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Working from home so need faster upload speed

JollyRocker
Dabbler
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎23-03-2020

Working from home so need faster upload speed

Hi there,

First time poster here. I have been a very happy customer of plusnet for years, mostly just browsing and streaming. But now in the current climate I am one of the lucky ones that am able to work from home, which involves some data-intensive 3D modelling & rendering which means I essentially need to stream back up the way and my system is hanging and timing out - even when plugged direct into the router and not over Wifi

I currently have Unlimited Fibre.

Ookla tells me I'm getting 48Mbps download and 8Mbps upload. I've just redone the test using the BT Wholesale and that tells me I'm only getting 36Mbps down and 4Mbps up. Not sure why the results are so different even though performed seconds apart.  

Regardless these results would be good for most needs, but now doesn't seem to be enough for my specific requirements.  And who knows how long I'll need to work from home.

I've tried calling about upgrade options to try and increase my upload speed but obviously they are busy and/or short-staffed with the coronavirus crisis and I was queuing for an age.

Therefore, can anyone online advise what upgrade options might be available to boost my upload speed. Would converting to a Business Broadband contract help?  And how quickly would any upgrade happen?

Thanks in advance.

 

Regards,

 

Andy Clark

 

27 REPLIES 27
Baldrick1
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Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

@JollyRocker 

If you are on unlimited fibre your download cannot be faster than 38Mbps, which throws doubt on your Ookla results.

Put your phone number in here and see what speed you can get. https://my.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/adsl.htm?s_cid=ws_furls_adslchecker Unless the minimum download speed is above 40Mbps Plusnet will not normally offer an upgrade to fibre extra. Unless the predicted upload is greater than 10Mbps there’s nothing to be gained from the upgrade.

Start by seeing what your line should support using the above link. If you need advice then obscure your phone number and post the results here.

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JollyRocker
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Registered: ‎23-03-2020

Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

Capture.PNG

Baldrick1
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Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

@JollyRocker 

it's clear that you would benefit from an upgrade to fibre extra.

In the meantime you should be getting to close to 10Mbps upload speed. It might be worth trying the think broadband speed tester to see what that gives. To make sure that your internal wiring is not slowing your speed try taking the front off your telephone master socket. In the rear is the test socket. Plug your filter in here and connect this directly to your filter.

Obviously you should use an Ethernet cable to connect your router.

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Mustrum
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Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

Looking at the observed speeds, it would seem that you are already on Fibre Extra, but you are not getting the best download speeds.

As already mentioned though, your speed tests are very slow.

How is your phone line. is it quiet when you call 17070 option 2?

 

JollyRocker
Dabbler
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎23-03-2020

Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

Thanks Mustrum,

Yes my 'quiet line' test is silent.

 

JollyRocker
Dabbler
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎23-03-2020

Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

Thanks again Baldrick1,

The Think Broadband results seem to align more to the Ookla results than the BT Wholesale surprisingly low results. If as you say my line is limited to 10Mbps upload anyway, then this may be the best I'm going to get.  That was one of my main questions: could I physically get a faster upload connection but the answer would appear to be a resounding "no".

I guess I'll need to muddle on and stop streaming internet radio etc. to maximise available bandwidth!!

p.s. These results are all over Wifi but when I plugged directly into the router last night it made no difference to upload or download speeds so resorted back to wifi so that the PC is in a more accessible position without stretching the cable!

 

ThinkBroadband.PNG

tomcowell86
Newbie
Posts: 4
Registered: ‎23-03-2020

Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

Hi,

 

We've got the exact same problem!  We're on 'Unlimited Fibre Extra' package, and our minimum guaranteed speed is supposed to be 46.8mpbs, but we're only getting 12.1mbps, and according to speedtest.net, we're getting 0.2mpbs upload!

 

This is a huge problem with video conferencing on teams, where my colleagues can't see me properly and my sound breaks up.  Is there anything that can be done to massively improve these speeds?

 

Edit: I've currently got my work laptop plugged into the router via cable, and it makes no difference.

 

Thanks!

Tom

tomcowell86
Newbie
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Registered: ‎23-03-2020

Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

bt-openreach-line-details.PNG

Baldrick1
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Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

@JollyRocker 

The thing is that your download speed indicates that you are on fibre extra service so your upload speed should be up towards 18 Mbps. Unfortunately Plusnet do not guarantee upload speeds so you may be stymied. Did you try using the test socket as I suggested earler? You never know unless you try.

You're othe alternative could possibly be to use mobile data but based on your usage that could work out very expensive. However if your employer would pay then the increased cost could possibly be offset by your increased productivity.

 

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TheMightyAJ
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Registered: ‎26-03-2018

Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

Hi @JollyRocker,

Sorry to hear that you're experiencing issues whilst trying to work from home. I can see that your package allows you to achieve up to 55Mbps download and 10Mbps upload speeds, due to a legacy offer, The 48.2Mbps speedtest makes sense based on your speed profile and estimates. When we've tested your line today, I can see that you're achieving a downstream sync speed of 55Mbps and so I believe the problem is most likely internal. When you have received lower test results, have you been running programs in the background? If so this can affect the speed test results quite severely based on what's in use.

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Baldrick1
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Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

 Ah, I’d forgotten about the old 55/10 option

@JollyRocker 

It seems possible that you would therefore go upstream faster on fibre extra.

To be honest I used to be on 55/10 but I found when recontracting that I got a cheaper deal by going to 80/20 as there were several cheap competitors offering this service, which I could quote when negotiating the price.

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tomcowell86
Newbie
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Registered: ‎23-03-2020

Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

@Baldrick1 @TheMightyAJ Should I create a new forum thread or am I OK leaving my issue in this one?

Baldrick1
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Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

@tomcowell86  Welcome to the forum.

It's always better to start a new thread but I would leave it now as starting afresh might cause confusion. A mod might decide to split it off anyway. Have you tried my suggestion of seeing what performance you get when plugged in to the test socket?

One other check is to conduct a quiet line test by plugging a wired phone in, ringing 17070 and selecting option 2. If there's any background noise then you need to report a phone fault and get that fixed.

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tomcowell86
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Registered: ‎23-03-2020

Re: Working from home so need faster upload speed

> It's always better to start a new thread but I would leave it now as starting afresh might cause confusion. A mod might decide to split it off anyway.

 

Understood! 😊

 

> Have you tried my suggestion of seeing what performance you get when plugged in to the test socket?

 

Not yet, I'll do that soon once I've finished work and get back to you!

 

> One other check is to conduct a quiet line test by plugging a wired phone in, ringing 17070 and selecting option 2. If there's any background noise then you need to report a phone fault and get that fixed.

 

This one's a bit trickier, might need to drive to my parents and get them to leave a landline phone on their doorstep for me to pick up!