Slow Sync speed...

[#1]

Hi
I've just transferred from Sky BB to Plusnet (7 days ago).... 8 days ago on my Sky Router was syncing at 4megs download.... 7 days ago my Plusnet Thomson Router TG585 v7 connected happily (!) at 200K and hasn't budged since....
I sent PlusNet an email asking if this was 'expected' behaviour in first 10 days... They said 'yes' but I'm not so convinced.... Certainly in previous switches I've not experienced such a persistent slow connection for 7 days... My previous low sync speeds were due to a line fault and were resolved.
I've tried switching to another router borrowed from friend and that syncs at the same slow speed.
I admit I'm only on the 7th day of testing but I can't help worrying that a change of zero in the last 7 days on daily reboots and two different routers suggests something is wrong... I can also assume that as the slow sync arrived at the change of provider that my link with the local exchange is probably OK so this is not a hardware fault.
So what can cause this problem?  And is it really true that in the next 3 days I'm likely to get my 4 meg connection miraculously return having stayed a static 200 K for the last 7?
Looking forwards to the answer...
Andy

[#2]

welcome to the forum
Were you on Sky LLU?
the training period on a change over is ten days and normally PN cant do anything until that is complete
have you looked at your router stats, that will give you a clue what you line will support  see her how to get them http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/frogstats.php

[#3]

Hi
I'm not sure if I was LLU with Sky... Although I suspect I might be as trying to move my phone to another provider (Planet talk) is proving tricky as they don't think I have a BT Line..
My Stats:
Link Information

Uptime: 0 days, 14:41:36
DSL Type: G.992.3 annex A
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 440 / 281
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [kB/kB]: 0.00 / 1.00
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.5 / 0.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 26.5 / 45.0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 25.5 / 13.0
Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / IFTN
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): 0
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 4,294,967,264 / 772,460
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 4,294,967,264 / 33
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 7

[#4]

Your (Down) Bandwidth is absolutely terrible, this should be a whole lot higher but I  cannot see anything in the stats which would explain this being so poor (I'm discounting what appear to be competely spurious Upstream FEC/CRC error counts).

[#5]

I'm upgrading the router firmware this evening in the vain hope it will make some kind of difference!
I hadn't realised until today how to do that.
Andy

[#6]

OK, Updated firmware.... now on
Software Release: 8.2.6.5
For some reason it wouldn't connect using the 'auto configure' I had to log in and put my adsl username etc on.
For all the difference it made.... I'm now on a new phone wire from Router to BT box just in case I'd broken the old one when swapping routers...
Details now:
DSL Connection
Link Information

Uptime: 0 days, 0:09:21
DSL Type: G.992.3 annex A
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 440 / 281
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [kB/kB]: 0.00 / 0.00
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 13.0 / 0.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 26.5 / 45.0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 25.5 / 5.5
Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / IFTN
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): 0
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): NA / 41,622
CRC Errors (Up/Down): NA / 0
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 0

I guess this will have to wait for Plusnet support to kick in after 10 days....

[#7]

It looks to me like the DLM might have put you on a 160-288kbps banded profile, presumably due to perceived connection stability or line noise problems. However the downstream SN Margin now is only 5.5dB so sync speed wouldn't have been significantly different without (presumed) banding.
SN Margin was 13dB in your post this morning. That's a huge drop between daytime and night-time environments. Does you phone line run close to street lights or any security lighting (or does noise margin change when the CH goes off)?

[#8]

I wish I'd been keeping track of line speeds and noise levels before leaving Sky.... I was quite happy with 3.5-4 megs so was quite happy... Enjoying option to watch iPlayer occasionally etc!
Noise levels always used to increase in the evening, although last night that reading was taken after CH was off. The line comes into the house on an overhead cable which was replaced about 4.5 years ago as it had warn through! It then goes straight into hardwired (integral) filter and straight into router. There is only one phone also attached to this.... I disconnected the rest of the house extensions in an effort to reduce noise levels 4.5 years ago!
Will Openreach have records of my speeds over the last few months even though I've moved providers? I'm concerned that my new speed will be considered to be what I've always had!
Regards
Andy

[#9]

Not sure if Sky only offer LLU services - if they do resell BT Wholesale as we do then there might be records (though we won't have access to them unfortunately) but if not then there won't be any recorded by BT unfortunately.

[#10]

Come on, Matt & co - I think Plusnet could do better with this query. It sounds like AAWimborne's been trying all the right things and yet this user has a line with a downstream attenuation rate of 45dB (middling - should allow an ADSL2+ speed of at least 5-6Mb/s) but an actual sync speed of only 281Kb/s (and on ADSL2, not 2+, though I can see why this would be the case if the line had a lot of errors). There's not much evidence of any training taking place - though I admit we can't see what went on in the first few days. Surely it's worth checking.
(Oh, and is Plusnet now sending out v7 routers again? I thought they were all v8 these days.)
Graham

[#11]

v7 router is from a few years ago when I was previously with PlusNet....
In interests of environment and saving postage I decided not to claim a new router..... If I thought this would resolve the problems I'd claim it!!

[#12]

Well there's a few disconnections over the past few days that have most likely caused the slow sync speed:
<img src="http://ccgi.psmith12.plus.com/visradius/generated/image13003781748659.png" />
All I can recommend really is the usual intermittent connection checks (plug router into master socket with all non ADSL items removed - if you can get to the test socket (behind the master socket front plate) then that would be even better) - if the sync speed or noise margins haven't improved then it's definitely a line fault and needs reporting at http:// faults.plus.net

[#13]

OK. Still no good, we're past the 10 days now so registering a fault:
#40988928
I'm still struggling to technically understand how a drop in sync speed coincided with switch from Sky.... does anyone have any idea?