A bit of assistance with BT

I've been on the phone to BT for the past three days or so due to extremely slow download speeds. I'm on BT's top home package which should entitle me up to 8mbps download speed.

I have a server in work which is under a mile away, downloading a file from that server gives me a speed of 290kbps.

I have never seen my download speed exceed the 290kbps mark, it's rather annoying me now. So I've spoken to BT - got through to India where they said they will continue line tests throughout the night (friday). I get called on Saturday, we cannot identify a problem. Please make sure that you have switched the DSL filters, which I don't have. They said they will continue testing the line. On Sunday they called me again, there does not seem to be an issue with your line sir, due to this we cannot forward this to our engineers anymore, I couldn't keep my temper any more so I shouted down the phone at them, he forwarded it on to his engineers. This morning I receive a voice message saying that they have fixed my line, I'm still receiving 290kbps max download speed!

My exchange is literally about a 1/4 of a mile away, I'm just getting so angry over BT - any suggestions. Below is the line test that they have done..

Test1 comprises of two tests

1. Best Effort Test: -provides background information.
Your DSL connection rate: 3616 kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP profile for your line is - 2500 kbps
Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 1693 kbps
2. Assured Rate Test: -provides background information.
Assured Rate IP profile on your line is - 600 kbps
Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 540 kbps

We were unable to identify any performance problem with your service at this time.
It is possible that any problem you are currently, or had previously experienced may have been caused by traffic congestion on the Internet or by the server you were accessing responding slowly.
If you continue to encounter a problem with a specific server, please contact the administrator of that server in the first instance.

1693kbps is what your getting on a 2.5mbps BRAS profile. thats your max speed. So your only misson out on a little with overheads. Its probably the speed of your server that is the problem. Is it connected to a DSL line? If so it would explain the slow speed.you are entitled to upto 8mbps, and that is what they are giving you. UPTO 8mbps.

What sort of connection does the server have ADSL, cable etc ?
As both of these services are asymmetrical (though corporate cable connections are also available as symmetrical) ie the upstream speed is slower than the downstream. So if you are pulling something off a server you are limited by the upload speed of the servers connection.

It's the same with every server, not just my servers. It starts downloading at around 5mbps then drops swiftly to 4, then 3, then 2, then 1 then to 512kbps then down to 290kbps in which it will not exceed that.

My line can support 5mbps and BT have stated beforehand when I signed up that I wouldn't be limited due to my 24/7 broadband usage, so why is it only set to 2.5mbps? It's aggrevating me now. Somewere in this BT are messing me about.

In reply to a post by Deehem:

My line can support 5mbps and BT have stated beforehand when I signed up that I wouldn't be limited due to my 24/7 broadband usage, so why is it only set to 2.5mbps? It's aggrevating me now. Somewere in this BT are messing me about.

According to your test results your line is sync'd at 3616 - so it won't be 5Mb until you can improve the sync/connection speed.

As you are so close to your exchange you should have a better sync speed.
Can you connect to the TEST socket 'behind' the removable faceplate on your Master Socket and past the test results again?
This will show if your internal wiring is affecting things...

BT is just completely rubbish any more...

If your in a position to move to another ISP I suggest you do so...

Otherwise give it another couple of attempts via the helpdesk - when they fail - as they will* because they only exist to stall you until you get bored and give up and WS/OpenReach aren't remotely interested in solving retail customer problems - then give Ian Livingstone an email/call (I'm not a fan of this usually but its the only way to get anything solved on BT any more - sorry Ian).

But even once thats fixed... welcome to sub 1Mbit throughput and extremely laggy browsing during any normal internet useage times - unless you want to use the internet at 4am.



* Even if they were interested in helping you - they would be frustrated at every turn by oneview which by all accounts cost 10s of millions to develop - and has show stopping bugs that should have been ironed out in early testing but are still present in a live system that everyone has to depend on.

Edited by deleted (Mon 22-Jun-09 16:35:04)

In reply to a post by Rockh:

What sort of connection does the server have ADSL, cable etc ?
As both of these services are asymmetrical (though corporate cable connections are also available as symmetrical) ie the upstream speed is slower than the downstream. So if you are pulling something off a server you are limited by the upload speed of the servers connection.

Well it's Bluesquare Datacenter thats located less than a mile away from me, so it's a 100mbit uplink, obviously it won't push through the full 100mbit so I'd say on average around a 20 - 40mbit uplink.

In reply to a post by b4dger:

According to your test results your line is sync'd at 3616 - so it won't be 5Mb until you can improve the sync/connection speed.

As you are so close to your exchange you should have a better sync speed.
Can you connect to the TEST socket 'behind' the removable faceplate on your Master Socket and past the test results again?
This will show if your internal wiring is affecting things...

My in-house wiring seems to be rather old, I have a small socket shown in the image below...

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/9332/dsc00104tzu.jpg

This is where it trees off to the telephone socket and the internet socket. The socket powering the internet is custom-installed, not by BT and trees off from the above.

In reply to a post by Rroff:

BT is just completely rubbish any more...

If your in a position to move to another ISP I suggest you do so...

Otherwise give it another couple of attempts via the helpdesk - when they fail - as they will* because they only exist to stall you until you get bored and give up and WS/OpenReach aren't remotely interested in solving retail customer problems - then give Ian Livingstone an email/call (I'm not a fan of this usually but its the only way to get anything solved on BT any more - sorry Ian).

But even once thats fixed... welcome to sub 1Mbit throughput and extremely laggy browsing during any normal internet useage times - unless you want to use the internet at 4am.



* Even if they were interested in helping you - they would be frustrated at every turn by oneview which by all accounts cost 10s of millions to develop - and has show stopping bugs that should have been ironed out in early testing but are still present in a live system that everyone has to depend on.

I'm switching to Be* in October when my contract for BT expires, I'd like to get things sorted beforehand, being told that it cannot be forwarded to the engineers again by somebody who is speaking to me from the other side of the world isn't feasible in my opinion. When I ask them can they send an engineer out they said no.

My 100Mbit hosted servers can easily pull/push 11.4MB/s ~91Mbit/s - so unless the servers are busy feeding lots of connections then you should get pretty decent speeds.

Wish I could switch to BE but they don't do my area my connection is so bad tonight I'm barely seeing 400Kbit/s throughput on a 3.5Mbit profile.

EDIT: Infact I will reproduce my earlier speedtest here:

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test: -provides background information.
Your DSL connection rate: 4160 kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 928 kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP profile for your line is - 3500 kbps
Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 267 kbps

This test was not conclusive and further testing is required.

Please wait whilst you are redirected to undertake a second test.

You now have two choices-

If you wish to carry out further tests and you are competent to make changes to your ADSL system configuration, then please click on 'Continue' button.

If not, please close the window using 'Exit' button and contact your ISP for further assistance with these results.

While doing this test I disconnected all other PCs and I know the PC I was running the test from was not using the internet for any other purpose than the test...

Edited by deleted (Mon 22-Jun-09 20:24:34)

In reply to a post by Rroff:

My 100Mbit hosted servers can easily pull/push 11.4MB/s ~91Mbit/s - so unless the servers are busy feeding lots of connections then you should get pretty decent speeds.

Wish I could switch to BE but they don't do my area my connection is so bad tonight I'm barely seeing 400Kbit/s throughput on a 3.5Mbit profile.

EDIT: Infact I will reproduce my earlier speedtest here:

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test: -provides background information.
Your DSL connection rate: 4160 kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 928 kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP profile for your line is - 3500 kbps
Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 267 kbps

This test was not conclusive and further testing is required.

Please wait whilst you are redirected to undertake a second test.

You now have two choices-

If you wish to carry out further tests and you are competent to make changes to your ADSL system configuration, then please click on 'Continue' button.

If not, please close the window using 'Exit' button and contact your ISP for further assistance with these results.

While doing this test I disconnected all other PCs and I know the PC I was running the test from was not using the internet for any other purpose than the test...

I'd kill to have another 120 kb/s

Looks like a standard BT joint block 78 or it could be an RF filter. From your description you have 2 extensions tee'd off this, one feeding you bb and the other a phone. Not the best setup. A few more pic of the inside of the joint block and the other sockets would be helpful.