Slow BT broadband issue, help??

[helimutt]

My broadband varies in speed from 62kbps to 5.3mbps, with no regularity, just totally variable. It's not a time of day issue. My PC/Laptop are both affected. BT call centres worse than useless, all reading from a script.
Engineer already been called twice. First time he rang a number and they removed a 500k Fixed limit from my service. (no idea why it was there) and immediately got over 5mb. 2nd engineer last week didnt come to house but changed a cable over in the exchange, or so he told me.
This was ok for a while but recently reduced considerably to 62kbps. ie dial up speed again.
I do a speedtest regularly and I found that if I run the speedtest using Port 80 option for the test, whatever that is, the speed is fine, if I do the standard test it's cr*p!

Why is this? Can I do anything or is it a BT ISP/Exchange issue.
I really am getting to the end of my tether now. over 15 hours on phone to India!
I know the line will stabilise at best speed but I often get 5mb+ so why does it drop so low it won't load web pages?

[green granite]

It's a strange phenomena that, I had a session where if the phone rang the adsl line reset. turned out to be a corroded connection up a pole, took ages for the eng to find it.

Oddly today I did a large download from radipshare (8 100MB files) the first started to come down @ 98KBs instead of my normal 700+ so I just carried on adding to the downloads until I had all 8 coming down together, but they were all coming down @about 98 giving me my normal download speed of 7 - 800. So obviously it wasn't my line speed that was the problem.

[mixture]

62kbps to 5.3mbps, with no regularity, just totally variable.

If you are on a RADSL (Rate-Adaptive ADSL ) service, read the smallprint, you'll find there are no guarantees of speed .... no matter what your ISPs marketing department said about 8Mb !

removed a 500k Fixed limit from my service

How far are you from your local exchange ? Did you have issues when the line was first activated ?

If your connection got referred to an internal BT department known as the Long Line Team, when they've exhausted all other possibilities, they'll ask BT Wholesale to cut your line down to 500k, as sometimes it's the only way to get things working when you're far from the exchange.

[Coconutty]

BBC are investigating !

Interesting news story on the beeb this evening - a guy made the 6 o'clock local headlines because of exactly this problem - BT spokesperson said it is their policy to lower the speed of heavy users, particularly at peak times ( but also at other times ) to allow all of their customers to benefit all of the time ( or something like that).

BBC NEWS | England | West Midlands | Viewer unhappy with internet

This guy was tied in to a 2 year contract - maybe he ( and others ) might be able to get out of it if BT aren't providing the service that is being paid for ?

[helimutt]

I don't download movies/music/pics etc. Usually just browsing so I couldn't possibly be considered a heavy user. I was told i'd only get 0.5mb but this was purely because i'm quite a distance from the exchange. Just done another test and i'm getting 5.35mb again.






I've found a load of people on the internet now having similar problems with BT. Not too bad at the minute.


Oh well. Might try those wireless broadband dongles for my laptop.

[stevef]

Oh well. Might try those wireless broadband dongles for my laptop.

I'm using 3G Mobile Broadband and most of the time, its speed is abysmal. I regularly use MySpeed Lite Broadband speed tester and the quality of service gets as low as 11% (once it fell to 2%).
Don't even think about watching YouTube or downloading large programmes. Carphone Warehouse advertise speeds up to 2.8: I'm lucky to get half that. I'm tied to an 18-month contract but I'm going to contest that because I was mis-sold in my opinion.
Not Fit For Purpose.

[mixture]

policy to lower the speed of heavy users

Yawn ... old news.

Many broadband ISPs do that .... look in your small print, they usually call it "fair use policy".

Here is BT's :
BT Business Broadband - Terms and conditions - Fair Use Policy

[mixture]

As I have said above. If you are on a RADSL (a.k.a ADSL "Max") product, then it is perfectly normal for your speeds to fluctuate.

The table below is the most commonly quoted one, but it might vary from depending on who you ask.....

Sync Speed ......... Performance Threshold

Up to288kbps ......... 50-250kbps
from 288kbps to 576kbps ......... 50-500kbps
from 576kbps to 1152kbps ......... 100-1000kbps
from 1152kbps to 2272kbps ......... 200-2000kbps
from 2272kbps to 8128kbps ......... 400-7150kbps

If your speeds fluctuate within the values in the right hand column, then your provider will probably tell you nothing is wrong, as BT Wholesale will have no contractual obligation to fix.

You have to understand what broadband is. It's a volume product, designed to be cheap to provision and have low opex. As a result you as the end consumer have to accept some compromises, especially if you are a Residential customer (i.e. bottom of the food chain as far as ISPs are concerned). People should accept the fact and get over it (or pay more for a different service if they don't like it). Basically broadband is the no-frills airline of the internet ..... either put up and shut up or fly business class elsewhere

[helimutt]

Thanks for that 'Mixture', but as a consumer of a product, paying a regular monthly fee, one would think that contractually the supplier should at least provide what you're paying for, bottom of the food chain or not.
Perfectly normal to fluctuate between 5.3Mbps and 62kbps? Think not. It should be more stable than that.
Put up or shut up? Well you're one happy chap aren't you. Glad I don't have to share a cockpit with your type.

As for no-frills or business class, the plane still gets you there. BT often won't work and drops out. Now where have I heard similar before?

[mixture]

Put up or shut up? Well you're one happy chap aren't you. Glad I don't have to share a cockpit with your type.

Hey !

I wasn't addressing anybody here.

I was merely using the terminology associated no-frills attiude that certain airlines have to their SLF.

Believe me, I wrote the CRM book... I'm a great person to share a cockpit with!

Apologies if I gave the wrong impression.

[mixture]

Perfectly normal to fluctuate between 5.3Mbps and 62kbps? Think not. It should be more stable than that.

SIN386 might prove to be quite interesting bed time reading for you.

It carries the rather exciting title of "BT IPstream Office, BT IPstream Home, BT IPstream Max & BT IPstream Max Premium Products - Service Description and Interface Specification".

In other words, it sets out what BT considers to be contractually normal as far as that product goes.

Amongst other things, it contains the "official" version of the table above, or at least as close to "official" as you will likely get.

Freely available from SINnet here.... SINet

P.S. For those not in the know, when BTWholesale provide the underlying delivery mechanism to most broadband ISPs .... therefore the above SIN document will apply to any ISPs using BTWholesale to deliver their broadband product.

one would think that contractually the supplier should at least provide what you're paying for

Indeed, and I've used broadband enough to know where you're coming from. But the devil is in the fine print .... regrettably as far as BT are concerned, if you're paying for "rate adaptive" then you're getting what you pay for.

Suggest you look at LLU Broadband providers if you have one/some in your local exchange...... they only rely on BT for the copper to the local exchange, and therefore have much more control over speeds and service quality when it comes to the service itself (asusming no issues with the copper !).

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Broadband bodged on top of phone lines is a horrendous fudge.

Get a cable modem connection instead, with co-ax to the home. It does what it says on the tin. If you pay for 8meg you get 8meg, all the time.

[Matt35]

For those of you in the UK...I suffered months of lousy service from Orange...did a LOT of research and changed to ZEN.

Monthly contract - 5GB/month downloads and peanuts for extra - UK helpline - £17-99 month - absolutely faultless service now for 5 months...voted highly in ISP reports.

They even advise you when you have used 50% of your limit.

Matt.

[helimutt]

Sorry Mixture, maybe I just thought you were having a dig at my ignorance of broadband related issues.

either put up and shut up or fly business class elsewhere

Anyway, I'll take a look through that tome, thanks. Lesson learned:- always ask to see, and then read, the small print.

Unfortunately, I live in a village some way from the exchange and I can't see them having any new technology coming through here soon.

We still only have a weekly stagecoach, which is probably faster than our sometimes broadband speed.

[oldbeefer]

helimutt

Some confuser forums recommend switching the router off every so often, as the max speed will reduce as the kit in the exchange works out the highest stable speed that your line can sustain. I am 6km from my local exchange, and have found it benificial to do this if the speed has dropped to a very low figure - switching off (for 30secs or so) pushes the speed back up to the line's absolute max (or so I've been told!). Works for me, anyway (allowing for the dreaded 'contention' issue, where the speed drops when all the kids come home from school and start downloadind music and videos!).

[mixture]

helimutt,

No problem. I'll be more careful in my wording next time....

always ask to see, and then read, the small print

I'm sure we've all learnt that the hard way far too many times......I once lost a carefully crafted website because the hosting provider had said in their small print that no backups were provided

And I'm with you though, there's no reason why (a) Residential customers should be treated like dirt and (b) Why broadband comes with so few guarantees !

[mixture]

by the way helimutt,

If you do have a long line problem and can get a BT bod out to see you again without the threat of lots of charges, you might want to make sure he has replaced both E and D side cables. Not just one, which they sometimes like to do for the benefit of the beancounters.

[helimutt]

Ok, no problem. Will do. I'm now waiting to see if I get charged for the engineers 'non' visit.

[mixture]

Good luck.

You could always try the old tactic of writing a Mr Angry letter to the Managing Director's office (From Google it looks like it's a chap called John Petter, MD BT Retail Consumer).

That sometimes works. I haven't yet met someone who's dared try it with BT though !

[Keef]

Originally Posted by mixture

I haven't yet met someone who's dared try it with BT though !

I did - to do with non-telephone service rather than Broadband, though.
As I expected, the MD didn't get to see it, but it did achieve the desired result, and that quite quickly.