Problematical broadband connection

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Hi,

We have been experiencing problems with our broadband connection over the last few months. It is a 2Mbps download connection, but the speeds we are experiencing are well below this figure. Often we see only 200 - 400 kbps. The Zyxel router is connected to the BT point and a CAT 5 cable runs from the router to a 3Com switch which all the XP workstations are connected to. There is no proxy server on the LAN.

BT have checked the line and have reported no problems. The status on the Router shows a 2Mbps connection. The BT broadband line is also shared with a fax machine, an electronic credit card machine and a BT Redcare system. I tried disconnecting all these devices, except for the Redcare system, but still the download speed was in the region of 260-360 kbps.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

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If the line is showing 2Mbps in the router stats page then it doesn't look as if it is a problem with your phone line. What level of errors are shown on the stats page?

You don't say who your ISP is, but it is possible that the bottleneck it with that ISPs connection to BT. If you are on an unbundled line then it could be the ISP's backhaul.

Have you tried some of the speed test sites (choose those in the UK)? When you do this make *sure* that no other machine is connected. It may be that one of your machines is hitting the line hard, limiting the bandwidth available to the others.

Harry.

 

so you on a dsl line, and your expecting 2mbps?

i've had 2mbps and the speeds you are getting are around spot on.

on adsl+ (is it a + its been a while), when i had a 8mbps connection the max i hit was 800kbps download speeds.

 

I think you may be confusing bps and Bps. I assumed that the OP meant bits per second, as that was what he wrote. If he meant Bytes per second then, yes, 200kBps would be reasonable.

Harry.

 

i doubt he meant MBps as he stated a bt line, and afaik bt don't offer such speeds. i might be wrong mind you, but 2MBps over a standard phone line i dunno. hell if its possible i am SO pushing for that!

 

He stated 2Mbps - note the lower case b. This is a standard speed offered everywhere - I've had one for ages.

I was suggesting that your statement of 800kbps on a 8Mbps line should have been written as 800kBps.

Note the the OP stated

I assumed that this was kbps not kBps, as 400kBps would not be possible on a 2Mbps line.

Harry.

 

o i see, yes i am sorry.

my 2mb line i maxxed out at around 190kbs. but i was very close to the exchange.

if however he is on such low speeds then i second what you stated, often on poor isp's (bt for one (in my area bts performance seems to be area based))
i would get snail speeds during the day and even worse around 6-10pm. but around 10-11pm my speeds would reopen up.

also don't believe bt when they say the line is fine, they said that at one of my houses, even blamed my modem. but after a closer inspection they found water in the cable. (not related to slow speeds above but related to disturbance on phone line and inabiltity to connect to the web (via 56k))

but like i stated i second you, check your isp, line quality, distance from exchange (i think its tom knows ? for that information)
if thats alright maybe the cat5's damaged? i am throwing things into the dark with that one

the site is:http://www.samknows.com/broadband/
although on reflection its not much use really to you, but bare in mind if bt does make changes it can affect your line it did with me, the more people who took to adsl+ the more bogged down my connection got.

 

Hi,

Yes, the download speeds are around about 200-300 kilo bits per second. The connection is adsl. There are no errors or collisions in the stats. I use ThinkBroadband and BT Speed Tester to check the connection. I would expect to see 1000-1500 kbps during the day, but 300kbps and even sometimes down to 60kbps (dial up modem speeds) are beyond the pale. The ISP is Griffin Internet.

Would the BT Redcare system be causing the problems? Does this take up much bandwidth, presumably not?

 

Redcare these days shouldn't cause a problem (it used to be a stopper - but BT have re-engineered it).

You haven't stated whether you disconnected all the other PCs while doing the speed test. Even better - connect the PC doing the test direct to the ADSL router and remove the link to the switch.

If it still slow when tested like that then a call to Griffin is indicated.

Harry.

 

Harry,

The BT broadband line is also shared with a fax machine, an electronic credit card machine and a BT Redcare system. I tried disconnecting all these devices, except for the Redcare system, but still the download speed was in the region of 260-360 kbps. I attached a laptop to the router and then connected the router (bypassing the switch) directly to the BT socket. Nothing else was connected to the line except the Redcare system. Download speed about 300 kbps.

You mention that the problem could be with Griffin. Could you elaborate on this a little more? Thanks.

 

itbookham the way i'm reading this is you've got a 2mb line and you're expecting to get 1-1.5mb transfer speed ? the speed in which your router is connected to your isp is your connection speed, the max you'll get out a 2mb line is somewhere between 200-250kbps.

Grim

 

All those devices live in the audio part of the line. They shouldn't affect the broadband part of the line, and if they do, the router page would show less than the 2Mbps you should have.

It all depends on whether your line is LLU or not. If not then BT supply the service to Griffin (at wholesale rates) and the bottleneck is either in BT's equipment at the exchange, BT's backhaul, or Griffin's link to BT.
If it *is* LLU then BT are not (normaly) involved. It will then depend on how Griffin get the data back to themselves.

In either case the first port of call is to phone Griffin and complain about the speed. To avoid problems from the support people I would advise just having the PC connected direct to the router (with the switch not involved) while you are talking to them.

Looking at the forums on ThinkBroadband there don't seem to be any recent complaints, but Griffin seem to have a history of being late to upgrade their network.

Harry.

 

I think BT state that the minimum should be 400kbps for a 2mbps line.

 

Er - please watch the bs and Bs!

200kBps would be OK on a 2Mbps line. 2Mbps would also be good.

Harry.

 

Just to note 238 kBps is 1.9Mbps download speed. this is what i get on my 2MB connection.

 

Hi, thanks for all the feedback. The average download speed here is 200-300 kbps, which is only 10% of the published speed of 2Mbps (2000 kbps).

 

If I am correct 300 Kbps would be 2.4Mbps 250Kbps is about 2Mbps.

 

Hi, I think you are confusing bits (b) and bytes (B)? A 2Mbps connection is 2000 kbps or approx. 250 kilo Bytes per second (kBps). The speed we are experiencing is 200 kilo bits per second (200 kbps).

 

I was putting a b where I should have put a B