Abysmal connection speed, what master socket to buy?

dean_ham · 8 Nov 2011 at 21:26

Hi guys,

I moved to my new home 2 years ago. And took out a basic free package with sky as they said the maximum i could expect in my area was 1.5 meg due to me being located so far away from the exchange. Initially my connection speed was at 2 Meg down, 650kb up. Ok fair enough if thats all i can have thats all i can have.

Maybe a year or so down the line i noticed my download speeds increase so i logged onto my router and sure enough my connection speed had increased from 2 Meg down to about 3.2 meg download. Excellent means im only on the free for the basic 2 meg package and using bbc i player and youtube and surfing the net is actually giving me no problems.

Then a few weeks ago i decided to give CS a go after a couple of years retirement

ping was 30-50ms no problemo. After a week or two i noticed my ping shooting up to 120 massive lagging, loads of choke, loss in game etc. Then all of a sudden my connection has dropped to 1.4-1.6 meg. WTF! now the ping has settled a little but not as good as previously now my connection has dropped to 1 meg! Now come to think of it a couple of weeks before i had these problems i can remember seeing loads, and i mean 5-8 openreach/openworld (whatever its called) BT vans working around the area underground within a couple of days period.

Before i go phoning sky and complaining about my connection i would like to install a new master socket in my living room (as my house was brand new i think the electrician who wired up the house has wired my telephone point up, and not BT. The incoming first connection from outside into the house should be a master socket type but i have just a junction box with a connection for a telephone).

The first thing i will do is replace this for a master socket, can anyone recommend the best one with mayve the best filters to try and improve my line coming into the house?

My current stats are...

ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 1023 kbps 604 kbps
Line Attenuation 57.0 db 31.9 db
Noise Margin 3.1 db 15.9 db

I take it these are not good?

Once i am happy that my master socket is of a good quality and the router is plugged directly into this its basically out of my hands and i will have to get in touch with sky to see what they can do. But for me to be surfing happily on 3.2 meg for a year or so and now to drop down to 1023kbps is just torture, even to do the basic of things online!!

Sorry for the long post guys!!
Dean

dmsims · 8 Nov 2011 at 22:40

Get the BT Openreach (though it's illegal to DIY)

You should see a sync around 3500-3800

Can you post detailed error stats?

3dcandy · 9 Nov 2011 at 00:58

you will need to get openreach out really. be aware they will probably charge you in the region of £115 quid though!

dean_ham · 9 Nov 2011 at 01:03

But I'm not with bt I'm with sky. LLU area bt don't even recognise my telephone number as its a new house and sky enabled my telephone line from new. Any ideas? Think ill buy a master socket off ebay and wire it myself. Just unsure which is the best quality one

3dcandy · 9 Nov 2011 at 01:36

you do realise that it is still illegal to do this right? You do realise that even though you're with sky btopenreach are responsible for the actual physical connection up to and including the master socket?

If you still wish to continue, then the master sockets are all of roughly the same quality. Get an nte5 type, and then invest in an adslnation filter plate on the front. Will still cost you somewhere in the region of £35 but you will be future proof and *should* get faster speeds...

dean_ham · 9 Nov 2011 at 08:01

Ordered a master socket with a new bell filter and also a openeach filter for the bottom half. Will let everyone know if it improves my line stats. They gotta be having a laugh charging 110 quid for 2 mins worth of work. As far as I'm concerned it was installed like that when I moved into the house.

the wopster · 9 Nov 2011 at 08:54

dean_ham said:
Ordered a master socket with a new bell filter and also a openeach filter for the bottom half. Will let everyone know if it improves my line stats. They gotta be having a laugh charging 110 quid for 2 mins worth of work. As far as I'm concerned it was installed like that when I moved into the house.

they wont charge you off the bat if the problem is on the there side,you have to make sure the problem is not on your side ie make sure your plugged into the master socket(with i 57db att i get a sync of 3770 on bt's 20cn so you should get at least that)

3dcandy · 9 Nov 2011 at 09:14

that's the problem with our outdated telephone system. because bt had a monopoly for so long, it's become very fragmented. i'm in the same boat as you but I only have a small faceplate, so fixed myself up a built in filtered plate. voila. if anything went wrong, i'd just say it was like that when i moved in...

batfink · 9 Nov 2011 at 10:37

I thought you were allowed to change the faceplate (because this section is AFTER the wiring into the house/test socket). The faceplate just plugs into the test socket doesn't it? I thought as long as you didn't touch the bt wiring into the house, you were ok?

dmsims · 9 Nov 2011 at 10:39

batfink said:
I thought you were allowed to change the faceplate (because this section is AFTER the wiring into the house/test socket). The faceplate just plugs into the test socket doesn't it? I thought as long as you didn't touch the bt wiring into the house, you were ok?

True but that doesn't help the OP

dean_ham · 12 Nov 2011 at 17:50

Update :

Been waiting for my new master sockets and filters all week but they didnt arrive.

Surfing the internet tonight has become unbearable...

Took a screenshot of my connection stats this is what i have.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Phoned sky up and explained the situation. He said to try a new microfilter (i do not have one) oh noooo he said. Ok nevermind.... try and plug your microfilter into the master socket. I pretended to plug my microfilter into the master socket as i dont have one hehehehe.

He then phones me back on my mobile phone. Its good news the connection is much better by plugging it into the master socket. I will now improve your speed.

Now this is what im getting.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Great i tell him im back at 3 meg connection now, but you have slowed down my upload from 600 to 256. He says yes this is the maximum i can give you????????
He then says buy a new microfilter and when i receive that put it back as it was.

Any idea why i can only get 256 upload now? I'll be installing the new master socket and filters see if my attenuation and noise margins improve and i will be phoning back to improve my speed again.

IrishChr1s · 12 Nov 2011 at 22:34

Your on svbn, setting your line speeds is done by profiles, they go like this in the lower region.

512/256
1024/256
1500/256
2000/256-512-608
3000/256
4000/256-400-604
Etc etc

Between 2mb and 4mb there is only 1 profile to choose from.
If your new filter gets you a higher sync speed around 4mb you have more profiles to choose from.

Also I would email them and ask for your line profile to be changed from adsl2+ to g.Dmt
I do this with most customers who can't get over 8mb as this usually increases sync speed, most get 512kbps or more of an increase.

dean_ham · 12 Nov 2011 at 23:47

If that's the case about profiles how was I connected at 1000/600 previously. Ok I will ask to be put onthe g.dmt profile is this the case with sky broadband?