3g Data Connectivity Very Slow In Central London

[daneel3001]

Went back to work after a week off and I noticed that since Monday I am getting extremely slow download/upload speed with the Vodafone 3G service. I am not using the USB modem but instead a builtin 3G modem in a Sony VAIO Z laptop.
I commute to Central London from Weybridge in Surrey and browsing experience is now dreadful, I cannot connect to Windows Live Messenger anymore and my Twitter client fails over with timeouts every minute or so.
I know of at least another person who is having severe issues with his connectivity too.
Daniel

[ttbutler]

I'm also getting slow speeds right by waterloo station at SE1 7NA. I haven't heard if they are just dealing with a large number of customers or bandwidth or if it's something technical. I probably should try either very early in the morning or late at night at work one day to test it. If the speed is still slow, then it's not bandwidth or use, it's something to do with the connection, so software / hardware or infrastructure on vodafone's side. - Tom

[daneel3001]

I'm also getting slow speeds right by waterloo station at SE1 7NA. I haven't heard if they are just dealing with a large number of customers or bandwidth or if it's something technical. I probably should try either very early in the morning or late at night at work one day to test it. If the speed is still slow, then it's not bandwidth or use, it's something to do with the connection, so software / hardware or infrastructure on vodafone's side. - Tom

I am getting at best GPRS speed since Monday, I tried to check the speed of my connection on Speedtest.net and the page will always time out...
I used to get above mb/s speed just a couple of weeks ago so something must be seriously wrong with Vodafone infrastructure.

[Retired-Daz_V]

Hey guys,

I'm looking into this for you now!

Daniel - I can only go by your registered forum postcode. This is showing fine GPRS / 2G coverage, and as we've had no reports from other users in this area, I'd be inclined to side with a local problem with your SIM possibly. Can you try connecting to a forbidden network (say another network provider's), then back onto Vodafone when that fails? This will help update the SIM's connection to the network, possibly resolving any network issues you might be having with it.

Do let us know!



Hey TTbutler,

I've checked your posted postcode, but can't see anything wrong with it - there's more local sites than hay in a hay stack!

Can you try the same tests as I've suggested to Daniel? Again, it's hard for us to diagnose a singular cause for this type of problem, so we do need to know more!

Any chance to try the SIM in a mobile handset to test connection through another device?



Daz

eForum Team

[lananddan]

I've also been getting extremely slow download/upload speed the last few days using my Vodafone Mobile Broadband dongle in Central London (SW6). It rarely gets bast 20kbs and goes down to 0bps regularly. I'll try the tests you've suggested when I get home, but is it possible there's a problem with the network? Like Daniel, I was getting fast speeds up to last week.

[daneel3001]

Hey guys,

I'm looking into this for you now!

Daniel - I can only go by your registered forum postcode. This is showing fine GPRS / 2G coverage, and as we've had no reports from other users in this area, I'd be inclined to side with a local problem with your SIM possibly. Can you try connecting to a forbidden network (say another network provider's), then back onto Vodafone when that fails? This will help update the SIM's connection to the network, possibly resolving any network issues you might be having with it.

Do let us know!
Daz

eForum Team

My postcode during the day is EC2N 3AS, ie in the City. I used to get about 4Mb/s last time I checked on SpeedTest.net but now I can't even load the page up.
My modem is a built-in HSDPA modem from Option and running Vista x64 with VMC 9.3.0
I tried using Option GlobeTrotter Connect software and it's not helping as is changing the drivers (I had latest revisions). I tried VMC 9.3.6 but that one is saying it can't use the device, can't remember the exact message but what I do remember is that it can detect it but not use it.
Once I use the WIFI connectivity on my laptop it's all fine so it's not related to Firewall or such like.
I connected the SIM to an o2 mobile and it worked, looks like o2 gave me an unlocked mobile so will need to find a locked mobile to try it out tomorrow.

Daniel

[ttbutler]

Hey guys,

I'm looking into this for you now!

Daniel - I can only go by your registered forum postcode. This is showing fine GPRS / 2G coverage, and as we've had no reports from other users in this area, I'd be inclined to side with a local problem with your SIM possibly. Can you try connecting to a forbidden network (say another network provider's), then back onto Vodafone when that fails? This will help update the SIM's connection to the network, possibly resolving any network issues you might be having with it.

Do let us know!



Hey TTbutler,

I've checked your posted postcode, but can't see anything wrong with it - there's more local sites than hay in a hay stack!

Can you try the same tests as I've suggested to Daniel? Again, it's hard for us to diagnose a singular cause for this type of problem, so we do need to know more!

Any chance to try the SIM in a mobile handset to test connection through another device?



Daz

eForum Team

Daz,

Thanks for the suggestion.. yes.. I've gone down to the Vodafone store on the strand where I got my modem and I've got similar issues with both the K3760 usb modem pro and an eariler version they tried there. I haven't tried it in a handset because I don't have a vodafone handset right now, I've always connected through VMC. I did also tried on my older PCMCIA device and I'm getting similar slow speeds when in central london.

Regards,

Tom

[drivel]

I too have been experiencing extremely slow performance every single day in the City of London (Lime St) between 10am and 4pm every day since mid January. I'm using an E172.

I get resonable performance before 10am and after 4pm, but it appears that there is pretty much no bandwidth available at all between 10am and 4pm. My throughput goes down to single figure kbps or nothing at all. Then it's back up to 2-400 kbps again after 4pm.

I sit next to a window and can see several masts, some of which must be Vodafone, and have full signal stength. The only possible causes I can think of are either that the Vodafone infrastructure here is partially faulty (e.g. extra capacity infrastructure failing) or not up to the demand, or that I'm being throttled out.

Daz, is there a problem with the cell? I'm in EC3M 7HA.

Thanks

[Retired-James]

Hey Guys,

We are currently aware of a few issues around slow broadband speeds and are currently collating this data and investigating the fault for all of our customers.

We will update you as soon as we have any morte information and thank you for your feedback and your patience.

James
eForum Team

[Retired-Daz_V]

Hey guys,

Just to let everyone know that we've had word from our Faults team that a problem area has been confirmed and is now under investigation - we'll update you tomorrow!


Daz

eForum Team