Slow Broadband

I'm on basic broadband with TalkTalk (previously AOL) and my download speed is approx.0.2 Mbs (upload also 0.2 Mbs). This was previously about 0.7 to 0.8 Mbs download. I can get FTTC which is now available and I may change soon. My question is why should my download speed change? I've had the same modem since I changed from dial-up, so nothing has changed at my end.

Regards,

Steven

On what looks like a very very long ADSL2+ line its possibe for very small changes in line conditions to cause this sort of speed drop

Your current ADSL service is supplied by an up to 20 meg DSLAM housed in the telephone exchange .... and then factors like line length to your property, and extension wiring can reduce the sync rate this delivers.

If you chose an FTTC service, an up to 80 meg DSLAM connected to the street cabinet would provide your service instead. This is usually a fair bit shorter distance to your property. Extension wiring can have an even more detrimental effect too.

However most old fashioned ADSL modems often will not work with a VDSL signal.

The improvements additional speed brings are certainly worth it in my opinion.

Thanks for the response Andrew.

It's annoying that the speed dropped so much (from an already low level). My neighbour lost their connection a few week ago, so it's obvious that our location is not the optimum. What is puzzling is that we were connected to a new cabinet which was around halfway from the previous cabinet (still 1 mile away) but with no improvement in speeds.

Steven

For ADSL2+ is is the distance from the exchange rather than the cabinet that controls your speeds unlike VDSL (FTTC) where it is the distance to the cabinet/FTTC DSLAM that dictates your speeds.

A couple of years ago I had a BT FTTC connection and I used to get 22-23mb. One of the neighbouring streets was having an All in One cabinet installed, however it looks like the ducts must have been blocked. The contractors dug lots of small holes along my street (pressumably to crack in to the pipe to clean out whatever was stuck in their). As this work was happening my speed reduced to 17-19mb and then never recovered. I can only assume that when rodding and then digging the ducts that either the phoneline bundle was disturbed in some way either by squishing the cables together and causing more cross talk, or by somehow damaging the cables.

Is the FTTC cabinet new? If so, maybe something similar has happened.

It is possible that as they are adding a new cabinet, while they are moving your line, they have re-routed the exchange side to the new cab, then routed it back to the old cab, and on to you. - ie temporally adding 2x 1mile to your line. and when the re-configuration is complete you should get your adsl speed back.
not worth going to vdsl before that work is complete.

New cabinet will only improve speeds if you order a FTTC service i.e. one that comes from the new cabinet, rather than ADSL that starts in the exchange.

At the speeds you had it is possible the work to add the cabinet may have been the cause for the speed drop

If a VDSL2 cabinet is added and its now showing as available then the users line will NOT be doing what you describe.

If the VDSL2 is showing speeds that are reasonable for the distance to the cabinet then the work has been done.
If the work had not been done the old figures and no VDSL2 speeds would be showing.

Just a little update to my initial post.

In the last week or so my modem is repeatedly losing its connection every few minutes (still very slow when connected). How do I know if the problem lies internally or externally? I only have one phone connection point so that has been a constant factor. I'm reluctant to have things checked out until I'm confident where the problem may be as I don't want to spend money needlessly.

Steven