This topic

Speed Drop over years

Needaname — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 16:50:25 GMT

Greetings all

I am here to ask the age old question of 'Why has my speed dropped?' When I first signed up with BT Fibre back in the happier times of 2015 I was getting a consistent speed of around 72Mbps which I was very happy with. I had noticed recently that I was losing connection to various things so logged onto my Smart Hub2 and did the usual speed test and it came back at 45Mbps. Now I know that 45 isn't a too bad a speed but why has it dropped? I have re-booted the router, ensured that nothing else is switched on (I live alone so not hard to do!) and yet no improvement. It looks like the only thing that is increasing is my monthly bill (apparently I'm a 'Gold Customer' - whatever that means) I do work in IT support so I'm not a total dummy but this is just infuriating when a service I have paid for for a number of years seems to be deteriorating right before my eyes. Please tell me that this isn't the norm!

Any help would be appreciated.

Many Thanks

Re: Speed Drop over years

RKM — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 17:16:38 GMT

Needaname wrote: "Why has my speed dropped? ... Please tell me that this isn't the norm!"

I have seen much the same here. After getting a steady sync speed near maximum for the service for a couple of years it then dropped off to something just above the guaranteed speed, which I think has gone down a bit too (although I don't have firm records of that). I guess that the exchange/cabinets are getting filled up as more people have signed up for fibre since we joined. I doubt that anyone can tell you it "isn't the norm".

Re: Speed Drop over years

imjolly — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 17:42:00 GMT

@Needaname

welcome to the BT community forum where customers help customers and only BT employees are the forum mods

in order for the forum members to help please can you post the stats from your router (if hub enter 192.168.1.254 in your browser) and if HH5 then go to troubleshooting then helpdesk and if HH6/SH2 then advanced settings then technical log information .

Have you tried the quiet line test? - dial 17070 option 2 - should hear nothing - best done with a corded phone. if cordless phone you may hear a 'dull hum' which is normal

enter your phone number and post results remember to delete number https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

As @RKM posted the more people on the cab since you got FTTC you get a problem with crosstalk resulting in a speed reduction. If you are on a Huawei can then you can get G.INP which helps boost your speed by helping with crosstalk

Someone may then be able to offer help/assistance/suggestions to your problem

Re: Speed Drop over years

gg30340 — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 17:47:49 GMT

As more people go onto FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) the speeds of start to decrease. This can be caused by "cross talk" interference between cables/wires.

To see what BT are saying you should have for your particular connection, use this checker and post the results.

Remove your phone number before posting a screen print.

Test Result (btwholesale.com)

Re: Speed Drop over years

pippincp — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 18:50:24 GMT

@gg30340 do you not mean this one? https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

Re: Speed Drop over years

gg30340 — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 20:15:33 GMT

Oops, yes!

Re: Speed Drop over years

Starwire — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 20:48:27 GMT

A lot of people on FTTC are in the same position, especially those of us unlucky enough to be on ECI DSLAMS.

When I first got FTTC in 2012/13 I got a sync rate of 80/20. My line is about 320m from the PCP and is 0.5 Copper all the way.

Now I get about 67meg at best and I have the best performing line on my Distribution Point according to the Openreach Network Analysis System so I know there’s little to no room for improvement.

Re: Speed Drop over years

pippincp — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 23:30:54 GMT

@Starwire Oh ye of little faith in your own employer.🤣 😄FTTP deployment will be the improvement.

Sorry I couldn't resist.😄

Re: Speed Drop over years

Needaname — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 14:01:05 GMT

Product code:Smart Hub 2

Serial number:+091298+1850020524

Firmware version:v0.21.03.07094-BT

Firmware updated:Sat Oct 10 16:34:00 2020

Board version:R01

GUI version:1.56 15_02_2019

DSL uptime:1 days,21 Hours29 Mins07 Secs

Data rate:16.453 Mbps / 51.141 Mbps

Maximum data rate:16.606 Mbps / 52.557 Mbps

Noise margin:6.1 / 6.2

Line attenuation:4.8 / 15.7

Signal attenuation:4.8 / 18.8

VLAN id:101

Upstream error control:Off

Downstream error control:Off

Data sent / received:862.4 MB Uploaded / 18.5 GB Downloaded

Broadband username:bthomehub@btbroadband.com

BT Wi-fi:Activated

2.4 GHz wireless network name:BT-86A2CT

2.4 GHz wireless channel:Smart (Channel1)

5 GHz wireless network name:BT-86A2CT

5 GHz wireless channel:Smart (Channel36)

Wireless security:WPA2 (Recommended)

Wireless mode:Mode 1

Firewall:On

MAC address:44:FE:3B:D6:EA:98

Software variant:-

Boot loader:0.1.7-BT (Thu Nov 30 09:45:22 2017

Re: Speed Drop over years

Needaname — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 14:04:28 GMT

Featured Products Downstream Line Rate(Mbps) Upstream Line Rate (Mbps) Downstream HandbackThreshold(Mbps) WBC FTTC Availability Date WBC SOGEA Availability Date Left in JumperHigh Low High Low VDSL Range A (Clean)
VDSL Range B (Impacted)

67.4	50.9	20	17	46.2	Available	Available	--
66.3	48.2	20	15	41.2	Available	Available	--

Tried posting screenshot but file size was too large! This is a the first 2 lines of the speedtest.

Re: Speed Drop over years

imjolly — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 14:12:17 GMT

your connection speed is still within your expected speed range according to stats

which exchange and cab are you on?

Re: Speed Drop over years

RKM — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 16:16:01 GMT

imjolly said: your connection speed is still within your expected speed range according to stats

That's the problem though: the stats change to suit the conditions.

If the speed drop-off is just due to more users using the service and crowding at the cabinet or exchange then the "expected speed range" falls as well.

I am almost certain that when I first signed up for "Superfast Fibre" the expected speed range was 75-80Mbps, and I usually got 79.9 for a few years, with data records showing I regularly achieved >75Mbps downstream data throughput on speed tests.

Now the expected speed for my line is showing 65-80Mbps and my sync speed has been around 66Mbps for a while now, with speed tests rarely showing above 60Mbps : still within the down-revised expected range, but well below the expected range the service was originally sold on.

Re: Speed Drop over years

iniltous — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 16:54:05 GMT

Although the predicted speed can reduce , at the time of renewal of your contract, the new estimate is the one you either agree to , or you look elsewhere, you cannot expect that if you were given an estimate ( for example ) of 70-80Mb ten years ago , and received 80Mb, then the estimate reduces over time to 60-70Mb, and your speed is now 68Mb , that you have a valid complaint not getting 70-80Mb....
Unless another network provider is available , then it’s hardly a ‘BT’ issue anyway, FTTC is an OR system , and switching to another provider using the same kit, it should come as no surprise that the same ‘sync speed’ will be delivered.

Re: Speed Drop over years

pompey1898 — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 16:55:48 GMT

Hi @RKM ,

Take a look here, it may help you understand :-

http://www.increasebroadbandspeed.co.uk/2014/vectoring-crosstalk-crisis

Have a look around the website, it is quite informative.

Re: Speed Drop over years

RKM — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 19:04:06 GMT

Pompey1898 wrote: Take a look here, it may help you understand

Hi Pompey1898, as you'll see in Post 2 of this thread, I already understand why the speed drop-off is occurring.

That reason doesn't excuse BT from moving the goalposts. If they offered the service on a connection speed range, and you contracted with them on that basis, then they should be held to that speed range and require Openreach to upgrade their infrastructure to ensure it.

BT seem to be under the illusion that they have a captive market, which may indeed be true in many cases. However, in my case, I already have a Virgin high speed connection coming into the house, albeit in a slightly less convenient location than the main phone point.

Re: Speed Drop over years

pompey1898 — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 17:07:30 GMT

Hi @RKM ,

The estimate will also drop due to crosstalk.

Re: Speed Drop over years

RKM — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 18:02:52 GMT

@pompey1898wrote: The estimate will also drop due to crosstalk.

Precisely my point.

In any other line of business the service supplier would be expected to meet the terms agreed at the point of sale, not shift the goalposts because their infrastructure is stressed. The supplier would be required to invest in the infrastructure to ensure that the original offer was met, or negotiate a price drop.

I haven't seen anything from BT suggesting the latter: quite the contrary! Price has gone up while service has gone down - and surreptitiously so at that.

Arguably, BT/Openreach should have anticipated the exchange/cabinet cross-talk and its consequences (it isn't rocket science) and constrained their original estimated speeds accordingly.

However, the fact is that they were desperate to attract new clientele with high speed estimates (that they should have known were unsustainable) and have since lowered that metric to make it appear that they continue to deliver what was originally offered.

I doubt anyone here has sufficient information to determine if this was deliberate policy to mislead from the start or sheer incompetence in being unable to predict the obvious. However, either way, it has made me extremely cautious of BT/Openreach G.Fast "Estimated performance" and to consider alternative upgrade options. The alternative may well be lying/incompetent as well, but that's a comparison between established and potential behaviour.

Re: Speed Drop over years

RKM — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 18:22:59 GMT

@iniltouswrote:
Although the predicted speed can reduce , at the time of renewal of your contract, the new estimate is the one you either agree to

Which would be fine IF they informed you of the reduced service at the time of renewing the contract and IF the goalposts weren't shifted during the term of the contract. Neither of those conditions have been met.

In fact, at the last renewal they sent this:

Nothing mentioned about estimated speed reductions, those "great improvements" were just additional services they wanted me to pay for. So no "improvements" at all, just smoke and mirrors to conceal their service degradation, despite the price hike.

I should add that this was after several offers to upgrade to exactly the same service as I already had "for only £x a month more"!

Re: Speed Drop over years

Needaname — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 19:10:08 GMT

Evening all

after reading all of these comments it has made me realise that I need to certainly look at other alternatives to BT. It is galling that after paying them over £100 per month for all these years all I seem to have received is a worse service (admittedly that includes BT mobile - but even that service seems to be getting worse) I would rather pay my money somewhere else and hopefully get better service.

time to start looking!

Thanks all!

Re: Speed Drop over years

RKM — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 20:03:43 GMT

@Needanamewrote: after reading all of these comments it has made me realise that I need to certainly look at other alternatives to BT.

As others have mentioned, if the alternatives use the same Openreach connectivity (ie. still uses your existing phone line) then the service won't be any better, although the price probably will.

I'm in the fortunate position of already having a Virgin high speed connection to the house, so that offers an option that doesn't depend on Openreach.