Download speed up during 'open questions', down again when closed

[#1]

Glad to hear things have improved.
I've requested a reset and this should take place shortly.

[#2]

Mick,
Sight of your stats is always useful.  Sounds like you have had a productive weekend. 
Kevin

[#3]

Okay here goes....
DSL Connection
Link Information
Uptime: 0 days, 12:48:51
DSL Type: ITU-T G.992.5
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 780 / 8.708
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/MB]: 17,56 / 120,26
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12,2 / 20,4
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 23,6 / 44,0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 5,2 / 5,3
System Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / ----
Chipset Vendor ID (Local/Remote): BDCM / TSTC
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 9 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 1 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): -
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 66 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 15.378 / 50.337
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 27
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 250
BT Broadband test....

1. Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
Download  Speed
6.01 Mbps

0 Mbps 7.15 Mbps
Max Achievable Speed
Download speedachieved during the test was - 6.01 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 2 Mbps-7.15 Mbps.
IP Profile for your line is - 7.68 Mbps
2. Upstream Test:  -provides background information.
Upload Speed
0.53 Mbps

0 Mbps 0.83 Mbps
Max Achievable Speed
Upload speed achieved during the test was - 0.53Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 0.83 Mbps

I think I'm getting good at this now...
Estimated line speed:
There's no speed estimate currently held on your account.
Current line speed:
6.6 Mb

[#4]

Looks like you've got the hang of it Mick. Your Current Line speed needs to update yet to 7.6 Mb/s, then you'll see a further improvement in the download speed.

[#5]

That's been updated now.
If you log into your router and disconnect then reconnect you should see a increase.

[#6]

I don't understand the science but I'm pretty darned impressed with the advice I'm getting here!  I've done the 'Disconnect-Connect' thing, pausing for two minutes between to let things settle a bit, just in case, then ran a Uswitch broadband speed test, then BT Wholesale, then Ookla. All over wi fi I'm afraid because I'm too tight on time to get leads out at the moment. Interesting results. Uswitch said I'd now got 6.6Mbps down, and I think it was 0.6Mbps up. BT, the definitive one I assumed, came back as 5.13Mbps down, 0.48Mbps up. Ookla, which I've sometimes though was hampered by the ads powered by Flashplayer, gave me a result of 7.19Mbps down and 0.63Mbps up! Either way the first and the last results are extremely pleasing and I ran a quick Uswitch speed test immediately before the shut down and start up and that was a tad under 6Mbps down and about 0.5Mbps up so I've seen an immediate improvement if you go by that.
Does anyone want the full stats again? That will have to wait until this evening if so. Is this case pretty much concluded or is there still something I have to do or wait for?
Cheers,
Mick.

[#7]

All speedtesters can be "random" at times and yes Flash stuff can sometimes hamper things. All the results should have been as good as the best that you've just mentioned.
Just to be sure of what's going on, when you next can, post the TG582n Full DSL stats, your Current Line speed  and run the Speedtests again - more than once if you get a "funny" result.

[#8]

If you can download a file from a reliable server, Windows will also tell you how fast the download is.

[#9]

Okay, the TG582n DSL stats are:
Link Information
Uptime: 1 day, 12:25:25
DSL Type: ITU-T G.992.5
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 780 / 8.708
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/GB]: 66,49 / 1,04
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12,2 / 20,4
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 23,6 / 44,0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 5,2 / 4,2
System Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / ----
Chipset Vendor ID (Local/Remote): BDCM / TSTC
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 9 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 1 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): -
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 2.764 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 64.327 / 15.051.213
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 16.018
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 39.761
My current line speed page says:
Estimated line speed:
There's no speed estimate currently held on your account.
Current line speed:
7.6 Mb
BT Wholesale speed test results are:

1. Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
Download  Speed
6.36 Mbps

0 Mbps 7.15 Mbps
Max Achievable Speed
Download speedachieved during the test was - 6.36 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 2 Mbps-7.15 Mbps.
IP Profile for your line is - 7.68 Mbps
2. Upstream Test:  -provides background information.
Upload Speed
0.47 Mbps

0 Mbps 0.83 Mbps
Max Achievable Speed
Upload speed achieved during the test was - 0.47Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 0.83 Mbps
I am not sure why there seems to be two levels (or pages) for the BT Wholesale Performance tests. The above results are from the one where I have to enter my phone number, which I thought was the one I was supposed to use. This is when you see a button for 'Further Diagnostics'. I've just done another test that comes before this one, which does not require me to do anything except confirm that I've plugged in via an ethernet cable, am plugged into the main socket etc., and this came back with Download Speed 6.85Mbps, Upload Speed 0.58Mbps, and Ping Latency Test 42.00.
I've just run this test twice more and it varies very little.
Ah! Interesting...I've just re-run the 'Further Diagnostics' test and got these results this time (which seem better than the first time)

1. Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
Download  Speed
6.87 Mbps

0 Mbps 7.15 Mbps
Max Achievable Speed
Download speedachieved during the test was - 6.87 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 2 Mbps-7.15 Mbps.
IP Profile for your line is - 7.68 Mbps
2. Upstream Test:  -provides background information.
Upload Speed
0.5 Mbps

0 Mbps 0.83 Mbps
Max Achievable Speed
Upload speed achieved during the test was - 0.5Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 0.83 Mbps
Funny old thing this broadband, isn't it? 

[#10]

Hi Mick, yes it can be a "funny old thing".
Those last speedtest results are giving a good download speed a lot nearer what one would expect for the IP Profile. You ought to have no problem with your streaming.
All speedtesters can give variable results dependant on the time of day and how busy networks are, even how many are using the tester. Whenever you use one and it gives an unexpected result try it again and at a different time. Try different testers as well.
Some notes on the BTw speedtester - DON'T REBOOT, ignore the red preamble except make sure no other programs are using the Internet and you are connected via ethernet, and at the end of the first run, click the Further Diagnostics button, enter just your Phone number and Run the Further Diagnostics Test. This will give you the IP Profile.
The upload speeds you got aren't as good as one might have hoped for. This might depend on how busy everything else is, one might have hoped for 0.1Mbps or so more. Other than that speeds look better than they did.

[#11]

The speeds look a lot better than they did    They are the best I've ever had and shouldn't prevent me using the features of my smart TV, which is where I'd begun to notice the poor download speeds. And remarkably I've had the TV for around a couple of years so it has taken till now for it to be a problem - either I'm using it more when connected to the internet, or program updates and improved features have placed a greater demand on the broadband speeds it needs.
I have always been a doubter about why a router should be plugged into the main phone socket, and why it shouldn't be turned on and off. Where the length of the cable is concerned, I couldn't see why, if the copper wires coming in from the street (or the exchange) were hundreds of metres long, why a few metres of wire inside the home (a phone extension lead) would make any difference. Well, again, I don't fully understand the science, but I can see for myself what a difference it makes to the download and upload speeds.
I could also see why on Sunday night I had been unwilling to re-site my router in the past, when I'd got carpet pulled off the grippers, furniture and a hi-fi in the middle of the room, I had to consider plans A, B and C on how to get a 3-core cable round a door post and through a carpet gripper double door bar, a terminal snapped off my BRAND NEW 13amp socket that I was connecting to the cable, and then I had to get the carpets down again looking like they'd been undisturbed.  I managed it in the end but for some reason these jobs never pass by without there being some choice words uttered in the heat of the moment....
Anyway if I'm all sorted now (and I think I am) I'd like to thank everyone who has been involved, and special thanks to Kevin who picked up on my thread early and helped me pick my way through the jargon that I didn't understand.
Cheers,
Mick

[#12]

Quote from: mickthefitter

I have always been a doubter about why a router should be plugged into the main phone socket, and why it shouldn't be turned on and off. Where the length of the cable is concerned, I couldn't see why, if the copper wires coming in from the street (or the exchange) were hundreds of metres long, why a few metres of wire inside the home (a phone extension lead) would make any difference. Well, again, I don't fully understand the science, but I can see for myself what a difference it makes to the download and upload speeds.

This all depends on the standard of cable being used to an "extension". If it's proper twisted-pair cable - CW1308 (that's the stuff used by BT on internal wiring) with no bell wire connected, then the performance at an extension should be no different. As you imply, a few metres inside shouldn't make a difference, and correctly wired it doesn't.
In any event I thought you decided that in your case it was actually more convenient to re-site the modem/router to where your current master socket was, and so that makes life easier.
As far as switching off/on is concerned, that depends on several factors. DLM can see a switch off and on as a dropped connection. Though switching off once a day shouldn't make any difference, if you happen to have a dropping connection as well (and not be aware or realise the consequences) then that extra event can cause DLM to act by banding speed and/or raising the Target SNRM with the consequential reduced speed. A similar situation could arise if the line has quite high errors, DLM might decide that the "drop" in combination with the errors means a rise in Target SNRM would give better stability.
But the other factor that's perhaps of greater significance to a lot of users, is that their after dark SNRM may be somewhat lower than the daytime figure and if a switch on is close to or during that period, they'll end up will a lower sync speed, sometimes considerably lower. The worst impact of this is on users on 20CN exchanges - often longer rural lines as well already with slower speed. The IP Profile drops and even if the next time you switch on you get a higher speed with an associated higher profile, on 20CN this could take upto 5days for BT's DLM to apply the updated profile - and that's only if you stay continuously connected for that time.
So you see, it's very much a case of knowing and understanding your line and connection, and so appreciating what you may or may not get away with. With the very low power consumption of most modern modem/routers, it's in any event generally a lot easier just to leave it on.

[#13]

Aside from the quality of the extension I'd got the router connected to, I probably didn't help matters then by coming home from my job around nine o'clock in the evening, and it would be some time after that, after I'd eaten and settled down a bit, that I'd turn on the router and go on the internet for a bit, before turning it off again before going to bed. Often if I was at home in the morning I would use the internet again before starting work around midday, but then turn the router off again when I went out.
There was a time, when my first broadband provider was O2, that I tried to work out how much electricity my router was using (that was a Thompson too, with a little aerial) because after I'd had broadband for a bit, a few energy bills later I seemed to be using more electricity than I used to do. I must have got the calculation wrong because I believed the router was rated at something like 100 watts (that router did seem to produce a lot of heat though). In the age of the energy saving light bulb, no-one would ever leave a 100 watt light bulb on 24/7.
(Actually you should look in a few boxes in my loft....I stocked up on incandescent light bulbs before they became obsolete! I have very few modern bulbs in my house!) 
It appeared my switching off the O2 router helped my energy bills - but maybe it was a coincidence and I changed something else as well. Also I was not aware at that time I should not turn off the router because of broadband speeds - I can't remember reading any of that information from O2.

[#14]

I can assure you that a modem/router has never had power consumption anywhere near 100W. Some of the older ones may have been around 10W but these days they are down to just a few watts and so cost a little over a fiver a year to run 24/7.
You cannot go just by the heat - switch on a 8-9W energy saving Compact Fluorescent Lamp and wait until it been on a while and see how hot it gets - mind you don't burn yourself. You are certainly wasting a lot of energy using ordinary incandescent bulbs. I haven't used a single one of those for a few years now (except perhaps for  testing purposes) !

[#15]

Hi Mick,
Really glad to hear that you are all sorted and a happy bunny!  Sometimes the technical stuff can be a bit daunting, especially the terms.  Unlike the electro mechanical stuff you are familiar the high frequencies of ADSL make ordinary wires behave in strange ways with undesirable results.  Removing the "ordinary" phone extension and relocating the router has delivered a darned good improvement in your synch speeds.
Your error rates do not appear to be too bad (new stats would be useful please) and therefore PlusNet might be willing to change your line to a SNRM target of 3dB which will deliver an even better synch speed.
Its up to you if you want to pursue that.  I hope things remain stable for you.  If you need more help, you know where to find us.
Cheers,
Kevin
Edit: Oo review those error rates need a closer look.