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Will it ever improve?

RobPN
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 5,103
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Registered: ‎17-05-2013

Re: Will it ever improve?


@marcusk wrote:

 

I regularly make a 3 hour round drive to my clients offices as uploading work with this connection simply isn't feasible. The last year has resulted in a lot more remote working and this connection makes that beyond frustrating.


 


@marcusk wrote:


Alas I have investigated the mobile option, but no, that's rather awful also. I'm not worried about the expense, if Plusnet were to charge me 4X what I pay now for the service they advertise I'd take it. As I said above, I have a 3 hour drive later with a USB key in my pocket as this service is so awful.


 

@marcusk 

Wouldn't one obvious way to avoid those regular three hour round trips be to just drive to somewhere more local to you which has good Internet access (either by fixed connection or mobile) and upload from there?  Undecided 

 

 

marcusk
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Registered: ‎18-03-2013

Re: Will it ever improve?


@marcusk 

Wouldn't one obvious way to avoid those regular three hour round trips be to just drive to somewhere more local to you which has good Internet access (either by fixed connection or mobile) and upload from there?  Undecided 

 

 


I've done that a few times also, sitting in a MacDonald's car park working is somewhat pitiful though. I can at least do a few other things when in the office as well.
It's the lack of alternatives that's bothering me, literally I'm saying to anyone, take my money, but nope.

My hopes have turned to Starlink now, will Mr Musk's hobby project make a joke of the national provider here? Maybe. I'm on the list.
His promotional material shows a cabin in the wilderness, or a boat, a man on a mountain even. I'm in the middle of a large town and need it..!!!

Mustrum
Community Veteran
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Registered: ‎13-08-2015

Re: Will it ever improve?

Why would you at least not try and get what your line is capable of?

A better modem/router, checking sync speeds from the test socket, making sure there is no noise on the line or locally sourced RFI slowing things down.

You could be getting twice the download, and 4-6 times your current upload speeds.

marcusk
Grafter
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Registered: ‎18-03-2013

Re: Will it ever improve?

I have done all this previously, but will be returning to the task again later this week to see if anything has changed. I can't see why it should have, but maybe I guess.

I'm also investigating options from a lease line provider (awaiting quote) and returning to the mobile SIM option also to see if that's improved since I last looked.

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

RichardB
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Registered: ‎19-11-2008

Re: Will it ever improve?

Hi
Sorry for the delay in responding and the info that follows.
I beleive your problems will be due to dsl-68u.
It should not be on the market in the UK.
It uses a mediatek chipminside which is frankly terrible as a modem.
I advise using a diferent modem and relagating the dsl-68u to be a wifi access point.
Some background:
https://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php?topic=18434.0
https://community.plus.net/t5/ADSL-Broadband/ASUS-DSL-N66U-DSL-AC68U-Information-please/m-p/1157884/...
Regards
Richard
marcusk
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Re: Will it ever improve?


@RichardB wrote:

I advise using a diferent modem and relagating the dsl-68u to be a wifi access point.
Regards
Richard

 

Is there a particular modem that would be recommended?

Thanks.

RichardB
Seasoned Champion
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Registered: ‎19-11-2008

Re: Will it ever improve?

@marcusk 

Typically any modem which uses a broadcom chipset.

https://wiki.kitz.co.uk/index.php/BCM_routers

Not all of those listed are VDSL / fibre routers, some are ADSL / standard broadband only.

 

However, just to confuse the issue, the most recent version of the DSL-68U has changed to use a broadcom chipset.

https://www.asus.com/uk/Networking-IoT-Servers/Modem-Routers/All-series/DSLAC68U/

Older ones used the Mediatek chipset.

Which version of DSL-68U do you hae?

 

Regards

Richard

 

 

 

RealAleMadrid
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Registered: ‎07-07-2009

Re: Will it ever improve?

@RichardB  What evidence can you provide that later versions of the awful DSL-AC68U have a Broadcom DSL modem chipset, it has always had a Broadcom wi-fi chip but that isn't the problem. It's the Mediatek DSL chip that ruins it.

RichardB
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Registered: ‎19-11-2008

Re: Will it ever improve?

Hi @RealAleMadrid
It appeared that ASUS were claiming they used a broadcom chip on the web page I linked.
On re-reading the page I think you are correct and it only refers to the WiFi using a broadcom chip.
Sorry for the confusion.
The Mediatek modem is terrible and ASUS should be prevented, in the UK, from selling routers using it.
Richard





marcusk
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Registered: ‎18-03-2013

Re: Will it ever improve?

I appreciate the replies, but I've understood little of it.

Shouldn't this service simply work, without me having to wonder what chipset is inside of a device I know little about?

The speed has always been awful, at best 14 down and 5 up, but for a while now 1 up (or lower) has become the usual, the chipset hasn't changed in the 3 years I've been using it.

The difference between 5 up and 1 up is that of awful and simply unusable.

I assume any physical fault (unlikely in my view anyway) wouldn't only effect the upload speed?   

marcusk
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Re: Will it ever improve?

For example, this is 00:35hrs - no other devices using the connection and at this time of night not too many kids in my street hitting the Xbox or families watching Netflix. It 'should' be optimum performance time.

(Although its approaching the mysterious nightly 5 min disconnection I enjoy at about 01:00, but that's a different issue..!!) 

 

Screenshot 2021-05-05 003618.png

 

 

RealAleMadrid
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Re: Will it ever improve?

@marcusk You don't appear to want to do anything to find out why your speeds are so low. Have you carried out any of the actions suggested by @Mustrum in post #18, you say you have tried them before and that that your speeds have always been poor, most likely because of  the Asus router. A cheap alternative to try would be a BT Homehub 6 available on auction sites, instructions for setting it up are in the router section of this forum.

Also you say "It's the lack of alternatives that's bothering me, literally I'm saying to anyone, take my money, but nope." 

As you have already found, there are alternatives such as FTTP on Demand and Leased Line services but they are very expensive and beyond the budget of most residential users.

In response to your thread topic "Will it ever improve?" If you just moan and do nothing then it will not, you need to to take action, have you raised a fault with Plusnet?   https://www.plus.net/apps/kbdfaults 

Also: 1. Get a better modem/router

          2. Provide detailed line stats and wired ethernet speed test results to give forum users a chance to offer advice.

 

marcusk
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Re: Will it ever improve?


@RealAleMadrid wrote:

@marcusk You don't appear to want to do anything to find out why your speeds are so low. ...............

 


Good morning, as you have been kind enough to reply I’ll respond also.

 

“You don't appear to want to do anything to find out why your speeds are so low.”

I think I know why the speeds are low, distance to the cab basically. According to the last engineer. My original question was when will it improve, or when will the infrastructure / investment be made to provide a quality service?

I ‘think’ it’s been established via the BT Openreach web site that there are no such plans for my town. It's not just my house I think I should confirm, no property on my road has any better service, so I'm reasonably confident that there isn't an issue with my master socket.

 

“Have you carried out any of the actions suggested by @Mustrum in post #18, you say you have tried them before and that that your speeds have always been poor, most likely because of  the Asus router.”

I have done this. The Asus router was purchased following advice in a previous discussion a couple of years back on this same forum. Similarly, I have filed a fault report with Plusnet, something of a bi-annual ritual. The engineer will eventually be dispatched and explain to me that this is the best the line is capable of. He will know this before he even knocks on my door if it's the same as last time. Indeed the last chap was local and was equally unimpressed with the service. 

 

“A cheap alternative to try would be a BT Homehub 6 available on auction sites, instructions for setting it up are in the router section of this forum.”

OK, I’ll get one of those as well. Cheers.

 

“Also you say "It's the lack of alternatives that's bothering me, literally I'm saying to anyone, take my money, but nope." 

As you have already found, there are alternatives such as FTTP on Demand and Leased Line services but they are very expensive and beyond the budget of most residential users.”

I have two quotes on my desk currently, the best is £2.3k install fee and £350 a month, the main issue however is the minimum 36-month term, I’m hoping to move in 12 months so that’s a bit difficult to justify.

 

“In response to your thread topic "Will it ever improve?" If you just moan and do nothing then it will not, you need to to take action, have you raised a fault with Plusnet?   https://www.plus.net/apps/kbdfaults 

Also: 1. Get a better modem/router

  1. Provide detailed line stats and wired ethernet speed test results to give forum users a chance to offer advice.”

I pay my service charge each month; I think that should be enough to secure me a decent service. It’s not sold as some sort of broadband kit, it should work well enough without the need to visit forums, auction sites, opening sockets, purchasing ethernet adaptors, leads and complex (to me) configuring of routers. I don’t see any of that as ‘doing me proud’.

marcusk
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Re: Will it ever improve?

Hilarious - I've tested a mobile 4-5G hub as was recommended by someone above, the UL speed is fine, that will allow me to work, it's 9x faster than my fiber connection, but, the download speed is more than half. (Cancelling that service therefore before the cooling off period expires) 

My hunt for decent internet continues...!!

BT Hub thing ordered as was also suggested. I'm keen to see what difference that makes.

Screenshot 2021-05-06 161259.png 

marcusk
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Re: Will it ever improve?

What's going wrong here for me, I keep replying to the email telling me to reply to it, which results in a reply telling me that emails are not read, I also respond in the web help portal providing dates / time for a visit as requested then they just close it?

 

Screenshot 2021-05-09 131328.png

 

Screenshot 2021-05-09 130727.png