Speed keeps dropping to less than half that guaranteed.

[#1]

I only joined Plusnet in mid May but I have problems already which are getting worse. I have to keep restarting my router because the connection speed drops from around 74Mb to 30 or less. I've only just started to keep a log of when this happens so I only have two dates, but it's getting more frequent and is unacceptable. I deeply regret switching to Plusnet now as the speed is so unreliable and it's very annoying having to restart my modem regularly. I would like to leave Plusnet but don't want to get hit with a large early termination bill. However, if this continues I should be able to justify ending my contract without any problem. It appears that this unreliability is not uncommon and that buying a BT modem may be the answer, but why should I need to do that?

[#2]

Good morning @astare

Thanks a lot for reaching out and I'm really sorry to hear that you're getting poor speeds. first things first though, constantly restarting your router is going to be counter productive, avoid it if you can. Openreach's Dynamic Line Management System (DLM) will likely detect these disconnections and will cap the line to try and preserve stability. when you notice the speed drop, check out the Data Rate on your Hub One Manager to see what speeds the router is receiving. To do do this, follow these steps:

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.

You're looking for Data Rate, which is displayed as Upload Speed / Download Speed, and is displayed in Kbps. If this looks fine, the issues you're having are centred around the router / connection from the router to your devices.

Anyway, tests on the line this morning aren't showing any issues with the line, it appears to be stable and is syncing at 79<bps.

KBD

Circuit ID:

N/A

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	79.9 Mbps
Upstream Speed	20.0 Mbps
Appointment Required	N
Fault Target Fix Time
Fault Report Advised	N
Estimated Line Length In Metres	324.7
Upstream Rate Assessment	Very Good
Downstream Rate Assessment	Very Good
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
Current 15Min Bin Retrains	0
Last 15Min Bin Retrains	0
NTE Power Status	PowerOn
Voice Line Test Result	Pass
Bridge Tap
Radio Frequency Ingress	Not Detected
Repetitive Electrical Impulse Noise	Not Detected
Cross Talk	Not Detected
Profile Name	0.128M-80M Downstream, Retransmission Low - 0.128M-20M Upstream, Error Protection Off
Time Stamp	2021-08-03T10:15:00

Parameters	MIN	MAX	AVG
Down Stream Line Rate	79.9 Mbps	79.9 Mbps	79.9 Mbps
Up Stream Line Rate	19.9 Mbps	19.9 Mbps	19.9 Mbps
Up Time	788.0 Sec	900.0 Sec	899.8 Sec

[#3]

Thanks very much for that information. I'll try it out when the speed inevitably drops again in a few days and send you the results.

[#4]

I've got to say that this is a bit of a palaver and really should not be necessary. I've never had to do this with other providers I've used in years gone by, and I suspect that this will become an all too regular routine! 

I think I'll just bite the bullet and return to Virgin which is noticeably faster and totally reliable in my experience. I only left because of the increasing price, but even that is negotiable and much lower now.  So I won't need your router or telephone line much longer or have to fiddle about with speed checks etc. I really pity all those punters who don't have easy access to a high speed fibre connection, it makes life so much simpler.

[#5]

Do not forget you will have early termination charges to pay if break your contract. Your speeds look to be consistently at the maximum possible so as far as Plusnet can see from their tests your connection looks to be perfectly OK. Your low throughput speeds must have some other cause, one possibility is heavy uploading saturating the upstream connection which can cripple downstream speeds. Iphones and similar are known to cause this problem when synchronising folders by uploading to the cloud. 

Also all speed tests must be over a wired ethernet connection direct to the router, any Wi-Fi or Powerline (Ethernet over Mains wiring) tests are too variable.

[#6]

I am so fed up with this. Twice in the last few days including today, my broadband speed has dropped to less than half, in fact it's 28.9 mbps at the moment. I bought an ethernet adaptor for my mac and it makes no difference to the speed at all. I've tried to follow the directions I've been given but I cannot get into ADMIN on my router as it won't accept the password Plusnet supplied!!!

I bitterly regret signing up for 18 months, it's the worst mistake I have ever made. Can someone at Plusnet kindly sort this out for me permanently, and not expect me to perform miracles by sending reports etc. That's just a delaying tactic and really should not be necessary.

Thank you.

[#7]

If you are talking about the access to the router, note all characters are case sensitive. If I remember correctly (I don't have a PN router), user is 'admin' - no quote marks and all lower case, and the password on the sticker on the rear/base of the router is alpha-numeric, with the letters all being upper case.

[#8]

Thanks for getting back to us. I am sorry to hear that you are having issues with your service.

I have tested the line today and this hasn't highlighted any faults; we are still seeing a good sync speed and the connection looks to be stable other than an occasional drop which I'd assume is from you rebooting.
 

I am really sorry that using a wired connection hasn't made any improvement to the speed you are seeing. I would therefore advise to have a run through our troubleshooting here: https://www.plus.net/help/broadband/connection-troubleshooting/

Should this not the resolve the issue, you can log a fault for further investigation here: https://faults.plus.net

[#9]

Have you turned WiFi off on your mac when testing wired?
There's a hierarchy and if you leave both on it may well still route the speedtest through the WiFi connection.

[#10]

Hi, yes I'm aware of that. Although I'm not an engineer, logic and common sense point to the router as the source of the problem. I don't think there's anything wrong with my line, because restarting the router each time the speed drops cures it. The only way to check is to buy another router, such as the BT one that many Plusnet users favour. That's another reason for criticising Plusnet, but then as I'm sure you realise, I'm extremely unimpressed with Plusnet.

[#11]

@astare Based on the KBD check, I suspect something in your very local environment, but sight of your Help Desk tab might be useful.

[#12]

Dear John, thanks for your comment which I take to mean my router. I think I'll invest in a BT Hub 6 and see if that cures the problem.

[#13]

Wasn't particularly what I was thinking about, but it is a better piece of kit. Let us know how it goes, if you get one.

[#14]

Dear John,

I've just ordered a brand new and unused BT Business Smart Hub BTB EI/SI 7.00 - Item Code 088315, from ebay for £34 including postage. I could have got a cheaper one, but it wouldn't have been new and unopened.

Once I've had the chance to install and use it for about four weeks, I'll know if it's cured the regular speed drops and I'll let you know accordingly.

Many thanks for your kind advice.

Tony East

[#15]

Cheers, Tony.😀