WBC - HELP NEEDED

[Simon]

I've had a simliarish problem at Plusnet on WBC

BT profile 6Mbps (later 5.5Mbps)
Sync rate 7.3 Mbps (later 7Mbps)
Actual data rate slumped on the early hours of the 31st July.

 

[Ray]

 

[Rik]

I've had a simliarish problem at Plusnet on WBC

BT profile 6Mbps (later 5.5Mbps)
Sync rate 7.3 Mbps (later 7Mbps)
Actual data rate slumped on the early hours of the 31st July.

Hi and welcome to the forum.

The pain does seem to be shared across all ISPs with WBC. For most, it works, for a few it just doesn't. 

[axisofevil]

Well, after much non-response from Plusnet....
I did a hard reboot on my router - despite it having a acceptable BRAS profile and sync rate.

BT unkindly bumped my noise margin up by 3dB, my sync fell by 700Kbps but my actual
data rate doubled (back to where it was at the end of last month).

I now have two choices:-
1. Ask Plusnet to ask BT to put my noise margin back to 6dB and/or
2. Use routerstats or DMT to over-ride my noise margin via a resync.

[Rik]

The former is the better option in the long term.

[Sebby]

I agree. Plus, to use DMT, you have to use old firmware.

[axisofevil]

I wouldn't upgrade firmware, without good reason.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

DMT works on many brands of router (not just Netgear).
For example a Dlink-2640b 

[Rik]

I subscribe to that school of thought. If the new version doesn't have anything I need, I let it go.

[Glenn]

Still drive Model T then

[Rik]

No, I fancied the air con, Glenn. 

[cyberbeast]

  Upgraded?   to ADSL2+ on the 21st August

 Using Netgear DG834G V4 with latest firmware (V5.01.14 ).

 Prior to change to ADSL2+   router synced at 8128/448  with a consistent throughput of about 6 Mb/s.

 Speeds since the change to ADSL2+ have been up and down all over he place , finally managed to get bt speedtester to work:

23/08/09 22:38


Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
   Your DSL connection rate: 15320 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  852 kbps(UP-STREAM)
   IP profile for your line is - 13000 kbps
   Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 3792 kbps

If you wish to discuss these results please contact your ISP.


24/08/09   14:12

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
   Your DSL connection rate: 17388 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  1096 kbps(UP-STREAM)
   IP profile for your line is - 13000 kbps
   Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 2053 kbps


24/08/09   19:28

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
   Your DSL connection rate: 17312 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  1120 kbps(UP-STREAM)
   IP profile for your line is - 13000 kbps
   Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 1220 kbps

If you wish to discuss these results please contact your ISP.



The speed of the connection seems to getting steadily worse , any bright ideas?  I have sent an email to IDNET support with the above figures , should be interesting to see their reply.

[rireed3]

In one sense, you may be lucky.  Some people who have moved to WBC developed unstable connections, the ADSL sync indicated by "Your DSL connection rate: 17312 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  1120 kbps(UP-STREAM)".  It looks like your last two re-syncs were consistent.

One warning.  Don't power off your router or force a re-sync or router reboot for at least 10 days.  BT Wholesale's stupid, thieving Dynamic Line Management (DLM) will sometimes cut that connection rate if it sees more than one sync per day.

If the two re-syncs you display were not initiated by your turning off the router, or forcing a re-sync or router reboot, then you may have two problems:

• the dreaded WBC line instability (translation - the idiots in the exchange don't know/care what they're doing)
• when you are connected, your throughput is atrocious

In hope of support being able to help with a known general problem that several ISPs have been getting addressed with some success over the past week, I'll assume you have only the second problem.  I had two unsolicited re-syncs in my 10-day training period, so that's also possible, but if you leave it alone, the router should pretty much stay synced on a short line like yours.

Back to the throughput problem -- that has been experienced by 20 or so IDNet WBC customers, if I understand correctly, and BT Wholesale seemed to ignore it as an issue until it got escalated by a number of ISPs.  Have a look at this post from IDNet's head of tech:

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=15238.msg367653#msg367653

After some "no disruption to service" that was very disruptive, a lot of us with the problem got a big improvement.  I would phone support and call their attention to your email, and tell them you think that BT's 're-dimensioning' seems to have overlooked your exchange's routes to IDNet.

Richard

[Rik]

Great post, Richard.  I seem to have joined the club yesterday, with my throughput now being 60% of my profile.

[rireed3]

I think mine's going back down now.

I was away until last night, when it was still ok, but with higher ping.  This morning it's been dropping since 7:00.

Maybe BT retail-hat is having a party with our bandwidth for their wow-super-fast 20M promotion 

[Rik]

I suspect you may be right.

[Simon]

  cyberbeast 

[Rik]

Where are my manners?  Welcome, indeed, CB. 

[David]

  CB 

[Ray]

  CB

[Sebby]

[cyberbeast]

  Only one of the resyncs was down to me - I had to unplug the router to move it to a surge suppressed socket.

  BT seems to be resyncing the connection every morning at about 9am.

  At first the connection was interleaved with pings of 89ms , over the weekend the interleaving was turned off and I now get pings of about 40ms.

  The throughput problem seems to lie with BT probably at the exchange (Manchester Moss Side) and is at its worst during peak hours.The line is capable of high speeds , but only in the early hours of the morning - ie last night at 2am I was getting 1.5MB/s download from rapidshare , I did try to run the Bt speedtester , but got the error message.

Todays figures:


  Router stats:


                     Down         UP

Connection Speed     17930 kbps   855 kbps
Line Attenuation     22.5 db      10.0 db
Noise Margin         6.4 db       7.1 db



25/08/09  14:16


Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    Your DSL connection rate: 17928 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  852 kbps(UP-STREAM)
    IP profile for your line is - 13000 kbps
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 1900 kbps


         19:05

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    Your DSL connection rate: 17928 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  852 kbps(UP-STREAM)
    IP profile for your line is - 13000 kbps
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 1375 kbps

If you wish to discuss these results please contact your ISP.


  I did get a reply from IDNET customer support:


Hi Chris,

We appreciate your frustration, this is something we have been in contact with BT about for some time as it is affecting a number of customers. We have information from BT suggesting that their network upgrades going on over this week and last week will resolve these problems you are seeing and provide you with the intended good connection you are expecting from our ADSL2+ service.

Kind regards

James
IDNet


I shall be keeping an eye out for the flying pigs!

[Rik]

I've been hit by the speed bug this week having had full speed until now, Chris. I think BT are balancing and, at times, some of us are losing speed while others gain it.