Speed drop after OpenReach visited Pole

[#1]

Last Saturday, OpenReach visited my pole and did ?? something.  In the small hours of Sunday morning, the router rebooted and my line speed dropped from 71035 to 59395 and my line profile appears to have changed with it.  Prior to that, the line has been totally stable for quite some time, uptime 85995 mins from last reboot, and delivered download  speeds around 63 to 66 Mbps down and upload around 18 Mbps.  Best I can do now is 46.7 Mbps down and 15.7 Mbps up according to SpeedTest.NET  Member profile is showing 48-54 Mbps and current line speed at 71.2 Mbps!  I'm confused and disappointed, especially since the BT speed test shows a maximum line speed of 220.59 Mbps down and 17.6 Mbps up.  A quiet line test shows no fault.

Any chance of someone working a "Bit of Magic", please?  I'm downloading a number of sizeable updates and the difference in speed is very noticeable.

Many thanks in hope and anticipation.

[#2]

Use relevant link below.

[#3]

So two post with no real info or issues?

[#4]

The issue would be the sudden drop in line speed and consequent reduction in performance. I've been round the troubleshooter and BT Line test app and results are as posted in first post. Something must have changed somewhere, the line has been “rock solid” for well over a year since upgrading to Fibre Extra.

[#5]

@JRT  Obviously something has changed to cause the reduced speed. When you say your line speed has dropped to 59395 do you mean the router sync speed? What is the downstream SNRM value? If you've not already done so a power off and restart of the router may bring it back to a higher speed.

The Plusnet Current line speed is not an actual speed but a profile that is supposed to track the BT IP profile but it looks to not have updated. It only affects users with a static WAN IP address so may not be relevant.

The BT speed test downstream value is totally impossible so ignore that, the tester must be broken.

[#6]

Yes, correct.  For line speed read router sync speed, apologies for sloppy terminology. Downstream SNRM is currently showing as 6.1, upstream 6.3

My router, PlusNet HubOne, re-booted by itself some 9 hrs ago and sync speed is now showing 60045 with noise margin as above. It could be it is coming back up by itself, as you suggest and hopefully will get back where it was eventually.

I am aware that frequent rebooting attracts undesirable attention from the exchange (DLM?) so “sit and watch” seems to be best course of action at the moment. As you have probably guessed, I’m on FTTC wit only a very short run from pole to cabinet so the line is normally very stable. That is to say I don’t see any reboots or changes for quit long periods.  That said, there are Openreach vans all over the area so something is happening locally.  Perhaps they are trying to keep up with CityFibre or Virgin Media. Lots of them around too.

More info as and when…..

[#7]

@JRT 

Is FTTP coming to your area - either OR or one of the Alternatives.

You can check OR here - https://www.openreach.com/

Brian

[#8]

OpenReach FTTP isn’t available in my area, but CityFibre is.  The service provider would be Zen, which on paper looks like quite a good deal.  If I understand correctly, recent posts are telling me that currently PlusNet is not offering FTTP in my area and there would be a couple of major snags in migrating to Zen. Firstly I would not be able to port my landline number (big problem, used all over the place) and I would also lose my email address - very big problem involving heck knows how many updates to accounts!

My PlusNet contract expires later this year, so I’ll see what’s on offer then. Apart from this last issue, I haven’t had any line problems for quite some time so might well stick with FTTC for the foreseeable future or until OpenReach/BT forces the issue in a couple of years time.

Currently, the line is stable and showing sync speed of 60045 and noise margin at 6.0. Can I assume DLM is active?

[#9]

@JRT 

You would be able to port your phone number - although changing the type of service it is a simple change of ISP. ZEN do FTTP with or without a phone service.

E-mails are a different matter - they go it you change provider.

Brian

[#10]

Update to Router stats:-

Sync speed 60045, SNR 6.0. No change in last 24 hrs so would not expect anything from a router reboot.

Let's see what happens when drop wire is sorted.

[#11]

Update after dropwire issue fixed:

Router rebooted and reconnected. It’s now showing Sync speed (Data rate) 60205, max 60239.  SNR 6.0 down, 6.2 up. Still a significant drop from previous at 71035 or so.

BT wholesale speed checker still shows silly numbers but Availability Checker shows 71000 (range B). I think there is still something to go after or may just drift upwards over time.  Full line test?

Hopefully this won’t turn out to be cross-talk or congestion.  Incidentally, my exchange is not on any FTTP priority programme so full fibre could be a dream for a while yet

[#12]

Glad that the dropwire was fixed! I've tested your line and the tests aren't showing any issues. As your speeds above the lowest estimate of 55mbps on the supplier availability checker, I don't think there's much we can do.

I've attached below a full copy of the testing:

GEA Test Detail
Circuit ID	NA	Service ID	[BBEU redacted]

Test Outcome	Pass
Test Outcome Code	GTC_FTTC_SERVICE_0000
Description	GEA service test completed and no fault found .
Main Fault Location	OK
Sync Status	In Sync
Downstream Speed	60.2 Mbps
Upstream Speed	20.0 Mbps
Appointment Required	N
Fault Report Advised	N
NTE Power Status	PowerOn
Voice Line Test Result	Pass
Radio Frequency Ingress	Not Detected
Repetitive Electrical Impulse Noise	Not Detected
Cross Talk	Not Detected
Estimated Line Length In Metres	429.8
Upstream Rate Assessment	Very Good
Downstream Rate Assessment	Reasonable
Interference Pattern	Not Detected
Service Impact	No Impact Observed
Home Wiring Problem	Not Detected
Downstream Policing Discard Rate	0.0
Customer Traffic Level	Upstream and Downstream traffic detected
Technology	VDSL
DP Type	External
Profile Name	0.128M-80M Downstream, Error Protection Off - 0.128M-20M Upstream, Error Protection Off
Time Stamp	2022-07-29T02:30:00

Parameters	MIN	MAX	AVG
Down Stream Line Rate	60.2 Mbps	60.2 Mbps	60.2 Mbps
Up Stream Line Rate	20.0 Mbps	20.0 Mbps	20.0 Mbps
Up Time	900.0 Sec	900.0 Sec	900.0 Sec
Retrains	0.0	0.0	0.0

Current and Last 15 Minute Bin Performance
Parameters	Last Traffic Count(Upto 15 mins)	Current Traffic Count(Upto 15 mins)
Start Time Stamp	2022-07-29T08:31:30.724+01:00	2022-07-29T08:46:30.724+01:00
Ingress Code Violation	0	0
Egress Code Violation	0	0
Errored Seconds	0	0
Severely Errored Seconds	0	0
Unavailable Seconds	0	0

Hopefully your speed picks back up over time though. 

[#13]

@Gandalf ,

Many thanks for your assistance, much appreciated.  As I had initially feared, the outcome probably will not restore what was originally available, due to the way the hardware works  On the bright side, it’s still much better than standard fibre though. Maybe a point for negotiation on cost when the contract ends in November?

As a point of interest, does FTTP suffer in the same way?  Maybe I can get a bump up in speed and better stability at a similar price per month?  Just a thought.

Thanks again and best regards

[#14 · Accepted solution]

@JRT wrote:
@Gandalf ,

Many thanks for your assistance, much appreciated.  As I had initially feared, the outcome probably will not restore what was originally available, due to the way the hardware works  On the bright side, it’s still much better than standard fibre though. Maybe a point for negotiation on cost when the contract ends in November?

Potentially but worth a go if you speak to one of my colleagues in the Customer Options Team on 0800 013 2632.

@JRT wrote:

As a point of interest, does FTTP suffer in the same way?  Maybe I can get a bump up in speed and better stability at a similar price per month?  Just a thought.

FTTP doesn't suffer in the same way as there's none of that copper line to contend with and slow your speeds down, so it would be a lot more reliable and faster. Having a look Here I can see Openreach are starting to build FTTP infrastructure in your area though this could be just in the early stages so may take a bit of time. 

[#15]

@JRT 

FTTP does not suffer from the "line" problems you get with copper. You should get near the product speed (eg with Full Fibre 78 you should get near 78 down) with a much better "ping" if you're into gaming. Any actual problem should be fixable.

Check the link that the wizard gave - it'll confirm that FTTP is coming to your property but not when!!!

The external network will involve a Distribution Point (DP) (aka Connectorized Block Terminal - CBT) being hung from your pole. If (or when) you order FTTP the copper cable to your house gets replaced with a fibre one. Nearer the time keep an eye on the following - you'd be looking for WBC FTTP in the left hand column and Available to the right.

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

Brian