Slow and variable speeds

[#1]

I am really fed up! I have not been with Plusnet for long, but it has never achieved the guaranteed minimum speed. Often, the speed gets so slow that the smart tv can no longer pick it up (this appears to happen sometimes even though it is still connected) and the programme I am watching is dropped and I have to wait several minutes for the tv to be able to pick up the signal again. I thought this meant that it was losing connection, but have since been told that the router is still running for some of those times.

I also use the wifi on a laptop upstairs and on my iphone. 

The router was plugged in directly to my desktop computer to begin with but, following Plusnet advice to improve the speed, I got someone to move it so it is now connected to the master telephone socket. Things have got much worse now and the wifi is virtually unusable upstairs, which is where my office is, so it is a bit disastrous. 

The first customer service bod I spoke to said he thought it was a faulty router, so they sent out another router. Predictably, that made no difference. If anything, it feels like it is slightly worse and, yesterday, I was unable to connect my work laptop at all.

While I was waiting for the new router, I was contacted by Plusnet because they said they were sending an engineer out and I needed to take time off work for that engineer to visit. This had not been discussed with me, and I also objected to the following paragraph in the email:

Please note if an engineer visits your premises and is unable to gain access or If the fault is found to be caused by your equipment, internal wiring or as a result of damage to BT equipment a charge of £65 will apply.

So I phoned up and spoke to another customer service bod, who checked and confirmed that the engineer had only been booked in case the first bod was wrong about it being the router. It was stood down until the router arrived. 

So, the router arrived and I set it up and waited a few days before phoning again to report that it was no better. After nearly 13 minutes listening to hold music, and going through all the security questions, Customer Service bod three got into a bit of a debate with me about the engineer and the cost and my objection to same, and told me that they would not send an engineer unless I agreed. I don't, and won't agree. He kept telling me that I would only be charged if I had damaged the equipment that was within the boundaries of my house but a) that is not what the email says and b) it is pretty old equipment so may have been "damaged" by age anyway and d) what if I have set it up wrong? and c) it reads like they would just come round and tell me that the fault was with my laptop/iphone/smart tv and invoice me £65.

He told me that they would not send an engineer unless I agreed to those terms, and also told me that, despite the guarantee on speed, I am stuck with the contract and would be penalised if I ended it. 

Anyway, after that debate, during which phone connection was dropped (yes, really!) so I had to phone back, hold on for another several minutes to connect to Customer Service Bod four and go through all the security questions again so that she could pass the message on to Customer Service Bod three to phone me back. Which he did, about 10 minutes later.... I was told that it might be a problem with the wifi rather than the router (I am not technically minded and don't understand the difference, but there you go....) and he showed me how to change the wifi channel on the router. Said I should wait a couple of hours and then see how it was. I asked why this had not been suggested before, but he just said he was surprised that no-one had recommended this already. 

It made no difference.  I have tried other wifi channels and nothing makes any difference. CSB3 told me that I should use 3, 5, 9 or 11

I ended up in these community forums because the FAQ that was sent to me about improving wifi signal suggested it

"There are ways to check how many routers are using the same channel as you, have a look on our forums for more info. If, when you look, your router is using a channel with a lot of routers on it, you'll be better off changing to a less common one. Channel one, six or eleven will usually give you the best speed."

I haven't found that advice yet. 

So, here I am with a broadband connection which is close to useless, stuck in a contract I can't get out of.

My current download speed on this desktop is measured at 0.10 - that is not a typo - and my upload speed is 0.33

So, I guess this message may take a while to get through to the forum! The speed has gone up to 1.17 - I am going to send this message quickly while there is still some chance of it posting!

[#2]

Welcome to the forum.

You are obviously having a very poor introduction to Plusnet. Hopefully you have found the right place to get some positive help from a combination of Plusnet staff and we fellow customers.

As you are posting on the ADSL forum I assume that you have a Plusnet Hub Zero router? You need to be aware that the wireless performance of these is pretty bad and that could well be your problem. However before getting that far it is necessary to make sure that the connection between your router and the telephone exchange is at the correct speed. I'm afraid that a bit of self help is required to do this but it's essential as this is the key to whether you need an engineer visit .

To start you will need to position your computer next to the router and the router close to the BT Master socket. You then need to take off the front of the BT master socket, you may need to remove two screws first depending on the design. This pulls straight off and in behind you will find the Test socket. First just plug a wired telephone in here and ring 17070 then select Option 2. This is the BT quiet line test. If there's any crackling or other noises on the line you need to report a telephone, not broadband fault to whoever you pay for your telephone line (which might not be Plusnet).

If this is quiet then plug your microfilter into the test socket and the router DSL lead into your microfilter. Next using the Ethernet cable that came with the router connect one of the yellow LAN sockets on the router to the Ethernet port on your computer. You may need to switch off the wireless on your computer to make sure that you use this connection. Next do a speed test using this speedtester: http://speedtest.btwholesale.com/. When it's complete go onto the further diagnostics page and complete this. This will store the results where Plusnet can see them.

Compare the results with the estimate that Plusnet gave you. If it's below the minimum then you need an engineer visit and the possibility that you will be found responsible for a false call out will be minimal.

If you come back and tell us how you get on then we can advise further and give tips about improving your wireless performance.

[#3]

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my lengthy moan!

I thought I had a Hub One. Perhaps I posted in the wrong forum? As I am sure I said in my lengthy moan, I am not technically minded. 

Customer Service Bod 3 did ask me if I had been told about taking apart the telephone socket to check it, but I hadn't, and I can't do it myself anyway. I will have to wait until a friend comes round who may be able to help try this. 

[#4]

That's fine all I wrote in my previous post is still relevant. We will need to sort out which router you have when we get to trying to improve your wireless. Are you on fibre or simple ADSL broadband?

Let us know how you get on when you get someone to help you.

[#5]

Everything I have suggests that it is a Plusnet Hub One.

I thought I was on ADSL broadband, but how do I tell? 

[#6]

Your account will tell you which service you have. There are also pictures of the hubs here.  https://www.plus.net/help/broadband/router-user-guides/

What speeds were you promised when you signed up? 

[#7]

The email opening my account says fibre, actually, so I guess I am on fibre broadband. Don't know what that means. 

Guaranteed minimum speed was 29.4. It has never been achieved, as they have acknowledged.

[#8]

Right, we're getting there. You are on Fibre broadband with a Hub One modem/router and your speeds are ridiculously low.

We now need to work out whether the problem is wireless or with your actual connection to your local fibre cabinet.

Until you can get some help with taking the front off your master socket then maybe we can get a clue from your router. Try the following.

Open your Internet browser.

In the Address Field, that's the box at the top of your browser where addresses appear, if you have a search box such as Google sometimes put in the centre of your screen do not use this, enter  192.168.1.254 this should give you access to the router. From here select the Troubleshooting page from the Tabs available. In this page select Helpdesk. You may need to enter the modem/router password, which you will find on a tab on the back of the router. You need the router Admin password, not the wireless one. The page that opens should look like this  https://setuprouter.com/router/plusnet/plusnet-hub-one/help-72953-large.htm.

If you can get in this page can you give us the following data:

1. The last three numbers of the Firmware version. It should be .263

2. Data Rate

3. Max Data Rate.

4. Noise Margin

5. Signal Attenuation

It would be far better if you were plugged into the Test socket but this may give us a clue to what's happening.

[#9]

1. The last three numbers of the Firmware version. It should be .263

It is

2. Data Rate

1607 / 19903

3. Max Data Rate.

1670 / 23862

4. Noise Margin

6.5 / 6.7

5. Signal Attenuation

29.8 / 19.4

[#10]

That's interesting. It's below par and you still need to do the Test socket checks but it's not that bad compared with what you are reporting. Two things to try:

1. Bring your laptop down to the router and connect it to the router via the Ethernet cable that came with your router. Switch off the laptop wireless and do a speed test here: https://www.speedtest.net/. Download should be approaching 18Mbps.

2. Log back into your router and separate the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, see https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/2-4ghz-and-or-5ghz-best-practice/m-p/1351966#M840 the easiest way to change the SSID is to simply add -5 to the name. Having done this switch the laptop wireless back on and remove the Ethernet cable. Do the speedtest referenced above on your laptop (or use your Apple device) . Then go into your device wireless network settings where, assuming that your device also works on 5GHz (not all do)  you will find the new SSID, ending in -5. Select this and do the test again. Use whichever is best.

Let us know how you get on.

[#11]

Speed is now up to about 8, which is better, but still nowhere near good enough. 

I will bring the laptop down and plug it in, but it is worth remembering that I started off with it plugged in to this desktop and still didn't achieve enough speed, although the bigger problems were with the wireless connections. 

Am off to get the laptop now

[#12]

Right....

Laptop upstairs, using wifi, got a speed of 0.16 just now

Downstairs, plugged in, it got 18.61

Downstairs, not plugged in but near the router, 15.21

Desktop now up to 13.95

See what I mean about variable? 

[#13]

Sorry - just seen that you wanted me to do more than this, but I don't have time just now. Will do it later when I am back home. 

[#14]

That's fine, me too. I think that there's more than one problem here to sort out but we'll get there. We just need to methodically jump through the hoops.

[#15]

A friend came round and we tried to follow your instructions. 

He took the phone socket apart, but there is no test socket inside it. 

We had a dispute about what you meant by "wired telephone" as my landline, which obviously plugs in to the socket, is not wired to the base. 

But anyway, we dialled the line test number tested the quiet line test thing and it was fine apart from some very mild hissing which is there even when the phone is not plugged in. 

We tried separating the 2.4 an 5 ghz things, but it looks like neither of my computers can use the 5 one, as neither of them picked up the new address. 

We have now moved the router back to where it was before - wired in to the desktop - and I am getting speeds just less than 18, which is still a long way off the guaranteed minimum, but it is usable, so long as it consistently stays at that. I haven't yet tried the laptop upstairs, but I reckon it will over 1, at least!

My friend reckons the problem is with the router and that I need a better router.... although he is not an expert.