Fibre speed dropped from 72mb to 21mb

[#1]

For the past year my fibre speed has consistently been in the low 70s, but since last week the connection is noticeably slower. A speed check now says the connection is around 20mb and it won't go higher no matter the time of day.

According to Plusnet's 'Check my current speed' page the speed is indeed currently 21mb:

Telephone number:
0127546XXXX
Phone exchange:
PORTISHEAD
Estimated line speed:
80Mb (This may vary between 67.9Mb and 80Mb) - Checked on 2016-07-25 23:06:15
Current line speed:
21 Mb

I've checked on Openreach's website and there's no reported fault or maintenance. How do I find out when the speed will go back up to normal?

Any help much appreciated.

[#2]

Hi @pm2016

Welcome to the forums.

Have you checked your BTW IP Profile at http://www.speedtest.btwholesale.com/PerformanceTesterWS/diagnostics.do  to see if it is the same as the Plusnet Line Speed or set higher.

Just enter your phone number and click "Run Diagnostic Test"

If the BTW IP Profile says 21Mb then you may have a fault which needs to be reported. This guide includes the link to report a FTTC fault https://community.plus.net/t5/Library/Broadband-Faults-Guide-FTTC/ba-p/1322788

However if the BTW IP Profile is high say in the 70Mbps area, then  you just need to get Plusnet to change their Plusnet Line Speed. Phone or Chat to get that actioned. Once that has been done, and you have verified it, then you will need to log onto the router, click "Disconnect"< wait a minute and then click "Click" to auction the new speed.

[#3]

Hi, thanks for the very quick help! I ran the BTW test and it says the download speed is 19.45Mbps with an IP Profile of 77.35Mbps.

So I'll contact Plusnet to change the line speed. I did change to a static IP last week (which I hadn't thought would affect the speed) but may be more than a coincidence - would this be a possible cause?

[#4]

Maybe, the Plusnet internal systems have a mind of their own. But I doubt even the staff could answer that question with 100% certainty

Applying a static IP could cause issues as it does affect how you are potential routed through the Plusnet and Openreach networks when the router logs in.

[#5]

Don't worry about contacting support, just do a single disconnect/reconnect of the router and you should be good to go at your fibre speeds.

[#6 · Accepted solution]

Thanks - I had already rebooted my router but just did it again and speeds now seem to be back up to normal in the mid 70s, so problem seems to be fixed.

On a slightly different topic I've just discovered that my new static IP is mapped to a hostname containing my full name (ie <my name>.plus.com. Is this usual? It seems to be a huge privacy issue as anyone with my IP now knows my full name. Can the hostname be changed to something anonymous?

Surely this shouldn't be the default option?

[#7]

I can get it changed to IP.plus.com if you'd like?

[#8]

Yes please, at least that won't reveal my name!

[#9]

That's done, it can take up to 24 hours for DNS to propagate around.

[#10]

Great thanks.