How can I go about improving my speed (Sky BB)

Helllo all,

I've exhausted all other avenues so I have come to hopefully find some people who know more about ADSL than me (I'm an IT Engineer that deals with broadband quite frequently)

Basic information, I am on the Sky Unlimited broadband package and have been for over two years. I have had significant problems with my speed from the start.

To cut a long story short, I am currently synchronising at 1.9 meg with the following line stats:

ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 1952 kbps 768 kbps
Line Attenuation 62.5db 31.5db
Noise Margin 7.6db 7.0db

Things I have tried so far (all tests done directly into BT Master Socket)
1) Tried 3 seperate routers (Sky provided router/Netgear DG834/Draytek 2830)
2) Multiple different filters on the line
3) Multiple different RJ11 cables

I have raised this multiple times with Sky Broadband (albeit not in the past 6 months). They have tried retraining the line/setting a manual profile on the line.

I am approximately 3km from the exchange according to http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange_mapping. This also has an estimated speed of 3.5Mbps. If I run through the broadband checker on Sky's website, they advise a speed between 2.7Mbps to 7Mbps at my address. O2 Broadband reckons around five. I have never had a sync speed over 2.0Mbps.

I also happen to be living directly next door to family (who are 10 metres away). Their line attenuation is 45 and they have a sync speed of just under 7.0Mbps.

It's incredibly frustrating as I quite often work from home and it's like wading through treacle. Knowing that literally 10 metres away from me someone is getting 400% my speed is incredibly frustrating. I suspect the key here is the attenuation. Where the BT line comes into my property I have something additional on the end of my line that none of the other houses in the street have. I've uploaded a diagram here:

http://i.imgur.com/97NXZ.jpg

I have had BT Openreach out to this issue once. He checked the line over and because the line was stable and his tests didn't show any issues he refused to do anything. He is right (the line is stable) but it is ridiculously slow!

Any help/advice anyone could put my way would be so appreciated.

Have you tried connecting into the test socket of the master? If not that is your first course of action.

If that doesn't help then it is likely you have a bit of bad copper or maybe some aluminium in the line somewhere. If that is the case I suspect it would be very difficult to get BT to do anything about it as they are under no obligation to provide you fast broadband.

That black tube-like thing is simply a modern waterproof cable joint, joining the incoming cable from the pole to the wire down to the master. Are you sure the loop isn't just a large "drip loop", only entering it once?

I imagine one of the engineers you had installed it to replace the small square white box close to it. The extra length could just be what was needed to reach the white one, with a small loop there.

Is/was there a leaky gutter joint above it?

Edited by RobertoS (Wed 05-Sep-12 09:35:08)

Rob is right thats just a cable joint with a loop of cable so no worries.

Maybe try and get sky to order a "BB Boost " job ? this is to get a OR BB bod out to try and get the line to go as fast as it can .

I would have previously said no but looking now there is quite a lot of dirt there which could suggest a leak. Do you think it is leaking inside? How would I resolve that kind of thing.

In reply to a post by btbert:

Rob is right thats just a cable joint with a loop of cable so no worries.

Maybe try and get sky to order a "BB Boost " job ? this is to get a OR BB bod out to try and get the line to go as fast as it can .

So if I ask Sky for a "Broadband boost job" they will help do you think or do I have to meet a certain criteria?

You are getting about the right speed for your attenuation. You need to explain why your neighbours have a much lower attenuation. Are they on same exchange? It is possible for 2 houses on boundary of exchange areas to be on diff ones.

You should get that leaky gutter joint replaced, by a roofer/gutter guy. It can't be helping matters and will eventually torrent (even if you don't use P2P )..

Sky don't raise Boost tasks. Only BTBB/business and Plusnet.

The difference will be, almost certainly, the E-side cable used. The pair from the exchange to the street cabinet.
Get Sky to raise another SFI visit. When the engineer comes, ask them to ring the coach line and ask them to check on SEAM for the best E-side range, they should also be able to advise the engineer of spares.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

The difference will be, almost certainly, the E-side cable used. The pair from the exchange to the street cabinet.
Get Sky to raise another SFI visit. When the engineer comes, ask them to ring the coach line and ask them to check on SEAM for the best E-side range, they should also be able to advise the engineer of spares.

Excellent. Thanks for this it's very helpful. Last time the engineer came I did ask him if he could put me on a different exchange side line but he refused as there was no visible fault on the line.

Other than a good cup of tea and some chocolate hobnobs, is there any way I can pursuade them to do that?