Plusnet ‘Unlimited Fibre’ speeds not as fast as expected

[#1]

I switched to Fibre on 1st December 2021 and expected to get faster download and upload speeds.

For BT Wholesale test results January 6^th 2022 at 16:22 hours see photo.

I am getting 31 Mbps actual download speed.

Connected via ethernet cable and the download speed is above the minimum guaranteed speed of 29.2 Mbps but the ‘Download IP profile’ is only 32.4 Mbps so nowhere near the 38 to 40 Mbps estimated speed I was given when signing up.

Yes, I know the speed was estimated but I thought it would be closer to reality whereas there is a 7 Mbps (38 - 31) shortfall.

Also, the upload is supposed to be 8 to 10 Mbps but I am only getting 6.9 Mbps maximum.

I have tested on several occasions and this is not an isolated incident. It is approximately the same each time. Initially, on 1st December I did get a download of 37.4 Mbps but after that it went downhill.

Can Plusnet fix the low 32.4 Mbps ‘Download IP profile’ speed and the low upload speed please?

Thanks.

[#2]

The estimated speeds are SYNC speeds, not DATA throughput speeds.

What is the SYNC speed reported by the router?

Also what is the impact of the reported speeds on your internet usage?

[#3]

Where do I find SYNC speed data please? I have a Plusnet Hub One router and can't find SYNC in the UI tabs.

The speed shortfall is not affecting my usage since I do not need the speed but it is just annoying not to get the speed one is paying for and expects to get.

[#4]

Which router have you got?

The status page for the Hub Two is Basic - Status

[#5]

See my post #3

[#6]

I do not have a Hub One available right now to provide a link, but this advice from kitz.co.uk might be helpful.

Limited stats are available:
From the web interface http://192.168.1.254

Click Troubleshooting
> Help Desk

Username: admin
Password: See sticker on bottom of the Hub One

[#7]

Thanks for your efforts. I can enter the Hub One UI and entered my PW to get access to the advanced stuff. I have looked at every tab and read every line but can't find anything that refers to SYNC.

BTW - When I first started on the fibre contract (1st December 2021) I did actually get a download speed of  37.41 Mbps but that soon declined and it is now only around 30 to 31 Mbps. See my post #1.

If only Plusnet could restore the IP Profile and speed I was getting on 2nd December 2021? See: -

[#8]

@Madeleyite 

As advised Troubleshooting >Helpdesk

These lines

HTH

Dan

[#9]

---

@Madeleyite wrote:

If only Plusnet could restore the IP Profile and speed I was getting on 2nd December 2021? See: -

---

It is not a matter of restoring the profile as you put it; the profile is a function of the sync rate (near enough 96.7%), which is why I asked for the current sync speed.  In turn the sync speed is factored by stability, which is determined in the early days of service operation.  You might indeed have seen faster speeds when the service started ... but was the service stable?  The service is sold as (and you pay for) up to 38mbps.  The up to being predicated on the stability your individual line will support.

Lets see your router stats and reflect upon what they tell us.

[#10]

Here is what is showing in lines 1 to 10 as per @Dan_the_Van post: -

Do these help?

[#11]

09:08 hours - I just saw my Hub One light (normally steady blue) start flashing orange, then steady orange then an orange 'finger' pointing up before the hub light turned steady blue again. Did Plusnet do something or is my Hub One faulty? It was not a power cut because I continued working on my PC when it happened.

09:16 hours - I checked my speed again and it is still slow so, if Plusnet did do something then it hasn't worked (yet). Could it be a faulty hub?

[#12]

Right, we now have some objective facts to look at.

The line is being managed for stability and the cause for that needs to be identified by following a standard diagnostic process.  The DS SNRM is 12dB, normally on an excellent line, one would hope for just 6dB.

The sync speed of 33.478mbps will give a data profile of 32.4mbps and data throughput will be a little under that.  You have stated that your actual speed is not causing any impact on your internet usage ... tuning this will need some effort from you ... but probably to no material benefit.

Anyhow, lets look at the standard diagnostic processes...

Broadband is not going to work well if the "phone" line is not working properly.

Please perform a quiet line test - dial 17070 select option 2 using a corded phone plugged into the test socket behind the face plate of the master socket. It should be silent. A noisy phone line (or no dial tone) will have a marked adverse impact on the performance of broadband.

If the line is noisy or there is no dial tone, then a PHONE LINE fault needs to be raised with your phone provider. If this is PlusNet, you can report a fault on line using the button below.  From the Q&A list, choose the one which matches the problem, 'open' the 'section' and click the trouble-shooter link.  NB: If you receive a failure message (rather than a log-in prompt) then log-in to the user portal in a different browser tab and attempt to use the trouble-shooter again.

• Phone Faults

 Given that the router has just done a resync please obtain contemporary...

What are the expectations for your line?

Please use the following links to check the services available and their estimated speeds. From the first link, please record and report back the distance from the exchange. The second link advises of which fibre services (if any) are available on your line and their anticipated speed.

• Kitz line check
• Kitz BT checker

How is your line performing?

Please post your router stats; for PN routers use the buttons below, for other routers look at the Kitz link.

Also run a BT Wholesale speed test (ideally using an Ethernet wired PC with the WiFi turned off) then run the further diagnostics, download the .PDF report and post the results here. DO NOT REBOOT the router!

Check the Plusnet user portal for the "Current Line Speed" which is relevant to users with static IP addresses.

• TG582n Stats
• Hub 0 Stats
• Hub 2 Stats
• Kitz list
• BTw Speedtest
• PN Broadband Status

[#13]

Okay, I used my DECT phone plugging the cable into the test socket behind the BT master socket. There was a dial tone so I did the quiet line test. After selecting option 2 the result was indeed silent during the test so does this mean the phone line is fine and the fault lies elsewhere?

[#14]

That's the just first step of the diagnostic process...

The fact that the line was quiet when tested does not mean that there is not an intermittent fault.

The line is being managed for stability for some reason.  As I mentioned above, finding out why will take effort ... frankly for little meaningful reward.  The key question here pivots on does the management for stability have any meaningful impact on your use of the internet service.

A small reduction in sync speed, leading to a small reduction in data speed, which delivers a lower rate of transmission errors and fewer service disconnections is a small "price" to mitigate against high retransmission rates and frequent disconnections.

You noted that there was a reconnection this morning, but have not yet provided a new set of of the requested stats.  As an alternative to obtaining that information, you might just consider raising a broadband fault report using the link below, but given the service is performing above the minimum guarantees, I doubt it will go far.

There is some possibility of local ERF interference which is the cause of what you are encountering ... looking for that will require a deal of effort.  The Plusnet Hub One is however readily monitored using the BT HH5a version of routerstats - see below.

[#15]

Here are stats after the router resuncd: -