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Speed still not recovered after a month

timedout
Dabbler
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎22-11-2010

Speed still not recovered after a month

Back in November I spent a month complaining about my low sync speed - down to 134K
at one point. Eventually you reset my speed back up to 2.5M, but unfortunately I had to reboot my router shortly
afterwards which sent my speed back down to 2.3 M.
It has been stable at 2.3 for the past month, but despite my router saying that it could synch at 2.5 M, the speed has
not shifted from 2.3M. Yesterday we had a couple of mains power glitches which immediately dropped my speed to 2.2M,
which presmably will also not go back up again.
Once again I seem to be on the downward speed rachet. Next month I am due to have my electricity meter replaced which will
mean that I shall have to power down my router (a tp-link W8960N) and as it does not have an adsl disconnect command - unless someone knows better - and I know that this will also knock down my speed, never to return again.
I had hoped that all this would be sorted after my month of grief, so once again can you reset my speed to 2.5M and keep it there.
Otherwise I shall have to complain again in a month's time when my meter is replaced.
12 REPLIES 12
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 9,786
Registered: ‎16-06-2010

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

Hi timedout,
The change in your sync rate is due to your SNR creeping up slightly. This is normal for a line of your length. It was different when you were getting a much lower rate but at this time your line is working within acceptable limits. Indeed if you put your 63.5dB attenuation into this calculator, your sync of 2240k is way above what is predicted.
Jojo Smiley
timedout
Dabbler
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎22-11-2010

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

The calculator can only give an estimate. So why does the router say it could use 2.5M?
You haven't addressed my problem of yesterday's power glitch - you can at least get me back to 2.3M.
With such a low speed any reduction causes a large percentage change.
Also what am I to do about next month's reboot? Do you know if removing the adsl interface from the router's config will
be treated as an uncontrolled disconnect?
billnotben
Community Veteran
Posts: 7,689
Thanks: 2,164
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎23-09-2010

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

Quote from: timedout
With such a low speed any reduction causes a large percentage change.

You hit the nail on the head there. What seems like a tiny change does make a huge difference to users on relatively "slow" connections. I don't think this fact is usually appreciated.
I expect you're the same as me when you see users complaining that their 17000 connection has dropped to 15000. I just think if only.........
pierre_pierre
Grafter
Posts: 19,757
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

and then the wingers on FTTP complaining that the 60G is only enough for one week, I make 10G last a month  oh and the difference on mine between Ethernet and WiFi is more than your total
timedout
Dabbler
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎22-11-2010

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

As my speed has not been put back up to 2.5 M and as I know that you can do this immediately I can only assume that I am being punished by plusnet for complaining. THe irony of course is that yesterday plusnet took my monthly payment for an 8 Meg service.
Of course they always say that it is an UPTO 8 Meg service, but if we all stood together and paid the proportion of our payment equal to the propotion of the speed we are actually given, they would soon fix things.
However, it is in plusnet's interest to keep us at as low a speed as possible, as then they do not have to upgrade their infrastructure. If we all had the speed we paid for the contention would be horrendous, so until UPTO is made illegal and we only pay for what we get there will be no incentive for plusnet to change.
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

Quote from: timedout
The calculator can only give an estimate. So why does the router say it could use 2.5M?

You are quite right - Kitz's calculator only produces an estimate. However since you aren't connected at 2.5Mbps your router is also producing an estimate. It seems like the DLM at the exchange doesn't agree.
Quote from: timedout
Also what am I to do about next month's reboot? Do you know if removing the adsl interface from the router's config will
be treated as an uncontrolled disconnect?

My guess is that taking that action would be seen as an abnormal disconnect since it's not something that would be expected in normal operation. The alternative of disconnecting from Plusnet then turning the router off beforehand, and leaving it off for at least an hour is likely to be treated less severely. However, since power failures cause problems for you why not invest in a UPS to bypass their effect?
David
timedout
Dabbler
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎22-11-2010

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

It has now been a week since my speed was dropped to 2.2M, so by all accounts it is stuck there.
Once again could I ask that it be put back up - I raised a fault at the time, but nothing has happened except they sent me a report which also shows that the line is still capable of a higher speed.
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
Fixes: 10
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

You need to monitor your noise margin. When it is above the target noise margin (which will be 6, 9, 12 or 15) you need to do a reboot. It will then reconnect at the target noise margin with a higher sync speed, it's most likely the optimum time to do that will be between 10am and 3 or 4 pm.
Running routerstats would allow you to monitor the noise margin for a day and see when the best time to do the reboot would be.
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)
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 9,786
Registered: ‎16-06-2010

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

HI timedout,
Quote from: Joanne
The change in your sync rate is due to your SNR creeping up slightly. This is normal for a line of your length. It was different when you were getting a much lower rate but at this time your line is working within acceptable limits. Indeed if you put your 63.5dB attenuation into this calculator, your sync of 2240k is way above what is predicted.

I'm sorry, but I can only reiterate what I've said before.
Jojo Smiley
timedout
Dabbler
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎22-11-2010

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

This is very unhelpful as I had been getting a consistent speed until we had a power glitch - so there is no reason why I can not go back to that speed of 2.3M. The change of speed had nothing to do with the SNR - as I said the first was due to a rooter reboot, the second a mains power glitch - the first we've had for many a year.
I will remind you that I am paying for 8M.......
Chris
Legend
Posts: 17,724
Thanks: 600
Fixes: 169
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

Looking at your line stats, the SNR is at 7db which suggests a target SNR of 6. To be brutally honest your line is performing much much better than the vast majority of others for that attenuation. I'm sorry to have to be so blunt but it is a rate adaptive service and will alter to adapt to the best it can get out of the line at the time.
Quote
I will remind you that I am paying for 8M

We don't base our charges on the speed of the service, that's why we have customers on up to 8Mb, up to 20Mb all paying the same price. The products are sold on the usage and traffic management profiles of the account.
Former Plusnet Staff member. Posts after 31st Jan 2020 are not on behalf of Plusnet.
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
Fixes: 10
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: Speed still not recovered after a month

Quote from: timedout
The change of speed had nothing to do with the SNR

It has absolutely everything to do with the SNR!
When your router syncs with the exchange, the faster it syncs the lower the noise margin. The exchange has a target noise margin set for each line which it has determined is appropriate to give a stable line with few errors; each time you sync your router and the exchange negotiate the fastest speed possible while keeping the noise margin at or above the target. The targets are in steps of 3 where 6 is the lowest (and hence gives the fastest possible speed).
Getting anything more out of your line is totally down to you. You could try the occasional resync when the noise margin is well above the target (you check what your target is by looking at the noise margin immediately after a resync); it should then resync at the target with hopefully a higher sync. You could also try different routers to see if any give you a better sync, but as you are already well above the estimate for your attenuation I think that';s unlikely to succeed.
You must also accept that line conditions, and hence the noise margin vary over time. One thing you can watch out for is if there is any background noise on the line, if that's the case it needs to be reported as a voice fault. Background noise tends to increase after sunset, which is why a 10am to 3pm sync is often advised. It will also increase if dampness gets in to the joints on the line, and if you've had the weather like we have had recently there's a very obvious reason why that may have happened. It wouldn't surprise me if come May or June you were back up to the higher speeds and then next winter they fell back to your current speeds.
HTH
Oh, and by the way, what you actually pay for is a connection at the fastest speed your line and the exchange will accept (that could be anything from around 512K to 24M),a data transfer allowance and the traffic prioritisation.
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)