Just switched - slow and kicked off gaming

[#1]

Hi guys

Setup a newly received router this evening having switched from BT Fibre Broadband, and I'm consistently having issues with being kicked off of ps4/psn servers randomly mid-game (ping spikes/packet loss).

There are no issues with PSN, nor the game logging issues and this has literally only happened since switching to Plusnet. I've previously not had to perform any port forwarding etc. nor had any issues at all on BT.

I understand from the documentation that there’s a period of time where the service will be unsettled while DLM figures things out, but how long do I leave this before I cancel - and equally, how does this effect my cancellation rights/terms? E.g. can I cancel within the 14 days? It seems odd to me to suggest to wait, but then make cancelling harder. In addition, the documentation says in essence this unstable service is not usually obvious unless you're performing speed tests..

Also I’m seeing the below results, which is somewhat lower than predicted (though I am using wireless and also using a filter)..

It'd be great to understand what may be the issue, as well as how this effects cancellation.

Download Speed (Mbps): 48.78

Upload Speed (Mbps) : 7.20

Ping Latency (ms): 17

Predicted:

Download: 56 - 72Mb
Upload: 17 - 18Mb
Minimum Guaranteed Speed: 51.1Mb

[#2]

Hey there @zimmme,

A warm welcome to Plusnet and the forums!

When your service becomes live there is a 10 day stabilisation period in which DLM plays around a little and will begin to settle toward the end of that period. If after that period ends, and you still notice a dip in speed - please go ahead and perform a wired speed test and let us know the results.

With regards to cancellation, your 14 day cooling off period begins the day after you sign up for our services rather than the day the service starts. If you wanted to cancel on the basis that the speeds were not reaching the minimum guaranteed speed then we'd need go through our faults process first otherwise early termination fess would come into play.

Fingers crossed the speed settles for you, as I mentioned if you notice it dipping after that 10 day period give us a nudge here and we can investigate further.

Thanks.

[#3]

Hi Maddie

Thank you!

I understand, but this seems a little unfair and ominous given the immediate issues I'm facing.. especially considering it takes 14 days for you to switch and send equipment- meaning the 14 cool off period is somewhat pointless.

Anyhow, guess I'll see and then we can go down the Ofcom route - but right now the service is no where near as robust or reliable as the previous supplier.

Cheers!

[#4]

Hi @zimmme,

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding regarding the cooling off period. This is intended to be an opportunity for the customer to review the contract terms rather than as a trial period for the services. In some cases, it will take over 14 days from when the order was placed for the services to activate. As @Mads has mentioned, if we were to fully investigate the fault with our suppliers and they were to confirm that they can't resolve the problem and bring your speed above the minimum guaranteed speed then we would be able to waive your early termination fees if you decided to leave us as a result.

I've tested your line today and the test isn't picking up any problems and shows that the line is currently syncing at 66.4mbps down and 20mbps up. Please let us know if the speed hasn't improved on your side.

GEA Test Detail
Circuit ID	NA	Service ID	BBEUXXXXXXXX

Test Outcome	Pass
Test Outcome Code	GTC_FTTC_SERVICE_0000
Description	GEA service test completed and no fault found .
Main Fault Location	OK
Sync Status	In Sync
Downstream Speed	66.4 Mbps
Upstream Speed	20.0 Mbps
Appointment Required	N
Fault Report Advised	N
NTE Power Status	PowerOn
Voice Line Test Result	Pass
Bridge Tap	Detected
Radio Frequency Ingress	Not Detected
Repetitive Electrical Impulse Noise	Not Detected
Cross Talk	Not Detected
Estimated Line Length In Metres	320.0
Upstream Rate Assessment	Very Good
Downstream Rate Assessment	Reasonable
Interference Pattern	Not Detected
Service Impact	No Impact Observed
Home Wiring Problem	Not Detected
Downstream Policing Discard Rate	0.0
Customer Traffic Level	Upstream and Downstream Traffic Detected
Technology	VDSL
Current 15Min Bin Retrains	0
Last 15Min Bin Retrains	0
DP Type	External
Profile Name	0.128M-80M Downstream, Interleaving Low - 0.128M-20M Upstream, Error Protection Off
Time Stamp	2019-10-24T08:15:00

Parameters	MIN	MAX	AVG
Down Stream Line Rate	56.1 Mbps	66.4 Mbps	56.3 Mbps
Up Stream Line Rate	19.9 Mbps	19.9 Mbps	19.9 Mbps
Up Time	409.0 Sec	900.0 Sec	899.3 Sec
Retrains	0.0	1.0	0.0

Current and Last 15 Minute Bin Performance
Parameters	Last Traffic Count(Upto 15 mins)	Current Traffic Count(Upto 15 mins)
Start Time Stamp	2019-11-06T07:37:46Z	2019-11-06T07:52:46Z
Ingress Code Violation	12	5
Egress Code Violation	0	0
Errored Seconds	0	0
Severely Errored Seconds	0	0
Unavailable Seconds	0	0

[#5]

Hi there, are you able to test my service?

Speeds haven't improved, they seem to have got worse.

I've also come across the ludicrously loud router issue - which again, while makes technical sense, doesn't really make sense for the consumer versus other services..

[#6]

Hi @zimmme, I am sorry that you are having issues.

I have tested your line today and I'm seeing a sync speed of 66.4mb, can you please advise what speeds you are seeing using a wired connection, as this will help us to see if the lower speeds you are seeing are down to the WiFi, or if there could be something underlying our tests aren't detecting.

If there's no improvement over a wired connection, I'd advise completing the troubleshooting steps here and reporting a fault here (letting us know once done so we can pick it up for you).

If the issue appears to be solely when using a wireless connection, I'd first advise splitting the routers wireless frequencies. I have provided steps on this here for you.

If you still have your BT router, it may be worth connecting this up (you'll need to manually update the stored broadband username and password) to see if the same issue persists.

[#7]

Hi Lauren

Thank you - I'll have to buy an ethernet adaptor given new laptops now only really have USBC ports and let you know once tested.

In the meantime, please can you confirm cancellation charges are 11.61/month? (Given that depending on the switch you can get £125 in cash, then paying another 100quid to switch doesn't sound so bad).

I completely understand your processes and Ofcom's cancellation code but in the grand scheme of things having to jump through a bunch of hoops when a different ISP can provide a better service seemingly 'out of the box' is somewhat frustrating. A loud router, suggestion to use the previous provider's router, packet loss, disconnects when online gaming (packet loss I assume?) and slower speeds than previous wireless - who knows, maybe it's just bad luck! 🙂 

Thanks Lauren/all - will update once wired / split signals.

[#8]

Hi zimmme,

As you say your previous ISP was BT and assuming you are using the PN Hub one ....

You can check if the hub one is the cause of your slower WiFi speeds, by replacing it with the BT hub.

BT hubs can be configured to work on Plusnet.

For to BT smarthub6 @Baldrick1 has created a guide:

https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/Using-the-BT-Smarthub-6-on-a-Plusnet-Account/td-p/1587673

For the other BT hubs @NorthEasterner has created a guide:

https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/Use-a-BT-Hub-2-3-4-or-5-on-a-Plusnet-connection/td-p/1192234

Regards

Richard

[#9]

Thank you for that @zimmme, please let us know how you get on with the wireless setting changes and with the ethernet connection.

I can confirm that your early termination charge would be £11.61 per full month left on the contract if you chose to leave us mid contract.

[#10]

An update - I switched back to the BT router and things seem to be better. I haven't been at home much recently but will do some more tests over the next few days...

[#11]

No worries @zimmme,

Give us a nudge once you've managed to do those and we can go from there.

Thanks.