Upload speed unusable for working from home

[#1]

Hi there,

Is there a way to arrange for a better upload speed. I have a home that I occasionally have to work from. When I arrived three weeks ago the broadband speeds were 0.3Mbps down and 0.7Mpbs up. I reported the fault and an engineer came out within a day and although there was a line fault she also said that I needed a new router. To cut a long story short, with the new hub one and line fault supposedly fixed the ticket is now closed. I have a download speed of around 3Mpbs which is usable but the upload speed is now worse that before at round 0.6Mpbs. I explained that for me the upload speed is just as important as the download speed but was told that the minimum guaranteed speed (0.8Mbps for my location) only relates to the download speed so they closed the ticket.

I have used Plusnet here for many years from this location and have never been impeded from working by the line speed until now. I regularly have to communicate with my clients and upload files in excess of 40Mb. At the moment I am having to get in the car and drive 2 miles down the road where I can get a 4G mobile signal to upload stuff.

Something has changed since last October when I was last here but I now feel that Plusnet are just washing their hands of the situation as they have met their "minimum" standard. Do I need to cancel my contract and switch to SunartNetworks to get a workable solution?

[#2]

@phildotc If you are on an ADSL  connection - as you are - and with a very low D/L speed, which suggests you are a long way from the exchange, you will never get much in the way of U/L - which is not guaranteed anyway.

Is FTTC available? If so, that is the only way to improve your speed.

[#3]

@phildotc If you are on ADSL you are unlikely to get sufficient upload speed to reliably work from home. Even if you live next to your telephone exchange, (which I deduce that you are not), your upload speed is unlikely to exceed about 1Mbps.

Do you have fibre availability? Have you checked by entering your phone number in here to see what's available at your address?  https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

What's changed? Since the Covid outbreak many more are working from home and taken up a broadband connection. This has increased the crosstalk between lines. In layman's terms, to compensate for this the broadband usable bandwidth has to be reduced, which slows yout speed down.

[#4]

Hi @jab1 ,

I am in the Highlands with at least 2 miles of "self burying" or pole carried copper cable, some of which is occasionally below water at high tide, between me and the nearest fibre enabled cabinet. There are actually fewer users using the Open Reach infrastructure since last October as most of the locals have dumped BT/OpenReach and switched to SunartNetworks/Scotnet wireless but as I am not here all the time that is expensive option for me.

My main gripe is that it hasn't always been this bad, I have been using Plusnet since before 2013 here and for even longer at my main address, and up until this time I have been very impressed by how quickly problems have been sorted given the remote location. The local OR engineers know almost immediately where likely problems are although this time the engineer suggested that lightening my have damaged my router which sounded a but lame. I'd have though a lightening strike would kill it completely, not leave it limping along. Also, the upload speed is now worse with the new Hub One which to me makes me think there is still an issue on the line or with some setting somewhere.

[#5]

@phildotc I see your problem now. FTTC would be of no use at that distance and in those conditions, tbh.

I can't suggest much else at the moment, but bear in mind that the BT infrastructure can, and does, have problems, especially given your location, and these can be hard to isolate.

It may help if you can post the Helpdesk details from your router - obscuring/deleting any personal information

[#6]

@jab1 Thanks for the suggestion. The router is the brand new Hub One router they sent out two weeks ago, or do you mean to send them some info off the router?

Phil

[#7]

@phildotc 

If you guaranteed speed is 0.8Mbps and you are getting 3Mbps it could be that rather than Plusnet 'washing their hands' they are constrained by the fact that Openreach wil not accept this as a fault.

As well as a lightning strike potentially damaging your hub it could also degrade the insulation on this 2+ miles length of cable.

If a Plusnet staffer comes along maybe they can try tweeking the SNR to see if it helps (or otherwise!).

[#8]

What I am suggesting, @phildotc , is that you post that information in this thread, so someone may be able to spot a potential problem

[#9]

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If a Plusnet staffer comes along maybe they can try tweeking the SNR to see if it helps (or otherwise!).

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That's what I am kind of hoping seeing as I got the impression that they are fed up of me keep re-opening the question. Hadn't thought that it might be OR that are refusing to investigate further. With regard to the insulation damage by the suggested lightening strike, that thought had crossed my mind.

Phil

[#10]

@jab1 

Thanks for the clarification. Attached image of the Help Desk info page. Not sure which category of information in the Event log would be useful though.

Phil

[#11]

@phildotc Thanks for that image - apart from the short DSL uptime, there is nothing significant there. I've no idea what is in the Hub One event log as I have never used that kit, but the rest of the information suggests that you are achieving close to your maximum potential.