Problems with speed & with using BT Speedtest

I am syncing at 4.8Mbps, yet only getting throughput of approx. 1.7Mbps, according to the speedtest on this site.

OK, I know it varies with the amount of traffic, yadda yadda, and I won't always get close to my sync speed. However, I used to do much better than this.

So anyway, I thought I'd do a BT Speedtest, as I know PN don't really accept the one here as evidence.

But I can't get it to work. It accepts my phone number, but then asks for further validation, in the form of my "normal" login name, which I supply (I'm pretty sure it's correct). But it then comes back and says: "The login/user name entered on this tool doesnt match that discovered by querying the network for your telephone number. Please check your telephone number (or user name) and try again. If problem persists please contact your service provider. "

Eh? Now what? I'm fairly confident I do know my own username & phone number, but BT think these aren't right.

Did you only put in your username or did you put in [email protected] which isn't correct

Phone number on first page, 2nd page user name in top box under domain put plusdsl.net or whatever ending your user name has

I have just tried and it works for me. Had to wait a while between putting my phone number in and then my username but it accepted them and performed the test.
edit: I left the second box blank

Edited by deleted (Sat 02-Jan-10 13:05:57)

Just my username.

Also tried it both with and without filling in the domain box (which is not flagged as mandatory).

It doesn't like it either way.

I have recently migrated to the "new" 21CN. Perhaps I am operating under a false premise that the BT speedtest should still work.

Exactly what I'm doing, which isn't working.

Tried it without the domain as well, since it doesn't say it's mandatory, just in case I'd made a mistake with that (but probably not, since I typed plusdsl.net).

It won't have it.

When I tried it this morning, I used my full log-in name (including the @plusdsl.net), which worked fine using Firefox. I know in the past, Firefox used to be an issue, and IE had to be used instead, but they seem to have got over that now.

It worked fine for me too, have you checked that you have your correct user name on the members page, just in case

In reply to a post by tobykim:

It worked fine for me too, have you checked that you have your correct user name on the members page, just in case

Must be the correct username, as I can log into the Portal OK with it, I just can't do a BT speedtest.

I just tried again: it's still not working, so wasn't just a temporary glitch.

I'm not on Firefox, either, if that is a known problem.

Don't fill in the Domain Name box, use your full plusnet login name, eg [email protected], as found in your plusnet connection details, in the User Name box. Hopefully that'll work.

n you give us the URL to the BT speed test that you are using so that others of us can try to get it working and report back. No point in giving you feedback for a different BT speed test. I believe that there are more than one.

In reply to a post by dieselglider:

Don't fill in the Domain Name box, use your full plusnet login name, eg [email protected], as found in your plusnet connection details, in the User Name box. Hopefully that'll work.

No, tried all of that. Still nothing.

I even wondered if it was case-sensitive, and I was making the mistake of typing my username with/without a capital letter. So tried that both ways, too. Still no luck.

You are typing plusdsl.net, and not plusds1.net?

Also, I'm accessing the speed test via this address; http://speedtester.bt.com/

I've just tried it using IE7, which worked fine, and it was ok yesterday using Firefox. Tried IE8, but got the message about having to wait 3 hrs between tests.

In reply to a post by dieselglider:

You are typing plusdsl.net, and not plusds1.net?

Also, I'm accessing the speed test via this address; http://speedtester.bt.com/

I've just tried it using IE7, which worked fine, and it was ok yesterday using Firefox. Tried IE8, but got the message about having to wait 3 hrs between tests.

Yeah, I'm sure I'm not making some dumb typo. I am also using the URL as linked to directly by Plusnet.

I've tried just about every possible permutation now, "just in case".

Have given up and raised a ticket about slow speeds AND the inability to use the BT speedtest.

I think I might have the dreaded "stuck profile" (if that still happens these days), because I find it suspicious that speeds NEVER go above 2Mbps any more, even though I'm syncing at 4.8.

Whether the speedtest issue is anything to do with it, or just an unrelated problem I've discovered in passing, I've no idea.

In reply to a post by TLM:

I think I might have the dreaded "stuck profile" (if that still happens these days), because I find it suspicious that speeds NEVER go above 2Mbps any more, even though I'm syncing at 4.8.

Think you could be right, although I thought it only usually happened to new migratees when going through the 10-day training.

In reply to a post by dieselglider:

In reply to a post by TLM:

I think I might have the dreaded "stuck profile" (if that still happens these days), because I find it suspicious that speeds NEVER go above 2Mbps any more, even though I'm syncing at 4.8.

Think you could be right, although I thought it only usually happened to new migratees when going through the 10-day training.

I thought so too.

But to be honest, I'm not sure how long it might have been like that without my noticing. I was switched to the 21CN relatively recently (i.e. weeks), so it may be that it has been capped at 2Mbps ever since, but it has taken me a long while to notice.

My ticket has been answered.

I've been forced to go through the series of inane questions on the fault-checker, when I have already said what the problem is, only to find I cannot complete the questions anyway, because it now forces me to do three BT Speedtests, when part of the problem as originally reported is I CAN'T use the BT Speedchecker.

Could I have a real person take a look at this please, instead of being forced down the stupid questions route? In particular, could somebody please check whether this is a simple case of "stuck profile"? Ticket No. 31403662.

Thank you.

Two ISPs that I know of, Plusnet and Entanet, do not rely directly on the BT IP Profile.

The hold a copy of it which they apply themselves to your line, rather than letting the BT system sort things out.

These copies are supposed to be updated automatically within a few hours of the BT original changing, but that update can fail.

Once it has failed the solution the best solution is the get support to adjust the copy (Ha! Ha! in your case). Another possibility would be to force a (slightly) lower BT one if you can tweak your margin, then after 30 mins or so revert to normal sync. That should cause two new notifications but I wouldn't guarantee it works.

Of course, if the BT one is really stuck then so are you. But you can't find out what it is.

Edited by RobertoS (Sun 03-Jan-10 13:05:43)

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Two ISPs that I know of, Plusnet and Entanet, do not rely directly on the BT IP Profile.

The hold a copy of it which they apply themselves to your line, rather than letting the BT system sort things out.

These copies are supposed to be updated automatically within a few hours of the BT original changing, but that update can fail.

Once it has failed the solution the best solution is the get support to adjust the copy (Ha! Ha! in your case). Another possibility would be to force a (slightly) lower BT one if you can tweak your margin, then after 30 mins or so revert to normal sync. That should cause two new notifications but I wouldn't guarantee it works.

Of course, if the BT one is really stuck then so are you. But you can't find out what it is.

Plusnet BRAS is indeed set to 2000, which would wholly explain the symptoms seen. I know of no recent "bad sync" events to explain this, so I'm reckoning that it's stuck.

I'm just hoping it is only the Plusnet bit that's stuck, and not, as you say, the BT master info.

Early indications are that it WAS a stuck profile, as they have refreshed it, and I am now getting marginally (but not fantastically) better speeds. I have finally broken the 2Mbps ceiling, according to the speedtest here, which seems encouraging.

Still don't know what the problem is with the BT Speedtest. It still doesn't like me!

What has the current line speed shown by https://portal.plus.net/my.html?action=data_transfer... increased to (and what was it before)?

Checking the line reports for your connection the IP profile is showing as 6500, which is above what you said you were syncing at. What does your router show as your sync rate now?

This does not make sense!

Last night it was 4500, which seemed reasonable, given that I can reliably sync at 4.8/4.9 Mbps.

It was previously "stuck" at 2000 (which was well below).

However, I DON'T understand how it has now climbed to 6500 (well in excess of sync.) Won't this cause me some issues?

In reply to a post by chrisparr:

Checking the line reports for your connection the IP profile is showing as 6500, which is above what you said you were syncing at. What does your router show as your sync rate now?

Hi Chris, this has gone UP another 2000 since last night (4500), but why?

I am still only syncing at 4.9Mbps.

I still cannot use the BT Speedtester, by the way. Your colleague has simply reiterated what I should enter in the boxes (which I have already tried - many times), and directed me to the help page, which tells me nothing new.

Something is peculiar here.

Can you confirm whether the Speedtest should still work if I have migrated to the 21CN?

Hi there,

I've just run a line test and it shows you're in sync at 7616kb/s, is the router's main page still showing sync at just over 4.9? I'm worried that there may be crossed lines somewhere.

Yes, the speed tester should work fine on 21CN.

I think there is definitely a mix-up somewhere!

I've NEVER been able to sync at 7616 in all my life (it's a pretty long line).

I think this explains why I can't use the BT Speedtest, either. The user BT thinks is me ISN'T!

Router is showing 4.8 Mbps, which sounds about right to me - or at least, not surprising. If it were above 7, I would hardly believe it.

Matthew, just to let you know I've updated the ticket and returned it to Support.

I've referenced your name & linked to this thread, so they can see what I'm on about. I think my records have somehow got transposed with somebody else's. The information you are seeing DOESN'T correspond with what is happening really on my line. I think you are looking at somebody else's.

I think that is why the BT Speedtest won't log me on, as well. The two things aren't unrelated.

I think you may well be right, and apologies for the next couple of questions - we need to confirm them before we can get anything raised.

Have you tested another router, to make sure it's not yours at fault? Also is the one you're using currently an ADSL2 enabled one?

Would you be able to post the router stats as they are currently? Screenprint or text would be fine, just something that we can refer BT to.

Hi Matthew,

I can't test with a different router at the moment, I'm afraid, and to be honest, I don't really intend to, given that my connection itself seems fairly stable and reliable at the moment. It's only some of the facts not fitting that makes me think there is still some kind of anomaly somewhere. I'm no longer experiencing a performance issue, as such.

The router is not ADSL2 enabled, as far as I know. It's only an old Speedtouch 330 - not even wireless.

I can obtain the full stats for you, but not a 5-minute job, as I'm going to have to find and download the diagnostics from somewhere first (no idea where I kept the disk). Once I have got those and run them, I will be in touch again.

Should be a fairly straightforward matter to prove I'm not syncing at anything like the speed you're seeing. To be honest, I don't reckon the speed you can see is even physically possible on this particular line, so they must have me confused with someone else.

Tina

Right... given you're on the 21CN network (even though it's an ADSL service) I'd say there's a fair chance the 330 might be the issue. Would we be alright to send you a router out to test with, just to make sure?

In reply to a post by orbrey:

Right... given you're on the 21CN network (even though it's an ADSL service) I'd say there's a fair chance the 330 might be the issue. Would we be alright to send you a router out to test with, just to make sure?

Certainly, if you feel you'd like to do that. If you send one, I will have a try with it, at least.

Excellent, thank you - it's on its way and should be with you by the end of the week at the latest.

Thanks Matthew, I am home most days, so should be in to receive it OK. It might get a bit held up, because we are forecast a whole load of snow tonight & tomorrow, and widespread chaos, but I'll confirm when it gets here.

T.