Home Forums General Discussion BROADBAND SPEED AND CONNECTION

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    • #329
      Anonymous
      Guest

      My connection speed (talk talk) has slowed to a stop. Is everyone else having the same problem?
      I understand that we are fed from an exchange in Highbury and the problem is the distance down the wire. There were rumours that BT were improving it somehow.
      Has anyone got any information on this?
      Chris Todhunter

    • #718
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Hi Chris,

      I had a problem with my broadband a month back and had the engineer round.  He said that I was lucky to be getting 2.8 MBps on my 8Meg BT service.  After checking all the connections he left and over the last couple of weeks my speed has steadily increased from a sub 500kbps to the fairly constant 1.4Mbps.  I have written a letter to BT asking for an explination as to why our speed is so low and to enquire as to what effect the timetabled 21CN (21st century network) upgrade to our exchange (bermondsey) due in Qtr4 2008 will have on our service.  If and when I get a reply back I will give you a further update.  In the mean time a handy speed test utility can be found here http://www.speedtest.net
      All the best.
      Simon

    • #719
      Anonymous
      Guest

      Thanks for that link. I got 350 kbps download and 200 upload. That is on a good day. Should I complain to Talktalk?
      Chris

    • #720
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Hi Chris,
      Yes I would certainly complain to Talk Talk as that is a very poor connection speed.  They will ask you to check your connection speed through the master socket, with the face plate removed to ensure that its not a problem with the internal wiring.  You might want to check to see what your modem as actually connecting at too as the download speed is always lower than the connection speed. Personally I think that there has been a significant reduction in the broadband service in the area recently.  I am hoping to get a reply from BT with regards to this during the week and will let you know what I find out.
      All the best
      Simon

    • #721
      imported_post
      Moderator

      This doesn't bode well for Talk Talks overall service levels.

      http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/3309-talktalk-hitting-bandwidth-buffers-in-0208-areas.html

      Regards
      Simon.

    • #722
      Anonymous
      Guest

      Hi Simon/Chris,

      Any updates on the internet speed?

      Mine is also extermely slow, around 300kbps upload and download – this should obviously be a lot faster (I'm on 8MB service from BT).

      Not sure as to whether I will have any success with BT, if everbody else is experiencing the same issue?  Is it a general wiring fault?

      Thanks for the help
      Stuart

    • #723
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Hi Stuart,

      My speed has increased from the 300kbps I was getting to a connection speed of 1400kbps.  This is still below what I was getting and having spoken to a BT engineer I have been told that when they drop my interleaving down from 12 to 6 in the next 48 hours then my connection speed will go up to the ball park 2800kbps I was getting.  I have a horrible feeling this will increase the errors and latency on my line though but only time will tell.  If more people could be bothered to look at thier connection speeds and fill in my poll then we would have more of a case to go to BT wholesale and get it sorted out.  Collectively we have more of a voice, but if people are happy to pay for a substandard service then what can you do?

    • #724
      Anonymous
      Guest

      Thanks for this.

      I have just tested my connection…

      Download at 366 kb/s
      Upload at 225 kb/s.

      I am going to call BT and will advise on the outcome.

      Stuart

    • #725
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Stuart, I had a whole heap of trouble trying to get BT to sort out my problem.  Having to be asked the same questions over and over again by the script reading service team is no fun what so ever.  Apparently my speed isnt going to be getting any better so I intend to take this further.  In the mean time I thought I would share a useful number with you.  Dialing 0800 0778120  and entering the pin number 9463, takes you direct to BT's broadband support in Dublin. They certainly know a lot more and  provide a better service than the route through India.

      All the best

      Simon
      6 / 97

    • #726
      imported_post
      Moderator

      If you want to remove the possibility of noise from other phone appliances or phone wiring in your home as the source of the problem, you can plug your ADSL modem directly into the BT test socket as described here:

      http://tinyurl.com/younsn

      (The one with the test socket has a small recess accross the top.)

      If you get improved results like that you can buy a replacement faceplate – and irradicate the need for Microfilters on all other sockets. I actually bought the replacement NTTE5 face plate (around £10) and discovered the source noise was actually from a poor connection on one of the other telephone spur sockets. I can certainly vouch that I now get much more consistantly reliable speeds (@2.5Meg).

      Calum.

    • #727
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Calum this is great news and exactly what I need to hear.  I consider myself relatively knowledgeable when it comes to broadband and have indeed followed every obvious route to improve my service.  At the end of the day when BT turn around and state that 1.5 is all the area gets then you cant formulate a good argument unless, as you have proved, there are other customers getting a better service.  The more people I can vouch to be getting the level of service that I once enjoyed the greater chance I have of getting them to restore my service.  Who do you actually use as your ISP and would you be so kind as to fill in my poll on the other thread about broadband speed.  And please, anybody else reading this do the same, so I can hang BT out to dry.
      Cheers
      Simon
      6 / 97.

    • #728
      imported_post
      Moderator

      I'm with Virgin Media – but I do not recommend them. I switched from Bulldog who provided me for years with a rock solid, guarenteed 40:1 but only 1Meg connection.
      I became frustrated that they would not drop the cost of their service, or improve the service for the same price; also the customer service was truely appauling – but I didnt really ever need to use it.
      Virgin Media is around half the cost (£15pm) and gives me a higher data rate, but does provide as consistant a service; I guess because of the contention traffic that can vary through the day.
      With Virgin Media Pinging bbc.co.uk can be from an at best 30ms and be as bad as around 300ms.
      I remember Bulldog as taking sub 10ms whatever the time of day!

      Calum.

       

    • #729
      Anonymous
      Guest

      Thanks Simon and Calum,

      To report back, my dealings with BT have proved fruitless so far.

      I'm convinced their call centre takes secret delight in rerouting my calls to a maze of “other” departments (intermittedly disconnecting me – forcing me to start all over again), whilst their staff spend the greater part of their time either (a.) asking me repetitive security questions, such as my name/address or (b.) placing me on hold for extended time periods subjecting me to the familiar music jingle.

      Staff did (on occasion) profer a few explanations, ranging from a “problem with the exchange” (being unable to tell me the nature of the problem or when it will be resolved) to an “issue with the line” (not sure if a telephone line has issues?) to the fact that “nothing can be done” hence I should simply “live with it”.

      I spent over 4 hours on the phone to BT in a single afternoon last week, with no positive outcome, apart from the fact that I galloped off to our local gymnasium soon afterwards to burn off my cumulative frustration. This definitely topped the charts as my no. 1 exercise in frustration for 2007, leaving me with a cramp in my right forearm from holding the phone to my ear – and a sore ear.

      Today being Christmas, I cannot possibly imagine shattering my tranquil, festive state by calling BT. I will, however, await the day I am due another test in Frustration 101, and I will call them again.

      Simon, have you had any success on your side?

         

    • #730
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Hi Stuart and a happy new year.

      I know where you’re coming from trying to get BT to solve a problem; their customer service is one of the most draining experiences.  Did you not have any joy with the Dublin number that I gave you?  I found them to be a great deal more helpful than India.

      Given that Calum is getting a steady connection speed at what I used to have, I was going to write yet another stiff letter of complaint requesting a written rely from BT so that I may pursue the matter with OFCOM.  However the last three days has seen my connection speed slowly creep up.  Sunday it was 1540Kbps, Monday 1620Kbps and today it’s 1760Kbps.  So I am going to keep my eye on it through to the weekend and then decide if I will pursue things further.  As a matter of interest what connection speed were you getting prior to your problems?

    • #731
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Hi Stuart I am waiting on my written reply to my complaint to BT where upon I can then invoke the alternative dispute resolution scheme.  Have you had any progress your end?

      Simon.

    • #732
      imported_post
      Moderator

      After many many letters and contacting the regulator it seems BT have suddenly found my old broadband speed again.

    • #733
      imported_post
      Moderator

      All,

      I came across this site with an Exchange Status Checker for our Bermondsey Exchange, which I thought I would share:

      http://usertools.plus.net/exchanges/?exchange=Bermondsey&exact=99

      Also by way of knowledge sharing, I discovered today that my ISP's prices had gone down significantly since I last checked and that I have been paying far more than I should for my broadband connection for some time. These days, packages start at some £5 per month, which is about a quarter of the industry average not too long ago, so it may well be worth checking what you are paying against what is on offer out there…

      Thank you.

      Tom
      10, 2 RQ

    • #734
      imported_post
      Moderator

      I noticed recently that BE (www.bethere.co.uk) are now supporting Bermondsey Exchange.
      It took 5 days from ordering to up-and-working seamlessly and I now get a miraculous 5+Mb download / 1+Mb upload from a previous 3.5/0.7 with Virgin Media.
      My package with BE is half the price too.

      Calum.

    • #735
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Wow, those are very good figures Calum.  I am very surprised you get figures that good.  I might have to look into migrating to them myself.  My upload speed is very critical for the apps I run that enable me to work from home.  For me its more important that I have a very high quality of service (QOS) score rather than out and out raw connection speed.  If you get a spare few moments I dont suppose you could look at your routers connection details and record the downstream and upstream line attenuations and noise margins.  Also if you could run a test at http://myspeed.visualware.com/servers/lhr.html and post the results that would be great.  These are my figures for the overpriced BT 8Meg service I use.

    • #736
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Calum – I am surprised too. Even your previous 3.5Mb is more than twice as fast as anything I have ever achieved at RQ. Well done.

      Simon – I freely admit that I cannot decipher your basic download speed from your chart, but it looks to be in the order of 2/3Mb, which is also more than I thought the Bermondsey exchange capable of in its current state of upgrade. By comparison, we are getting 1.4 to 1.6Mb out of our “up to 8Meg” connection.

      Tom
      10, 2 RQ

    • #737
      imported_post
      Moderator

      BE's site says they don't support my line – that is odd…

    • #738
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Obviously I am quoting the modem's optimistic sync rates.

      Unfortunately I get “Invalid Bytecode” when I try http://myspeed.visualware.com/servers/lhr.html but the follow 2 sites give encouraging real numbers:

      http://www.speed.io: 4.176/0.882
      http://www.speedtest.net: 4.28/0.86

      Here are my line stats (note that the errors look high):

      Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 1,049 / 5,001
      Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.0 / 19.0
      Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 34.5 / 58.5
      SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 6.5 / 6.0
      Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 35 / 0
      Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 3 / 0
      Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
      Loss of Link (Remote): 0
      Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 3 / 0
      FEC Errors (Up/Down): 1,137 / 2,471,999
      CRC Errors (Up/Down): 1,137 / 1,565
      HEC Errors (Up/Down): 736 / 847

    • #739
      imported_post
      Moderator

      BE have updated their site.  I am now getting an estimated speed should I take their service.

      You can get BE broadband on 0207394####
      It's probably going to be this fast:

      4 megs*

      This estimate is based on from data supplied by BT./Find out more.

      Buy a BE broadband package NOW

      BE's site says they don't support my line – that is odd…

    • #740
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Well BT sent me an email in the middle of last month, ' good news we are upgrading your line, we will inform you when the work is completed, after which time it will take 15 days for your new service to settle down.

      20 days later…my IP profile has dropped to 2000Kbps and my downloads dropped to 1.8mbps.

      I have just got my MAC code and told BT where to stick their service.  I will give an update once I am up and running on BE, as to how I get on.

    • #741
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Thank you, Simon – it is still not bad for RQ generally, though: On a good day, we are getting a 1.5 mbps download speed from our (up to) 8Meg connection.

    • #742
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Well here is a side by side comparison of my Be service versus my BT service using my existing netgear router.  Its syncing at 4397 / 918 so i might get even better results with the BeBox once I get that set up.  All in all a 100% increase on BT. 

      PS. you have to be logged in to see the attached screen grab

    • #743
      imported_post
      Moderator

      My BE supplied router (a chunky, yet discrete, white and grey Thomsom TG585)  certainly made a difference in my case, syncing at about 30% better than my Jurassic wirefull DLink-504 and  budget re-badged wireless SafeCom. I get 5M+/1M+ download/upload sync rates.

    • #744
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Hi, anyone else having the misfortune of being on BT for broadband, noticed a real drop in speedsignal over the last two weeks.

      I see you guys are on BE now. Is it still a good service?

      Does anyone have Sky Broadband, and if so what kind of speeds are you getting?

      Thanks

    • #745
      imported_post
      Moderator

      well I spoke to Sky and BE and they tell me my phone line is 8km from the Bermondsey TE (??)) and they could therefore not supply their broadband service. The Bermondsey TE is 2-3km away.

      Anyone else experience this?

    • #746
      imported_post
      Moderator

      My router/modem tells me I am 8 kilo-feet (an unholy mix of metric and imperial by which cable lengths are measured) from the Bermondsey exchange and I get a flawless service from BE, so I would try them again.
      Calum.

    • #747
      imported_post
      Moderator

      I have to agree with Calum, my Be service puts BT to shame, if I had one grumble it would be that my line just isnt quite good enough to stream iplayer HD.  However thats more down to the line length than the service provider.

      The attached picture says it all for a peak time line test.

    • #748
      imported_post
      Moderator

      well after three weeks, many calls and one engineer visit, BT finally recognized it was my router/hub which had fallen over. Speed back up to 4mb download as I write.
      BT are giving me £10 off Broadband and Line rental as well as free v3 hub so will give it a go before calling BE again.

      Thanks guys.

    • #749
      imported_post
      Moderator

      O2 said the same for me, but I questioned this and they were able to manually accept my application. I get a reasonable speed from them.

    • #750
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Good evening.

      My Internet broke down since last night (Sun 05Jun), could be a problem with the exchange or a problem with my router.

      Anyway, I have been wanting to switch and would like to ask for your kind advise.

      I don't need extra TV channels nor free landline calls, just unlimited broadband. I have been thinking of Sky or Be.

      Actually have applied to Sky twice, but the BT OpenReach had both failed to turn up on the engineer visits. Would Be be better?

      Many thanks.

      Frank

    • #751
      imported_post
      Moderator

      The worst internet decision I made was to move from Bulldog to Virgin Media and the best was to switch from Virgin Media to BE. Go with BE. For an internet only service I think they offer the best service and value.

      Calum.

    • #752
      imported_post
      Moderator

      In Martin's Money Tips today, a satisafation survey shows the highest rate Broadband provider is Zen with 94%. Be is second with 88%.

    • #753
      imported_post
      Moderator

      I was with Zen and while the service was excellent in a number of ways, their offering is less competitive than others as they are too small to compete sadly.  For example, they have a limited download allowance and their prices are not that cheap.

      I moved to 02 and actually have a doubling of my download speed. The service from 02 has also been excellent and it's cheap as I have my mobile with them too.

      R

    • #754
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Good evening,

      My connection resumed on Mon 06/06 night. Yet I have just signed-up to Sky, again, on the phone, with a person this time.

      I am not too bothered with the advertised speed, I as have been using a 512kbps Bulldog connection all these years without much problem.

      My priorities would be competitive price, value for money, low down-time.

      Thank you for all your advice,

      Frank

    • #755
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Good evening,

      My Sky has installed for two months now, which I believe the speed is stablised now.

      Could you kindly advise your Sky speed, as I am only getting 2Mbps, while at the initial check they said I could get 4Mbps.

      Many thanks.

      Frank

    • #756
      imported_post
      Moderator

      Hi Frank,

      I personally do not think you can hope for much more at RQ – we are currently getting a very consistent (and mostly inadequate) 1.1 mbps from our 'up to 8Meg' connection with Orange, down from 1.5/1.6 mbps up until about a month ago.

      Kind regards

      Tom

    • #757
      imported_post
      Moderator

      I'm getting about 4mbps from O2 – when I run a speed check. Which was a marked improvement from Zen Internet. The line length from the exchange is key to the lack of signal and unfortunately we live far away from the Bermondsey exchange.

      It is possible to improve the performance by upgrading the kit on the exchange, I think that's why the newer O2 kit increased the speed I could achive over the same line.

      It's all a bit suboptimal, sadly….

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