Speed Keeps Dropping - Massively

[#1]

@Townman 

"Telephone handset to listen to the line from time to time will be really useful, as will an AM radio tuned to 612kHz."

Is there anything particularly special about this frequency of 612kHz when looking for broadband faults, or would any clear channel at the low end of the medium wave band be suitable?

The reason I ask is that near to where I used to live, in Kent, there is a local radio transmitter on the adjacent channel of 603kHz, and depending upon how good the filtering of the radio used is, tuned to 612 it could pick up interference from the adjacent channel - hindering the faulting process.

***603kHz is also used by BBC Radio 4 in the Newcastle area.

[#2]

@NicDB 

I see you're having issues with the graph axis, take a look help in the routerstats app.

Also in the routerstats folder there is a file RouterStatsHub5A.ini

You can preset the startup left and right axis to suit the connection

For noise margin look for C1Lx= C1Rx= C1L= C1R=

CTLx=10 and C1Rx=10 will make the upstream and downstream upper value 10db

C1L=0 and C1R=0 will make the upstream and downstream lower value 0db
HTH

Edit: Just a warning the ini file settings are overwritten when the app is closed and the current displayed range will be saved

[#3]

@Mr_Paul

Do not know at that level of detail. It’s the frequency referenced in REIN discussions.

[#4]

@Townman 

" It’s the frequency referenced in REIN discussions."

OK, I too have seen that specific frequency mentioned with respect to REIN in the past, but could find no actual reason why it was specified.

My experience has been that it is more important that the frequency being monitored is clear, so that the REIN interference can be clearly heard. 612kHz is a reasonable choice in most parts of the country because it used to be used by RTÉ Radio 2, but that transmitter closed in about 2004, so it is now a "clear channel" in most of the country - except potentially East Kent and Tyneside.

[#5]

Historically I think it is a matter of that is in the frequency spectrum ADSL and thus strong signals hitting anywhere in that range can be used as a pointer to a source of REIN.  I doubt that this is precise approach but given that REIN is likely to be wide spectrum, it is a useful pointer.

I have used it to find noise in power circuits, to within a few inches of buried cables.

[#6]

Aaaaaaand........it's gone slow again.Not hugely but down to 9.6Mbps then back up to 30Mbps.

Told you it wouldn't last!  Typically I had stopped monitoring as the pc the app is running on has noisy fans that whir constantly and it gets a bit annoying.  Turned it on again but noise levels are not hugely different from the recently sampled set.

[#7]

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@Mr_Paul wrote:

My experience has been that it is more important that the frequency being monitored is clear, so that the REIN interference can be clearly heard. 612kHz is a reasonable choice in most parts of the country because it used to be used by RTÉ Radio 2, but that transmitter closed in about 2004, so it is now a "clear channel" in most of the country - except potentially East Kent and Tyneside.

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That fits with my one and only experience some years ago of tracking down the source of REIN which was causing my ADSL connection to drop and re-sync daily at a much lower rate.  In that incident the REIN caused interference across the whole of the MW band when the source was switched on by a timer.

It was coming from a flat in a house diagonally opposite which was 'allegedly' being used for illegal horticultural purposes.  I never saw anybody coming or going, although it stopped immediately when I put a note through the door telling whoever the horticulturist was that if it didn't stop then BT (and possibly the electricity company) would be around to investigate.

[#8]

Well the ADVISOR tested the line and as far as they can see I should be getting 55+Mbps but I'm doing Internet Speed Test (app plus browser based) directly connected via Ethernet to the Router and only getting 20-30Mbps so their theory is the Router is faulty so sending me a new one.

We'll see how that works.

Did the Silent Line test 17070 Opt 2. Is it meant to be the velvety blackness of total silence? Or maybe a slight background hum? Can't tell if it's my ears or a noise. No variation in the sound just not total nothingness.

[#9]

@NicDB Sight of your current 'Help Desk' would be interesting.

[#10]

Sure, now attached.

[#11]

Very strange - that is showing a data rate not too far short of your maximum. What speed tester are you using?

Going back to an earlier question, your phone line test should be totally silent apart from the 'Quiet Line Test' announcement.

Another point from that screenshot  - something is hammering your connection, looking at the data sent/received figures.

[#12]

The Speed Test are the Windows Network Speed Test App; the  BTWholesale Speed test and Google Speed Test on Firefox/Chrome/MS Edge.  All giving the same results or near enough.

Yeah, no idea what is hammering the bandwidth. I've disconnected the upstairs Firestick and the Amazon Echo Dot and the RaspPi camera.  The two LG smart TV's apparently shut down the app when you close it. No idea if this is the case as hard to test for.  I deleted the devices not currently connected and refreshed the home network page and this is what is typically connected.

Wife watches a lot of streaming TV shows and we do as a family in the evenings 2-2.5 hours. Don't know how much traffic this generates?

Yes, but how quiet is quiet?  It's hard to gauge quiet nowdays and it's been a long time since I was in an Anechoic Chamber!

[#13]

@NicDB 

"The two LG smart TV's apparently shut down the app when you close it. No idea if this is the case as hard to test for."

Is it not possible to try switching these two TV's off at the mains socket over-night, and monitoring the data consumption?

[#14]

As to 'how quiet is quiet' - it should be totally silent.

You have the 'MyCloud' connected, and what is the Archer_A7?

Just as a suggestion, can you reset the Hub, which should clear the data, and see how much is shown after, say, 24 hours?

Also, can you run the Ookla speed test and post a screenshot of the result ( https://www.speedtest.net/ )

[#15]

I can't hear anything on the line except for possibly a faint constant background hum? Or it's my ears?

Yes, i have a NAS drive connected to the Router. I could disconnect for a couple of days. The Archer_A7 is an Access Point router downstairs.

Ookla speed tests attached. Three runs. All very disappointingly slow!