More Internet Problems

PyroboyUK · 23 Nov 2008 at 17:31

Hello,

Feeling a bit frustrated yet again with AOL.

I could really use some advice with this problem as i have been told by BT that its AOL's problems, and AOL have told me its BT's problem.

The problem being that my line speed seems to have been dropped down to a max of 1.5mbps (Speed tests giving me a max it seems of only a few hundred kbps)
About 2 years ago we got AOL platinum broadband and we where on a steady 8mbps (Which was very nice :cool:

).
In the last few months we were dropped down to 6.5 mbps which i just had to accept.

But just today it seems my line has been dropped down to 1.5 mbps!!!

I phoned AOL to ask why its so slow and they have told me that they line is only capable of 1.5 mbps. I look in my router main screen and it says "DownStream Connection Speed 5760 kbps". They also told me to check "ADSL Checker" to see my line speed, which was of course 1.5mbps.

So i had a quick chat to BT about this and they have told me that they would see no reason that they would have to drop the speed of a line and that its AOL causing the problems!

So i am a bit confused as where to go from here and i would really appreciate some advice

I cant stand this 1.5mbps, my internet is crawling along. I just cant see how my line could have been dropped from 8mbps down to 1.5 over the space of a year or so.

Would BT ever drop the speed of a line from the exchange to a home?

AOL says yes, but i cannot ever believe a word they say.

Any advice is much appreciated here guys.

Thanks

tolien · 23 Nov 2008 at 18:12

What "ADSL Checker"? Stats from your router (sync rate, SNR margin, attenuation) would be useful, along with the result from the BT Speedtester.

BT are right in a sense - the only part you can phone are BT Retail, who aren't your ISP so can't do a thing...

PyroboyUK · 23 Nov 2008 at 18:20

tolien said:
What "ADSL Checker"? Stats from your router (sync rate, SNR margin, attenuation) would be useful, along with the result from the BT Speedtester.

BT are right in a sense - the only part you can phone are BT Retail, who aren't your ISP so can't do a thing...

I was told by AOL to use this Checker for my line capability - http://www.adslchecker.bt.com/pls/adsl/adslchecker.welcome

This gave me a result of 1.5mbps

From www.speedtest.net I am getting - 728kbps Download and 374 Upload (Upload is normal)

Here is some information i can find in my Netgear Dg834G v2:

Modem Status Connected
DownStream Connection Speed 5760 kbps
UpStream Connection Speed 448 kbps
VPI 0
VCI 38

I cannot see sync rate, SNR margin, attenuation. Will my DG834g V2 show any of this information?

Thanks

tolien · 23 Nov 2008 at 18:26

PyroboyUK said:
I was told by AOL to use this Checker for my line capability - http://www.adslchecker.bt.com/pls/adsl/adslchecker.welcome

This gave me a result of 1.5mbps

From www.speedtest.net I am getting - 728kbps Download and 374 Upload (Upload is normal)

AOL told you a load of garbage then, and speedtest.net is useless. That BT "checker" is a guesstimate of what some database at BT Wholesale thinks your line's capable of. It doesn't test your line, and it doesn't give you anything useful once you've got an ADSL service.

DownStream Connection Speed 5760 kbps
UpStream Connection Speed 448 kbps

Sync rates, in both directions...

I cannot see sync rate, SNR margin, attenuation. Will my DG834g V2 show any of this information?

Should do.

PyroboyUK · 23 Nov 2008 at 18:32

tolien said:
AOL told you a load of garbage then, and speedtest.net is useless. That BT "checker" is a guesstimate of what some database at BT Wholesale thinks your line's capable of. It doesn't test your line, and it doesn't give you anything useful once you've got an ADSL service.

Sync rates, in both directions...

Should do.

Hmm i cant seem to find Any Margins in my router, still trying to find any information on my router which will tell me where it is, i think i have looked in every option and cant see it.

Is there anything else you can advise in the meantime?

PyroboyUK · 23 Nov 2008 at 18:36

Ahh i have found it:

Connection Speed 5760 kbps 448 kbps
Line Attenuation 22 db 7 db
Noise Margin 13 db 11 db

tolien · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:01

PyroboyUK said:
Is there anything else you can advise in the meantime?

tolien said:
the result from the BT Speedtester.

PyroboyUK · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:07

Sorry about this delay, had to find an Xp computer as the plug in wouldnt install on Vista 64...

Still got another 10 mins for Java to download on the Laptop.

tolien · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:10

You can definitely install Java on Vista x64 - you just can't install the x64 version, because there isn't one.

PyroboyUK · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:23

Got Java installed.

Here are the results i got from BT Speed Tester:

DSL Connection Rate: 5760 kbps (down Stream)

448kbps Upstream

Ip profile 2500 kbps

Actual IP throughput achieved during test was 425 kbps

tolien · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:24

The most you'll get with that IP profile is 2500kbps. If you're getting below that, it's probably down to AOL/Crapphone Whorehouse.

PyroboyUK · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:26

tolien said:
The most you'll get with that IP profile is 2500kbps. If you're getting below that, it's probably down to AOL/Crapphone Whorehouse.

Haha Crapphone Whorehouse!

So is my Ip Profile the maximum Speed my line can receive which is effectively around 2.5 mbps?

tolien · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:29

It's the maximum IP throughput you'll get with that IP profile. Without that, you'd get ~5760kbps minus overheads (~12%), but otherwise if you stay connected at that speed you should wind up on the 5000kbps IP profile.

PyroboyUK · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:34

tolien said:
It's the maximum IP throughput you'll get with that IP profile. Without that, you'd get ~5760kbps minus overheads (~12%), but otherwise if you stay connected at that speed you should wind up on the 5000kbps IP profile.

So if i understand that correctly, my speed should increase to around 5000kbps again at some point?

tolien · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:37

Provided you stay connected at >5696kbps.

PyroboyUK · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:38

tolien said:
Provided you stay connected at >5696kbps.

I see, i will keep checking this.

Will it increase over time?

Or is this something i can grill Aol over the phone with?

tolien · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:54

Yes, it'll increase automagically so long as your connection remains stable.

PyroboyUK · 23 Nov 2008 at 19:57

tolien said:
Yes, it'll increase automagically so long as your connection remains stable.

Ok. Thank you Tolien for all your help with this, its very much appreciated.

The only thing i cant understand is the fact that AOL are telling me that i can only get 1.5mbps, however i went from 8mbps down to 6.5 now down to what they say is 1.5!

I find it very hard to understand that.

But after using the BT speed Checker if i understand it correctly i should be getting around 5-6 mbps ?

tolien · 23 Nov 2008 at 20:22

They're quoting from the BT Guesstimator, which is just an estimate and completely useless once the connection's up and running. Is that what the modem connects at if you restart it - your SNR margin's fairly high.

It's nothing to do with the BT Speedtest and everything to do with what your modem's connected at...

PyroboyUK · 23 Nov 2008 at 20:34

tolien said:
They're quoting from the BT Guesstimator, which is just an estimate and completely useless once the connection's up and running. Is that what the modem connects at if you restart it - your SNR margin's fairly high.

It's nothing to do with the BT Speedtest and everything to do with what your modem's connected at...

Ah i see.

Just to say Thanks again Tolien you have been a great help in all of this!

Its good to speak to someone in the know! i just have to speak to AOL all of the time and get lied too.

So i will hopefully see an increase at some point in the future.