Plusnet Hub One router connection information refresh

[#1]

Problem:

I would like to know how to refresh the information given on the following page of the Plusnet Hub One router:

Advanced Settings > Connection.

This page gives the line state, connection time (both of which refresh automatically), and the downstream and upstream sync speeds - however, the latter two do not seem to refresh. That is to say, the figures given in these two statistics seem to be fixed at the last time that the router was last connected to the master socket.

When I have used routers in the past, these figures refresh themselves every 10 seconds or so. Am I missing some way of doing this? Do I need a software update?

The details of my router (as shown on the bottom of every page) are: Plusnet Hub One | Software version 4.7.5.1.83.8.263 | Last updated Unknown.

Reason:

The reason I would like to see this information is that I am interested in how my sync speed changes during the course of the day (as differing numbers of people use the internet).

Thanks to anyone able to help here.

[#2]

@SPO Welcome to the forums. I do not quite understand what you are saying here - those two 'static' figures should remain static unless you have a problem with your connection, and the DLM feels the need to adjust parameters - they are the established connection speeds between you and the VDSL cabinet.

What routers have you previously used, on what type of connection?

[#3]

Moderators Note
This topic has been moved from Fibre Broadband to My Router.

[#4]

But isn't the sync speed constantly changing? As more people start using the internet, you have to share your connection with other local people, so surely the sync speed must change; it's not going to stay at the same rate at which you first connected your router to your master socket?

With regard the type of connection that I have had before, it has been copper, rather than FTTC - so maybe that makes a difference?

Routers that I have used before include the Sagem 2704n (provided by Plusnet in 2015), the Huawei HG633 (provided by TalkTalk in 2016) and the Technicolor TG582n (provided by Plusnet many years ago). To be honest, I can't remember exactly which of these refreshed in the way I have desrcibed in my initial post.

Thanks for your rapid response, by the way.

[#5]

Now I understand a bit more what you are assuming, I will try and explain a bit. The sync speed as you mention is the connection speed your system (router/modem) negotiates with (in your case) the VDSL cabinet when you connect/reconnect your equipment to it - barring disconnections between the two, for whatever reason, this should remain constant. Having said that, this speed may drop a little over time as more FTTC connections are established in your local cabinet, but this shouldn't be too noticeable

I only asked about previous connections to try and understand your 'variations' comment, but I can assure you none of those previous devices  would give you variable connection speeds - unless you had a connection problem which caused the Dynamic Line Management equipment to intervene to stabilise your connection.

Just to point out, if, say, there was only one device using your connection during the day, and then the kids/wife/husband came back and all started using connected equipment, the apparent speed may drop, as you then have to share your connection, and that is a fixed value.

HTH

[#6]

OK, perhaps I was mistaken then.

I'd appreciate, if you have the time, a little more education about this.

Firstly, let me clarify that I'm not asking about the variations in download/upload speeds that you might get WITHIN your house with different gadgets – I'm talking about variations in the TOTAL bandwidth coming into your house at the master socket. I was under the impression that there is considerable variation in this, because people in your neighbourhood "share" the total bandwidth that the local green cabinet can sustain. So, in the evenings, as more and more of your neighbours start using the internet, your share of the total bandwidth falls.

But you seem to suggest that such variation is minimal, and once the speeds that have been negotiated with the green cabinet are determined, then they stay fairly constant. But wouldn't this mean that, if you connect your router to your master socket in the middle of the night, when relatively few people are using the internet, then a relatively fast speed will be negotiated, and then you will continue to hog a disproportionately large share of the bandwidth from the green cabinet? Or do you mean, by your phrase "as more FTTC connections are established in your local cabinet", the same as I mean when I talk about neighbours starting to use the internet?

[#7]

First - I am not totally au-fiat with exactly how VDSL works, I am still on ADSL for a couple of months until I change providers - then - if  I have the need, I will look further into exactly how that technology works, but the physics of the system are basically the same,

In the situation you describe in your first long paragraph, it is possible that you may, just may see a slight reduction in your apparent speed if all your neighbours turned on 20 devices in their homes at the same time and you have very full VDSL cabinet, but that is the result more of 'cross-talk' as the activity in the cabinet increases, but shouldn't have an appreciable effect on your speeds. Basically, there is enough 'spare' capacity in the network to deal with this, and that capacity will be increased by BT to maintain  connection speeds - as far as physically/financially possible.

I wouldn't try (re-)connecting late at night - for reasons I'm not going into here, that is a bad idea.

Your negotiated speed remains the same, subject to the number of connections in your VDSL cabinet, and you do not 'hog' a disproportionate share of the bandwidth , AIUI, taking in to account my opening sentence, is that the available bandwidth at the cabinet is shared between all the connections within it, so that as it fills up -all the connections will see a decrease in actual connection (to the cabinet) speeds.

The answer to your final question, I hope, I have explained above.

Do you mind me asking the reason for your enquiry?

[#8]

Ok, that clears things up. Thanks very much.

The reason for my enquiry was that when I asked my neighbour why he had paid a fortune (thousands of pounds!) to get FTTP, he said it was because the FTTC service on our street deteriorates so much in the evening, as the neighbourhood comes home and gets online. He seemed to think that there is such a profound change, that he felt it was worth paying for a more stable service (hence FTTP).

I wanted to see whether there are, as he suggested, profound diurnal variations.

But from your (seemingly much better informed) vantage point, there is easily enough slack in the system to soak up the extra needs at various times of the day.

Thanks again.

[#9]

It all depends how much stress you want to place on the network. I have no major problems at any time of day (retired, so kind of 'housebound' at the moment), but I know many, but not all, of the people served by my local cabinet are on FTTC, so my ADSL connection is slightly less contended.

How far from your local cabinet are you - that will have an effect on your speed too?

Are you on a 40/10 or 80/20 profile? and what is your current connection speed and results of speed tests from here: https://speedtest.btwholesale.com/ at say, 10AM and 8PM?

I'm wondering what your neighbour is doing to make him believe paying that kind of money is worth it?

[#10]

@SPO  Have you noticed any significant slow down at peak times? Perhaps your neighbour is constantly using the full bandwidth of the connection. Do you know if the FTTP is installed and active yet?

When it is if you check this Availability Checker  for your phone number you may find that WBC FTTP has become available to order if you want a more reliable service, it isn't much different in price if you only want the same speeds as FTTC. Higher speeds such as 900Mbps will be more expensive.🙄 The only problem is Plusnet don't supply it so you would have to move to another ISP.☹️

It isn't always the case but some properties may benefit from a neighbour getting expensive FTTP on Demand installed if you are lucky.😁

[#11]

jab1,

I am about 300m from the cabinet.

I don't know what 40/10 and 80/20 profiles are.

I will try the speed tests at: https://speedtest.btwholesale.com/ at 10AM and 8PM. (Interestingly, however, I have just tried that speed test on a number of occasions, one after the other, and there has been a huge variation in the results: ping values were from 11 ms to 20 ms (so a doubling of time), and download speeds varied between 10mbps and 20 mbps (so, again, a doubling). I guess that it must be measuring something different from the negotiated speed which you mentioned before).

With regard to my neighbour's job, he owns a couple of care homes, and he has a number of CCTV feeds coming into his home so that he can keep an ion what's going on in them.

[#12]

RealAleMadrid,

I'm not sure that I have been able to ascertain any real, objective difference in the speeds at various times of the day.

My neighbour's FTTP is now active, and he tells me he gets 90 mbps (that's on the wifi AWAY from where the fibre enters his house, so ethernet near that point is probably much faster).

I tried the availability checker that you linked to - I've attached the results. I don't understand most of what is there; at the bottom, though, it does say "FTTP is not available". What does "WBC" stand for?

[#13]

@SPO OK, so you should be getting close to the maximum, speed-wise. To make it easier, what is your Plusnet product (on the homepage in 'My account') - Unlimited Fibre or Unlimited Fibre Extra?

Multiple testing on that site does tend to confuse it a bit, so don't worry on that score, and your ping times are measured in milliseconds - a 11-20 range is good as it should be, that close to the cab anyway.

Your speed does leave cause for a bit of concern, but don't worry about that until we see (just one) test each at those times, preferably a screenshot rather than just the figures.

That explains your neighbours action then - if he has 24/7 feeds from some distance away he will need an almost guaranteed steady connection.

[#14]

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@SPO wrote:

RealAleMadrid,

I'm not sure that I have been able to ascertain any real, objective difference in the speeds at various times of the day.

My neighbour's FTTP is now active, and he tells me he gets 90 mbps (that's on the wifi AWAY from where the fibre enters his house, so ethernet near that point is probably much faster).

I tried the availability checker that you linked to - I've attached the results. I don't understand most of what is there; at the bottom, though, it does say "FTTP is not available". What does "WBC" stand for?

---

Just checked your availability checker in the link you provided for @RealAleMadrid and am a little surprised at the low figures quoted, given your reported distance to the cabinet - I'm possibly around the same, given the roundabout route my line takes from the cab, and I'm showing 39-35 as the estimated speed range.

FTTP not available means that BT haven't got round to planning it, but they will - eventually.

WBC is Wholesale Broadband Connection - just the BT 'name' for the technology involved with FTTC.

[#15]

I have "Unlimited fibre". I went for this as opposed to ""Unlimited fibre extra", as, when I was using the Plusnet website to choose which of the two to go for, they both gave me the same estimated download speed. So it didn't seem sensible to pay extra for the same speed.