AOL and Talk Talk

Hi,

I have been with AOL for ten years. The speed and reliability are terrible so I rang them to say I am thinking of changing to BT. They said i would have a £89 cancellation fee due to mid contract. They then told me that I can move to Talk Talk instead which is with themselves and said that my broadband speed will be much faster. My question is- Are AOL and Talk Talk the same thing, and is this a con or will I get faster broad band with Talk Talk. Everything I read suggests AOL and Talk Talk are the same company. So am I already with TalkTalk without realising? Thank you for any advice.

AOL Broadband is owned and run by TalkTalk, but the way the service is run it is possible it will be better with TalkTalk.

As for being mid-contract, you must have agreed to some discount or upgrade in the last year or so, since long auto-renewing contracts are not allowed on broadband and telephone now.

In terms of better speeds, knowing what the connection speed, attenuation and noise margin figures are from your modem will help, AOL used to use Netgear so http://www.coolwebhome.co.uk/stats/routers.html#netgear shows how to get these stats. Then it will be possible to see what faster ADSL/ADSL2+ might be possible.

Thankyou. Could you explain what you mean by how the services are run differently. I really want to make sure that the speed and connection is going to be superior to my current AOL one, otherwise think I will still move over to BT. Will it definitely be better? So to clarify AOL and TALKTALK are NOT the same?? Thank you.

AOL Broadband is a part of TalkTalk, but due to decisions made in how TalkTalk run their service it can often be worse than the main TalkTalk service.

As for who will be better, without seeing information about the current connection it is hard for anyone to say.

If your connection is running as fast as it can due to you being a long way from the telephone exchange, then switching providers may not help much, unless one of the newer faster fibre based services is available to you and you switch to that.

Thank you. They said something about the router having a dual something or other??? which would make it faster. We are not in an area that supports Fibre or infinity. I have done a check online and for this area BT and Talk Talk come up as fastest speed. Would AOL come under that heading of Talk talk as the fastest? Surely if TT is part of AOL this would apply wouldn't it? Therefore will my connection be any better or not? Hope I'm making sense.
Thank you for taking the time to reply.

Well for sure talktalks router is better than AOLs

dual band wireless ect

Daul band is irrelevant if you have adsl2+ only.

Aol use adsl often and iften have not upgraded people. Without the stats from the router very hard to say if talktalk or even bt will be better

While true if 6km from exchange and connection only 1Mbps it won't help much

Do you know what the name of the exchange is your line is connected to?

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Daul band is irrelevant if you have adsl2+ only.

Not true if you have a LOT of neighbours all using WiFi on tablets and phones. Even if the WAN bandwidth is only 4megabit for everyone in the street, you can have WiFi congestion.

The OP should do speed tests on a laptop or desktop connected by ethernet cable.

In reply to a post by epyon:

Well for sure talktalks router is better than AOLs

dual band wireless ect

Only on fibre. Neither of TalkTalk's ADSL2+ routers have dual band.

Thanks. My exchange is less than a mile away. I've looked at it and it says ASDL but not SDSL whatever that means. WE can only get standard broadband here.Not fibre or infinity Is it still worth me changing to Talk Talk. We are finding that if we are watching a netflix film on TV,it will pause many times throughout and the only way we can stop this is if we turn all our other devices off ie. mobiles, laptops . I am hoping Talk Talk will be able to stop this from happening?? What do you think? Thank you all for your help. .

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

Thanks. My exchange is less than a mile away. I've looked at it and it says ASDL but not SDSL whatever that means. WE can only get standard broadband here.Not fibre or infinity Is it still worth me changing to Talk Talk. We are finding that if we are watching a netflix film on TV,it will pause many times throughout and the only way we can stop this is if we turn all our other devices off ie. mobiles, laptops . I am hoping Talk Talk will be able to stop this from happening?? What do you think? Thank you all for your help. .

You should run a think broadband speed test. You need more speed to do those things all at the same time.

The speed you get is down to the quality of the wires in the road and the wires in your home. Changing provider MAY or MAY NOT improve the speed.

Two things.

1) MrSaffron has twice asked you to get line stats from your router. Those will tell us almost exactly what speed you ought to be able to get. Have you tried to get them?

2) Please tell us the exchange. I assume you have looked it up on samknows, but we would be better seeing for ourselves what it says there .

Only with those two items of information can we give you sound advice.

Yes, AOL is part of TT, but AOL sell and provision its BB products much differently.

AOL usually provides a capped 'Up to 8 Meg' product running over ADSL2+ whereas TT will provide the uncapped ADSL2+ product capable of running up to its full 24 Meg. This would only be an advantage if your line length to exchange were < 3 km.

If you were to provide the the router stats asked of you and which exchange you are on it would end all the speculation evident in this thread on both sides. If you don't know which exchange use: http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange_search and post the URL of your exchange page.

If exchange has TalkTalk LLU enabled then probably would pay to move. If not stay away IMO.
As for contract, ask for details of when they advised you of contract extension.
As others say Exchange and router information to advise properly
My daughter had problems with AOL, snails pace.As they already had line as well they would not budge.
BT gave new number and BT sorted everything. Fair play BT were as good as their word and, later transferred her back to old number.

So are they lying to me about dual band. ?

I don't know what the line stats are? Where do I find them/ I do know that my exchange is Wem in Shropshire. I live less than 1 mile away. Thank you

Thank you one again for your help. I do not know what i meant to be looking at for stats of my router? My exchange is Wem Shropshire. I live within a mile.

Do you know the make and model of the router? There should be a label on it...

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

Thank you one again for your help. I do not know what i meant to be looking at for stats of my router? My exchange is Wem Shropshire. I live within a mile.

Your AOL router stats are needed to study your line quality that will give you the maximum speed; you just copy and paste them it's quite harmless.

How to get your router line stats http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/frogstats.php

My EE ADSL2+ Bright Box 1 Router stats...

ADSL Status

This page shows information about your ADSL connection if applicable.
Status

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

Data Rate Information

Stream Type Actual Data Rate
Upstream 1259 (Kbps.)
Downstream 13260 (Kbps.)

Defect/Failure Indication

Operation Data Upstream Downstream
Noise Margin 5.8 dB 6.4 dB
Line Attenuation 15.6 dB 29.0 dB

Indicator Name Near End Indicator Far End Indicator
Output Power 12.7 dBm 0.0 dBm
Fast Path FEC Correction NA NA
Interleaved Path FEC Correction 6516 0
Fast Path CRC Error NA NA
Interleaved Path CRC Error 31 0
Loss of Signal Defect 0 0
Fast Path HEC Error STR NA NA
Interleaved Path HEC Error 360 0
Error Seconds 22 0

Statistics

Received Cells 525143
Transmitted Cells 53144

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

I don't know what the line stats are? Where do I find them

Someone's just given you a link to a site that might help, and MrSaffron gave you one here.

Wem does have TalkTalk LLU so it is possible on that exchange to get faster from TT or BT or nearly every other ISP. We still can't be certain until you manage to find the stats I'm afraid, as the cabling from the exchange to you can be much greater than the walking distance. It often goes well away from that.

As others have said, line stats are required from the router.

Not exactly it is probably a better router than you have now, but even the worlds best router will not help if the line to the house is bad or very long

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

So are they lying to me about dual band. ?

We are trying to work out if a better router would be like having a Ferrari on a very twisty single lane road with passing places where you can only do 10mph.

Wem exchange looks to be due to have a *lot* of upgrades to fibre, courtesy of the Connecting Shropshire project. 15 of the 17 cabinets will be upgraded to FTTC, while a good chunk of the EO lines look to be getting FTTP.

http://connectingshropshire.co.uk/when-and-where/ tells us of availability from the summer.

If you put your address in this checker:
http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ADSLChecker.Addres...
Does it tell you (in the top line) what cabinet you are connected to?

The results of that checker will tell you what BT think they are capable of giving you, using their ADSL2+ service - and is probably similar to the speed that TT will be able to supply to. Would you mind showing the results on here? You obviously don't want to leave your address in the part you copy onto here though.

(Tip: If you put just the postcode into the address checker, it will give you a list of all addresses in the postcode; you can use this to check your neighbours use the same cabinet, and can get similar speeds).

Tigdrac, my broadband knowledge was similar to yours (and still is!) but I found years ago that no website can beat this one for friendly, helpful advice. You have come to the right place.

However, none of the folk who are so willing to help can advise you unless they can inspect your router stats. You might as well ask a car mechanic why your vehicle isn't running well while refusing to tell him its make or its symptoms Follow the links given to you, come back for more advice if necessary, then post your stats and the TBB community will soon sort things out.

Edited by Malwaremike (Sun 08-Mar-15 13:15:53)

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

Yes, AOL is part of TT, but AOL sell and provision its BB products much differently.

Did sell. AOL Broadband is no longer for sale.

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

So are they lying to me about dual band. ?

The only router they supply which supports dual band is the one they supply with fibre: http://accessories.talktalk.co.uk/product_details.as...

I doubt they would supply it to ADSL2+ subscribers. Clarify this point with them if you proceed.

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

So are they lying to me about dual band. ?

It's a waste of time thinking about any router you may get until we know the actual capabilities of your particular line.

After putting my address in it says Wem is served by cabinet 4. Also says ADSL 2+ and ADS L2+ Annex M ?

I've looked at the coolhome website and my router isn't listed. My router is an AOL Broadband. ? Thanks for your help. I am a novice.

I've looked at the website but mu router isn't listed. Mine is called AOl Broadband?

Just try MrSaffron's instructions in his link. It may be a badged Netgear, and you can't do any damage .

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

After putting my address in it says Wem is served by cabinet 4.

OK. Cab 4 looks like one of those being upgraded to fibre, and can be found (on streetview) here: On Google Maps

How far away from the cab are you?

Anyway, bear in mind that, if you choose to change ISP (whether TalkTalk or not), you might want to swap to fibre within the contract period. You might want to check they'll let you swap.

Also says ADSL 2+ and ADS L2+ Annex M ?

The Annex M stuff is a special option that allows you to have higher upstream speeds, but only if you ISP will order it for you. Plusnet will, for example, but I think it costs something per month.

The ADSL2+ is likely the best speed that BT Wholesale could offer you, which means any ISP who retails the BTW products.

What kinds of speed does it estimate for you? TalkTalk will likely be the same - and the speeds the BTW checker predicts will also give us an idea whether you'll see an improvement from AOL.

I am less than a mile from the exchange. I did a speed test just on Broadband speedchecker it was 12.5. This is with AOL.
Talktalk are able to offer up to 17 in my area it says on comparison sites.
I am still confused. If AOL own TT how can they have different speeds and connectivity strengths. Surely it would all be the same?
Thank you so much.

TT own AOL and they are different not the same as you have found out.

The speed test is a test of actual connection, the up to 17 Mbps is a sales figure they tell everyone and not personalised to your line

Every ISP has different speeds and connection strengths available. Like every car manufacturer has a selection of models.

TT chose to sell a different selection through AOL than they do through their own retail offerings. They also supply a different range again through their wholesale offerings to TalkTalk resellers.

It's just marketing and product differentiation. Or was - as has been said you can no longer buy AOL broadband.

Having just moved to TalkTalk from Virgin.net the router supplied is dual ADSL and Fibre inputs. Hope that clears the confusion. On ADSL at the moment and all going well, Fibre in the offing which Virgin were never interested in offering. Speed is being wound up daily, currently 16 down and 1 up.

Just a side-question from your post. If you were on Virgin Media cable that is Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC) like most BT Superfast Broadband. Just using a different method of transmission.

FTTP is of course a different thing, which is why Virgin were made to stop advertising theirs as cable broadband.

If you were on Virgin ADSL, you have my sympathy .

Thank you for your help. I am really trying to establish whether I will be better off or not with Talk Talk, If AOL sold me the TalkTalk package does that mean the speed and connection will be the same as it is now with AOL, or will TT definitely be better? My current AOL broadband is so slow and unreliable. I need to make sure TT will be better before I commit to their 12 month contract. Sorry if i am not making sense.

And until we get some firm information about the current connection we cannot give any real indication other than say possibly

Post deleted by XRaySpeX

Instead of asking all these unanswerable Qs for lack of any real data, please make an effort to find your router stats.

Look here: http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/frogstats.php and try out the instuctions for various Netgears & DLinks which is what AOL used to supply. It can't break anything!

On Virgin ADSL for 20 years! It was the first ISP free on a cd in a PC Mag when my son left home and took his computer with him! The virgin cable doesn't pass the house. Speed progressively upped over the years until reaching about 21 down and 1 up using TB checker. Only ever one problem and BT replaced the line. FTTC is in the area and I will get it from TT for one contract length to give me time to set up a domain and see what else is about. I remember BT of old and still have cold shivers. And I also recall tales of TT service but so far so good.
Sorry to deviate from original post.

tigdrac if your router is more than 5 years old I bet almost anything would improve your speeds but YOU NEED TO RUN THE CHECK!

As I posted earlier, I have looked on the kitz website and my router isn't listed. I therefore don't know how to proceed with checking the stats if I can't even see the router I have. Which incidentally states that it is AOL Broadband. No other name on it.

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

As I posted earlier, I have looked on the kitz website and my router isn't listed. I therefore don't know how to proceed with checking the stats if I can't even see the router I have. Which incidentally states that it is AOL Broadband. No other name on it.

Is there no sticker on the base of it with the default wifi password, or possibly a login url with username and password?

Edited by Oliver341 (Sun 08-Mar-15 23:07:09)

I've just looked. The password on the router says UY6DMKHW

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

As I posted earlier, I have looked on the kitz website and my router isn't listed. I therefore don't know how to proceed with checking the stats if I can't even see the router I have. Which incidentally states that it is AOL Broadband. No other name on it.

Is it a white plastic box with AOL Broadband on the top in blue writing?

That could be an Ecolife HG532 which AOL were supplying around 2011, here is a very poor picture:
http://i.imgur.com/jwp6mdU.jpg

Or it could be this, which I think is an Ecolife but the picture is awful:
http://i.imgur.com/u1a9dto.jpg

Or if its dark green or blue in colour, it could be a Speedtouch 780 which looks like this:
http://i.imgur.com/rRPv466.jpg

If you can take a photo of it, and any labels on the back with serial numbers etc, that would be really good. You can post pictures at www.imgur.com

Edited by jchamier (Sun 08-Mar-15 23:27:20)

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

I've just looked. The password on the router says UY6DMKHW

I edited my post. Does the same sticker have a url, like http://192.168.1.1 ? Along with a username and password?

If you click in the following links in succession: http://192.168.0.1, http://192.168.1.1, http://192.168.0.254, http://192.168.1.254, do you see anything resembling a login form?

Edited by XRaySpeX (Sun 08-Mar-15 23:59:23)

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

As I posted earlier, I have looked on the kitz website and my router isn't listed. I therefore don't know how to proceed with checking the stats if I can't even see the router I have. Which incidentally states that it is AOL Broadband. No other name on it.

Nobody on this forum can help you, until you can provide your router statistics. Have you asked AOL how to obtain this info for your router?

Otherwise, the following suggestion might or might not work. Try this procedure, which can do no harm. You have told us that you are a novice, so I have tried to provide a step by step guide.

Firstly, make sure your computer is connected to the Internet. Then, click on the "Start" icon (at the bottom left hand corner of your Windows Desktop). Depending upon your Windows version, the Start icon might be labelled "Start" or it might be a Microsoft Windows icon.

In the start menu, click on Run... Then, type cmd, followed by OK. That should open a Command window. In the Command window, type ipconfig /all. Then, press the Enter key. (NB There must be a space between "ipconfig" and "/all"). Click on OK. The window will display full details of your router connection.

Scroll down, until you come to "Default Gateway" and make a careful note of the IP address. It will probably be something like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.1.254 or 192.168.0.1.

Type exit in the command window and press the Enter key to close the window.

Next, open your Internet browser and type the IP address of the Default Gateway (in the field, where you would normally enter the URL of a web page). Press enter. If you are lucky, this will take you to the router sign-in menu.

You will need to enter the admin user name and password in the sign-in menu. Try "admin" in both boxes. If that doesn't work, try various combinations of admin, Admin, administrator or Administrator, with or without a password. Hopefully, one of these combinations will provide access to the router set up pages.

Explore the various pages until you find one that displays your router statistics. Copy and paste the statistics into your reply.

Good thinking, ipconfig .

Is your landline with AOL? If so, your BB is more likely to be the same as TT would supply.

Hi, This is on the router.
192. 168. 1. 1

Usename ans password both say 'admin'
Thanks

Yes my land line is with AOL too.

I have put te IP into the search bar and this is what came up. Does this help?

Summary
This page is a summary of your settings, click on a tab below for more information. To print this screen, please click on the Print icon in your browser tool bar or click on File and then Print in the top menu of your browser.
General SummaryInternet SummaryWireless SummaryADSL Summary

Internet
More info
General Summary
Broadband username: [removed]
Broadband password: [removed]
Wireless Network (SSID): AOLBB-3DCEA8
Wireless password: [removed]
Model name: HG533
Hardware version: F.1.01
Firmware version: v1.02a
Router MAC address: D0:2G:B3:3D:CE:A8
Router serial number: 21530329107S3A021930

Wireless
More info

ADSL (Sync)
More info
Red - Click tab or disc for details Green - Connected and ready
Amber - Click tab or disc for details Grey - Wireless is turned off

Edited by MrSaffron (Mon 09-Mar-15 11:26:38)

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

I have put te IP into the search bar and this is what came up. Does this help?

Summary
This page is a summary of your settings, click on a tab below for more information. To print this screen, please click on the Print icon in your browser tool bar or click on File and then Print in the top menu of your browser.
General SummaryInternet SummaryWireless SummaryADSL Summary

Internet
More info
General Summary
Broadband username: Removed
Broadband password: Removed
Wireless Network (SSID): AOLBB-3DCEA8
Wireless password: Removed
Model name: HG533
Hardware version: F.1.01
Firmware version: v1.02a
Router MAC address: D0:2D:B3:3D:CE:A8
Router serial number: 21530329107S3A021930

Wireless
More info

ADSL (Sync)
More info
Red - Click tab or disc for details Green - Connected and ready
Amber - Click tab or disc for details Grey - Wireless is turned off

You have managed to access the admin menu, which produced details of the router and model number (Huawei HG533).

You can download a User Manual from www.chatteris.biz/Manuals/HUAWEI_HG533_User_Manual(02,English,General_Version).pdf.

However, we still need the ADSL data, to show the upstream and downstream speeds (Kbps.), Signal / Noise Ratio, Line Attenuation (dB) and other statistics.

I don't have access to an HG533, so I can't tell you exactly where you will find the info. On the HG532, the data is under Advanced settings - Status > WAN > DSL. The HG633 may be different and if so, you will probably find the info under ADSL Summary.

Please copy and paste the statistics in this forum.

Edited by bob_lucas (Mon 09-Mar-15 12:09:28)

Following my previous post, I have found the following link, which should show you where to find the ADSL statistics.

http://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Unlimited-Broadba...

Might be an idea for an administrator to delete the username and password in tigdrac's last post. Assuming of course they aren't made up ones...

Edited by Tacitus (Mon 09-Mar-15 10:11:25)

Why delete them?

Removed.

Why? As they identify your connection to some extent someone might be able to do something with them, i.e. better to be safe

Gosh, so I have been asked to post my password details off the router and now I'm being told it isn't safe? Thank you for removing. But why was I asked to put them in the first place?

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

Gosh, so I have been asked to post my password details off the router and now I'm being told it isn't safe? Thank you for removing. But why was I asked to put them in the first place?

We want your ADSL connection statistics. That is a set of details but they are most certainly NOt your userid and password. You should never post user ID and password details to any internet forum.

I've reviewed it and no-one appeared to be asking you for those details, but people were having to do a lot more handholding to guide you to the page with the ADSL router connection information. i.e. connection speed, attenuation and noise margin figures.

Edited by MrSaffron (Mon 09-Mar-15 11:28:12)

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

Gosh, so I have been asked to post my password details off the router and now I'm being told it isn't safe? Thank you for removing. But why was I asked to put them in the first place?

There are three usernames and passwords involved.

1) The router setup access, which is what we are trying to help you find, so that you can obtain the line statistics. Without those nobody can tell you whether or how your connection can be improved. With them it is easy and you may get a few different suggestions. The common ones have been suggested but some ISPs change them to unique ones before sending the router to you.

It looks as though you've found those .

2) The Wireless connection username (SSID) and password, if it has wireless connection to it available for your equipment. We don't need that

3) Your ISP broadband username and login password which you should never post, and that is what has been deleted. With those a malicious person, (and posts on these forums are visible through google), someone could try to hack into your account. Just like your phone number or address - not here or anywhere on the net.

I hope that helps .

That's not the stats we are after, but you are getting closer.

Now what's stopping you exploring the router interface until you find a page containing words like 'Attenuation', 'Noise Margin or SNRM', 'Speed or Rate', 'ADSL Status'?

The link in this post looks to be exactly what he needs. It's to another forum but leads to the GUI stats being shown.

This is painful.
I've been a AOL customer since 2meg was the norm,
They upgraded to 8meg and that was the last I heard,
However I get 9.5Mg with LLU ASDL+ (so you get more than me)

AOL are trying to move every one to the TT system as their support is not goot, but TT are just as bad I understand, Last time I asked why my broadband kept dropping out their best suggestion was to go fibre with TT as the voice is not a problem.

You will only get a higher speed by going fibre, if it's not available now, then just wait as other posters are suggesting it's on it's way.

One of the earliest posts in this thread stated, "The speed you get is down to the quality of the wires in the road and the wires in your home. Changing provider MAY or MAY NOT improve the speed."

You did tell us that you are less than one mile from the telephone exchange. However, the wires might not follow a straight line, so the effective distance could be much greater. That is why we have asked you repeatedly to publish your router statistics. That should be the first, and most important step, because it will enable one of the experts on this forum to offer further advice.

However, having reviewed this thread, I noticed that nobody has enquired about the wiring within your home. Although your problems could be due to a bad connection in the street, they could also be caused by "noise" or interference from the wiring in your home. So please answer the following questions.

Is the quality of voice calls clear, and free from crackling or other interference?

Is your ADSL router connected directly to the BT master socket - or is it connected to an extension socket?

How many extensions are used by ordinary telephones, Sky satellite receivers, etc?

Have you fitted a micro filter to every extension socket?

If the telephone line is connected to a new-style master socket, you could attempt to eliminate wiring problems within your home by removing the faceplate from the telephone master socket (two screws). That will disconnect your internal wiring and all extensions from the telephone line. Then, connect your ADSL router directly to the test socket (behind the face plate), using a micro filter.

If connection to the test socket improves reliability and download speeds, then you should fit new micro filters to every telephone extension. (They can deteriorate over time). If all else fails, you might need get somebody to check the wiring in your home.

But as I said previously, the first step is to check your router statistics.

s the quality of voice calls clear, and free
from crackling or other interference?


No, the voice calls are clear with no interference. The router is connected to the master socket. No extensions and no micro filters are used elsewhere.
I thought I had posted my router stats earlier today. I copied and pasted the results on here. Apart from that I do not know what to do, as I am not techno minded and really need someone to walk me through. Thank you.

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

I thought I had posted my router stats earlier today. I copied and pasted the results on here. Apart from that I do not know what to do, as I am not techno minded and really need someone to walk me through. Thank you.

You posted a summary page from your router. Bob_Lucas posted next at 9:27 this morning, with a link to a thread elsewhere that tells you how to find the stats on an HG533 router, which he thinks you have.

Other people have given descriptions of possible routers and asked you for photos, as we may recognise it.

Are you having trouble keeping track of the posts, possibly viewing in what we call Threaded mode, where you can read one and see a staggered list of the others? If you are, try Flat mode which is easier and like other forums. To get to Flat mode, click the My Home tab in the top menu and scroll down to the bottom. The Display Preferences is what you want. I have Default display Flat, and Default view Collapsed.

Thanks. Yes I checked this link and it goes to a TalkTalk site I am not with TalkTalk yet,still with AOL.

The aol router is an exact copy of one also used by talktalk so the guide for where router stats are located will be the same.

The site and ISP are irrelevant if your router is an HG533. Remember my post about the three different usernames and passwords?

So try the instructions that come later in that thread even if it isn't. You've already got through the first stage, to the Summary page.

In the post there at 24-08-2014 07:39 PM it looks as if you have to click "Summary" in the left-hand menu then ADSL Summary on the right-hand tab inside that.

If it doesn't work you will not have done any damage.

Edited by RobertoS (Mon 09-Mar-15 22:39:08)

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

Thanks. Yes I checked this link and it goes to a TalkTalk site I am not with TalkTalk yet,still with AOL.

AOL is just a logo, TalkTalk is the company running everything.

And that takes me back to my original question. Whether changing from ALOL to TT will be any better if they are the same company anyway. Thanks to everyone for your help.

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

And that takes me back to my original question. Whether changing from ALOL to TT will be any better if they are the same company anyway. Thanks to everyone for your help.

and the answer to that is "could be" as you may get a better service level from the other "brand"; which is why we all want to know your Attenuation, SNR margin, and other ADSL connection statistics.

And as AOL often using an up to 8 Mbps product when TalkTalk used ADSL2+ we need to see the router statistics to see if this is the case for you.

Same company but different ways of setting up the service, in the same way you can fly on the same 747 but be paying for a drink in economy and getting free champagne in 1st.

Please don't ignore suggestions offered by members on this forum. We want to help - but it is difficult for us to assist you, when you reject our advice provided in good faith.

The link to the TalkTalk forum at http://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Unlimited-Broadba... should have helped. I know you are presently with AOL but that is not the point. The TalkTalk link is entirely relevant, because you definitely have a Huawei HG533 router.

The fifth post in the TalkTalk thread includes a very clear picture of the ADSL summary screen from a HG533 router. That screen from your router will provide the information we are seeking. Just ignore everything else in the TalkTalk thread.

Please locate the ADSL summary screen on your router and copy / paste the details here. If that simple task is beyond your capabilities, it might be better for you to ask a friend to help you to locate the information.

Nobody on this forum can advise you whether changing from AOL to TalkTalk will be any better, until you provide the router stats.

In reply to a post by bob_lucas:

Nobody on this forum can advise you whether changing from AOL to TalkTalk will be any better, until you provide the router stats.

Or even to a different ISP altogether. As we all keep telling him, only the router stats will tell us.

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

Apart from that I do not know what to do, as I am not techno minded and really need someone to walk me through. Thank you.

It sounds like you want someone to do it all for you (or provide telephone assistance.) That's not going to happen. If you want help from users of this forum, you have to provide the modem stats. If you cannot or will not do that, people are going to lose interest in you pretty quickly.

If you genuinely do feel completely out of your depth, you may have to hire someone local to come and help you. There are plenty of options to be found here.

When I use that website it just comes up with TalkTalk community. I don't see anywhere it asking me for details? Sorry.

Are you saying I need to post a question on there the same as I have here to get information about my router?

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

Are you saying I need to post a question on there the same as I have here to get information about my router?

Are you kidding? This is becoming like an episode from Candid Camera!

Open the link to the TalkTalk forum. I am not suggesting that you ask any questions there. Just scroll down to the fifth post, which includes a clear picture of the screen with the information we require.

Find the same screen on your router and copy / paste the information in this forum.

When you click this link, which is the one Bob_Lucas gave, do you see this post by sharpinf?

Intermittent Internet Connection HG533

on 24-08-2014 02:31 PM

For the past month or so my internet connection has become very intermittent. When it does work the speed and ping are very good but it seems to frequently (sometimes multiple times an hour) drop connection until the router resets itself.

I have tried changing Microfilters, ADSL cables and the power socket used to no avail as well as using an ethernet cable. I suspect due to the age of my house that the physical phone line isn't the best quality so would appreciate if an OCE could please use your diagnostics (that should hopefully show many redial attempts by the router) to try and improve my reliability even if my overall speed suffers slightly (I have seen roughly that it is reliable when around 5mbps but struggles to go above 7-8mbps. All my details should be in my profile.

If you do, scroll down to the fifth post and you see a screenshot. We want to know what your routers similar screen shows.

Either a screen shot like that or a copy and paste of each line in the table will do. Please don't just type what you see, as a single typo could completely screw things up and no-one will know until too late.

Well, someone had to be first. A fellow Leicestrian too.

No, just that the fifth post in that forum thread shows the router stats that people are desperately trying to get from you and the fourth posts tells you how to do it.

Edit: sorry, missed some posts before I posted this, but it's still true.

Edited by kasg (Tue 10-Mar-15 11:08:36)

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

I have put te IP into the search bar and this is what came up. Does this help?

Summary
This page is a summary of your settings, click on a tab below for more information. To print this screen, please click on the Print icon in your browser tool bar or click on File and then Print in the top menu of your browser.
General SummaryInternet SummaryWireless SummaryADSL Summary

All you have to do is click ADSL Summary above and post what it says here

Ugh! The OP has been given half-a-dozen ways of finding his router stats but has chosen to not even explore any of them and keeps coming back to his original unanswerable Q w/out them. This is getting beyond belief .

He even translates reading a post on another site as posting a post on another site.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Tue 10-Mar-15 16:01:19)

This happens from time to time. It's been a few years since the last one. The posters seem to want something other than what they are asking for.

Unless he's just winding us up, for fun.

Well, his username spelled backwards may be a clue.

In reply to a post by micksharpe:

Well, his username spelled backwards may be a clue.

Perhaps. Incidentally, he has also registered his User Name on the TalkTalk Community website at http://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/user/viewprofilep...

Post deleted by tigdrac

Click the "ADSL Summary" tab and paste us the contents.

You should remove your username and password from your post

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

I tried and tried to screenshot, which I did, but for some reason it wouldn't paste here, so I copied and pasted text instead. Hope that is of some use. I'm so useless.

Summary
This page is a summary of your settings, click on a tab below for more information. To print this screen, please click on the Print icon in your browser tool bar or click on File and then Print in the top menu of your browser.
General SummaryInternet SummaryWireless SummaryADSL Summary

Internet
More info
General Summary
Broadband username: [Removed]
Broadband password: [Removed]
Wireless Network (SSID): AOLBB-3DCEA8
Wireless password: [Removed]
Model name: HG533
Hardware version: F.1.01
Firmware version: v1.02a
Router MAC address: D0:2D:B3:3D:CE:A8
Router serial number: 21530329107S3A021930

Wireless
More info

ADSL (Sync)
More info
Red - Click tab or disc for details Green - Connected and ready
Amber - Click tab or disc for details Grey - Wireless is turned off

I give up!

Text would be fine, but you selected the wrong page!!

We have seen the General Summary page already - and yet again, you have posted your user name and passwords on a public forum.

I suggest you edit your post immediately, and remove the sensitive information.

Next, log into your router again - and click on the ADSL Summary Tab. Make sure you have the correct page, before you copy the content into your next post.

Nothing more and nothing less!!

Look, she's obviously struggling, can we all calm down a bit?!

Edited by deleted (Tue 10-Mar-15 18:50:08)

It's so nice being the butt of people's jokes. NOT.
Firstly, what makes you assume I am a male. I am female. I have said several times that i am clueless and that I need step by step guides. Asking me to copy and paste my stats onto this forum and then telling me that was wrong because my username was visible was very misleading. I'm anxious enough as it is through all this, without being mocked too. I am sorry if you think I am winding you up. I am not. And yes I wish I was more techno minded, but I am not. What seems obvious to you, is very challenging for me, A bit like me asking you to bake a cake when you've never baked before. I have been grateful for all your help so far but to mock me is slightly unnecessary don't you think?

You've logged into your router several times now but you have not clicked the "ADSL Summary" tab despite several requests asking you to do so.

Please let us know if there is some kind of issue with the tab.

It is sometimes hard to tell if a new user is genuinely struggling or if they are just stringing everyone along. It has happened before although not for some time. Everyone is frustrated because you have been so close to giving us the information that we need to help you but you haven't managed to make that final step.

This is the best I can do

ADSL (Sync) Summary
System uptime: 21:03:12
Modem ADSL (Sync) uptime: 21:01:26
Interleaving: On
ADSL mode: ADSL2+
ADSL settings: PVC:0/38
ADSL line speed (kbps): up 1020 down 15005
Line attentuation (dB): up 13.6 down 30.0
SN margin (dB): up 10.2 down 8.4
Total errors seconds: 757

You did it!

Great.

In relation to your original post, no, your speed will not be much faster with TalkTalk, unless you got fibre. What you could do with AOL is try contacting them and ask them to reduce your noise margin to 6 dB, if they will allow it.

Either way, 15 Mbps is a decent speed for ADSL.

I'd qualify Oliver's statement here...

It is your synchronisation speed that is fine - 15Mbps. You should be able to do all sorts with that speed, including stream iPlayer HD, Netflix HD etc.

However, the problem might be that AOL can't give you the rest of the service you want. Perhaps they are running something overloaded, or perhaps something is congested.

So the real question is: Why do you say, in your original post, that "speeds are terrible"? What doesn't work in the way you'd expect it to? What are your expectations?

Also: What do you mean by "reliability is terrible"? What goes wrong?

When you've given us some answers about these, I suspect the next phase will be to perform some speed tests.

Congratulations! You did it .

You are getting as good a speed on ADSL as you will get from any other ISP. That is a very reasonable speed. You could get faster from fibre but you need to ask yourself whether you need it for extensive use of the Internet.

That's all we need.

Everything indicates the line is working well, a bit more speed could be squeezed out, but the connection speed is not likely to change a lot if you move from AOL to TalkTalk or to any other provider using an ADSL2+ based connection.

If things are feeling very slow, and a speed test run at http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest is not showing speeds of over 10 Mbps then issue may be the quality of service provided by AOL, and switching to someone who is not TalkTalk based may help.

Doesn't compute! Corrected (removing the final full-stop):

In reply to a post by bob_lucas:

http://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/user/viewprofilep...

By the way, your statistics tell us some other things:

Your downstream attenuation (30dB) tells us that your line is 2.2km long. Allowing for some cable within the exchange building, you are 2km from the exchange. The 15Mbps synchronisation speed is pretty good for that distance.

A long way back, I asked a slightly different question - about how far you were from cabinet 4 (and I gave you a link to google streetview that showed where cab 4 was; by a school entrance, I think). Can you estimate that distance?

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

I did a speed test just on Broadband speedchecker it was 12.5.

consistent with the Sync.

Thank you everyone. That is good to hear that the speed is ok.. But can you tell me this.
Why does the broadband either lose connection or dip when we have multiple devices turned on? EG. If we are watching a Netflix film on the TV it will often pause for ages. Thanks. And is there any way of correcting this. AOL have assured me that by moving to TalkTalk this will 'definitely' improve 100% Quote. Hmmm.

Is it because you're using wifi?

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

This is the best I can do....

Well done. My apologies for doubting you.

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

Thank you everyone. That is good to hear that the speed is ok.. But can you tell me this.
Why does the broadband either lose connection or dip when we have multiple devices turned on? EG. If we are watching a Netflix film on the TV it will often pause for ages. Thanks. And is there any way of correcting this. AOL have assured me that by moving to TalkTalk this will 'definitely' improve 100% Quote. Hmmm.

Because you're using a "discount ISP" (being charitable). AOL is now a dead / dying brand, and TalkTalk is the cheapest broadband price in the UK (around £3 a month or something insane).

You may want to consider another ISP such as Plusnet, EE, BT, or any of the long list.

Because you're using a "discount ISP" (being charitable). AOL is now a dead / dying brand, and TalkTalk is the cheapest broadband price in the UK (around £3 a month or something insane).

You may want to consider another ISP such as Plusnet, EE, BT, or any of the long list.


Plusnet are also a discount provider. EE will be BT.
BT, from my current experience, do have severe congestion problems on ADSL2+
Which leaves?
Xilo maybe?

In reply to a post by jchamier:

Because you're using a "discount ISP" (being charitable). AOL is now a dead / dying brand, and TalkTalk is the cheapest broadband price in the UK (around £3 a month or something insane).

I've been quite happy with TT though. Here's a peak time speed test result with a synch of 17,186 kbps.

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/4203803490

Not bad for £3.50!

Thanks. I was going to change to BT but AOLsaid my disconnection fee would be £89 as I am mid contract. That's when they persuaded me to go with Talk Talk at no extra cost.. TT won't go l'live' until 18th March, But now I'm wondering if this is such a good idea if the speed will be no different to my current AOL one. I guess I have time to cancel. Any ideas?

Connection speed may be the same but experience might be better. Plus you speed test suggests speeds are actually ok and it is other issues e.g trying to watch netflix over wireless when the router and computer are a long way apart

As for the mid contract, beyond them saying that when do you think you last agreed to a 12 month contract with AOL. Examples would be accepting a discount or having moved home etc

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

TT won't go l'live' until 18th March, But now I'm wondering if this is such a good idea if the speed will be no different to my current AOL one. I guess I have time to cancel. Any ideas?

Proceed with the move, TT won't be any worse and might be better.

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

Not bad for £3.50!

Yes that is good. I've got friends in this area who have sync of 15000 approx and off-peak daytime speeds around 13meg but peak time speeds of 5 or 6 meg and very high variability. (Which affects streaming). I assume just the amount of take up locally.

Thank you everyone. You have all been so patient with me. Think I may aswell move to TT- can't be any worse. One final question.- I hear you all sigh.. My router is currently in a different room to my TV, would it help if I put the router closer to the Tv, so that we can get a better connection on Netflix. Router is currently next to the telephone in the hallway. Sorry if this is a stupid question.

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

Thank you everyone. You have all been so patient with me. Think I may aswell move to TT- can't be any worse. One final question.- I hear you all sigh.. My router is currently in a different room to my TV, would it help if I put the router closer to the Tv, so that we can get a better connection on Netflix. Router is currently next to the telephone in the hallway. Sorry if this is a stupid question.

I assume your TV is wireless enabled and you don't have an internet cable connected? You could move the router, but keeping it close to the master telephone socket gives you the best connection speed to the outside world.

Other options include an ethernet cable if you can run under carpet, or buying homeplug boxes that connect over mains.

Not a stupid question at all. Moving the router closer to the TV may help, and using a cable to connect the two may help even more. In one of your earlier posts, you wrote:

We are finding that if we are watching a netflix film on TV,it will pause many times throughout and the only way we can stop this is if we turn all our other devices off ie. mobiles, laptops.

It sounds as if you are having problems with your wireless network. There are various possible causes for this. If you can provide a physical (cable) connection between the TV and the router, your Netflix viewing won't be dependent on your wi-fi network. This may solve your main problem.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

Other options include an ethernet cable if you can run under carpet, or buying homeplug boxes that connect over mains.

Or buy a wifi extender.

Edited by Oliver341 (Tue 10-Mar-15 22:58:13)

In reply to a post by jchamier:

Yes that is good. I've got friends in this area who have sync of 15000 approx and off-peak daytime speeds around 13meg but peak time speeds of 5 or 6 meg and very high variability. (Which affects streaming). I assume just the amount of take up locally.

Yep, regional issues are very hard to account for, but I can say there are no global peak time throughput issues on TalkTalk as I have personally seen none here. But I am not in a big town or city.

A couple of you have said that moving the router closer to the TV could help. It might improve the wifi, but it could very easily adversely affect the sync.

The downstream attenuation is pretty low, I would have thought, and there's enough head-room in the noise margin. Still, I admit I'm no expert.

Actually, I doubt if it would help on its own. A physical connection between the TV and the router might help a great deal, however, and some extra attenuation from an extension cable might be a price worth paying.

The real problem is that, even with the router stats, we're shooting in the dark. It's often the case with unspecific performance problems.

Edited by micksharpe (Wed 11-Mar-15 01:37:50)

I was thinking more of noise from the TV electronics than the cable attenuation.

Ah! Especially if they're plugged into the same power socket?

I live a sheltered life here in the Wilds of Leicestershire. I have a (fairly) stable ADSL2+ connection, no other wireless networks in (detectable) range and no competition for network resources. What's not to like?

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

In reply to a post by jchamier:

Other options include an ethernet cable if you can run under carpet, or buying homeplug boxes that connect over mains.

Or buy a wifi extender.

Yep! They could get a couple of Devolo 1200+WiFi homeplugs to connect their TV to the router.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dLAN-powerline-1200-WiFi-Sta...

Given its just ADSL2+ then this kit is better value at £65 and will cope with ADSL2+ and all but the fastest FTTC connections over the range from hall into lounge.

Sorry for doubting you previously. I am glad you managed to obtain the router statistics, which told us a lot.

Don't be too concerned about moving to TalkTalk. I get my telephone and broadband from TalkTalk and on the whole, I get a good service.

TalkTalk have one major advantage over the competition as far as I am concerned - price. I pay £7.50 per month for unlimited telephone calls to UK numbers (01, 02, 03, 0845 & 0870 numbers) and all UK mobiles, plus £3.50 per month for their basic broadband (ADSL2+) package (without any expensive TV add-ons). And although I have a direct debit, I receive a further 10% discount, if I pay the bill by credit or debit card within 24 hours of receiving my monthly statement. TalkTalk line rental costs £16.70 per month or £180.36 p.a. in advance. Unlike BT, they do not charge for caller line display.

Furthermore, TalkTalk's on-line forums have slight advantages over Think Broadband. If you need to contact them, you will find their forums are staffed by experienced TalkTalk executives, who have direct access to performance data for your line. They can also adjust your broadband configuration to maximise performance.

I live closer to the Telephone exchange than you do, but my download speeds are similar to yours. However, the ancient copper wiring between my home and the exchange is owned and maintained by BT. It includes an overhead section, which passes through trees and several junctions. Consequently, I suffer glitches from time to time, due to problems with the wiring. There is nothing I can do to improve the external wiring, and I would suffer similar problems, if I moved to another service provider.

Likewise, you can do little about the external wiring to your home (which is probably OK, anyway). The buffering you have experienced on Netflix might be due to congestion within AOL. If so, broadband speeds and reliability could improve, when you move to TalkTalk. It is unlikely to be any worse.

It is usually preferable to plug your router into the telephone master socket. However, your problems with Netflix might be caused by an intermittent Wi_Fi connection in your home. There are so many things that can affect Wi-Fi , including masonry or foil-lined internal walls, interference from flickering fluorescent tubes, microwave ovens, a neighbour's Wi-Fi on the same frequency, etc. Consequently, it is definitely worth experimenting, by moving your router to an extension socket closer to the TV, even if that causes a slight reduction in overall download speeds. And if moving the router doesn't help, it will be easy to move it back to the master socket.

However, a wired Ethernet connection between the TV and router would be even better. Otherwise, a Powerline adapter, which transfers data to and from the router via your mains electrical wiring is another possibility.

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

That's when they persuaded me to go with Talk Talk at no extra cost.. TT won't go l'live' until 18th March,

When you join TT they will allocate you a new @talktalk.co.uk email a/c. However you will retain your @aol.com email addy (& screenname) and may carry on using it, as it does not belong to TT nor AOL BB.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Wed 11-Mar-15 14:44:17)

One quick addition around contract length.

You are currently in a contract for whatever reason. Have you confirmed whether the move to TalkTalk will change your contract length and potentially extend you to a longer contract making it even more costly to move if the service didn't suit you? Ideally they will keep you to no more than the contract you already have outstanding - if they want to lengthen it then consider how that might impact you if you wanted to move away.

Are you still using the AOL Software bloatware on your PCs? This is entirely unnecessary and is well known for slugging Net access. This could well be the cause of the uneven performance you are experiencing. Get rid of it straight away.

You would be better off accessing Netflix & all other sites using a standard PC Internet browser, like Internet Explorer or Firefox.

You would be better off accessing Netflix & all other sites using a standard PC Internet browser, like Internet Explorer or Firefox.

I would guess they want to watch it on the big screen which is generally easier for most people using the built in smart apps or something like a chrome stick. Plugging PCs into a TV is generally not the preferred method for most to watch Netflix (IMO).

That's true! I was forgetting the TV won't be going via the AOL bloatware and was just thinking more generally.

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

When you join TT they will allocate you a new @talktalk.co.uk email a/c. However you will retain your @aol.com email addy (& screenname) and may carry on using it, as it does not belong to TT nor AOL BB.

Very interesting, does that same apply to all legacy @tiscali.co.uk email addresses?

It does, but it is completely unconnected with @AOL.com.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Given its just ADSL2+ then this kit is better value at £65 and will cope with ADSL2+ and all but the fastest FTTC connections over the range from hall into lounge.

Yes, a very neat and compact unit they also have the connections at base of the unit which I prefer because it has less strain on the Ethernet connections. Also a very good video is provided to explain to the OP the layout and use of homeplugs.

Watch the video http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00C5IA4TW/ref=as...

Thank to everyone. I will proceed with the TT move and see. I am not sure whether they will start a whole new contract or continue with my current one. I will check. But I'm so fed up of AOL that it is a risk I'm prepared to take. As someone has said, it can't be any worse than AOL. I don't have an ethernet cable. I could try moving the router a little closer to the TV and see.

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

Thank to everyone. I will proceed with the TT move and see. I am not sure whether they will start a whole new contract or continue with my current one. I will check. But I'm so fed up of AOL that it is a risk I'm prepared to take. As someone has said, it can't be any worse than AOL. I don't have an ethernet cable. I could try moving the router a little closer to the TV and see.

Modern TVs sometimes generate electrical interference. You may achieve improved Wi-Fi connectivity, if you move the wireless router into the same room as the TV (or an adjoining room) - but don't place the router under or too close to the TV.

In reply to a post by tigdrac:

I don't have an ethernet cable.

Available in most pound shops.

I've got a drawer full. But not letting anyone near my d..............

Edit: Ooooooooo!! I forgot the OP is female. Consider the second sentence above deleted.

Edited by RobertoS (Fri 13-Mar-15 00:04:01)

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

I've got a drawer full.

Ditto except it's a cupboard. Collected three more with devices only this week!

You probably didn't see the edit .

Anyone want a couple of packs of 3.5" floppy discs, unopened?

I'll raise you packs of 5.25" floppies (used).

I wish I still had some 8" floppies, just for old time's sakes.