Am I asking too much?

[#1]

Right, if it's the TG582n they are normally quite reasonable and one can get some good diagnostic information from them as well. Don't give up with it yet, and don't be tempted to get/be offered a 2704n from Plusnet for an extended contract either, they are too tied down and have unresolved bugs.

Now I haven't had a chance to migrate some of my stuff over from the old boards yet - been a busy day on and off here just a bit, and visitors, so I'll go and grab what I can. So for starters let me ask if you have any customised settings on your TG582n or did you just plug it in and use as is?

[#2]

If you still have the Home Hub from BT that will work on your line, we can help you set that up.

[#3]

That would certainly help checkout the 582n, but I'd like to see a full set of stats from it first. Must go and find my link.

[#4]

Be blowed if I can find stuff atm but anyway, I think this is the right link -

http://192.168.1.254/cgi/b/dsl/dt/?ce=1&be=0&l0=1&l1=0 click on that and you'll be prompted to login to the TG582n, default name is admin and the password is the serial number beginning CPxxxx (and don't post that on an open forum). If that doesn't get to a page looking similar to the image below, then http://192.168.1.254/cgi/b/dsl/dt/?be=0&l0=2&l1=0 should.

You can just copy/paste your stats into a post, and it'll look something like

Uptime: 1 day, 16:52:40
DSL Type: ITU-T G.992.3
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 443 / 4,119
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/GB]: 980.92 / 5.04
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.6 / 0.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 24.6 / 38.0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 24.9 / 15.1
System Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / ----
Chipset Vendor ID (Local/Remote): BDCM / IFTN
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 102 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 12 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): -
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 3,560 / 29
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 0
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 40 / 1,699
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 22 / 13,739

If you click this link https://portal.plus.net/my.html?action=data_transfer_speed to get your Current Line speed (Login required) - don't post your phone number. Copy and paste that.

[#5]

I should also have mentioned could you run the BTw Performance test (DON'T REBOOT, ignore the red preamble except make sure no other programs are using the Internet) and at the end of the first run, click the Further Diagnostics button, enter just your Phone number and Run the Further Diagnostics Test.
Do a Copy and Paste of the results and post here (no need to grab an image).

I guess you got rid of your Home Hub judging by an earlier remark always handy to have a spare for testing just in case. Have you got a spare filter - did it get swapped at any point? (don't do it no though). Do all your Microfilters look similar to this?

Do you have any extension phone sockets - hard wired or plug in, and what is normally plugged in where? Do you use any extension leads between the phone socket and filter or filter and modem/router?

[#6]

There was a microfilter in situ but the last engineer removed it. I have done the BT test several times with the same results but yes, I can post them up but perhaps later once the engineer has called - due later this morning and our fifth visit in as many weeks I think. I'm starting to lose count as well as patience!

The other hub went out a while back now after being kept for a couple of years. There is only so long you can have these things cluttering up the place. Nothing else plugged into the router, and only my laptop running when any tests are done.

Cheers.

[#7]

I assume the last engineer fitted the Mk3 SSFP(vDSL) plate then ?  The one with 2 sockets, the top one for the modem/router and the bottom one for the phone. Is your phone a corded one or a cordless one?

I assume from what you've said the master socket is the only socket in the house then?

[#8]

Yes, a new double socket was fitted on the last visit. The phone is a BT 8500 cordless, and yes, just the one master socket.

Just to recap, all was fine until just under a month ago when although not breaking any speed records at 3.5mbps it did allow us to stream video and to use two tablet devices at the same time. Using just the one device now and it just keeps buffering (if that's thee right word) all the time. Downloads to watch later often hang up uncompleted half way through. One other point is for the past week the internet goes off completely in the afternoon for about an hour.

Below are the results this morning - although the first test gave me a download speed of 00,00mbps which of course is impossible, otherwise I would not have them I presume. Strange eh?

BT test 08.04
Download Speed
1.1 Mbps
0 Mbps 2 Mbps
Max Achievable Speed
Download speed achieved during the test was - 1.1 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 0.8 Mbps-2 Mbps.
IP Profile for your line is - 1.38 Mbps
2. Upstream Test: -provides background information.
Upload Speed
0.33 Mbps
0 Mbps 0.45 Mbps
Max Achievable Speed
Upload speed achieved during the test was - 0.33Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 0.45 Mbps

Openreach engineer booked to arrive later this morning..... we are now on first name terms!

Cheers once again.

[#9]

Keep us posted on how it goes. That current IP Profile is dire. And just worth noting that on the stats that were posted in message 8 the current speed must have dropped a touch, and at some point in the future when your line is reset the Upstream speed can be uncapped.

Keep an ear on the phone line for noise (use the Quiet Line Test 17070 option2 if need be), there may be an intermittent issue which can be difficult to find if it doesn't show up when a test is done. But a good engineer doing TDR tests on his JDSU ought to be able to locate a bad joint. If it's intermittent breaks that's more difficult, but this doesn't seem like the latter with the slow speed but stats from the TG582n will give us a better clue.

[#10]

Well BT Openreach engineer has been and gone. Usual checks on the line and "nothing wrong" other than a slow speed which he checked as 1.5mbps. One interesting point made was that despite what I have been told, traffic management can and do 'throttle down' broadband speeds to some customers and perhaps that is what is happening here given that as a retired couple we use the internet a fair bit. Demand changes obviously and recent months must have see a massive increase in demand because of streaming, smart televisions, and all that goes with it. Have BT been caught on the hop with plusnet stuck in the middle? It would certainly seem to be the case.

I can only accept the situation I guess and go back to my original question of 'Am I expecting too much' and yes, it seems I am in which case plusnet must not expect me to pay for a service I am not getting. Fair play to them so far in the I was given a refund for the whole of March so let it run as expected on a miserly speed for the whole of April and request another refund.

Roll on fibre is all I can say and thanks for all your help guys. Diamonds.

PS for those that follow such things I'll post the above on plusnet's fb site. Nothing like getting stuff out into the public domain!

[#11]

You have been fobbed off with a load of garbage

Whether Plusnet restrict speeds - and they don't in the way you describe - the fact is that your sync speed is the problem and Plusnet have no control over that

[#12]

As Jim has said, a load of garbage, and you are not expecting too much, but can your post the stats as I suggested in message #19, this could be the key.

[#13]

Have tried and have been unable to get those stats from those two links you gave. Did a quick search for information on setting on that particular router but nothing seemed to help.

Just a marketing ploy I guess but checking in with BT as a potential customer with phone number and post code and they tell be a line tests show me as getting 4mbps, so somebody is telling porkies!  

It's all a lot of kerfuffle and expectations of customers having to sort out their own technical problems that's for sure and with respect to the engineers that call, they all go through the same routine of plugging in the same lot of test equipment and giving the same lot replies. 

[#14]

http://192.168.1.254/cgi/b/dsl/dt/?be=0&l0=2&l1=0 should definitely get you the stats if that's a TG582n, you get the login screen first mind.
If that's not working, can you post a screen shot of what you get when you just got to 192.168.1.254 please.

Edit: correct typo.

[#15]

Not working for me sorry, even if I cut and past it into my browser.