Slow speed and fix not working

[#1]

I used to get a fairly steady download speed of about 7.5Mbps - low by most people's standards but I'm a long way from the cabinet in a rural area.  However in recent months the speed drifted down to at best 4.0Mbps and often below 1.0Mbps.  I raised a fault on 18 February and an engineer investigated on 24 February.  He found a fault between the cabinet and the exchange, 'fixed' it, and for a short while the speed improved to a near-miraculous c.9.0Mbps.  (I have been told in the past by more than one engineer that the line is technically incapable of anything above 10.0Mbps).

It has since drifted down to its previous poor performance and will only improve, for a while, if I retart the router or turn it off and then on again.  Then it will go back to around 6.0 or 7.0Mbps but only for a day or so.

Having raised the complaint again I was contacted on the 'ticket' on 8 March and asked to give available time slots for a further engineer visit.  This I did.  But since then, nothing.  No response.  I tried phoning and was told to wait for a response to the ticket.  I've waited a few days.  Still nothing.

So I thought I'd see if raising the issue on this forum will catch someone's attention.  I don't really know how this forum works but I can provide more details to someone official if need be.

[I'm on a package called Unlimited Fibre with Minimum Guaranteed Speed of 17.6Mbps - which I've pointed out is unachievable but no-one seems to take any notice]

[#2]

@outtopasture 

Hi

I am currently investigating mis-placed DSLAM's funded under the BDUK rollout.

Please can you tell me how far you think you are from the DSLAM (cabinet), this site

https://gb.mapometer.com

is useful in determining the possible route.

If you can request a GEA test from PN this will also give the distance from you to the cabinet, along with other information such as crosstalk and interference.

For information the manufacturers manual for the more popular DSLAMS quotes...

It is recommended to use VDSL2 within 1 km.

Finally if you can inform me which County Council you reside in this would be helpful.

If you prefer you can contact me via Private Message.

Thanks

[#3]

Don't bother asking for a GEA test for Cabinet distance it's not correct at all, it will estimate based on what your current sync is not what the actual distance may be so if you have a fault it will say the distance is longer than it actually is.

[#4]

@Terranova667 

Thanks to raising that, but how does it work (re sync speed) as I understood they used TDR to get the distance?

[#5]

@dws1900 It is not based on any physical measurement, it is an estimate, so may be approximately correct or completely wrong.

[#6]

@RealAleMadrid 

An estimate by what means, attenuation, resistance, line database?

I have traced all possible routes for my line, and they all are within +/- 250m of all GEA tests.

The OP has very low speeds, so either they are very far away (so why on earth were they supplied with a VDSL based system) or they have a really weird line issue/dodgy DSLAM or some other problem.

A GEA test would identify other issues affecting the line apart from distance, as would any statistics derived from the router.

This is an interesting case due to the possible distance, as misplaced DSLAMS are not as rare as people may think.

[#7]

Thank you for the reply.

I've had a couple of test result posts on the fault ticket.  They both have a line that says this: "GEA service test completed and no fault found" .

Insofar as I can understand them, they appear to show that I'm 2.4km from the cabinet (sounds about right).  It's North Yorkshire.

My issue at the moment is to get Plusnet to respond to the complaint.  As I said in the OP, they asked me for available dates and then have gone silent.

[#8]

@outtopasture 

Thats a long way!! I am 1.5km and get sub Superfast speeds of 22Mbs.

If I was in your position I would be looking at microwave, satellite or mobile alternatives.

Round here there is a microwave based system used by the country folk, its point to point then wifi I believe.

Were you seduced from ADSL to VDSLby the ISP sirens?

Re the GEA tests, look for crosstalk, interference and retransmission. (if PN did not give the complete test results then request them, search community board for examples)

[#9]

Hi @outtopasture

I am sorry to hear of the problems with your broadband.

Having reviewed your account, I can see that our support teams have been monitoring this and the fault appears to have been resolved. Are the problems still ongoing?

[#10]

Hi @KatieC 

I've had a message on the fault ticket that they've amended the line and as of this morning it's working the way it should.  It's not fast, because of my distance from the cabinet, but it's back to where it used to be.

I'm regarding this fault as fixed and I continue to await the long-promised rollout of FTTP!

Thank you.