Connection speed dropping each day?

[Barndog]

I have been with idnet for a while now, i always connected at 6 to 6.4 m, only last week it started dropping so i plugged my computer into the master socket and it shot up to 7.6m, so nothing has changed and over the last few days it has been hitting an all time low, connecting at roughly 5-5.4m, now im just back from work and switched on to find im now connected at 4.8, im dreading tomorrow with the way its going i will be down to 3 something, like i say nothing has changed since i joined idnet, so any ideas why this is happening?

[Sebby]

As sync is not related to the ISP, it indicates either a line problem or something internal (probably noise). Could you post your current router stats please?

When you say you plugged into the master socket, was this just into the front? If so, that is theoretically the same as plugging into an extension socket. What's probably happening is that something (probably inside your property) is causing noise, which in turn makes the router lose sync. When the router tries to reconnect, the increased noise means it syncs lower than you're used to. Moving to the master socket probably caused your sync to increase because the noise had reduced, and by moving the router, it had to re-sync, and it would do so at a higher rate.

Of course, this is not for definite, and it may be that your internal wiring is faulty, but I'm not convinced.

What I'd advise for now is to get hold of RouterStats and run that for, perhaps, a couple of days so we can paint a picture of exactly what is going on.

Something else you can try is to remove the lower portion of the master socket and connect the router to the socket behind the faceplate. Then post the stats when connected there.

I hope this helps. Rest assured, we'll do everything possible to help you get to the bottom of this.

[Barndog]

Thanks Sebby, even my speedtest has taken a turn for the worst, here are my results...

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    IP profile for your line is - 4000 kbps
    DSL connection rate: 448 kbps(UP-STREAM)  5248 kbps(DOWN-STREAM)
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 3688 kbps

Now that is bad but im just thinking(i never paid my phone bill on time and bt has switched my phone off untill its paid, could this be causing slowness on speedtest and connection dropping?)

[Sebby]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that speed test. You are getting almost the maximum throughput for the profile. That said, you should have a profile of 4500k, which would yield you some more speed. The reason you don't is because of the instability; effectively, your line is never stable enough for the profile to recover.

Your suggestion about not paying your bill on time is certainly not related. BT would cut you off if they wanted to, but they would not cause disconnections. I'm not sure where you get this idea from that your connection is slow.

I suggest that you have a look at my last post and take note, otherwise we will not be able to find the cause of your reduced sync.

[gyruss]

Oh what the heck, as your problem is far too similar to one i've had, i'll put my 'Oh dear god have i got to deal with BT cap on' and give you a reply from the perspective of BT Loathing customer. 

Funnily enough, i had a similar scenario recently.. (see my post about my 135k connection on this forum

Now we paid our bt bill a little later than expected, mostly because our wages had to arrive in the bank first ... around the same time as BT rang us with thier automated borg of a calling system when your bill is overdue for payment, suddenly my ip profile is 135k and stays that way from thursday through til sunday night. 135k.. just about twice the speed of a 56k modem and was probably isdn standards... i don't need to tell you that i uttered more than the odd swear word intermingled with BT this.. and BT that thrown in for good measure during those days with my connection capped like a grandma of 95 drives a Porsche

Anyway, my hatred for all things BT run deep i'm afraid since i moved house to find that when I got IDNET to provide the internet at my new house, little did i know that although it seemed a great idea to transfer my telephone number to the new property, what i actually did was to give BT the green light to put me through nearly 3 weeks of pure hell having plead with BT Wholesale to hurry the hell up with a nice little process they call.. cessation at the previous address of the ADSL.  Oh yes.. three weeks to pass through the whole process of ceasing the adsl provision at my old house, and then set it up for the new house .    You'd think they'd be masters of this by now.. but i decided that what they were better versed at was effing off any customer of any other ISP other than BT Internet.

I'm sure they work to their lovely fancy procedures... but one dawning realisation whenever dealing with BT is that they simply don't give a hoot for you, your connection speed or anything else.. unless that is.. you are opting to either join their BT Internet ISP, or.. order more options for your phone.. or finally succumbing to settling your bill by direct debit at last. (WHAT!  sign a pact with the devil? no way!!)


Anyway, all this fanciful supposition aside and my obvious distaste for all things BT .. i'm sure that you are experiecing loss of syncs and this is forcing your IP profile down.. I feel your pain already... i just keep my fingers crossed that you coupled with the help of the absolutely wonderful chaps who volunteer their help on this very forum may get it resolved before it gets quite as bad as my awful 135k experience.

(ps.  hope my rant about BT makes you or at least someone here giggle, but the funny reality is.. whenever i have to deal with BT .. i become like a younger version of Victor "I don't bladdy believe it!" Meldrew )

Fingers crossed you get this sorted.

[Sebby]

Honestly, it's not billing related, but rather related to instability.

[LesD]

Since your speed was good for some period at the 6 odd Mbps you mentioned but has deteriorated more recently obviously something has changed.

A local source of noise, interference if you like, is very likely causing your line to lose synchronism and disconnect.
After a disconnection the next synch speed may well be lower than before hence what you initially reported, a drop from in the region of 6 Mbps to round 4 Mbps.

If too many disconnection occur in succession BT see it as a serious line fault and drop the maximum speed allowed on your line to the 135 kbps that gyruss mentioned.

Have you or maybe a neighbour recently started to using any new piece of electrical equipment that could be generating interference?

Is it possible that one of you ADSL filters has become defective?

Do you have all of of telephony apparatus connected up through ADSL filters, all telephones, fax machine etc. if you have one?

Could you have recently connected a new telephone or the like that is not filtered?

If you have a Sky Digi-box that is connected to the telephone line is it adequately filtered?

Things to think about but as Sebby said way back get into your Router's information pages and report back on the statistics it is reporting both Up and Down namely:

Connection rate
Attenuation
Noise margin

With this information available it may provide a clue about what is going on with your line.

[Rik]

See also:

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=7211