Upgraded to fibre, possibly not getting minimum guaranteed speed?

[#1]

Hi!

My Fibre Unlimited Extra (estimated 45-65 Mbps) was activated 10 days ago, with a minimum guaranteed access line speed of 40Mbps. Since its activation, however, it's been on around 30-32 Mpbs, usually not going over 35. PlusNet's line access speed check says: "Current line speed:36.8 Mb"

I've tested the connection via all the sockets in my house, and only using an ethernet cable with a micro filter. I do not have an Openreach master socket, and possibly not a master socket at all, as Gandalf pointed out in my previous thread (see photos in the thread, if needed):

https://community.plus.net/t5/Broadband/Random-broadband-drop-outs/m-p/1566812#M326104

Could the conenction drops I was experiencing with my broadband (see the linked forum thread) have anything to do with these reduced speeds with my new fibre?

The fibre has been completely stable with no drop-puts – it's only the speed I'm worried about, as it's not the minimum guaranteed. Or is it too soon take action, as it hasn't been 14 days yet?

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

[#2]

Have you tried your router in all the sockets to see if one is any better?

Have you got filters in all other sockets that you are using for phones etc?

Ideally you need to identify where the BT cable comes into your property, this should be the master socket location. This is where you should locate your router. Can you tell by looking at the form of the cables such as the colour of the sheath or the frequency of the twist of the second colour on each core? There should be one socket that has only one cable going to it. That is the far end of the connector string so the master will be one of the other two.

If you do have a BT Engineer out ensure that he fits a filtered faceplate for you as that will give you the best possible data arrangement and looks much neater as you don't need any microfilters. If he claims that he hasn't got one then make sure that he fits the latest type of back box. This has the extension wires connected to a separate set of connectors on the back box. You can then buy your own filtered faceplate, they're not expensive. Fitting that is simple, you simply unclip the single socket faceplate and replace it with the double socket filtered version.

[#3]

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Hi, thanks for the reply. As I mentioned in my first post, I've checked the connection (using the router) from each socket in the house. And as mentioned, I used a microfilter each time (all my sockets require it).

The speed is the same from all sockets.

Did you look at the photos in the thread I linked in my first post? The socket which I believe is where the main line comes into the house (because it includes antenna/data/phone ports, vs. the other sockets which only look like simple phone extension sockets) is the first two photos in that forum thread. Gandalf mentioned that it "doesn't look like a telephone point but more like a data port hardwired into the wall(Could be wrong on the specifics but it's definitely not an Openreach master socket)."

Anyway, this "master" socket doesn't give me any better speeds than the extension sockets, at least nothing significant (still keeping me around 30-35 Mbps).

This detached house was built a little over 5 years ago, so it's interesting that they didn't install filtered faceplates, considering how modern everthing else is here! Since it was built, the connection has been with Sky Broadband, until now when I moved in here and switched to PlusNet.

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat): Full quote of preceding post removed as per Forum rules.

[#4]

I have looked at your photo's, especially the one you think should be the master. The problem I have is that the two cables look identical, which is not what I would expect if one was the incoming BT cable and the other installed by the builder. You have looked in cupboards etc. to make sure that there isn't a proper master socket or even a junction box where a bodger has been at work lurking somewhere?

The problem you will have is that without having a test socket (the one located inside the master socket) you will never definitely be able to determine whether some faults are your responsibility or BT's.

All this of course could be a red herring and the fault is outside of your property, it's just a pain that you can't currently isolate your internal wiring so that you're certain.

[#5]

Hello,

Looking at the pictures from your first thread you appear to have some sort of Satellite, Telephone, TV and Radio signal distribution system.

So in a cupboard in the lower part of your house possible under the stairs you should find some this distribution system. The amplifier/signal distribution for TV and Satellite system could be inside a white case or something similar , I would expect to find the master socket close by as all the coax cables and UTP cables for the phone sockets could go around your property from the same place. The phone cables look like they are daisy chained which is expected.

Hope this helps

Dan.

[#6]

Hi @Sio

Our tests are showing your router only in sync at 38.2mbps though they aren't finding the cause of the problem. It may be due to your old sockets but it may be something else.

If you're unable to find a master socket, I think the next step is to raise a fault to us at http://faults.plus.net so we can pass this on to our suppliers and arrange an engineer to further investigate this.

Feel free to give us a nudge over here when you've raised the fault and we'll be happy to pick it up.

[#7]

@Gandalf

It may be due to your old sockets

The pictures from the first thread show extension telephone sockets which can be purchased for many electrical wholesalers and I have seen many examples of these and they work fine with ADSL and FTTC broadband. Agree a fault should be raised.

@Sio

I've taken a second look at your pictures, the socket with the Aerial/Satellite connections, the phone connector would have be there for Sky decoders as they previously had a requirement for a phone line and wouldn't necessarily have been the master but maybe the first socket in the chain.

Having a rethink you might have an external NTE which would be located on the outside of your house and might look like

 

The grey cables seen in your picture would feed from here.

I also noticed the bell wire is also connected which may not help with speeds.

Dan.

[#8]

Thank you both.

I googled a bit about the XNTE (external NTE) and I'm now pretty certain that's the setup I must have. A few other people living in similar newly built houses have described (and have posted photos of) the same internal sockets that I have (i.e. all are simply extension sockets), lacking an internal NTE5 master socket.

When I get home soon, I'll take a trip round the house to locate the XNTE and report back to you. However, from what I've now been reading about it, the XNTE won't have a test socket that a consumer can use anyway:

"With a normal external NTE setup, the sockets inside your home are normal extension type and there is no test socket. You can see from this that a lot of ISPs will not be very happy, and there is no easy way for the average user to connect to the line with their internal wiring disconnected. There is a test socket within the external unit, but this will not accept a normal telephone plug (it is a jones plug and socket)."

Providing I do have an XNTE without a test socket, I'll go ahead and raise a fault as you guys have suggested, as I don't think there's any routine tests I can do with the XNTE.

[#9]

@Dan_the_Van wrote:

@Gandalf

It may be due to your old sockets

The pictures from the first thread show extension telephone sockets which can be purchased for many electrical wholesalers and I have seen many examples of these and they work fine with ADSL and FTTC broadband. Agree a fault should be raised.

Yeah true. Going from personal experience, fibre doesn't seem to work well in an extension socket unlike ADSL. Then again in that experience the sockets were all star-wired together(Which is an ancient form of internal wiring).

[#10]

Can confirm, I have an external NTE:

Also confirmed that the test socket underneath the yellow cover is indeed a jones plug.

I'll go ahead and submit a fault now, will see how it goes. It's sad if it's because of this XNTE that my fibre speed is being stifled. I read in another thread a suggestion to disconnect the internal bell wire to reduce interference, but also another comment saying that "apparently the external NTE's have a choke fitted on the bell wire to squash interference that might be caused, just like the updated NTE5s, so cutting the bell wire probably won't help."

Then again, in the end I don't fully understand how this is all set up as my experience with stuff like this is very slim (bit confused about the bell wire and twists and the 2/3/5 terminals and whatnot!), so I should probably not fiddle with these wires myself.

Edited to add: @Gandalf You asked me to give you a nudge here when I've raised a fault so you could pick it up  – here's the question ID: 182707852

Thanks again everyone for helping me out with this.

[#11]

@Sio, thanks for the details and the heads up, I've updated the ticket for you now.

If you can give us another nudge here when you've replied we'll be happy to pick it up.

[#12]

@Sio

Really pleased you found the NTE

FYI, the bell wire is connected to 3 and should be removed from all phone sockets even if they are unused. 

Good luck

Dan.