Plusnet ‘Unlimited Fibre’ speeds not as fast as expected

[#1]

So removing pin3 has made a difference - your upstream has gone from 6 to nearly 8.  There was a small increase on the downstream as well.

[#2]

@Madeleyite as @flanzm says, that has improved things slightly. It would be useful to compare the Helpdesk stats with the router connected to the test socket BUT I'm concious that repeated disconnections are going to upset the DLM so it MIGHT be worth leaving things as they are for 24 hrs.

In the mean time @Gandalf does a GEA test show any banding being applied ?

[#3]

Your comment "If so does your computer have WiFI - if you move the router and connect via WiFI you will be able to see the effect of changes in SYNC but looking at the router help desk page.  If your computer doesn't have WiFI can you use a mobile phone to view the page ?" is too technical for me.

I could just wait 2 days to see if the speeds improve but if not then I will need an engineer. I am getting below the guaranteed speed just now.

[#4]

@Madeleyite appologies if I have confused you with my comment.

Do you know how to connect your computer or mobile phone via Wifi to the router?

If so I am suggesting you wait 24 hours (as @MisterW suggests) and then if you are still having issues move the router and plug into the test socket.  As you will then be connecting to the router via Wifi you will be able to observe the SYNC speed as shown on the router with it connected to the test socket.

[#5]

My computer is currently connected to the router by 1.2m long ethernet cable. I am loathe to connect via Wi-Fi.

My mobile phone is connected to my 5GHz Wi-Fi but I am not a smartphone expert so unable to do anything complicated with it.

Moving the router to the test socket means placing it on the floor in my hallway which is subject to a lot of foot traffic. Running a power cable to it is also not easy. The socket was located in the hall many years ago for a wall mounted telephone and no power socket needed. I am very uneasy at attempting this as I am of mature years (76) and not as fit as I used to be.

[#6]

Comment removed - was drafted earlier - by the time I hit send - the discussion had moved on.

[#7]

I don't understand these technical comments so assume they are intended for others.

[#8]

No they are intended for you so that you might become to understand what is what and what is realistically achievable ... and possibly why.

It is starting to look as though YOUR internal wiring has has some impact on the achievable speed.  The forecast (estimated) speeds are based on what BT knows about THEIR infrastructure - without knowledge or consideration of what a user might have done with the phone circuit within their property.

The router stats are still showing variability but largely moving in the right direction...

Post / DS / Max DS / SNRM / Comment

#10 / 33.4 / 50.6 / 12.4

#15 / 33.4 / 56.0 / 13.7 / US well down though improved DS potential

#29 / 31.0 / 52.7 / 14.2 / US well up again - much better DS SNRM points to good improvement potential

Having removed the extraneous orange wires in the master socket, did you also disconnect them from the extension socket?  If not they will still be acting as an unterminated aerial.

@Gandalf with the removal of extraneous wiring on the user's extension circuit, can you see if the previously reported bridge tap is still there please?

[#9]

Yes I disconnected the orange wires at both ends and made sure they are not in contact with any pins.

I have disconnected quite a few times in order to do the checks I have done over the last few days so maybe things might improve with time? I'll try again tomorrow and the day after.

[#10]

You need to leave things as they are so that the DLM can do a proper assessment of your line.

Where is the router connected - in the test socket or at the end of the extension?

If you want to get the best re-optimisation of your line, ideally the router should be in the master socket (test socket for just now) switch the router on and leave it alone.

If one of the staff find that the previously identified issue has gone, they might be able to force a full reset of the line.  If they do that it would be beneficial if you did nothing intrusive for two weeks.

[#11]

The router is connected to the phone line extension socket via DSL filter. See photo in my post #20.

I should say that the extension wire runs in internal trunking throughout the route so none of it is subject to damp getting inside. Also 50% of this trunking length is plastered into a wall so it is well protected and never been disturbed.

Forget connecting to the master socket. It just isn't a practical option at my age. I have already struggled doing what I have done and got a bad back as a result. And, no, that is not me joking. I really do have a bad back. Must have pulled something when getting down/up on/off the floor.

Yes, I'll just leave it for 2 days and report back.

[#12]

I recommend two weeks.

After problems on a line, it might well take 10 days before the DLM starts to apply automated improvements. Any disturbance will be counter productive.

[#13]

@Townman @Madeleyite  The latest sync speed figure is lower than previous tests. I suspect that the line is being banded. In messages #10 and #15 the downstream sync is exactly the same at 33.478Mbps. it has now reduced to 31.008Mbps again with an excessively high SNR margin. FTTC does not use increased SNRM to control the line speed, any value significantly above 6dB is not normal. It would be useful to request a GEA test or preferably a test that shows the current Openreach line profile from Plusnet. ( The GEA test profile can be a couple of weeks out of date so not much use in this analysis)

If banding is confirmed Plusnet can request a DLM reset to remove it.

[#14]

Plusnet's fault team rang me and they have arranged for an engineer to visit next Wednesday pm.

I'll update this post after that.

Thanks for all help.

[#15]

PlusNET can request a reset if there is evidence that the state of the line has changed - which is why I asked if the detected bridge tap has disappeared.  If the line condition has not changed, it might be a matter of waiting for the DLM to recover the line on its own.