Faster Upload than Download, low ping

OK, not sure whether this is the right place to post, but I'm having a really weird line.

I just had Utility Warehouse Ultra Fibre Broadband installed. (This is FTTC.) I was promised speeds of "24 Mbps - 40 Mbps (at least 18 Mbps)" down, "up to" 10 Mbps up.

I did several tests and get

Down: 6.09 - 4.12 Mbps
Up: 13.84 - 17.56 Mbps
Ping: 100 - 104 ms

The sync speed in my modem is given as 7.04 Mbps down / 1.06 Mbps up

Does this make any sense to anybody?

Edited by deleted (Fri 11-Aug-17 10:54:35)

What does https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/adsl.htm?s... say they expect for you actual line.

It is possible particularly if this was over the phone that they've given the generic product speeds rather than a specific estimate for your line/address. On the URL try the phone number if that does not work click the ADDRESS CHECKER link and enter your postcode and select the correct premise from the list.

The results should give a couple ranges for the speeds expected on the line.

Another possibility is that you might not actually be on FTTC, if you had ADSL2+ previously were the speeds pretty much the same or a lot slower?

One confusing thing you say you've done tests giving 13 to 17 Mbps on the upload, which is impossible if the 1.06 Mbps upload sync speed you quoted is correct.

Thanks for your reply. I'm pretty sure that the speeds they gave were not generic as this was done online, and they asked for both address and existing phone number.

The BT wholesale says (phone number doesn't work):

VDSL Rage A: 56.5-40 / 15.8-10.2
VDSL Range B: 43.1-24.5 / 13.4-6.2

See here for the whole table

I'm not entirely sure which of these would apply here?

I don't know what exactly was on the property before: I just bought it. It would be more than disappointing if Utility Warehouse didn't install the correct product.

I fully agree with insanely high upload speed being confusing, and have no explanation for this whatsoever.

Edited by deleted (Fri 11-Aug-17 11:12:00)

In reply to a post by mercury202:

Down: 6.09 - 4.12 Mbps
Up: 13.84 - 17.56 Mbps
Ping: 100 - 104 ms

Where are you getting these numbers from?

Can you run the speed test at http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest
Some testers have been known to give oddly high results, so the one we run records a lot more information, just post the Results Link at the end.

The graphs may hold some key information.

The estimates look good, so a question now is what what telephone wiring do you have in the home and how is the modem connected and where, and what else is connected to the phone line and do they all have microfilters attached.

Sorry, should've mentioned. A series of about half a dozen tests using the speedtest.net android app.

Does the modem show the modulation type?

7 down and 1 up sync sounds like ADSL2/+

Thanks. Will do when I have access to it later tonight.

In reply to a post by mercury202:

Sorry, should've mentioned. A series of about half a dozen tests using the speedtest.net android app.

Oh, that will be a wireless connection then which has it's own issues. Can you do a wired speedtest?

Edited by deleted (Fri 11-Aug-17 11:18:36)

I can't see any information on the modulation type, but yes I agree with your assumption ...

Looking at your ADSL estimations from the DSL checker I'd say you haven't been switched over to FTTC yet.

That could be a possibility, I guess. It was only supposed to be installed today, but the line was already live early in the morning, so I assumed it was done already. Maybe it's remnants of the old ADSL that the previous owner may have had?

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

Oh, that will be a wireless connection then which has it's own issues. Can you do a wired speedtest?

Will do later tonight, when I do the thinkbroadband test.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

so a question now is what what telephone wiring do you have in the home and how is the modem connected and where, and what else is connected to the phone line and do they all have microfilters attached.

That's a good question. I think it's pretty old wires.

There are a total of 3 sockets in the house. one (dining room) is a split one, the others are non-split with the old T logo (one in the hall way, one in the master bedroom)...

I assumed (though without definitive proof) that the hallway one was the master socket, and that's where I installed the router and phone (with microfilter). There is nothing else connected anywhere.

Edited by deleted (Fri 11-Aug-17 11:34:53)

In reply to a post by mercury202:

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

so a question now is what what telephone wiring do you have in the home and how is the modem connected and where, and what else is connected to the phone line and do they all have microfilters attached.

That's a good question. I think it's pretty old wires.

There are a total of 3 sockets in the house. one (dining room) is a split one, the others are non-split with the old T logo (one in the hall way, one in the master bedroom)...

I assumed (though without definitive proof) that the hallway one was the master socket, and that's where I installed the router and phone (with microfilter). There is nothing else connected anywhere.

The split one should be the master socket, so in the dining room. You can possibly check to see where the wire comes into the house.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Can you run the speed test at http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest
Some testers have been known to give oddly high results, so the one we run records a lot more information, just post the Results Link at the end.

OK, here it is: https://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/15024810753...

A few notes:

- This is a much more reasonable Upload speed
- Taken on a wired ethernet connection
- I think I misunderstood the wiring. I found a box like this http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/images/phone/bt_connector... on my windowsill, so I'm guessing that's in lieu of a master socket? I'm still not sure how the wiring is done, and or which socket would give the best connection.

However, I'm guessing that just using a different socket should not make this type of difference, anyway, should it?

One last note: My modem has apparantly connected in ADSL2+ mode. I have now spoken to Utility Warehouse, and apparantly, when they "install" Ultra Broadband, they first need to install ADSL2+, and over the course of the day that should be upgraded to fibre. This can supposedly take until midnight, so I have to wait until tomorrow until I can complain.

It won't switch over to FTTC today, nor over the weekend I doubt.

Will be Monday before an engineer will visit the cabinet to swap the line over.

I would have thought the OP's description of a BT80 on the windowsill is most likely where it comes in.

If that's just one cable in and one out, then the first one it reaches ought to be the master.

Identifying that is sadly no simple task. After coming out of the thing on the windowsill the cable sadly disappears under the skirting and I can't be certain which one is first. I asked the previous owner, but he didn't know either...

Unless someone has a better suggestion (would be great if someone does) I will try to take measurements on speed and quality on all three sockets once the FTTC switch is done, and then just use the one which gives the best results.

Edited by deleted (Mon 14-Aug-17 11:50:47)

Sadly UW have said, it won't be switched until the 17th. ("All part of us providing you good service!" Ridiculous ...)

In reply to a post by mercury202:

Sadly UW have said, it won't be switched until the 17th. ("All part of us providing you good service!" Ridiculous ...)

Probably a blessing in disguise; gives you a chance to get the home wiring sorted out.

if you are not using the extension sockets then it would be a good idea to fully disconnect them from the "master" socket. What is the nearest phone socket to the BT80 on the windowsill (the connecting box that you pictured)? If it is the one in the hall then its a good chance that that will be the "master" and the extensions are wired from that.

Best of luck.

In reply to a post by 4M2:

Probably a blessing in disguise; gives you a chance to get the home wiring sorted out.

if you are not using the extension sockets then it would be a good idea to fully disconnect them from the "master" socket. What is the nearest phone socket to the BT80 on the windowsill (the connecting box that you pictured)? If it is the one in the hall then its a good chance that that will be the "master" and the extensions are wired from that.

Best of luck.

Well, I would've happily sorted out the wiring while the fibre is there

Yes, it is the one in the hall. I am kind of hoping it's not the master, as it's in a very awkward location (the nearest power socket is about 10 meters away).

How can I disconnect extensions, though? any guide you can link me to?

There's links in my signature which may help, but plenty of guides on the internet.

In reply to a post by mercury202:

Yes, it is the one in the hall. I am kind of hoping it's not the master, as it's in a very awkward location (the nearest power socket is about 10 meters away).

How can I disconnect extensions, though? any guide you can link me to?

First I would carefully disconnect the wires from the suspected extension sockets noting the positions of the wires and not allowing them to touch each other. After each disconnection check that there is a dial tone at the suspected hall "master", if there is a dial tone then a "master" is established. Then I would disconnect the extension wires from the "master" thus leaving only the feed from the BT80 connected.

If you don't have confidence in doing the job then it's probably best to get an Openreach engineer, or other authorised person to fit a NTE5 master socket + filtered faceplate in a more convenient location. Or perhaps retain the original "master's" location and replace it with a NTE5 + filtered faceplate and use a "data extension" from the NTE5 filtered faceplate to a more convenient location thus allowing filtered voice extensions to be reconnected (less bell wires) at the original "masters" position.

I don't recommend that you personally fit a NTE5 master socket as a replacement since that is not permissible but if you can remove the extensions from the suspected hall "master" that would be a good thing in order to hopefully prevent high error rates once the VDSL2 is activated.

Thanks! I did manage to identify the master socket yesterday using this approach. It is indeed the one in the hall which is annoying as I now face putting a long extension lead in

In reply to a post by mercury202:

Thanks! I did manage to identify the master socket yesterday using this approach. It is indeed the one in the hall which is annoying as I now face putting a long extension lead in

You are not alone - many folks have the master socket inconveniently located in the hall. At this stage its better to have a long mains extension lead rather than a long rj11 DSL lead (or use one of the other phone sockets since we don't know the quality of the internal wiring.)

In due course a conveniently positioned NTE5 master socket would be ideal but hopefully you will get good VDSL2 performance from the hall socket with the extensions disconnected from it.

In reply to a post by 4M2:

At this stage its better to have a long mains extension lead rather than a long rj11 DSL lead

Yes, I figured as much...