Broadband help :)

I'm having trouble with my broadband at home. It has been terrible for a while but I have just started trying to fix it. The ISP is Virgin, but it isn't cable its an ADSL package because we're quite far from the exchange.

I'm plugged into the master socket of the phone line with the face plate off and getting these stats from the router:

Port Status TxPkts RxPkts Collisions Tx B/s Rx B/s Up Time
WAN PPPoA 38651 40798 0 3604 10323 00:41:32
LAN 10M/100M 33266 42340 0 8021 3168 00:54:25

ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 8128 kbps 448 kbps
Line Attenuation 25.0 db 11.5 db
Noise Margin 9.9 db 23.0 db

However, when I run a speed test (speedtes.net) I get a download speed of < 1mbps and an upload of < 0.4mbps. This, to me, seems really slow...

I have spoken to virgin who have tested the line and have said it should be capable of speeds upto 6mbps...

Thanks for any suggestions,

Callum

Those stats look fine, so yes you should be getting much faster downloads.

Please can you run the BT speed test and post the full results. There is important info that only that test gives us.

Ah - and ...

I just noticed - the upload speed you quote is fine, it will be under 448kbps which is the standard upload connection speed.

But for the download tests, are you connecting wired or wireless to your router? If wireless, try wired and see if it is better.

Your ADSL line itself and stats are absolutely fine, the most probable cause of your slow speeds are Virgin's terrible ADSL service. How long have you been with them? Have these speeds always been like this?

Running the BT SpeedTest has Roberto has suggested is the best thing to do to begin with.

I am connected via a wired connection so that shouldn't be a problem.

Here is what the BT speed test results show:

Download Speed
1818 Kbps

0 Kbps 2000 Kbps
Max Achievable Speed

Download speed achieved during the test was - 1818 Kbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 400-2000 Kbps.
Additional Information:
Your DSL Connection Rate :8128 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP Profile for your line is - 2000 Kbps.

What is strange is that I tried the connection on a another phone socket from the same number (an extension socket), and it reported that it was about 6mbps. What is strange is that that wasn't that original socket for that line

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

I am connected via a wired connection so that shouldn't be a problem.

Here is what the BT speed test results show:

Download Speed
1818 Kbps

0 Kbps 2000 Kbps
Max Achievable Speed

Download speed achieved during the test was - 1818 Kbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 400-2000 Kbps.
Additional Information:
Your DSL Connection Rate :8128 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP Profile for your line is - 2000 Kbps.

What is strange is that I tried the connection on a another phone socket from the same number (an extension socket), and it reported that it was about 6mbps. What is strange is that that wasn't that original socket for that line

Do you mean the extension reported 6Mbps on a speed test, or 6Mbps connection speed? And was it after the test you have posted?

The thing is, your problem is that the IP Profile is 2000kbps. Either you had a slow connection recently that caused it to fall, or it is stuck. Probably stuck! The 2000 figure used to occur a lot on initial connection to ADSL, but I thought the bug had been fixed. More info on my website - BT IP Profiles.

Given an IP Profile of 2000, there is no way you could get 6Mbps from another socket on the same line. Try another BT speed test in a bit and see if that profile has risen. It may coincidentally have done so if that 6Mbps was after the speed test.

Well I have run another BT speed test on the second line and it has these results:

Download Speed
1810 Kbps

0 Kbps 2000 Kbps
Max Achievable Speed

Download speedachieved during the test was - 1810 Kbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 400-2000 Kbps.
Additional Information:
Your DSL Connection Rate :8128 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP Profile for your line is - 2000 Kbps


...Which are pretty much the same as the master line. So the problem must be coming from the ISP (Virgin)?

I guess it's not getting stuck as the first speed test I did was mid-afternoon and its now 23:11...

You see that IP Profile in the speed test results.

That is the problem. With a connection speed of 8128kbps the IP Profile should be 7150kbps. It is supposed to adjust in 5 days or less, and the bigger the change the quicker it should happen.

So there is no way it should be 2000kbps for very long. One to two days normally, but most ISPs will make you wait the full five days before they complain to BT Wholesale. If it stays at 2000kbps then it is stuck.

The problem is within BT Wholesale's system, but it is Virgin's responsibility to get them to fix it for you. Virgin cannot alter it themselves.

Once you get the 7150 profile your download speed should be over 6Mbps.

Well, you might be shocked to hear that we have had the connection for 3+ years. I've just come back from University and demanded that my mother sort it out. Among other things its not acceptible for a company to deliver 1/3 of what you pay for...

I'm onto Virgin as we speak so we'll see what they have to say about it.

For anybody that reads this, DON'T USE VIRGIN INTERNET

Thanks for the help...

Funny how when you call them to make a fuss it magically jumps up to what you pay for...


Download Speed
6533 Kbps

0 Kbps 7150 Kbps
Max Achievable Speed

Download speedachieved during the test was - 6533 Kbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 600-7150 Kbps.
Additional Information:
Your DSL Connection Rate :8128 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP Profile for your line is - 7150 Kbps

Heh!

Simples.

That's £40 + Vat consultancy fee please !

Virgin cannot alter it themselves.

It would seem they can. Perhaps they use a system like Plusnet.

In reply to a post by wingco1:

Virgin cannot alter it themselves.

It would seem they can. Perhaps they use a system like Plusnet.

The 2000 profile was that reported by the BT speedtester. The Plusnet and Entanet systems hold copies of the profile, supposedly updated automatically but sometimes failing and so causing trouble.

The only ways any ISP can affect the BT IP profile is by persuading BT to alter it, possibly even harder now than it used to be, and that was virtually impossible, or by initiating a SNRM reset, which triggers a complete 10-day retrain starting from default values.

It is possible there was just a delay in the system setting it correctly. We don't have the full timed history.

I don't think there's any hassle in getting a noise margin reset on 20CN connections from Plusnet as long as the connection is stable and there's no problem with the line.

On the two occasions I asked for it to be done it was UK PN Staff/Comms Team members I contacted in the first place, via the Plusnet Community forum

Edited by Apprentice (Thu 24-Jun-10 14:30:03)