Varying ADSL connection speed question

Hello!

Would anyone here know why my broadband connection speed with my current supplier seems to change almost every time I connect?

With previous suppliers it has (nominally) remained consistent (eg 512Kbps).

When I signed on with my current supplier I was informed that my line would be tested for up to 10 days to ascertain the optimum speed for my connection.

My connection speeds duly varied during this period. However, they have continued to do so ever since (for the last 6 months or so). I might get 928Kbps one day and then get 640Kbps another. Sometimes it is 628, sometimes 740 etc. etc.

Apologies for any ignorance here, but I would be grateful if anyone here could shed any light on this.

Cheers.

Maybe you were on a fixed speed 0.5Mbps product with your old ISP, but are now on a variable speed (ADSLmax) product with your new ISP?

The level of noise on a telephone line varies throughout the day depending on environmental factors. If you are subscribed to a variable rate service your connection speed will vary accordingly.

Typically you will sync a bit slower in the evening because that's when people are at home using electrical equipment. You might also sync worse in wet weather because damp can get into poor joints.

The 10 days should see things settle down a bit, but the connection speeds will vary according to the conditions each time the modem connects, i.e. nothing is set in stone that affects download speeds in the first 10 days.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/faq/sections/radsl.html#235 which shows how to remove the ring wire may be worth looking at if you have phone extensions in the home