BT Speed Boost Question

I do not have a problem but am curious about how the system works.

Some weeks ago I got the BT Speed boost so where I was getting say 52Mbps now get say 62Mbps. All good I hear you say and I am well aware that many would be delighted with that!

We were fortunate to have fibre through the partnership scheme and so despite being EO two new cabinets were installed in the pavement outside the exchange.

My house is served by about 200 metres of underground cable and then about 50 metres of overhead which is continuous from the pole with no joints to a Mk3 face plate.

I guess that it is the original underground cable from may be 1950's so copper. The overhead was replaced about 4 years ago so is modern.

Available checker gives 80 high 79 low or impacted 80 high 75.2 low. Upload 20.

However, wholesale gives the profile as 65.48 so that is why my speed is 62 and 18.
Waffle over, I am just curious what may be giving this profile. If I don't get full speed being this close how would others get better?

So why you not getting much higher?

Without any actual statistics from your router, e.g. attenuation, connection speeds and noise margin figures hard to say more. It may be you have a non Broadcom chipset modem on a Huawei cabinet are missing out on some improvements that offers, another is that there may be more RF noise affecting VDSL2 in your area, another is the state of any internal wiring in your home.

Is it 200m of underground? Are you 100% sure of teh routing?

As Mr S says - full stats are needed to comment in detail.

Thank you for your replies,details are.

Huawei 96/128 Cabinet

Confident that distance and cable route are reasonably accurate, I can see the cabinets and exchange from my garden, more or less straight road to them.

House rewired eight years ago. No xmas lights yet! Detached property.

Tests not using Wi-Fi, hard wired.


1.
Product Name:
HomeHub5
2.
Serial number:

3.
Firmware version:
v0.07.06.01239-BT (Type B) Last updated 11/3/2017
4.
Board version:
01
5.
VDSL uptime:
10 days, 09:10:11
6.
Data Rate:
19999 / 67977
7.
Maximum Data Rate:
23409 / 69615
8.
Noise Margin:
7.3 / 6.3
9.
Line Attenuation:
7.7 / 9.7
10.
Signal Attenuation:
0.0 / 0.0
11.
Data sent/received:
2.7 GB / 33.5 GB
12.
Broadband username:
[email protected]
13.
BT Wi-fi:
Yes
14.
2.4GHz wireless network/SSID:
BTHub5-FZJ8-2.5GHz
15.
2.4GHz wireless connections:
Enabled (802.11 b/g/n (up to 144 Mb/s))
16.
2.4GHz wireless security:
WPA2 Only (Recommended)
17.
2.4GHz wireless channel:
Automatic (Smart Wireless)
18.
5GHz wireless network/SSID:
BTHub5-FZJ8-5GHz
19.
5GHz wireless connections:
Enabled (802.11 a/n/ac (up to 1300 Mb/s))
20.
5GHz wireless security:
WPA2 Only (Recommended)
21.
5GHz wireless channel:
Automatic (Smart Wireless)
22.
Firewall:
Default
23.
MAC Address:

24.
Software variant:
-
25.
Boot loader:
0.5.0-BT (Tue Jun 17 18:52:56 2014)


BT Home Hub 5 (Type B) | Software version v0.07.06.01239-BT | Last updated 11/3/2017

Maybe awaiting G.INP to be applied. What�s your extension wiring setup?

That looks like a very noisy line ... even without G.INP it should be in the high 70s and potentially over 80 Mbps if the noise was "average". The attenuation of 9..7 suggests around 250 to 300m which ties in with the OPs estimate.. I have seen 16dB/450m lines running at 80Mbops without G.INP.

Agreed. I think g.inp is actually on

Something's not right there ...... look at my stats , almost ditto for the attenuation, same router (ECI cab for me)

Product name:
BT Hub 6A
Serial number:
+084316+NQ64206356
Firmware version:
SG4B1000B316
Firmware updated:
30-Jul-2017
Board version:
1.0
Gui version:
1.64.0
DSL uptime:
27 Days, 19 Hours 38 Minutes 30 Seconds
Data rate:
20.00 Mbps / 80.00 Mbps
Maximum data rate:
35591 / 104727
Noise margin:
15.5 dB / 11.9 dB
Line attenuation:
9.3 dB
Signal attenuation:
VPI / VCI:
0/38
Modulation:
G_993_2_ANNEX_B
Latency type:
Fast Path
Data sent / received:
29928 MB Uploaded / 292822 MB Downloaded

As MHC asks, what's going on with your extension wiring please ?

* Sorry, NOT the same hub.

Edited by Zarjaz (Tue 21-Nov-17 20:17:14)

And looking at upstream with a Max of 23.4 - that is low too. I would be expecting a MaxAttainable of around 30 or more. Points to noise ... I am guessing that as they moved from EO to two cabinets there would be a large number of users and this a high noise floor.

May have misled about two cabinets, as we were EO a normal phone line cabinet was installed in pavement. Don�t know the correct term for that cabinet. Then close by a fibre cabinet.

Do you mean what other phone connections are in the house?

No phone connected at the Mk3 face plate, three other phones connected in other rooms. Long before the Mk3 face plate I had disconnected the ring wire. I thought with that face plate with it�s own fibre outlet there would be no problems caused with other phone points.

There shouldn�t be .... but something�s awry.

Can you clarify how the extension phone are connected, are they wired to the back of the removeable faceplate? If not you could have problems.

Doesn�t actually apply to the nte5c. Need to ask now if removal of lower faceplate stops dial tone on extensions

Yes removal of lower plate drops phones and speed test in this condition still gives 62Mpps. Quiet line test is perfect as well, always has been.

Recently re-contracted and the email suggested full speed with a guaranteed 73Mbps. It was this that prompted me to post my question. After a congestion problem was sorted out about three miles from our exchange connection has been steady with no drops. Router reboots every 14 days but this I understand is normal.

In reply to a post by Sylcol:

Yes removal of lower plate drops phones and speed test in this condition still gives 62Mpps

The sync speed isn't going to magically change right away because DLM is controlling your line. You need to look at the line stats for differences.

Are you suggesting leaving lower plate disconnected for a time and check router stats then?

Thanks to everyone for help and suggestions.

No, I'm suggesting comparing the line stats before you disconnect the lower faceplate with the line stats after you've disconnected the lower faceplate.

Is the phone noisy to use? (Hissing, popping, crackling)

No, quiet line is perfect.

Very little difference with lower faceplate connected or disconnected.

Data rate 19999/66860 same

Max rate 23078/68520 23090/68593

Noise margin 7.3/6.3 7.2/6.3

Line Attenuation 7.6/9.5 same

Signal Attenuation 00/00 same

I think that is just normal variation?

Is this looking more like something outside of the property?

Just to update for information.

Tried everything within the house to eliminate any interference and it made no difference to stats. Have booked an engineer call having agreed the dreaded charge.

The test that BT ran found nothing major wrong but noted the connection between exchange and router was "a bit slow".

I will post the result of visit.

I can't see how they can charge you as you're below the minimum guaranteed speed. And yes, the test socket test does point to a problem outside of your control.

Edited by deleted (Thu 23-Nov-17 13:06:46)

I think it�s the grand order of [censored] covering - they just want to warn you they *might* charge if the problem is found to be yours ..... rather than them not warn you and have punters refuse to pay saying �I wasn�t warned� if you see my point.

Yes, totally. I was just saying I doubt they could raise a charge as internal wiring issues had been ruled out by using the test socket.

Customers own equipment (as in the router)

HH5 is BT's router covered by warranty while in contract.

Another update!

I did have a wry smile on my face when I was told the engineer was booked "between 3 & 6pm" this Friday afternoon.

So no surprise then when no one turned up!

What is more annoying though, despite having my mobile number, and my land line number, no message, not even a text was sent to explain why.

I understand that previous jobs can run on but can't BT, a communications company inform a customer?

Another update!

A second engineer was booked for today and he did indeed arrive, I offered tea and biscuits right away to get off on the right foot!
He did numerous checks and test and was here for some time, there is good news and bad news.
From his tests he concluded that all was well within the property but that there was some aluminium somewhere in the circuit and this was why I was not getting the full speed or the guaranteed 73Mbps.
The other bad news is that I am now getting slower speeds than before his visit!
BT Wholesale profile now 55.88 Mbps it was 65.48 Mbps. Why should this be and will it change or am I now stuck with this?

I lost about 10Mbps after an engineer visit. I spotted that G.INP was disabled by the DLM reset; it came back after 3 days and my speed recovered to where it was before the visit.

Do you have updated stats to share?

Thanks for that DougM.

Only thing that has changed significantly is the data rate, was 66860 now 57728

Is that the indication that you refer to? I did wonder about DLM.

G.INP i.e. the turning off when the DLM was reset would account for that drop in speed

Thanks for that info.

Can I expect to get back my previous speed in a few days similar to DougM's experience?

If the DLM is seeing the same patterns as before that got G.INP turned on then yes it will come back, but it may be a few weeks.

Blimey! a few weeks!

Oh well serves me right for trying to get a bit faster, the speed boost that BT applied a few weeks ago has affectedly been lost.

I have gained a Mk4 face plate that was not needed and lost 10Mbps download speed.

Ironically I worked on the construction of the new exchange which was built a short distance from the old one. This was mid to late 60's so I guess that's where the aluminium was used.

Pleased to say that DougM was right on the money, I was away for a couple of days and checked on my return to find that I was back to 62Mbps.

At least I now know why I will not get full speed despite being almost within throwing distance of the cabinet.

Had problems with aluminium during my time in electricity distribution but did not know it was a problem with the telephone system. Or more correctly with fast broadband.