Slow Download Speeds

[wecpcs]

For the last few days I have noticed that downloading seemed a lot slower. On Sunday around 1pm I was having trouble in showing off a 3D demo on my new 3D TV and it was stuttering all over the place and for your info it is on a wired network and the download speed was around 2Mbps instead of its normal 6-6.5Mbps. I thought that maybe it was because it was a Sunday, so tonight I decided to try another test around 20:30 and it was again around 2Mbps so I am now starting to think I may have been banded for whatever reason.

These are my stats.

ADSL Link    Downstream    Upstream
Connection Speed    8128 kbps    448 kbps
Line Attenuation    26.0 db    12.5 db
Noise Margin    8.1 db    22.0 db

and I have attached a BT speedtest which agrees with Speedtest.net.

which shows a profile of 7150 as normal with a 2035kbps download which is not normal.

I have checked on the Plusnet congestion checker and my exchange is in the green as it always is.

Colin

[Lance]

The router stats and BT profile look fine. Normally, this would mean that it is congestion at the exchange, or at least on your virtual path. However, its probably worth rebooting the router if you haven't as well as trying another machine.

[wecpcs]

The router stats and BT profile look fine. Normally, this would mean that it is congestion at the exchange, or at least on your virtual path. However, its probably worth rebooting the router if you haven't as well as trying another machine.

Hi Lance, I did turn of the router for a few minutes and it was the same, but I have now done several more speedtests with speedtest.net and it seems back to normal, so it must have just been exchange congestion, but I have never known it before.

I did add a 1Ghz switch the other day between my PC and home server which are both 1Ghz capable, to improve transfer speeds between the two which it does superbly (5x faster) and connected it to my Netgear DGND3300 along with my other 10/100 sources, but it took awhile to find my internet connection, which had me panicking at the time but it resolved itself in a few minutes.

[Wivelrod]

My exchange is clearly congested, and IDNET confirmed so with BT, who said they had scheduled work to fix it. It seemed to briefly alleviate the problem, though that I think it was just because it was School Holidays and less people we're online in the evening. My 6 mega bit connection will drop as far as 1 mega bit (or less) on a week day or sunday evening. But in quiet times will remain rock solid. Yet my exchange doesn't show up on the Plus Net congestion tracker either.

I may call IDNET again and see if they can do anything else as I just don't use the evenings for iPlayer or YouTube any more and just wait for a quiet Sunday morning instead. However I fear they are completely at the mercy of BT in my case.

Hoping that it isn't the same for you, and this is a temporary or solvable problem.

[Rik]

Check with IDNet whether they can move you to a Telefonica connection (LLU).

[Wivelrod]

Alas, for me that is not an option (only LLU is TalkTalk, and I ain't touching those buggers with barge pole). For me, salvation may lie next Feb when 21CN arrives at the exchange. But I dare say that will last only so long as it takes for everyone else in the area to upgrade.

Hopefully Wecpcs has better options if congestion is the cause

[wecpcs]

Alas, for me that is not an option (only LLU is TalkTalk, and I ain't touching those buggers with barge pole). For me, salvation may lie next Feb when 21CN arrives at the exchange. But I dare say that will last only so long as it takes for everyone else in the area to upgrade.

Hopefully Wecpcs has better options if congestion is the cause

I will be having another option within the next few weeks as our local parish councils (Leysdown, Warden Bay & Eastchurch) have got some KCC funds to offer VFASt a WiMax solution. Their top VMAX solution offers up to 24Mbps down and up to 10Mbps up which I will be taking if I can achieve anything near those figures as it is a line of sight system. The normal install charge for the equipment (square dish) is £99 but free as part of the grant and a reduced monthly fee as well. The normal VMAX price is about £34.99 I think, but if I do away with my landline totally and just use our mobiles it will work out cheaper as we make very few calls any way. That way it will be the end of BT totally and there are no other options on our exchange at all. I have also looked into "Sipgate" where you can get a virtual free local landline number and if you purchase an adaptor (VOIP) from them you can plug any phone into it and it supports 2 lines and the calls are only 1.19p/min or a 1000min package for £5.95/m.

Colin

[Fizzy]

I've been having similar issue the last couple of months.  I've tried a different router, done resets/switch offs etc.  My connection speed is now the best I've seen (7.6MB on ADSL max) and my profile is at 6500 according to the BT speed tester....

.....but I've been noticing problems streaming videos on utube, even internet radio at times.  Last few speed tests on bt page have varied between 0.9 and 2.6Mbps - I've been wavering around 2Mbps the last couple of months, regardless what time of day/night.  Thats less than a third of my connection speed - so makes my best connection speed ever pretty irrelevant/void.     I'm also on a higher upload speed connection (use for work) which supposedly has traffic priority too..

Nothing flags up on the various exchange congestion checkers either. 

Since the lowest reading actually made the gauge red on the lowest test I was able to raise an issue with IDNet who are in discussions with BT - who have just come back and said they can't find any issues, and an engineer visit may be required.       Not sure why considering my router seems happy enough at the moment, and it's the 2nd one I've tried too.

Just happens that some BT men were putting up what looks like a fibre cabinet at the end of the street today - so may just switch to that instead and see how it goes.   

[Simon]

[Rik]

Oops, missed you.

[Ray]

  Fizzy.

[Steve]

  Fizzy