500mbps connection 1-90mbps speed consistently

[#1]

Bought the fastest package we could and the speed is so slow that web pages take time to load. What do I do? This is terrible.

[#2]

Can you run a speed test on a wired connection direct to the router using the Ookla tester www.speedtest.net

Is anything trying to upload lots of data e.g backup to Google drive? 

[#3]

Howdy @Ac5 and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear the speed is not playing ball. Please can you confirm the way you have things set up?

[#4]

Hi there Will,

Thanks so much for reaching out!

I'm not sure what you mean, so do let me know if i am missing anything.

I got the plusnet hub two router with the cable going from the ONT, on the wall, to the WAN port of the router. I also set up a separate mesh network going through ethernet port one (speed on this is exactly the same as on the router's broadband and disconnecting this has no effect). The only other cable connected is the power cable. Replaced all our previous providers ethernet cables with the ones that came with the plusnet router.

We don't have anything connected that uses meaningful bandwidth.

Thanks so much,

A

[#5]

All that info is fab, thank you. Have you tried an ethernet directly into a laptop without the mesh network? Just so we know if it's the same with a pure connection.

[#6]

I've tried it directly without the mesh, but only through the plusnet router's wifi.

I can unplug the mesh and try via ethernet tonight if you like.

[#7]

I would just advise that just so we can rule everything out

[#8]

The speedtest won't run over ethernet cable (supplied by plusnet), it gives me a socket/latency error. Same for both ookla and Google speed tests.

The wireless gives me 60mbps, though briefly it was at 220mps today, but that lasted < 5 minutes.

[#9]

Are you running the speed test on the same device? If so are you able to let me know what it is? 

Would you also be able to run a speed test off of another device? 

I've ran a test on the line and everything is fine there so I suspect something in the property is hindering the speeds. 

[#10]

Thanks for trying to help me.

Speed test was run on the same MacBook pro 2009 (needed something with an ethernet port).

I have the same wifi results on my Samsung cell.

Will try a different laptop later today.

[#11]

The wireless gives me 60mbps, though briefly it was at 220mps today, but that lasted < 5 minutes.

I'm sorry but wireless is absolutely useless for testing speed on fast fibre connections, there are so many factors that can have an effect on wireless speed.

As an example, I have a 900Mb Full fibre connection. A wired connection on a laptop ( using a cat5e cable ) gives ~900Mb, using a 2.4ghz wireless connection on the same laptop gives ~ 50Mb , a 5ghz wireless gives ~ 300Mb ( both of these to the same router within 10ft! )

[#12]

To be fair I have to agree with @MisterW here, testing on ethernet is the best way to go when figuring out what's going off with your speeds. Try it again on a different laptop with the ethernet if you can and see how you get on and what speeds you get.

[#13]

I have a 500Mb/s connection; had to swap the "ac" wireless card in my ancient laptop for an "ax" to get the full benefit. Now, with a following wind, I can get >400Mb/s on wireless through two internal walls.

[#14]

FTTP data test speeds not as expected

There have been numerous reports of measured data speeds not fulfilling users' expectations of their shiny new FTTP service. An end-to-end data speed test is a somewhat blunt instrument with which to test the connection speed. In most instances the FTTP service is running at the product's connection speed, but the user's environment or the data speed test service cannot make full use of (saturate) the FTTP connection's bandwidth.

We can no longer have confidence that the cause of slower-than-expected data transfer speed is due to the broadband connection's performance. If there is any doubt that the user's technology, infrastructure or chosen test service cannot make full use of the FTTP link's bandwidth, then a data speed test is likely to deliver misleading results.

Here are a few things to consider / investigate...

1. Is the ethernet cable between the router and the ONT (Optical Network Terminator) CAT5e or better?
   CAT5 or below will not transfer data faster than 100mbps thus a simple cable could be the cause of slow data speeds. The ethernet link rate between hub and ONT can be observed in the Hub Two GUI under 'Status'. This is a good indicator of router <> ONT cable function.
    
2. Is the device on which the data speed test is being run connected over (CAT5e) ethernet cable (not WiFi)?
   A device connected over 2.4GHz WiFi absolutely will not get anywhere close to 300mbps. It will typically be less than 100mbps. Typical 'good' 5GHz performance using the Hub Two is likely to be below 500mbps and will get lower the further away the device is from the router. More optimal Wi-Fi performance is possible but involves sourcing your own third-party equipment that is capable of the newer standards. Also Wi-Fi performance is equally dependent on the type of device and the age of its technology standards. Some older devices do not support 5GHz, even the most recent smartphones only have a 2x2 antenna array, which limits the number of concurrent Wi-Fi streams. The Plusnet Hub Two can use more streams (go faster), but most types of device cannot.
    
3. Is the device on which the data speed test is being run connected over (CAT5e) ethernet cable with no intermediary devices (like Powerline adapters, switches and physical ports) on the LAN side?
   Irrespective of cabling, if there is a 10/100 ethernet switch in the chain then it is going to bottleneck things. Similarly Powerline adapters are highly unlikely to be able to pull anywhere close to 300mbps through electrical wiring. Many Powerline adapters that are rated at e.g. 500mbps, actually have only 10/100 ethernet ports which means the advertised speeds are near fiction.
    
4. There are no other devices active on the network at the time of the test.
   Other concurrent use of the network will reduce the bandwidth available for the data speed test, thus delivering a misleading result.
    
5. If on a static IP or using the Plusnet firewall (configured in the user portal) has the Plusnet IP profile updated?
   Data speed tests performed soon after the service has been connected (but before Plusnet's systems have updated) might be constrained by the account's line speed profile. Disconnect the router from the ONT, wait a short while, reconnect then check that the Current Line Speed (Download) reported in PN Broadband Status reflects the FTTP product's profile.
    
6. If using a third party router ensure that QoS (Quality of Service) and other traffic shaping tools are disabled.
   QoS and other tools have been seen to cause havoc with attempting to saturate FTTP links. Prioritisation and QoS features are very processor intensive and can (probably will) significantly bottleneck speeds.
    
7. Is the test device configured to use any VPN or corporate intranet connection?
   VPNs and corporate intranets can also be potential bottlenecks.
    
8. Is the data speed test device capable of moving the data at FTTP speeds?
   Some kit simply does not have the power to make full use of FTTP connection speeds. Whilst undertaking data speed tests, if running on MS Windows, use Task Manager's performance tab to check throughput limitations do not arise from...
   • CPU performance
   • Disk read/write speeds - FTTP will easily outpace a 5400 rpm disk
   • Memory utilisation - the data has to go somewhere!
   • Network performance - unless the machine is reasonably new, the ethernet port will be limited to 100mbps!!
      
9. Speed test service
   Not all speed test services are dependable nor consistent, so run some comparable tests on different speed test services, at different times of day and night (both on and off-peak) where possible. The following are good points of reference.
   • BT Wholesale - NOTE BT's recommendation link for testing 500mbps and above products
   • Think Broadband who also offer a number of download files to soak test connections.
   • Ookla aka SpeedTest.net who also have a client-side speed test application which is preferable.

Please check out the above factors, to ensure that the perceived data speed is not compromised by some other factor limiting the data throughput-speed of your full-fibre FTTP.

[#15]

The ethernet cable does indeed give 500mbps on the laptop. The same laptop, in the same position, still only gets 60mbps from the wireless (in front of the plusnet router).

It's a 2021 dell latitude, and 5ghz is capable of much more than this, so I am unsure of what i am doing wrong.