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Speed limiting Broadband FTTC connection?

fleddy
3: Seeker
3: Seeker

I joined Vodafone Home Broadband almost two years ago, in July 2019.

 

My download connection speed has recently dropped to 17.998Mb/s, with 12dB of noise margin.
This is the DSL negotiated connection speed. My router indicates the maximum speed could be
higher, but this is the settled speed. There are next to NO ERRORs occuring on the downstream
connection, over weeks of connection time.

 

Everytime I reconnect, it connects at exactly 17.998Mb/s. A year ago this was 24.998Mb/s everytime.

Something has changed, all I see is my NoiseMargin has increased from 9dB to 12dB, Downstream errors are
still nearly negligable.

 

Background
==========

I opted for the Superfast 1 option as I didn't expect to get more than a 35Mbit/s connection.

Upon connection I got exactly 24.998Mbit/s connectivity, so qualified for a discount, getting
less than 25Mb/s, which though disappointing was useful. I initialled queried the connection but
after a discussion and some checks, was told that my options were i) accept the discount and
make no further speed complaints or ii) be released from contract and go elsewhere.

I opted for the discount, which made my connection £17.85/month for 24.998Mb/s. Not too shabby.

 

BUT it has recently dropped to 17.998Mb/s. This is the routers DSL negotiated connection speed, not
a measured broadband speed.

 

Previously I had connections speeds OVER 30Mb/s as measured and recorded on ThinkBroad.

 

I use a DrayTek 2760 router normally. I get the same speed results with the supplied Vodafone router, which has limited functionality, so I prefer to use the Draytek, it has a lot more features and useful data on the connect (visible to me).

15 REPLIES 15

fleddy
3: Seeker
3: Seeker

Here's a capture of the DSL status statisitics.

 

I'm about 800m from my FTTC cabinet, NB this distance hasn't changed...

 

I would not expect it to degrade dramatically. The fact the connections speeds are 17.998 and 24.998 sems very suspicious. Previously the connection speeds were more random and varying over time.

 

The connection speed is lower than that for the bottom range on the impacted value from the ASDL Wholesale BT checker. The previous values were in the upper range.

 

My next door neighbour, a similar distance from the exchnage and a BT customer sees a varying rate > 27Mbit/s. My connection was always faster than his, because I optimised the wiring in my house.

 

As such I suspect some piece of equipment at/or between me and the exchange is limiting the connection speed.

 

Has anyone any experience of this or a suggestion as to what I could do?

 

PS I'm a retired senior electronics engineer, that developed silicon ASICs and systems, latterly specialising in high speed networking equipment including 10/40GbE (so have some understanding of these systems). I apologise for my dreadful spelling.

Jayach
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

There is something seriously amiss with your connection. You should have an SNR of about 6.3 after a reboot. That would give you a much higher speed that you had originally with 9.

I would try giving Vodafone a call on 08080 034 515, make sure you have the Vodafone router on and are in the test socket (I know it's probably a waste of time, but having it in the test socket is on of their "tick boxes")

You probably won't get anywhere, as a previous poster was told to "suck it up" after complaining, and having it confirmed, his line was capped, but give it a go.

If you do get no joy then raise a official complaint. Vodafone complaints

If nothing else you will be able to leave without penalty after reaching deadlock.

Thanks for your reply.

 

Good advice. Just got to find that that "sh%te" router then.

 

I've started to think something odds going on, another neighbour had a problem yesterday, with APs

I'd set up (forr free). She's getting 48.56Mb, same distance from the cabinet. BT customer.

 

So many people round here, with problems, are non BT customers... it's a bit odd. My bandwith has been

limited 4 times, I know at least 4 other people on same exchange (not BT), who've had limited (then corrected)

connnections, that I'm suspicious that someone is deliberately limiting non BT customers connections.

 

Every limited I've had...

 

4.998

17.998

24.998

27.998

 

falls into a pattern. Is being a non BT customer a b ias towards someone (a BT employee) a bias

to setting up the cabinet?

 

I'm really skeptical.

 

I might try switching to BT for 24 months to test my hypothesis.

 

gipjon
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

 

You said "I optimised the wiring in my house." That statement worry me . Please tell me you are not running the router on a extension cable . I have seen this same fault as a result of people plugging the router into a secondary openreach socket. Not the master . 

 

Good morning . The first thing you need to do is swap back to the vodafone router

second thing is take the front off the master openreach socket and plug the vodafine router into the test socket using a line filter (this will eliminate a fault on your internal wiring and it will also eliminate a faulty openreach front plate filter ).

Third thing . If the speed is still the same then .i would guess your DLM profile is stuck or your line has been cap because the DLM is picking up a fault 

 

Next you said " The connection speed is lower than that for the bottom range on the impacted value from the ASDL Wholesale BT checker." .

This is what vodafone normaly calls the guaranteed minimum speed . This means if you are on the Vodafone router and are plug into the master test socket then vodafone can make a appointment to send out a openreach engineer because you are below the minimum guaranteed speed. 

gipjon
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

You said "She's getting 48.56Mb, same distance from the cabinet. BT customer."

 

In a lot of areas there is newer copper cable and the old original aluminium cable . Some openreach engineer are plain lazy and when they install your line they will use the original aluminium cable instead of tring to find a spare pair of copper cable. The original aluminium has a lot more resistant so it will make your 800 meter run seem more like 1200 meter . A good engineer can swap you if this is the case . Swapping isp provides wont change anything 

Many thanks for your replies.

 

My optimised wiring was to shorten the wiring, no extensions, NE5 socket, with twisted pair all the way to the socket crimps, doing this made a difference of a few Mb when I was unlimited.

 

I'm still looking for the VF router.

 

Makes no difference if I have the modem in the master socket or in my networking cupboard, with a 10m run of CAT5. I left modem in master socket for 2 months. Always reconnects at slow speed.

 

Missus, WifeBot 1.0, prefers it in the networking cupboard for vacuuming and visuals.

 

When I find the VF router I'll put it in the master socket. The Draytek can connect through it as an Ethernet WAN connection, so I can leave all my setups (bound MACs and VLANs) as before on Draytek.

 

I agree switching ISPs won't improve my raw connection, but in past moving (from TalkTalk to EE) removed a bandwidth cap. I also suspect a BT OpenReach engineer, in the field, would be more sympathetic to moving a BT customer to copper line over a VF customer.

 

If price differntial isn't much, and VF can't fix it. I'll return to BT, after 20 years out the fold. Cynically, I'm sure a BT OpenReach engineer will find my problem and fix it then.

gipjon
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

I got told this Message from an Openreach engineer. We patch everything and try not to renew the length of cable because we will be ripping it all out in favor of fibre to the house 

So I don't think being with bt will make any difference.  Also if you look on a bt Openreach van. The bt signs have been removed from Openreach because bt is trying to sell a big portion of Openreach off to whoever wants to buy it. Vodafone has already brought the cable and wireless fibre back in 2012 for over a billion 

I'm being limited by a piece of hardware, either in the cabinet or exchange. The wire used to connect between 32Mb/s - 35Mb/s.

 

Then it started being always being connected at 27.998Mb/s, with TalkTalk.

It was better and variable with EE.

Then when I switched to VF at 24.998Mb/s

Just recently flat at 17.998Mb/s with VF.

 

Have attached my and 2 neighbours Wholesale entries. We're all about same distance from cabinet.

They're with BT, I've not been for 18 years. It's not likely a coincidence.

 

I can't find the VF router. I've taken 6 BT HomeHub 5's, a BT HomeHub 6, a BT Smart Hub, 2 TalkTalk and an EE BrightBox to the tip today (with an estate full of other electronic junk). I've listed two old DrayTek's on eBay. No VF router anyplace. Guess I'll just have to switch ISPs again. VF have put price up and

 

Well it's been a learning and clearing excercise. My workshop has more space, but less internet.

 

It was such a poor router (W.R.T. functionality) that I might have just binned it. Though it seems unlikely given my router hoarding tradition.

gipjon
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

I could be wrong but I thought you can upgrade the firmware to standard on the bt home hubs so you can use the hub on any isp

 

whats your min guarantee download speed