Speedtest

[Lona]

I just did a speedtest about 15 mins ago and it was terrible but since I came on here to post it for some reason my speed has picked up.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results/id/121460176964081225751.html

I'll just go and do it again to see what it says this time.

[LesD]

I just did a speedtest about 15 mins ago and it was terrible but since I came on here to post it for some reason my speed has picked up.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results/id/121460176964081225751.html

I'll just go and do it again to see what it says this time.

OK here in the Midlands Lona.

thinkbroadband just gave me this:

27/06/08 22:52  3309.61 Kbps 377.87 Kbps 2Wire 2700 HGV

This is about as good as I ever get.

[Simon]

It could be the speedtester itself, Lona.  I can't actually get it to load here.

[Lona]

No there's something not right.

The one min speed is fine the next min pages are taking ages to load.  It's coming and going.

I often find when it's heavy rain my connecton is bad and guess what it's heavy rain here tonight.

Connection has been iffy all day.

[Sebby]

It sounds like a possible exchange issue; contention or something else. Are you due to be WBC'd? My connection is terrible at the moment, and my exchange is due to be WBC'd at the end of this month. Coincidence? I think so.

[Lance]

a dodgy connection when there is rain is usually indicative of water getting to one of the joints. Unfortunately, until it is sufficiently corroded to cause problems all the time, there is nothing you can do.

[David]

Just carried out one Lona and here in London
4555.75 Down
378.37 up

All ok here the site seemed a little slow but nothing unusual really hope this helps pinpoint any problem area

[Rik]

Get support to test your line, Lona, a woosh test might give them an indicator.

[Lona]

Connection is even worse today.  My email is taking ages to download and pages are taking at least half a minute to load.

What is WBC?

[Rik]

Wholesale Broadband Connection, the new BT 21CN product which is coming on-stream.

Have you tried a BT speed test, and a change to OpenDNS?

[Lona]

Every time I try the BT speedtest I can never get it to work but I'll go and try it again.

Change to Open DNS? You'll have to tell me  what it is and how do I change it.?

[Ann]

WBC.. I thought it was white blood cell!  

go here http://www.samknows.com/broadband/checker2.php and give phone number and then hit the link to BT 21CN and it will tell you when WBC will be available.  Mine is November which is maybe why things have altered on my line lately although I don't really know if they start messing around this early.

[Rik]

Use IE for the BT test and make sure your Java is current.

To change to Open DNS, click on the LAN icon in the system tray, then properties. Select TCP/IP, then properties. Fill in the 'use the following servers with 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220.

[Rik]

Mine is November which is maybe why things have altered on my line lately although I don't really know if they start messing around this early.

Mine's November too, Ann. Work is scheduled to start in August.

[Lona]

WBC.. I thought it was white blood cell!  

go here http://www.samknows.com/broadband/checker2.php and give phone number and then hit the link to BT 21CN and it will tell you when WBC will be available.  Mine is November which is maybe why things have altered on my line lately although I don't really know if they start messing around this early.

Thanks for that link, Ann. 

There is currently no 21CN migration date for your PSTN service  was the answer so it can't be that.

I will try what you have suggested, Rik.

[Rik]

There is currently no 21CN migration date for your PSTN service  was the answer so it can't be that.

Though linked, WBC is generally being implemented earlier than 21CN, Lona. I don't move to that for another couple of years.

[David]

I had a problem last week but I checked Sam Knows and checked and there is indeed work going on and an outage whatever that is occurred but my WBC is for August so I am expecting more but its fine again

[Lona]

The following services are available in your location:
BT Wholesale ADSL
BT Wholesale ADSL Max
TalkTalk (CPW) LLU

That's what it said.

tried changing to open DNS but it's made no difference, RiK.  Should I just change it back to auto?

[Simon]

I wonder if, like you said, the rain has got in, and done some more serious damage, Lona?  Rather than fiddle about with settings all day, your best bet would be to contact IDNet on the out of hours number: 01462 476556, and hopefully they will call you back over the weekend.

[Rik]

tried changing to open DNS but it's made no difference, RiK.  Should I just change it back to auto?

Yes

[Rik]

I wonder if, like you said, the rain has got in, and done some more serious damage, Lona?  Rather than fiddle about with settings all day, your best bet would be to contact IDNet on the out of hours number: 01462 476556, and hopefully they will call you back over the weekend.

Unlikely it's a problem they can deal with over the weekend, Simon unless Lona pays for extended care with BT (£10pm).

[David]

Is that per minute Rik ?

[Rik]

Month, David.

[David]

 

[Simon]

Unlikely it's a problem they can deal with over the weekend, Simon unless Lona pays for extended care with BT (£10pm).

They may not be able to fix it, but could they not test the line to see if there's a problem?

[Sebby]

Yep, I'd imagine that's possible.

A BT speed test would be good, but getting it to work is difficult at the best of times!

[Lona]

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    IP profile for your line is - 135 kbps
    DSL connection rate: 448 kbps(UP-STREAM)  576 kbps(DOWN-STREAM)
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 69 kbps

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

If you are experiencing problems with specific applications, servers or websites please contact your ISP for assistance

That's the results from BT speedtest.  Dire to say the least.

[Rik]

They may not be able to fix it, but could they not test the line to see if there's a problem?

They can do that, but my gut instinct is that it will need BT to run their level 2 tests.

[Lona]

They can do that, but my gut instinct is that it will need BT to run their level 2 tests.

It's weird, Rik, just now and again connection speeds up but only for a short time then it's back to snail speed.

[David]

Hope they sort it soon for you Lona.

[Rik]

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    IP profile for your line is - 135 kbps
    DSL connection rate: 448 kbps(UP-STREAM)  576 kbps(DOWN-STREAM)
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 69 kbps

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

Your line has been dropping sync a lot, Lona, hence the low profile. You should be on a 500k profile for that sync speed, so I'd imagine there have been lots of losses of connection. What does the router show, does it log drops in sync.

Do you have an NTE5 master socket, the type where you can remove the bottom part of the faceplate? If so what sort of results do you get at the test socket?

[Lona]

I don't have an NTE5 socket but have never had problems before.  I have all the necessary splitters in place and their is no background noise coming from my phone.

Yesterday I had to reboot the reuter to get a connection. I'm just wondering if it could be a faulty router I have.

Between faulty graphic cards and maybe a faulty router, things seem to be starting to fall apart including me. 

[Rik]

A faulty router is always possible - can you borrow one to try?

Have you removed the ring wire on all sockets? It's also worth unplugging everything but the router.

[Lona]

Speeds back to normal for now, Rik.  I will monitor it and see how it goes.

I always find my speeds are terrible at week-ends and to add to that the schools are on holiday up here so all the kids will be on Bebo.

[Rik]

Could be cross-talk on the line then. It will be worth getting IDNet to test it, and raise it with BT if needs be, but do make the tests I suggest first to avoid a callout fee.

[Sebby]

It looks like you've had some serious instability, Lona. The profile is wrong for the sync, but the sync looks quite low. Could you post your router stats?

[Lona]

Hi Sebby

What's my router stats? And where do I find them when in the router.?

[Rik]

Take a look at Kitz Lona, she lists most routers and modems.

The figures we are interested in are the downstream attenuation, noise margin and sync speed.

[Lona]

ADSL Current Status Table     
Item    Value
ADSL Line Type    GDMT
ADSL Line Coding    INTERLEAVED
Line Attenuation    (Down):23  (Up):10
Noise Margin    (Down):25  (Up):24
Total Output Power    (Down):0  (Up):0
Current Rate    DownStr: 576(K)  UpStr: 448(K)
ADSL Line Status    UP
FEC(FAST)    (Near):0  (Far):0
FEC(INTERL)    (Near):6188  (Far):17
CRC(FAST)    (Near):0  (Far):0
CRC(INTERL)    (Near):1  (Far):0
HEC(FAST)    (Near):0  (Far):0
HEC(INTERL)    (Near):68  (Far):0
Showtime last(sec)    104236
ADSL_FW_Version    0.49
ADSL_Board_Type    Annex A

[Rik]

For that attenuation, Lona, you should be syncing at full speed. Clearly your noise margin has been raised to the maximum of 15db, but from the look of it, you last re-sync was when the line was very noist and you now have some extra headroom. Get IDNet to investigate it (they'll want those figures).

[Lona]

I really don't understand all those figures but as you say something ain't right.

Speed is not too bad at the moment but it can change from minute to minute.

I checked with a friend who lives a few blocks away and she says her connection is fine so it can't be a BT problem.

[Rik]

Oh yes it can, she's not on the same exchange pair as you. This could be a leaking joint, corrosion, split insulation etc. It needs to be checked.

[Lona]

OK.  Will phone Idnet on Monday morning.  I think the week-end would be a waste of time

[Rik]

It would, as this couldn't be dealt with. I'd email them with the BT test and the router stats. Try and do another couple of BT tests if you can.

[Lona]

Will do and thanks Rik for your help

[Lance]

This is definitely a problem to get sorted, as it's not one which will just go away. Hopefully support's tests will show something straight away!

[Sebby]

There is something seriously wrong there, Lona. With that attenuation, you should be sync'ing at 8Mb without a doubt, probably even with the increased noise margin! You're lucky that the line appears to be so good as hopefully BT will take this fault seriously. I would say there is definitely something physically wrong with your line.

At the moment, your speed is really suffering because of the 135k profile (caused by instability). Even once that corrects itself, things still won't be that faster at the current sync. Once this is sorted, you won't believe the difference...

I'd give IDNet a call next week, perhaps point them to this thread.

[LesD]

   
Total Output Power    (Down):0  (Up):0

Unless this router doesn't report this quantity correctly the zero power numbers look unbelievable to me.

My 2Wire 2700 is showing this:

Current Output Power:  19.4 dBm   11.9 dBm 

[Sebby]

I suspect that's to do with this fault.

[Lona]

Speedtest results done this morning

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    IP profile for your line is - 135 kbps
    DSL connection rate: 448 kbps(UP-STREAM)  8128 kbps(DOWN-STREAM)
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 84 kbps


Even with those results pages are still slow and can't view anything like youtube videos. They just freeze and start, freeze and start.

[Rik]

The speed is what I'd expect for the line, Lona - what are your router stats right now?

The profile will take up to five days to catch up, I'm afraid - BT rules.

[Sebby]

Well, something has changed significantly since the other day as you are now sync'ing at full speed as you should be. Unfortunately, the profile is still stuck at 135k, so it's going to be slow for a few days.

Keep an eye on the stats, Lona. If the sync drops again, there is an intermittent fault with your line I would think.

[Lona]

I'm thinking that myself, Sebby, as speed is fluctuating. It seems ok at the moment.

[Lona]

Latest speedtest............................

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    IP profile for your line is - 135 kbps
    DSL connection rate: 288 kbps(UP-STREAM)  3520 kbps(DOWN-STREAM)
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 90 kbps

[Rik]

Your line is badly faulty, Lona - IDNet need to take a look. That profile will struggle to recover with that much variation in sync. What else is plugged in?

[Lona]

There is nothing plugged into the socket I'm using.

On main socket there is just the phone and sky.  I have pulled out the main phone connection but it makes no difference.

Here's my latest stats........................

ADSL Current Status Table     
Item    Value
ADSL Line Type    GDMT
ADSL Line Coding    INTERLEAVED
Line Attenuation    (Down):23  (Up):10
Noise Margin    (Down):6  (Up):6
Total Output Power    (Down):0  (Up):0
Current Rate    DownStr: 3776(K)  UpStr: 192(K)
ADSL Line Status    UP
FEC(FAST)    (Near):0  (Far):0
FEC(INTERL)    (Near):846200  (Far):122030
CRC(FAST)    (Near):0  (Far):0
CRC(INTERL)    (Near):287  (Far):0
HEC(FAST)    (Near):0  (Far):0
HEC(INTERL)    (Near):19516  (Far):0
Showtime last(sec)    286
ADSL_FW_Version    0.49
ADSL_Board_Type    Annex A

[Rik]

Do things improve if you disconnect the Sky box (for an extended period)? You only really need it plugged in if you have a multi-room contract.

These stats worry me though:

Noise Margin    (Down):6  (Up):6
Total Output Power    (Down):0  (Up):0
Current Rate    DownStr: 3776(K)  UpStr: 192(K)

[Sebby]

Yep, something is seriously, seriously wrong. You've got a good line in terms of attenuation, but sync is fluctuating wildly. Get onto IDNet tomorrow and let them raise this.

[Lona]

I've emailed them and asked them to look at this thread.

[Sebby]

[Lona]

Update

Phoned Idnet this morning and spoke to James. 

He confirmed that my line was dropping connection but knowing what tact BT use he advised me to have the router checked first as BT would charge me £150 if it turned out to be the router.

I'm going to a friends house later to test the router on her connection and if all is well then it is definitely a BT fault.

[Rik]

Sound advice from James, Lona - that price was plus VAT too!

[Sebby]

It is good advice. It could be the router, but I still suspect the line.

[LesD]

I don't have an NTE5 socket but have never had problems before.  I have all the necessary splitters in place and their is no background noise coming from my phone.

Yesterday I had to reboot the reuter to get a connection. I'm just wondering if it could be a faulty router I have.

Between faulty graphic cards and maybe a faulty router,

Thunder storms, switching surges on the mains electricity supply are among things that could explain one on two issues showing up together. A year or so ago after my mains supply cut in and out a number of times in relatively quick succession I had the LAN port on my motherboard give up. A PCI LAN card got me going again but the were also some software issue that made me consider an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) but I never did get one.

Maybe you do have a faulty router but maybe it could be a faulty ADSL Filter (Splitter) instead.

With all other telephony devices unplugged unplug all the filters too. Like this your router can plug into your Master Socket without a filter if you have an adapter. If not try connecting the router via different ADSL filters.

Since you do not have the split type NTE5 Master Socket it is unlikely but not impossible that any extension wiring has been run from the back of the socket this being illegal for anyone other than a BT engineer to do. That said I have been known to break the speed limit in my car on an odd occasion and that's illegal too so you never know.


So with the router plugged in as I have suggested above it eliminates as much as you can including the ADSL filters.

The quality of filters is variable and they do fail.

It is good that there is no hiss on your telephone but there is also BT's Quiet Line Test.

The quote below is from a post on The scream

Unplug any extention phones, extention cables, answer machines or fax (anything except the phone you will use to do the test!).

Plug a normal touch tone phone directly into the BT master socket BT's Quiet Line test too.

Dial 17070, press option 2 (quiet line test)

You should hear 'Quiet Line Test' and then silence, there should be no pops, clicks, whistles, buzzing etc. If there is noise on the line, make sure it's not your phones connection to the socket (wiggle it about a bit) and that you are using the master socket. If you are sure its the line making the noise then dial BT (or WorldOnline) and report the fault, they should be able to sort it out. Remember that 'mis-reporting' a fault (e.g. if it turns out to be your phone, extention cord etc.) may be charged a call-out fee by BT

[Lona]

I'm back from my friends house and router is well and truly knackered.

I'm using my old speedtouch modem to connect for now until I find another router.

What a carry on I had trying to find a driver for it but eventually got there in the end.

I'm so glad I didn't get BT involved.

I must do a speedcheck while using this modem and see what the results are.

[Sebby]

When you say it's knackered, was the situation the same on your friend's line?

[Lona]

Yes, Sebby.  I could get a lan connection but no internet connection.

[Sebby]

Did it sync, though?

[David]

Glad you saved the cost of a call out Lona.I have a spare and you are more than welcome 

[Sebby]

The reason I ask is because if it sync'd but there was no internet, it's probably just that your IDNet details wouldn't work on another line, and so the router may not be faulty, and it could well be the line still as originally suspected...

[Lona]

The reason I ask is because if it sync'd but there was no internet, it's probably just that your IDNet details wouldn't work on another line, and so the router may not be faulty, and it could well be the line still as originally suspected...

I put my friends username and password for her isp into my router, Sebby. I got the same connection as on my own.  Lan but no internet.

Reconnected her own router and there wasn't any problems whatsoever on her PC.

With the conditions I was getting at the week-end, it would appear that the router has finally given up the ghost.

If it was BT then this old modem I'm using just now would not be connecting either.

[Sebby]

Okay, good, that pretty much confirms it, then.

What are you sync'd at with the SpeedTouch, just out of interest? 8,128k, I hope.

[Simon]

You could look for a Speedtouch 585 v6 on eBay, Lona, or perhaps a 2700HGV?

[Sebby]

585v6 gets my vote.

[Lona]

  Out of curiosity, I connected up my router today as it was just possible I hadn't put the correct settings into my friends connection.

Router is working perfectly and I've just done a speedtest on BT.  Here is the results................



Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    Your DSL connection rate: 8128 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  448 kbps(UP-STREAM)
    IP profile for your line is - 6500 kbps
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 5919 kbps

Is it possible leaving the router overnight then connecting it back up again helped or was it a BT fault in the beginning.

Thing is I've ordered a new router from Amazon. 

[Rik]

A morning re-sync will give you the best figures, Lona, so it could be just that - all you can do is see if the problems goes away with a new router. If it doesn't, it is almost certainly a BT fault.

[LesD]

585v6 gets my vote.

Is your 2700 not performing or is the Speedtouch significantly better?

Router is working perfectly and I've just done a speedtest on BT.  Here is the results................

Are you using the exact same filter and ADSL cable?

I now wonder if the intermittency you have experienced might be in this cable or one of the RJ11 plugs on either end of it.  Just trying to think further afield than the more readily suspicious things like the Router and BT especially as your other router works OK. This aspect discounts BT in my mind unless they have an intermittent issue on your line.

[Sebby]

I thought we'd ruled out it being a BT fault?

Personally, I don't believe in things magically fixing themselves, but you may as well hold off buying a new one and see.

[Lona]

I've been doing my research and my router is a linksy wag354g.

I've been on the linksy website and it appears the older versions of adsl router has compatiblity issues with vista.

I've downloaded a firmware update and am just about to apply it. Whether it does any good I don't know.

There was also a driver for vista which linksy recommends but I'm not sure how to install this driver.

[Sebby]

A firmware update is probably not a bad idea given the situation you're in. Vista wouldn't make any difference, though, as routers are OS-independent.

[LesD]

I thought we'd ruled out it being a BT fault?

Me too but I saw this from Rik!

all you can do is see if the problems goes away with a new router. If it doesn't, it is almost certainly a BT fault.

[Lona]

OK have installed firmware update and all is fine for now but I don't have the vista machine connected.

I'm using the xp pc so I am now going to connect the ethernet cable for the vista machine and boot up and see what happens.

[LesD]

OK have installed firmware update and all is fine for now but I don't have the vista machine connected.

I'm using the xp pc so I am now going to connect the ethernet cable for the vista machine and boot up and see what happens.

[Lona]

Both machines now connected and have had a  constant connection now for over an hour.  That's the longest I have had a connection since Friday night.

I'm going to leave pc on overnight and see if I still have a connection in the morning.

[Sebby]

The problem could have been, of course, corrupt firmware (rather than failing hardware), so this may have sorted it in that respect.

[Rik]

How odd, the OS should have no effect on a router...

[Lona]

Bad news. After a solid 3 hour connection, router packed up again and I can't get it to connect again.

I'm back to my old modem and connection is fine.

Rik, if you look on windows vista support site you will see that some routers are not compatible with vista.
I wouldn't have thought it would make a difference but it seems it does.

The new router I've ordered states Vista compatible.

[Rik]

Odd that, Lona - Vista should either work with ethernet or not. 

[Sebby]

Agreed. Even if it doesn't, that would affect sync anyway. Good luck with the new router, Lona.

[Sebby]

Sorry, that should have been 'wouldn't'.

[Lona]

How odd, the OS should have no effect on a router...

Here's the link, Rik that relates to vista with linksys routers

Linksys

[Rik]

It's weird, Lona, an ethernet interface should not be OS dependent, ie you should be able to plug it into a Windows box, a Mac or a Unix box without drivers or issues. It sounds a bit like someone has cut corners.

[Sebby]

[Lona]

Got my new Netgear router today and on the front of the box it says Vista Compatible so there must be some routers that are not.

All set up and so far no disconnections and speed is up to par.

My linksys router must have been faulty though as I tried it on my friends PC with her user details for her isp and couldn't get a connection.

[LesD]

Got my new Netgear router today and on the front of the box it says Vista Compatible so there must be some routers that are not.

All set up and so far no disconnections and speed is up to par.

That's good Lona.  It does sound promising. 

[BrianM]

Good result Lona   

[Simon]

Nice to hear some good news, Lona!   

[Sebby]

Got my new Netgear router today and on the front of the box it says Vista Compatible so there must be some routers that are not.

I reckon that applies to the (unnecessary) setup CD they supply. There's nothing about the actual router that would be OS-dependent.

All set up and so far no disconnections and speed is up to par.