Try and wait at least 10 minutes before powering up again. In the absence of being unable to disconnect the session, just power down.
It does seem from the attenuation figures that your cable length to the exchange is longer than you might have hoped (or it's not 0.5mm Copper) but you could still achieve a profile of 2.5Mbps if you can get a sync speed of 2848 or a bit better.
TSher
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎03-11-2012

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

Hi Clifftop and Anotherone,
I have disconnected all orange pairs which was in the living room and bedroom but none were connected at the main BT Socket.  I have also disconnected the pair of blues at the main BT Socket to disable the other BT points around the house and also disconnected the Telephone.  From doing this the stats are pretty much the same.  I notice outside of the property at the front there is a BT box attached to my property and I have opened this up (probably not supposed to) and it has a black cable inside.  The cables inside my property are all white even at what I call my main BT Socket, the only black cable is the one outside.  This does have orange connected, which I guess makes sense as they don;t know what type of phone you will connect (or am I wrong?)  I haven't touched these cables and will not touch these ones.
Again, thanks for the advice Anotherone, if I could get 2Mbps I would be happy with that.  I tried to do an Online BT Phone test and it disconnects my internet connection, is this normal?  I will plug in a corded phone tonight and if I still get the noise on the line I will report it to BT, not really ever using the landline phone I never realised it had this noise on it.
I'm not one to complain, it would be nice if Plus Net could go the extra mile and offer some of this advice, it's only from Jim's help that I have realised I have noise on the line.
Thanks all for the advice.
Tony.
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: Slow Broadband Speed - Help Please

Plusnet's approach (no different from virtually all ISP's) is, if it works from the Test socket .......
I'm not surprised that disconnecting the other blue wires has made no difference. The nature of your fault is usually external.
Regarding the box outside, as you didn't say, I'm not sure whether this is an extenal NTE (which you are allowed to open, if it was, it's the LHS you aren't allowed to touch) as you say you can see the black sheathed cable, it could just be a joint box. The colour coding used on this cable is different and it has an orange and also a white wire. Is it the orange on the internal cable that is connected there?
Regarding the On-Line BT Phone test, do you mean "on-line" ie from their website, if so I don't know for certain but I suspect it is possible.
I would stick to using the 17070 option 2 quiet line test which doesn't interfere. You can also use the ring back test, but no other option. Now if the Internet drops on the ring-back that indicates a line fault, I would just get on and report that noise as ringing current can sometimes "clean-up" a faulty joint making it more difficult to track down.
When you report the noise (to your line rental provider), don't mention the Broadband otherwise you get the run around, make sure the call taker can hear the noise and get them to log it as intermittent and request that information be passed to the Openreach engineer.
Edit: Did your internal socket have the yellow "ring" capacitor?