New 900Mbps FTTP install today - seriously slow speeds

I finally had 900Mb/s FTTP activated today only to be completely deflated by the user experience and subsequent confirmation with online speed tests.

Basically I was expecting/hoping to get at least the minimum speed guarantee 450Mb/s but numerous speed tests and hard-wired and wifi devices are all reporting the same paltry 22Mb/s download and 1.8Mb/s upload!

I called the ISP and they've asked me to be patient for 24 hours for the line to settle down while it works out the optimum speed but I can't get it out of my head that after 5 hours a consistent speed of only 5% of what it should be is not right. Am I just being impatient or does 22Mbps on a 900Mbps line suggest something is very wrong?

For reference there were problems with the initial activation and the ISP had to manually reconfigure things at their end due to some sort of issue with my existing ADSL account. Coincidentally the 22Mbps/1.8Mbps speeds I'm currently getting with FTTP are pretty much exactly the same as the speeds I was getting as of yesterday with my ADSL connection which of course has only added to my paranoia.

Which ISP? Does sound like something got stuck. I'm sure it will resolve itself though.

Thanks, the ISP is Zen.

It's now been more than 12 hours since the fibre was activated and no change at all in speeds; it's still just 22 Mbps / 1.8 Mbps speeds, so literally a fraction of what it should be.

If the line was genuinely trying to find the optimum speed I would expect significant variations in the speed tests and would hope at least some tests showed 100+ Mbps but it does just seem to be stuck at the initial 22 Mbps.

First world problems I know but doubly frustrating that Zen asked me not to make changes to the router settings while the line settles and my inner geek just wants to tinker and either fix the problem or prove it's something wrong at Zen's end that won't fix itself without their manual intervention.

FTTP is using OpenReach / CityFibre?

My zen/openreach 900 package hit full speed the moment it was connected. Are you using their fritz box? I think I remember reading somewhere that it has a setting where you tell it your line speed for some reason.

Yes, FTTP via Openreach.

(The Openreach install girl and guy were great on what was a bigger job than most: new fibre across a trunk road, high bank between house and road, overhead high voltage cables and a big 100 year old house where the ONT needed to be at the opposite side of the house to where the fibre pole was.)

Sounds like you're on the wrong OLT profile, although 40/2 is the lowest standard FTTP profile I know of, or the wrong BRAS profile.

There is no "settling time" for FTTP. The speed you get is the speed you get.

Coincidentally the 22Mbps/1.8Mbps speeds I'm currently getting with FTTP are pretty much exactly the same as the speeds I was getting as of yesterday with my ADSL connection

Hmm. Just to state the obvious, you are sure that you're testing through the FTTP line? (You've turned off the ADSL router?) Having said that, I don't think you could get 1.8M upload on ADSL anyway.

Presumably the engineer who provisioned your FTTP didn't do any speed test before they left?

Was your original ADSL also from Zen? If so, it's possible that they're doing some rate shaping on their BRAS which was configured for the ADSL and hasn't been updated for FTTP.

Power cycle your ONT and router, and test again. That will force the PPPoE session to re-establish. If it's still wrong, work directly with Zen to fix it.

Note: if the FTTP router and ADSL router are using the same Zen username, then make sure the ADSL router is turned off before restarting the FTTP.

Thanks, yes I'm using the Fritz box 7530 and yes (because it didn't automatically configure itself) Zen asked me to manually enter 900 and 100 into the DL/UL boxes in the Fritz configuration settings.

Just checking now on Zen's order tracking page and that page doesn't seem to know that the install job has been completed as it still says "Work in progress" so perhaps this is part of the problem...

Thanks for the heads up that your connection hit full speed from the get-go, it gives me more confidence that my waiting 24hrs is futile - think I'll wait another hour or so in case some automated system realises the activation has happened and fixes the problem otherwise I'll contact Zen again.

FTTP will run at the speed ordered from the moment it is installed, it does not have to do any training/finding the optimum speed unlike FTTC.

It sounds like the Zen system has not updated with your new FTTP profile and it sounds like you got someone who doesn't know what they are doing at their end. It will be their BNG that is shaping you to your old line speeds as that is what their system is telling it to do. The only things that will know your old speeds are the Zen systems, so the issue will be down to them.

Zen need to fix your line speed in their systems and then you (or Zen remotely) will need to restart your PPP session to take the new settings. Telling you not to touch your router whilst the line settles is a very good fob off, if they fix your end you need a new PPP session to get the correct speeds.

This is a well known issue with Zen where the line speed does not update after a product change. There can be a delay until your FTTP install gets sent back as complete by Openreach/BT Wholesale (depending if you are on or off net). Try restarting PPP and if the speed is still slow phone them again to push them to correct their systems.

Thanks for all that!

There is no "settling time" for FTTP. The speed you get is the speed you get.

Ok, that was very poor advice from the Zen support guy then! To be fair I've been with them for over a decade and this is the first time I'm aware of them being so blatantly wrong.

Ha, ha, because the speeds were so similar to the old ADSL I did do some triple checking that I wasn't stupidly testing the ADSL line by mistake so yes the old ADSL modem is physically powered off.

Due to configuration issues at Zen's end we couldn't initially get any internet connection and the Openreach engineer was already late for another job so we agreed they'd do the other job then swing back by to mine on their way home if needed. In the meantime I spoke to Zen several times and eventually they got the Internet connection working so the engineer didn't need to come back.

Yes, the original ADSL was from ZEN so I'll power cycle the ONT and router once I've posted this.

if the FTTP router and ADSL router are using the same Zen username, then make sure the ADSL router is turned off before restarting the FTTP.

Yes, this is what Zen suggested was part of the initial problem with the line not automatically activating correctly so the old ADSL router is now disconnected.