Upgraded to Fibre Extra 3 days ago - Negligible Speed Improvement

[#1]

Hi,

As per post title. I upgraded from standard Fibre to Fibre Extra last Wednesday. Since then, I've only seen a slight speed improvement. Prior to upgrading I was getting 30mbps~, and now I'm getting 45mbps~,which is far from the minimum download speed of 59.5mb I was quoted.

Is there any troubleshooting steps for this? Have tried restarting the router, with no change.

[#2]

The first question here is are those speeds you've given taken on a wired or WiFi connection? WiFi can be beset by all sorts of issues which an ISP can't control, so the speeds quoted as estimates are all based on wired connections.

If this is a wired result, then you'll want to start the faults process. Start by connecting to your test socket (behind the master socket faceplate) and retest.

Also if you can make sure the phone line is working and noise free. You can do this by plugging in any handset and dialling 17070 option 2 to run a quiet line test-this should be silent. If not, you have a phone fault.

If the line is quiet, but there is no improvement in the test socket on a wired test raise a fault at

www.faults.plus.net

For the record I suspect this is wifi based-if the line is capable of 59+ then you should have been hitting nearer 40 on the old package, so whatever is holding you back now was also doing it then. If it is wifi based issues, the first point is usually to split the 2.4 and 5Ghz bands, and adjust wifi channels. Advice on that is here:

https://www.plus.net/help/broadband/router-user-guides/#article-content

[#3]

@Kdog has it pretty well summed up. It might also be a good idea to see what you get shown here so you know for sure what sort of speeds you should be getting. As mentioned by kdog if your line was capable of more than you were using you should have been near the top end of it i.e. 40Mb.

[#4]

Hey @Kdog 

Thanks for the in-depth feedback. This was on wi-fi, so I've now tested on the master socket with a similar result (57mbps~)

Though the phone line is quiet using the quiet-line test, there is a lot of static and crackling when just picking up the phone without dialling out.

I've now split my Wi-Fi channels, and tried connecting separately to both the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz. Both give me near identical speeds (within 1-4 mbps)

I've raised an issue via faults.plus.net. So hopefully something positive will come from that.

[#5]

Thanks for the reply @idonno ! Had a look, and there's two ranges: Range A (clean) and Range B (impacte

Image attached with speeds.

Taken Kdog's advice, as per my other comment. So hopefully will have some joy there.

[#6]

Another test I'd be tempted to do there is try the wired test from your test socket without a phone attached at all. It may be nothing but if you're getting crackling from the handset without even dialling out then that will be from the phone itself, and could be feeding back into the broadband.

The quiet line test is good, but not infallible as noisy line faults are notorious for their intermittency.

[#7]

A view of the bottom half of the DSL checker would help show what speeds you are getting.

As would a view of the Help Desk page of your router.

Do you have a modern filtered master socket?

Have you tried the router in the hiden test socket, revealed by removing the two screws on the master socket ?

[#8]

Thanks for the tip @Kdog

Have retried the wired test without a phone connected, and unfortunately no change to the speed. To note: my master socket doesn't have a test socket inside. So I'm just connecting directly via the original faceplate.

[#9]

Hi @Mustrum,

Thanks for replying. Sure. I've attached images of both.

It's not a pre-filtered socket. One port only. So I've got an ADSL filter.

[#10]

That website screenshot is no good Im afraid. Usually that bottom part shows a recent data rate but being a new provision its not there.

That said it doesn't really matter. The router screenshot shows you're getting 62 to the router. So the loss is after that-normally I'd say wifi but am I right in saying the wired test was around 57 too?

Also worth asking, was the 59 you mentioned as your minimum your min guaranteed speed or your lower estimate?

[#11]

Thanks for that, I would have expected to see "Observed Speeds" on the DSL checker if you had used your phone number on the DSL checker.

However from what you have said and looking at the HelpDesk page, you are not getting the maximum speeds your line is capable of. This could be due to your internal wiring is you have any extension sockets, or a noisy line.

A filtered master socket will sort things out if you have extensions, reporting a phone line fault will sort out a noisey line.

[#12]

Hi@Kdog,

From my order details...

Download: 64 - 72Mb
Upload: 17 - 18Mb
Minimum Guaranteed Speed: 59.5Mb

From what I've read, I thought the 62mbps you're referring to is the "Downstream Handback Threshold"? Which is not an indication of my actual speed, but based on my expected speeds, a minimum I should be getting or else..."the operator will normally consider the service not acceptable and allow an order to be reversed without charge." Apologies if I misunderstood you.

Both wired and wireless are around 57-58 when last tested.

[#13]

Hi @Mustrum

Unfortunately I get an error when entering my phone number. The checker doesn't seem to recognise it.

There are three sockets in the house, all in all. I've tried my connection wired to all three, with none getting me over 60mbps.

I've raised a fault for the noisy line. Is the fitting of a filtered master socket, in place of my non-filtered one, something only BT Openreach should be doing? Or something I can look into myself?

[#14]

Then you should have more. I asked as the minimum can sometimes be a way below the estimates depending on the exact line, whereas if it was low estimate of 59 then technically there wouldn't be a fault.

The 62 is your routers current sync rate. Your throughput would be a little less-about 57 to your device would be about right for that. The numbers you've given there though are based on to your device not sync rate as they used to be, so its only a couple of Mb short of minimum, but it is short and should be higher.

Let the fault progress from here. May be a little time with how things have been lately, but you've tested everything you can there.

Edit-regarding the socket, its not advisable for you to change it as its Openreachs socket, and if youre on an old none test socket model chances are openreach will replace it next time they're round for any reason-if only because then you can then test your internal wiring properly and therefore be held fully responsible for it, and it may help the speed anyway. Id reckon this will likely go to an engineer anyway.

[#15]

@jdbuta  In the early days of FTTC installations, Openreach would install a filtered master socket and the modem to maje sure peole got the best speeds. However a couple or three years ago, in a cost saving exercise, ISP's startied sending out self install router/modems

These days, if people reprt a speed problem and an engineer is called out ORwill fit a filtered master socket. But if you have a noisy line, this will be looked at first.

Having a filtered master socket means you will get the best speeds from that socket, but you won't het broadband from the extensions, so you need to think about what you need - max speeds, or broadband from a convienent extension,at a lower speed...