Internet Slow.. Help?

[Captain Colonial]

I would say if you can go to Virgin, do so. My download speed today was 16Mb and 1.6Mb upload., always good speed.

Set yourself up a Googlemail webmail account, and set your Orange email account to forward to it so you can pick up your emails anywhere easily.

[FILFAN]

With any luck things might improve soon as bt now have to let other people use their ducting so should create a bit more competition and with any luck get faster speeds to remote areas.

I only get 3 meg download on a good day

[Blatman]

Firstly, throttling. Make SURE you know if this is happening or not. If it is, move providers. I have a number of options for you there Jeff, you need to call me to discuss. Plus I have some other business to sort out with you

Secondly, if the ISP is NOT throttling you, then it won't matter who you switch you. If we assume that all ISP's have the same contention ratio (they don't but I'll let that go for now) then it'll make no difference UNLESS you switch to cable (Virgin) or fibre optic (BT Infinity).

But if you can find an ISP with a low contention ratio (and IIRC the BE network has a 7:1 ratio as it's standard target. Ironically, BE uses the Orange / Wanadoo backbone but I'll stand to be corrected on that). Try to find out if your local exchange is a 21CN exchange. That means it can use ADSL2+, which is "up to" (I HATE that term) 24Mb/s, depending on local conditions. More on that below...

Speed tests... use the one at www.thinkbroadband.co.uk. It's independent of BT.

Speed tests DO NOT take account of the local connection, so whether you speed test wired or wirelessly, it makes no odds at all in my experience. If you want to see if you're wireless is running fast or slow, ping your router and look at the response times. Chances are though that even if it looks slow (several milliseconds response time) the time differential makes NO difference to the speed test results (and I'll say it again) in my experience. And I do these tests a lot these days...

For a normal home install I usually reccommend Sky IF (big IF) you're already a Sky TV customer. Their unlimited Boradband is only a tenner on top (I think, it may be 7.50 on top) and is never throttled. I use Sky at home and in about 10 years I've had down time (that wasn't my fault) twice.

If you're not a Sky TV Customer then check out the website I already mentioned and compare ISP's. Also, in case you don't know, Plusnet (good old fashioned broadband from Yorkshire) is pretty much BT in a flat cap...

I've had to do a LOT of ISP research for work recently. If I had my notes in front of me I could give you chapter and verse. I could also actually supply you with telephone and Broadband services if you wanted me to! But it won't be any faster 'cos it'll be the same piece of copper in the ground, and that is often where most of the speed issues lie. Length of cable, condition of cable, condition of the local street box etc etc...

Beware... the Nerd is stirring...

[JeffC]

did the test in ur link blatters,

results if they mean anything ?/

Date 03/02/12 22:25:28 Speed Down 734.74 Kbps ( 0.7 Mbps ) Speed Up 935.42 Kbps ( 0.9 Mbps ) Port 8095 Server speedtest2.thinkbroadband.com Results Button

[Captain Colonial]

That's appallingly slow when your upload speed is faster thn your download speed!

[XTR2Turbo]

for comparison

[FILFAN]

for comparison

I hate you that's not fair

[Blatman]

did the test in ur link blatters,

results if they mean anything ?/

Date 03/02/12 22:25:28 Speed Down 734.74 Kbps ( 0.7 Mbps ) Speed Up 935.42 Kbps ( 0.9 Mbps ) Port 8095 Server speedtest2.thinkbroadband.com Results Button

Less than a meg download is rubbish. What deal did you sign up for? There are two common speeds. "Up to 24Mb/s" and "Up to 8Mb/s"

With less than an 8th at best, and less than a 24th at worst, you have a clear cause for complaint to your ISP.

Here's what the regulator has to say about broadband speeds, but you should make the time to read more of it. I know it's dull but you need to know your rights.

4th Principle: Managing customers' speed related problems

31. ISPs must be prepared to manage customers' problems when they report that they are not receiving the speeds that they had expected to receive when they purchased the broadband service.

32. To achieve this Principle, ISP must ensure the following:

a. Those ISPs using technologies such as DSL for which the access line speed can be lower than the headline speed must:

i. Have a robust process in place for identifying whether the problem relates to a slower than expected access line speed;

ii. Log the problem as a technical fault if the actual access line speed is at or below the minimum guaranteed access line speed, or if it is otherwise appropriate to do so. As soon as possible after the problem is logged as a technical fault, the ISP must tell the customer their minimum guaranteed access line speed and explain that if the technical fault cannot be fixed then the customer will have the opportunity to leave their contract immediately and without any penalty provided this is within a three month period of the start of their contract (or longer if the ISP so chooses). The ISP must then take steps to ensure the fault is corrected;

iii. If it appears from the diagnostics that the problem is likely to have resulted from factors within the customer's control, e.g. internal wiring, the ISP should advise the customer of that fact and provide assistance to alleviate the problem as soon as possible;

iv. If, after following the procedures i and ii above, the customer has implemented the measures advised by the ISP but continues to receive an access line speed at or below the minimum guaranteed access line speed then the ISP must offer the customer the opportunity to leave their contract immediately, and without penalty. Customers will only have the option to leave their contract without penalty within a three month period of the start of their contract.

from OfCom website...

[JeffC]

not sure what im supposed to have, Ive been with orange for years, upgraded to a deal about couple years ago where the took over landline, gave me a free home phone number and supplied internet , home phone very rarely works and i got sick of calling to complain about it!?

did that test last night computer was working ok, not as slow as it is at times, think one of the kids was on the computer in the other room on facebook if that has any bearing on the test some nights a page can take 10 secs to load up sometimes longer!!

did the test again this morning

Date 04/02/12 07:37:53 Speed Down 7260.60 Kbps ( 7.1 Mbps ) Speed Up 953.40 Kbps ( 0.9 Mbps ) Port 8095 Server speedtest2.thinkbroadband.com Results Button

[JeffC]

jesus that must be quick!!! when you click on a page does it instantly come up!?

for comparison

[GreigM]

Jeff, with those variations in speed I'd suggest there may even be a line fault, try this:

https://www.bt.com/consumerFaultTracking/public/faults/reporting.do?pageId=21&s_cid=con_FURL_faults

and did you check there's no exchange issues?

http://usertools.plus.net/exchanges/

With such variability on the line there may be an earth fault, but you have to get BT to come to this conclusion themseves (or they'll charge).

I'd start taking speed tests 3 times a day (at regular times if you can) for a couple of days and record the results and then have a discussion with your ISP. When you do the test try to make sure no-one else is on-line at the time.