Slow Broadband Speed

I live in London. I have had a slow broadband speed for many months now. ThinkBroadBand measures this to be ~14-17MB download and ~2MB upload with a direct ethernet connection from the router to the laptop.

The download speed is supposed to be >29MB, the upload speed > 6MB

The connection is frequently dropped.

1) I asked the OpenReach engineer to pass on the ThinkBroaband results. He told me this was not possible.
2) He found a faulty external connection by the telegraph pole & recrimped it
3) His own results, using different software showed the broadband rate to be much higher
4) Even BT themselves have noticed that there is a problem with the speed but because I did not respond within a few days they say I have forfeited my right to escape from their contract.
5) ThinkBroadband keeps a history of my speeds (I have been a member for many years). Just have a look at the speeds yourself.
6. Should I write an official complaint and could I use Thinkbroadband speeds as evidence?

Another OpenReach engineer is due to turn up on Tuesday. I am totally fed up with this situation. My contract expires in September and in spite of being with BT for over 30 years I plan to change my ISP & broadband provider.

Edited by Tantalus (Mon 20-Jun-22 06:19:46)

What you really need to start is to get the line stats from the router. If your line stats show your line is below the minimum guaranteed speed then you could leave contract. But if FTTC is all you have available then leaving the contract would just mean moving to someone else on the same speeds.

If the stats are much higher than the speeds you are seeing then it may be congestion.

Starting point is connection rates in the router/model and preferably SNR and Attenuation as a minimum.

Thanks for replying. I've got BT Hub 6A which provides a technical log in the advanced settings but I cannot see the line stats.
Line attenuation is 65.5dB;Signal attenuation:30.9 dB / 41.7 dB;Data rate:4.30 Mbps / 18.00 Mbps

That is some of the stats. Ideally we need the SNR as well but I am not sure if the Hub 6 provides those, slightly surprised if they don't given it gives attenuation. I have a feeling that stats might be in the help section on the router if my memory isn't failing me.

The attenuation is high which suggests you are a long way from the cabinet. Line speed is 18Mbps down so you aren't going to get more than that on speed tests. A drop from your old speeds could be due to increased crosstalk from other lines or your own line becoming worse. Without the SNR stats it is impossible to say whether the line is banded or running at a high SNR.

I think the information that's needed is shown as:
Noise margin: 19 dB / 11.9 dB
in the technical log.

I’m not sure where you live has any relevance, but should your own speed test history be evidence enough to allow you exit from a minimum term, penalty free ?, the answer is No….if you want to leave your current provider and join another using the same Openreach infrastructure, then provided the same speed profile is purchased then the chances are the speed delivered will be pretty similar, if there is an issue on something OR are responsible for, chances are it will still be present after any migration to another ISP using OR.
To take advantage of the right to leave penalty free due to poor performance, the ISP has to be given opportunity to fix any issues , if after that period , they cannot get your speed back to whatever minimum they specified ( you haven’t provided that information) then you should be allowed to leave , but practically, given the short time before your minimum term expires , by the time the process is complete, you would probably be able to leave penalty free anyway.

Edited by Iniltous (Wed 22-Jun-22 15:32:10)

A BT engineer arrived yesterday. I showed him a summary of the speeds I recorded using TB: some of the time the download was >30MB and other times fell far below (17Mbps, 12Mbps, 11Mbps) . In all cases upload speed was ~2Mbps. The problem has only existed over the last 6 months. The connection is also dropped.

The router is sited on a shelf above head height and there are no immediate obstructions. When the speed dips the same speed is recorded with a direct ethernet connection.

He had to agree that there was an intermittent problem. He disconnected the router from the power and the broadband connection for about 30 minutes while he carried out tests using his monitor. These showed speeds of 36Mbps/9Mbps. When he reconnected the router TB gave speeds of 35Mbps/2Mbs.

He then told me he did not know much about broadband and suggested I telephone and ask for a broadband expert inspite of the fact that I had an email from BT saying that my broadband speed was slow!

I responded by saying I would write a letter of complaint rather than listen to hours of piped music.

One of the reasons I have stayed with BT is because of the landline. I understand that copper connections are to be removed by 2025 so this rationale disappears. So where to next?

My bill is around £50 per month; I have a friend who uses TalkTalk and his bill is £25; another friend who uses Virgin Media for £100 but with BT Sport & Sky.

What I am looking for is a reliable service with good customer support - if one exists!

In reply to a post by Tantalus:

One of the reasons I have stayed with BT is because of the landline. I understand that copper connections are to be removed by 2025 so this rationale disappears.

Just as an aside, you don't need to get your landline from BT. For years, it's been possible to get this from many providers, who in turn get it via wholesale.

In reply to a post by Tantalus:

What I am looking for is a reliable service with good customer support - if one exists!

If I were you I would be inclined to struggle on with BT retail until September then migrate to an ISP such as Pulse8 https://pulse8broadband.co.uk/fibreoptic-broadband With Pulse8 "Home Fibre" there would be no activation fee since you currently have a FTTC service although it would necessary to obtain a suitable router/modem. Also if the Pulse8 service proved to be unsatisfactory then it would be easy to move to another ISP because their deal is offered on a one month minimum term "no contract" basis.

Best of luck.

Given the sync speed you previously provided was 18Mb then there must be a fault on the line that is generating intermittent noise for the sync speed to be up in the 30's when the engineer was there. It is why getting the SNR value is critical as it would show how much speed has been lost due to the line compensating for instability.