Infinity install 1 hour ago - need help!

Hello everyone. I had Infinity Option 2 installed an hour ago and I can't get a decent speed out of it - currently getting 5Mb. The engineer didn't connect the ethernet cable from the hub to the computerso I did that myself and was able to get online to post this thread. I can't seem to install the cd that came with the hub either - my pc is not reading an cd's for some reason. Can I download the software from somewhere? Am I supposed to install the software and connect the hub to the computer at that point? Can someone please assist - my mate is coming over later to see so want it set up right and in a flap at the moment!!! Please help! Thanks

The BT supplied disc I believe isn't necessary to install. It contains things like NetProtect, as far as I know, which I've read that it can cause more problems than good. All you should have to do is connect your devices to your hub, via ethernet or wireless.

Your connection speed of 5 megabits seems terrible, but without knowing what your IP profile is it's unlikely people can hazard any guesses. Also please tell us what BT estimated you would get prior to ordering.

To get your IP profile please complete the 'ADSL & Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) Diagnostics' at http://speedtester.bt.com/. Bear in mind that you will need Java support on your web browser to run this test. Let us know the results .

Last question of all, are you using any powerline ethernet plugs? Or just directly connected to the hub from PC via LAN cable?

Edited by Ixel (Thu 04-Oct-12 13:33:44)

Can't help with the hub or software, but I'd be surprised if you really *need* any software installed for a basic connection to the internet, or for the speed to work correctly.

I might be able to help with the speed - and others will chip in.

1 - Are you connecting wired, or wireless. When checking speed, it is best to use wired as a baseline, and compare wireless later (wireless is usually limited)

2 - What result does this give: BT Speedtester.
Run the ordinary test, not the beta. We're looking for both the speed result *and* the IP Profile result - both for downstream & upstream.

Ixel and WWWombat - thanks so much for your responses. I am connected with a wire (the one supplied). The engineer didn't connect this to my tower so when I booted up after he left I had no connection initially! I have tried the speed tester at speedtester.bt.com and get an error message The Performance Tester is currently unable to run a speed test for your broadband connection. Please try again shortly, however if this problem persists, raise the issue with your service provider. so I can't give you the result. I don't have any homeplugs. My estimate is 54.7 down and 15.7 up.

The engineer did try to run a test on the line but it failed twice so he left it, said it would be ok and left. I am running an 8 year old desktop with xp - could that affect it? Thanks again.

XP assuming it has more than a 10 Meg network card should manage fine.
If you did not have the plug ins needed for the BT test it would complain at you.

One assumes you are connected from the PC to the Home Hub 3, which is in turn connected to the Openreach modem.

Mr Saffron - you are correct in your assumption. My network card is 100mbps (I think). It's an ASUS motherboard from about 8 years ago. Just tried another test and got 9Mbps. Well down on what I was expecting! Aaaargh!

If doing speedtests try from several other sources too

What tester are you using at the moment? Can I recommend:

http://windows.mouselike.org/be/?DoAction=BrasChecker

to get the IP profile (as the BT tester doesn't seem to be playing ball) and

www.speedtest.net

for a speed test.

kasg - I don't like the warning message from http://windows.mouselike.org/be/?DoAction=BrasChecker! Might it be that my details have not been transferred over properly from my AOL account yet?

Mr Saffron - I just tried Speedtest.net and got 58ms ping, 5.63 down and 5.87 up...

Which warning? If it's this one, it always says that - ignore it and carry on.

BT have changed their systems, this tool now has to actively submit information to BT to read the BRAS details.
This may cause problems if your internet provider needs to use BT Speed Tester results for diagnostics and fault reporting in the near future. If in doubt, do NOT run this tool.

Running this tool will also prevent you from running the BT Java based speed tester for a few hours.

Edited by kasg (Thu 04-Oct-12 15:19:24)

In reply to a post by giggsy1977:

Mr Saffron - you are correct in your assumption. My network card is 100mbps (I think). It's an ASUS motherboard from about 8 years ago. Just tried another test and got 9Mbps. Well down on what I was expecting! Aaaargh!

You can check your network connection speed from Task Manager, press the Ctrl-Alt-Delete keys at the same time, then click the networking tab and see what it shows as the link speed at the bottom for local area connection.

Edited by R0NSKI (Thu 04-Oct-12 15:25:03)

rasg & RONSKI - thanks for reading and replying!

rasg - took your advice and get the following message - It looks like you entered an invalid phone number or BTs system is refusing to run a test, try again in a few hours.

I have been onto BT and they think it is just because the order has not been update on their system yet. I seem to recall others trying their connection 5 mins after install and getting great speeds?!

RONSKI - Local Area Connection is 100Mbps.

Engineer in the rush to leave may not have closed off the job

Whatever you do, (I hope you haven't already), don't do multiple restarts of the modem. The router is less important.

Mr Saffron - is it possible that could be causing the issues? Am i panicking too early in the day? My folks are having it installed tomorrow so wanted to make sure mine went smoothly so I could assist - guess not?!

It may, also if they did not test it then there is the possibility there is an actual real problem

It might be worth contacting your ISP to get an engineer out to have a look, sounds like the install was a shambles...

In reply to a post by giggsy1977:

The engineer did try to run a test on the line but it failed twice so he left it, said it would be ok and left. I am running an 8 year old desktop with xp - could that affect it? Thanks again.

It failed for him and is now failing for you ...

To me that suggests there is a possible problem ... why not call support and ask them for advice and to get a Tech back out to you.

RobertoS - not touched the modem or router daren't!Trying to give it best chance.
I think either there is a problem but when speaking to the engineer and after speaking to BT themselves I am told it will range from 5Mbps upwards while it settles in and that the speed test on BT site not working could be as all services are not yet transferred over and might not be until.tomorrow.

In reply to a post by giggsy1977:

My folks are having it installed tomorrow so wanted to make sure mine went smoothly so I could assist - guess not?!

Lesson to learn for tomorrow:

When the engineer is there, get him to tell you the information from the JDSU (his portable test unit).

It should sync, so he'll know the actual sync speeds (up & down), the potential sync speeds (if you have maxed-out your profile of 80/20, 40/10 or 40/2), and whether it is indicating any errors (the CRC count).

WWWombat - I did ask him for those stats when he was installing mine but the tests failed so he couldn't give them to me. Possibly not a good sign...

don't they do tests on the line like Sky?

Well, called BT on 150 from my landline and the automated voice told me that the progress of this order has been delayed and I will be contacted, if I haven't been already, in the near future to sort it out/arrange for an engineer to have a look. I have just spoken to BT though and the nice lady informed me that everything looked ok on the system re: my order. I am going to leave it overnight and check again in the morning. If it is still slow I shall get onto Technical Support...sad face!

In reply to a post by giggsy1977:

WWWombat - I did ask him for those stats when he was installing mine but the tests failed so he couldn't give them to me. Possibly not a good sign...

That certainly isn't good news. The JDSU only needs to connect to the cabinet to get those figures - no need for any further access into the internet.

Is your modem sync'ing? What lights are on/flashing?

Brilliant.

Installation instructions for engineers:

- connect at PCP;
- deliver modem;
- plug in modem to line and power;
- run tests;
- connect router to modem if on the install plan.

a) tests OK - beam at end user and ask for agreement you are a very clever person;
or
b) tests fail - beam at end user, tell them it will sort itself out, and run.

OR could save time and money by scrapping the test stage.

It does seem to be true quite often that Infinity doesn't run anywhere near the line speed for a bit, but if the line tests failed in the first place that's impossible.

Edited by RobertoS (Thu 04-Oct-12 19:28:03)

Wwwombat - the power, DSL and lan1 lights are all green. lan2 is not lit. I have had steady blue lights on the hub since it was plugged in just before midday. no crackling on the line. it all appears to work but really slow and still at about nine mbps.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

- deliver modem and HH;

HH and ethernet cables are posted to BT Infinity customers, the OR engineer only delivers the modem. The same as every other ISP I assume?

Terroo!

Well...my folks down the street had Infinity installed today. They were sent the hub a few days ago, but not the leads and cd. Upon checking their setup tonight the engineer has the yellow lead connecting the hub to the modem rather than the red one - would this make a difference? Their line is set on a profile around 24Mbps which is odd as it should be 37.xx profile...is that just the settling in period?
Anyway, back to my issue from my install yesterday...I called my folks this morning while the Openreach engineer was fitting theirs and asked if he would mind looking at mine and performing a test. He told me the line is getting 67.172 down and 12.816 up. Tested this with my mothers Windows 7 laptop tonight and got 59.40 down and 8.65 up. That's more like it! Although my upload profile is 20Mbps so I was expecting quicker (my folks is 10 and they get 9.05 Mbps). So it would appear my old xp pc is the bottleneck!!!

Post deleted by giggsy1977

While I digest that, it would be a good idea for you to delete the clearly accidental second post that only contains half the detail .

Another thing. I tried TCPOptimiser and that made no difference (saw it in the forums). Will trying that have affected any hub or modem settings or just on my old pc? Hope it hasn't affected my hub or modem, especially during the training period.

RobertoS - I know - sorry! How do I delete it?!

Did it make the modem re-sync?

Click "Edit". Scroll down to the bottom of the edit box. It's next to the "Change this post" button.

You can do it for up to 12 hours, (or edit), from the time you first posted it. An edit does not restart the 12 hours.

How would I know RobertoS? I had to restart my machine. I tried the test again on my ma's laptop and it was still around 59 so I hope it will be ok...:-!

Sounds OK then . I wouldn't expect it to affect the modem, and the router can always be reset to defaults in a couple of days.

Thanks RobertoS - fingers crossed. I was assuming the TCPOptimiser would only change settings on my pc and not in the modem or router. Hope that is the case...won't be trying anything like that again!

I've seen a few posts somewhere, on Plus Net I think someone was getting consistently bad speed tests results, and it turned out to their anti virus causing it.

Isn't there also some optimisations for XP to do with the faster speeds?

That's what I was trying to sort using the TCPOptimiser program RONSKI. Didn't work for me though!

In reply to a post by giggsy1977:

I was assuming the TCPOptimiser would ... not change settings ... in the modem or router.

It's OK, it doesn't!

What MTU did TCPOptimiser set for your PC? Is it compatible with the MTU in router?

XRaySpeX - so it won't have changed any settings in my homehub 3.0 or openreach modem? I don't know what settings the MTU was at. I just set it to what I should be getting and hit go.

Just run it up again and just look at the MTU value in the middle of 1st Current Settings page. Then look at MTU value in router and report back.

Thanks XRaySpeX. Don't suppose you know how to get my MTU from the homehub?

In reply to a post by giggsy1977:

Their line is set on a profile around 24Mbps which is odd as it should be 37.xx profile...is that just the settling in period?

I assume you are talking about the "IP Profile", which is visible as part of the results of running the BT Speedtester?

That profile value is set at the cabinet, based on the actual sync speed - where a 40Mbps sync speed gives a profile of 38715 (or 38.7), and an 80Mbps sync gives 77.4.

So, if your parents are too far from the cabinet to achieve a 40Mbps sync, they won't get an IP profile of 38.7.

What is the prediction for their phone number at BT Wholesale's checker?

There *is* another profile - the one set by DLM. That is visible to ISPs, but not us. You didn't mean that did you?

DLM does indeed monitor the line for a couple of days - subject to whatever sync the modem managed - and then decides whether to alter the DLM profile. The choice of profile made by DLM may specify that interleaving is turned on (which steals some of your speed anyway) and may also restrict the speed further.

DLM will normally intervene at 48 hours, if need be.

Anyway, back to my issue from my install yesterday...I called my folks this morning while the Openreach engineer was fitting theirs and asked if he would mind looking at mine and performing a test. He told me the line is getting 67.172 down and 12.816 up. Tested this with my mothers Windows 7 laptop tonight and got 59.40 down and 8.65 up. That's more like it! Although my upload profile is 20Mbps so I was expecting quicker

With a 12.8 sync, I'd expect an actual speed of around 10.0-10.5.
But the BT speedtester isn't the best for finding absolute top speed, nor for testing consostency (because of the hour delay).

Have you tried speedtest.net?

(my folks is 10 and they get 9.05 Mbps).

Wow - I could only get 9 upstream when I hacked the modem to unlock it, and turn off the QoS support. Without that, it would be more like 8.0-8.5.

In reply to a post by giggsy1977:

Another thing. I tried TCPOptimiser and that made no difference (saw it in the forums). Will trying that have affected any hub or modem settings or just on my old pc? Hope it hasn't affected my hub or modem, especially during the training period.

I found the same thing with XP when I was first on the 80/20 trial.

Here's a post on the Plusnet forums from back then.

I also found some issues with a firefox plugin that seriously hampered throughput.

It can be worth trying different browsers too.

WWWombat - thanks for the comprehensive reply - much appreciated.
I got the IP Profile from the BT Speedtester. They were predicted 54.7Mbps, but as they are on Infinity 1 they will only get 38Mb max. I have had another look today and the profile for down has dropped to 7.91Mbps. Is this part of the DLM in that the profile of the line changes? They are only 300m from the cabinet and should get 38Mb easily. I too was impressed with the 9.05Mbps upload! Quicker than mine on Infinty 2 - not checked mine since last night - leaving it alone to settle down and looking for a newer pc so I can take advantage of the speed. I shall have a look at the forum link you provided too. Thanks.

In reply to a post by giggsy1977:

They were predicted 54.7Mbps, but as they are on Infinity 1 they will only get 38Mb max. I have had another look today and the profile for down has dropped to 7.91Mbps. Is this part of the DLM in that the profile of the line changes?

Yow - that's not good, and probably a sign of a fault.

It will be DLM having intervened, probably as a result of either errors on the line, or from disconnections. DLM will be trying to stabilise things.

My current line is 400 metres long (by road, not as-the-crow-flies), with a prediction of 55/18, but an actual of 80/20 (profile of 77.4/20).

It would, with such a cursory look, suggest a fault on the line.

RobertoS - it was on 24.xx yesterday so I shall give it 24 hours and see what happens. If still no joy I shall call BT.

Back up to 24.xx now judging by Speedtest.net. Should easily get 37 - 38 though. Shall call BT for them tomorrow.

Edited by giggsy1977 (Sat 06-Oct-12 19:05:42)

Well my folks got their speed problems sorted and now get 37.40Mbps down and 9.05Mbps up (they are on Infinity 1 by the way). The internal wiring split into two extensions before heading to the master socket. The cable wasn't correct spec either. The OR Engineer was great and put a new cable in from outside to the master socket (I did a bit of drilling for him!) and hey presto! My download appears to have settled at 50Mbps but my upload is very poor at 6.5Mbps (I am on Infinity 2). Not impressed! According to the Engineer I may be being capped up as a test I asked him to do while sorting my folks showed 10.4Mbps max. BT say they can't change the upload though...sorry for long post. :$

Edited by giggsy1977 (Mon 15-Oct-12 20:47:56)