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Broadband Speeds Again!

FIXED
pbaker
Dabbler
Posts: 13
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎21-04-2020

Broadband Speeds Again!

I have had an issue twice now in the past year where my connection speeds seem to keep dropping. The last time was just after Christmas. After a visit from Openreach and a tweak from their side, the connection went backup to around 50mb down. This worked really well for a while. Then one day the connection dropped out completely for a few hours and came backup but then had dropped to around 45MB.

But now it's dropped down again to around 35mb, even after a router reboot im getting around 38mb as you can see below. 

  • Product: Unlimited Fibre Extra
  • Estimated Download Range: 51 - 70Mbps
  • Estimated Upload Range: 14 - 18Mbps
  • Minimum Guaranteed Speed: 44.5Mbps
  • Current Line Speed (Download): 38.4Mbps

The upload speed isn't actually to bad and where it should be. 

Do I need to get PN to just reset the profile on the line?? or do you think Openreach is doing stuff to the line and keep forcing the line speed to drop. I may soon get FTTP but PN won't be realising their products for this until later on this year from the article i read the other day. 

 

6 REPLIES 6
OldRaft
Grafter
Posts: 84
Thanks: 9
Registered: ‎22-03-2015

Re: Broadband Speeds Again!

Any info on what PN are doing with FTTP appreciated.

 

Plus what replaces FTTC (which I have right now) when fibre is running right outside, for which contractors are installing conduit over the whole area right now.

 

I am assuming that as with ADSL and FTTC other ISPs will offer services over (BT/Openreach) fibre as and when cable itself is installed in the road, timescale looks like within the next 12 months. 

VM is already available and price wise costs for BB +phone are very similar now, only termination of contract costs holding me back from a service with constant speed drops.

 

Regards.... 

pbaker
Dabbler
Posts: 13
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎21-04-2020

Re: Broadband Speeds Again!

I know certainly before Christmas Openreach where right outside my house pulling fibre, through the ducts and because of Covid they said they were waiting for engineers to come and sort the splicing out. 

I do have VM in this areas as well but prefer to have a connection with a static IP for remote access etc. Which as a home user VM don't offer. 

pbaker
Dabbler
Posts: 13
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎21-04-2020

Re: Broadband Speeds Again!

it looks like FTTP is now available and i can actually order it. I raised a fault with PN about the speed issues with a long detail about what had been done in the past as their first response was the default about testing the connection with the test socket and sending an engineer out. 

I have had two engineers out in the past and they all say there is nothing wrong physically with the line so it has to be someone or something that is causing my profile on the line. 

 

OldRaft
Grafter
Posts: 84
Thanks: 9
Registered: ‎22-03-2015

Re: Broadband Speeds Again!

Faults... 🙂

I have had phone faults for thirty or more years at the same location, usually noise at one end of the call, and virtually NEVER, ok maybe a couple of occasions Openreach have found a fault. and PN never acknowledge there is a problem and report noise at the customers premises !  🙂  

 

First was regular ADSL, then FTTC, both involve old twisted pair and OLD kit in green cabinets.  In the days when the Openreach guy could come in your house, and when it was a new guy just trained for 8 weeks who had been told "just check the speed" but had only one call that morning did you find out that kit at the green  cabinet was OLD and should have been replaced.   (he go a rollocking for telling me what the real problem was and that the Newby got the c**p testing kit)  plus when you see an OR guy next door doing something in the manhole below the telegraph pole when suddenly you phone line becomes noisy again and you BB speed drops, and you call and the fix is to put you on a different twisted pair down to the cabinet or the next junction, and suddenly everything works for a month or three. 

 

Of the maybe twenty calls I have made over the last eight years with PN as above only a couple were acknowledged as a fault, but when I informed the OR guy where the fault usually was (green cabinet with obsolete screw terminal junction box) did I get a fix and often a "thanks" for pointing them in the right direction.

 

Moral of the story, fixes cost money, BB works because  of capacitive coupling that maybe stops voice from working but BB simply deteriorates and maybe phone line noisy.  Knowing that fibre is on the way and fixes to old copper circuits would cost the ISP money in engaging the monopoly that fixes ALL problems (OR) except for private networks such as Virgin Media  then fixes don't get done, we just wait for fibre.

 

The COST in engaging OR to constantly fix old copper pair problems must be millions, the cost to users many of whom don't check their speeds must be millions too, this will only be fixed when we are all on fibre.

 

I'm just interested to know what replaces FTTC for those who don't want to pay for FTTP? 

 

PS  BT/Openreach didn't start their IP network and fibre years ago because the government at the time gave NTL (now VM) a monopoly a guarantee that they would not get any competition as NTL claimed otherwise they would go bust) 

 

End of rant, roll on fibre and leaving PN  !  🙂 

 

Regards... 

pbaker
Dabbler
Posts: 13
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎21-04-2020

Re: Broadband Speeds Again!

Fix

My speed issues have now been fixed, i hope. Openreach came out yesterday and ended up have to put my on a new set of pairs from the cabinet to the DP near my house and then re-run some new cable from the plastic capping outside into a new master socket as they think the current cable may have been damaged. The original master socket was in a difficult place so they couldn't even pull the new cable through. 

My speeds are a lot better than they have ever been and more in line to what they should be which is good. so let's hope this has sorted it. 

notmyname
Rising Star
Posts: 133
Thanks: 36
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎20-03-2016

Re: Broadband Speeds Again!


@OldRaft wrote:

 

Of the maybe twenty calls I have made over the last eight years with PN as above only a couple were acknowledged as a fault, but when I informed the OR guy where the fault usually was (green cabinet with obsolete screw terminal junction box) did I get a fix and often a "thanks" for pointing them in the right direction.

 

 

I can only imagine you're connected through a PCP with PC100 strips BH18?