Home broadband performance has dropped off a cliff recently. Why?

[Nkgibson]

I've had VF fibre for 7 months and a fibre connection for several years before VF. I have always had near max sync speeds and very high effective bandwidth until a month or so ago when my VF fibre performance began to plummet. Streaming TV used to provide a solid, hi res picture but now will frequently descend into pixelated unwatchable messes. Often the connection will deteriorate so much, the stream will not even manage to produce the pixelated mess and will simply stop. I get kicked from online games frequently due to losing connection with the game servers - something that never happened with those same servers before. Has anyone else started experiencing major performance issues this year? My guess is that VF's network has become overloaded.

 Any solutions? I am using the VF router and LAN connections for all streaming and most gaming devices. I have tried rebooting the router multiple times and using different LAN cables and switches. 

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @Nkgibson

Usually what you have tried resolves most such situations i.e. Change cable and reboot. 

Can you run a speed test and repost your ping and speeds. 

I personally use the Ookla Speedtest option. 

[Nkgibson]

A single speed test is pointless as the problem is inconsistency of performance. As the drops or speed collapses tend to last only a short time the chance of coiniciding a speed test with one of these events is almost zero. They almost always occur in the evening too, I.e. During peak usage hours. These only started to occur in the last month or so after years of excellent fibre performance on my line. I had thought it might be a DNS issue as I use Google DNS settings but reverting back to VF defaults did nothing. Any ideas?

[BandOfBrothers]

Ok. 

[DaneB]

@Nkgibson

Is the issue you're having occur at the same time every night?

Where in your house is your router positioned?

Have you noticed the lights on your router changing when you're having drops?

[Nkgibson]

---

@dane_B wrote:

@Nkgibson

Is the issue you're having occur at the same time every night?

Where in your house is your router positioned?

Have you noticed the lights on your router changing when you're having drops?

---

It is worst in the evening but I'll get issues at any time of the day. For example just now (mid afternoon), my browser (PC, LAN connection to router) just timed out after I pushed the Reply button.

The router is in a study next to the BT master socket. As I've already explained the problems are with both wired and wireless connections to the router.

I have not looked at the router's lights when it happens but I don't think I have ever noticed it being any colour but red. What colour should I look out for.

Are there any alternative DNS servers I can try?

[DaneB]

@Nkgibson

Thanks for getitng back to us.

Have you tried calling our Broadband team on 08080 034 515 or spoken with them on Live Chat?

They'll be best to speak with regarding this issue.

[paul_247]

@Nkgibson

Just to advise that I am also experiencing the same problems, mostly evenings and on Sundays.  I have a support case open that is with 2nd line support; I missed their call earlier but their voice mail message suggested that is either Wifi settings or faulty devices connected to my router via ethernet!

It is certainly not Wifi settings as I experience the same issues on my ethernet connected PC as well via Wifi.

In terms of other devices, I have disconnected my attached switch for TV, set top box, blu ray etc, and that also has made no difference.

It is frustrating to say the least as Now TV streaming goes down to its lowest picture quality when I experience the problem.  Web browsing gets so bad that I just tether my mobile to avoid the frustration of 'Server not found' errors and constantly refreshing.

They also said that there are no errors reported in the network locally - if it helps narrow anything down, I'm in the Derby 01332 area.

I'll await their call back again to discuss but I am deeply frustrated with this intermittent issue.  It may well be an issue with the router, but the sporadic nature of it makes believe it is capacity or latency within the Vodafone network somewhere.

[Nkgibson]

@paul_247

I tried contacting support and got a similar response (It couldn't possibly be us so it MUST be your wifi or LAN cables, there is absolutely no other explanation...)

One thing to try is using different DNS settings. I use openDNS:

208.67.222.222

208.67.220.220

Compared to Google DNS and VF's default DNS servers, these have proven the best so far.

[paul_247]

@Nkgibson

Thanks for that, I'd not had much more luck with Google DNS so I'll give that a go when I get home.

I've become incredibly frustrated by this, 2nd line never gave me a call back as promised, just a text message to say

"We have checked to see if the changes wre madeon the router. We can see the wifi settings are still unchanged.  We have cleared the line from any faults or intermittency and have proved the issue to be wifi management."

Well this got my blood boiling so I called straight back and apparently the issue is closed now with 2nd line, despite the fact that they never read the case notes to show that this was not a Wifi issue.

Before I can get this back to 2nd line, I need to repeat the test with my phone socket's face plate removed, despite the fact I have no extensions attached in the house, to prove absolutely nothing because they can't find a fault.  It's a complete farce and I'm losing my patience.  When I asked why they hadn't even suggested replacing the router, they can't without 2nd line determining that it is faulty! Argh!