Orange/EE ADSL - poor download speeds and getting worse!

Hello forum,

I've just emailed EE customer services but I thought I'd post on here too.

Joined Orange (as it was then) broadband last October, received "Brightbox" router, line was activated. Orange member of staff told me to expect speeds of around 4Mbit/s. Samknows predicted at least 3.5Mbit/s with ADSL2+.

Unfortunately all I saw was about 2.2Mbit/s (after the initial 10 day training period, during which time the connected was very unstable), but it was fairly stable at least.

Once in a while - eg after being away for a few days when I switch the router on again - I see around 3Mbit/s, but the connection usually stops working after a while (problem being a poor SNR downstream) and I have to restart the router.

Over the last couple of weeks it has got worse. I'm now usually syncing at 1600kbit/s. I lost the service entirely last night although it's working ok this morning (fingers crossed). I live in a fairly rural spot in Gloucestershire, so I'm not expecting great things, but I'm wondering if there's a fault somewhere nonetheless.

Can anyone offer any advice? Does the occasional jump to 3Mbit/s (which can never be sustained) suggest that there's some intermittent noise problem?

Copied & pasted ADSL status info below.

Thanks!
Alan.

=======================================

Status

Configured Current
Line Status --- SHOWTIME
Link Type --- Fast Path
Operation Mode Automatic G992.5(ADSL2+)

Data Rate Information

Stream Type Actual Data Rate
Upstream 1051 (Kbps.)
Downstream 1600 (Kbps.)

Defect/Failure Indication

Operation Data Upstream Downstream

Noise Margin 5.4 dB 5.8 dB
Line Attenuation 32.1 dB 52.5 dB

Indicator Name Near End Indicator Far End Indicator

Output Power 12.6 dBm 0.0 dBm
Fast Path FEC Correction 0 0
Interleaved Path FEC Correction NA NA
Fast Path CRC Error 60 42
Interleaved Path CRC Error NA NA
Loss of Signal Defect 0 0
Fast Path HEC Error STR 25 21
Interleaved Path HEC Error NA NA
Error Seconds 48 41

Statistics

Received Cells 15082518
Transmitted Cells 2209706

Edited by deleted (Tue 07-May-13 09:31:57)

Can you connect the router to the test socket if you have one (it is behind the faceplate, which you will have to remove, on the master NTE5 socket) and post your stats again?

By using the test socket this should eliminate any possible issues with your home wiring, i.e. caused by extensions etc. BTW. you can also still use a phone from the test socket by using a dangle micro filter.

In reply to a post by bigalxyz123:

(problem being a poor SNR downstream)

In what way?

ie SNR downstream is around 6dB at first, when initially connected at 3-ish Mbit/s but inevitably after a while the connection freezes and I recheck the SNR and it has dropped to lower than 0dB

Thanks.

I don't seem to have a master socket - not that I can tell anyway. Phone line comes into the house through the upstairs wall. There's a phone socket there - inside my bedroom. Line then goes back out of that socket and down the outside of the house into the lounge - there's another phone socket there.

Both are twin sockets that look like this:

http://www.wickes.co.uk/content/ebiz/wickes/invt/205...

Up until now I've plugged the router into the downstairs socket but I've just plugged it in upstairs as a test. It made no difference to the sync speed though - still at c. 1600 down, 1050 up.

Microfilters are installed properly on my landline. Disconnecting landline phone made no difference. No other devices connected to phone line.

As well as the speed drop-off, restarting the router has been very slow this morning. Router starts up ok and wireless connection is fine, but it can take 20 or 30 minutes to establish the ADSL connection (normally happens in 1 minute or so.

Alan.

That's a Dual-Line Socket. Do you have 2 lines with 2 numbers?

If you take the faceplates off the sockets, do you see yellow cylindrical capacitors on either of them? If so which? See here: http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/btsockets.htm

Since you don't have a NTE5 master would you be prepared to disconnect the phone line or perhaps just the bell wire at the bedroom socket that goes from there to the lounge socket just for testing purposes?

I would imagine that you have an external junction box from which the bedroom socket is connected and from the same terminals in that bedroom socket (?) the lounge socket is connected. The line from the bedroom to the lounge may have the bell wire connected and this could act as an aerial and pick up noise interference that may be causing problems with your ADSL signal.

Thanks.

Took the faceplates off and I did see the yellow cylindrical capacitor on the upstairs socket and not the downstairs one. Have left the router plugged into the upstairs socket (still same poor speed though).

Just one phone line & one number. Maybe the picture in the link wasn't quite right - sorry.

Alan.

Thanks.

Yes, I reckon I'd be able to disconnect the wires inside the master socket upstairs (just found the cylindrical yellow capacitor there when I checked).

There's no external junction box as far as I can see though. The phone line just goes out through the wall and straight up to the telegraph pole.

Just remove the bell wire for now on the bedroom socket - that should be terminal 3 on the faceplate.

Good luck

By the time I read this I had already disconnected all of the wires!

No matter. Should be easy enough to put them back afterwards.

Some slight progress to report - now d/s sync speed is 1943kbit/s, about a 20% increase. Upstream unaltered.

Now that you have the wires disconnected is the downstairs lounge socket completely dead?

Yes (but I'll be able to put the wires back later, so I'm not too worried).

Not sure if there's much more that can be done here as far as wiring goes. Slow downstream speed could just be rusty old copper wires between here & the exchange, out of my hands?

FTTC due to arrive shortly - can't come soon enough!

Well at least you will be able to tell EE support that you have checked your BB performance without any extensions or the bell wire connected

In reply to a post by bigalxyz123:

Both are twin sockets that look like this:

http://www.wickes.co.uk/content/ebiz/wickes/invt/205...

You didn't mean like this: http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/images/phone/NTE5_adsl_fa... by any chance? That has 2 sockets, 1 for phone & 1 for ADSL, and is internally filtered. That does have a hidden test socket.

True that - means there are fewer issues that they can try to fob me off with when I call them, although I suspect they'll try anyway!

Well there have been a few threads on this forum where apparently EE support didn't even advise users to check their broadband connection from the test socket or with the home wiring isolated. This is a pretty basic thing to do initially if speeds are below par and/or the line is unstable.

Next step is they may send you a new router to try if it's established that your home wiring is in good shape or maybe even offer an Openreach engineer home visit to check the line...