Consistently poor speeds

[#1]

Hi. 

I have been getting consistently poor internet for quite a while now so have started recording speedtest results.

How many tests and over what sort of timescale do I need to record these to prove there is an issue with my broadband? 

The speeds I am getting are totally unacceptable, and well below the guaranteed speed for my contract. See results below of my recordings since tea time yesterday.

Date	Time	Download	Upload	SpeedTest URL
19/10/2021	17:00	6.65	5.73	https://www.speedtest.net/result/12207096767
19/10/2021	17:05	2.61	3.64	https://www.speedtest.net/result/12207119580
19/10/2021	17:26	4.54	5.88	https://www.speedtest.net/result/12207220061
20/10/2021	09:07	13.88	5.74	https://www.speedtest.net/result/12210206967
20/10/2021	09:55	15.82	6.42	https://speedtest.btwholesale.com/details
20/10/2021	14:55	13.79	6.3	https://www.speedtest.net/result/12211588212
20/10/2021	14:57	13.5	6.42	https://speedtest.btwholesale.com/details

I plan to keep recording speeds at least at 3 different times of the day, but as you can see, some of these speeds are ridiculously slow. 

These are being recorded via an ethernet plugged in laptop, not wifi. Having said that, sometimes the wifi seems better than the plugged in laptop.

[#2]

Hello @Welshsteve

Thanks a lot for reaching out and I'm really sorry to hear that you're getting poor speeds. A bit of a mixed bag from our end, in that I'v e only been able to test the using one tool (RRT). The usual KBD testing has been unable to test your line - which might indicate a fault.

Saying that, my RRT test is showing that there are no line issues, and that it's syncing in and around 34Mbps.

Moving forward, please can you send us a screenshot of your Helpdesk page, which allows us to see what speeds are reaching the router. To do this, please follow the instructions below:

1. Ensure your device is connected to the router via WIFI or Ethernet, open up a web browser and type 192.168.1.254 into the URL field.

2. You should now be on your Plusnet Hub One Manager. Select Troubleshooting, then on the sub-menu, select HelpDesk. You'll then be asked to enter the admin password, which can be found on the router itself.

3. Scroll down until you find data rate, send across the values you see if you can.If we determine that your router is receiving speeds of around 34Mbps, then the issues you're having might be due to the router itself, any cabling you have, and / or the wireless connection.

[#3]

Thank you Adam, I will try this as soon as I can and report back

[#4]

Hi Adam, here is the info you requested

6. Data rate:	6870 / 33908
7. Maximum data rate:	6946 / 39269

I got this information plugged directly into the router on my laptop.

[#5]

Good morning @Welshsteve

Thanks a lot for reaching out and for providing the data there. Data Rate is displayed as Upload Speed / Download Speed, and is in Kbps, so looking at yours, it's saying your download speed is 33.9Mbps. This speed is also reflected on the KBD that I've run this morning.

For me, I reckon the loss in speed is therefore either attributed to the router, the Ethernet cable you're using, or your laptop's network settings / drivers. Going forward, are you able to switch the Ethernet cable you're using? Preferably one less than a meter long. Also, are you able to run a speed test on a different wired device?

KBD

GEA Test Detail
Circuit ID	NA	Service ID

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	33.9 Mbps
Upstream Speed	6.9 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	1031.5
Upstream Rate Assessment	Very Good
Downstream Rate Assessment	Good
Interference Pattern	Regular Interference Observed Daily
Service Impact	No Impact Observed
Interference Duration Longest Occurrence	;00:00to23:45
Interference Location	Customer Premise
Interference Observed In Days	14
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-40M Downstream, Interleaving Low - 0.128M-10M Upstream, Error Protection Off
Time Stamp	2021-10-09T08:15:00

Parameters	MIN	MAX	AVG
Down Stream Line Rate	33.9 Mbps	34.4 Mbps	34.3 Mbps
Up Stream Line Rate	6.8 Mbps	6.9 Mbps	6.9 Mbps
Up Time	806.0 Sec	900.0 Sec	899.9 Sec
Retrains	0.0	1.0	0.0

[#6]

Hi Adam, yes I will perform those additional tests when I get a chance today I'm at work right now so will be later).

I have an ethernet cable that I have never used before (one that came with the router actually). 

The laptop I did the tests on yesterday was my personal laptop (running Linux Mint, not Windows). I have a work laptop running Windows I can try the same tests on, using this other ethernet cable.

[#7]

No worries @Welshsteve, just let us know how it goes and we'll pick this back up for review as soon as possible

[#8]

HI @adam945 / @TheMightyAJ 

Apologies for the delay.

I have tried the same tests with my windows laptop and my linux laptop this morning, plus a wireless test on my phone, and all are recording speeds around 30/31Mbps, so seems to be fine right now.

I know it's only 10AM on a Sunday morning, and the only device currently doing anything on my connection are the laptops.

I think I know why the speeds are lower now though.

Due to where my master socket is, and the fact that when I moved into this house, I was told the master socket could not be re-located as part of the initial setup by the engineer, the router needs to be right by my front door.

Due to the poor wireless connection around a lot of the house, I have three TP-Link ethernet extensions (electric socket ones) around the house to use in my living room for the TV, my home office upstairs, and my son's room has one too for his Xbox.

I have just done a test on my window laptop plugged into the TP-Link extension in my home office, and my speeds are half of that I get when plugged directly into the router. But wirelessly the speeds are really good, so for my home office, I will use wireless from now on.

I will try the same with the other two rooms later to see what the differences are. But I think we're getting somewhere with this.

Thanks for your help so far.

[#9]

Thanks a lot for getting back to us @Welshsteve and I'm glad to see that you've been able to self diagnose the source of the issue. When you say TP Link Extensions, are you referring to PowerLine Adapters?

When working at home, I found that PowerLine Adapters really helped me, your internet connection would in affect travel through the mains in the property, rather than having wires trail around the house. Might be worth giving these a go?

[#10]

Hi @adam945
Yes, I was referring to powerline adapters.
However, it appears to be these that are slowing down my speed on my laptop.
Plugged into the one in my home office this morning I was only getting 15Mbps but when unplugged and using WiFi instead I was getting 31Mbps. So quicker over WiFi.

[#11]

Ah fair enough @Welshsteve

As these are third party products, I wouldn't really be able to offer much support on getting the best out of them, perhaps other members on our Community Forum would be able to shed some light on this.