This topic

Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

michaelkenward — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 16:30:12 GMT

For most of the past year or so, my broadband download speed has been well above 60 Mbps. About two weeks ago it dropped to around 24 Mbps.

No change in the hardware at my end.

Speedtest shows that my highest speed was 72.46 Mbps (09:49 PM on 12.25.23) with an average if 43.04.

Every now and then, the download speed dropped down to ~40 Mbps. Occasionally it was nearer 27 Mbps.

If the slower speed persisted for more than a few days, I ran the on-line tests. Sometimes this detected an issue on the connection and a few days later it would go back up.

Occasionally the system decided that I needed an OpenReach "engineer" to visit to fix it. Again, a day or two later, always before the scheduled visit, the speed would bump back up to 65 - 70 Mbps.

A couple of weeks ago, the download speed dropped from 65 Mbps (09:34 PM on 01.15.24) to 27.09 Mbps (10:23 AM on 01.17.24).

It has since settled down to around 24 Mbps, which is a third of the top speed I have seen.

I left it to fester for a few days and then started the on-line check. It seems that the system has changed. The on-line test is very different. There is no automatic escalation to an engineering visit, just a message to my mobile number that ended up with a call from Ireland. I talked to someone whose script did not seem to allow the input I have given here.

During this I call was told that there is nothing that BT can do for me because I am not using its Homehub. (Why anyone would use that junk is beyond me.) The on-line tests involve rebooting the Homehub modem/router, something that I have done several times with my own modem and router.

Worse, when I tried to take it further, to get BT to pass this to OpenReach, I was told that BT only guarantees me a 24 Mbps connection, so tough.

There was an attempt to pass me on to someone whose only answer was to try to sell me a service that would give me a mobile backup connection. But that was at a higher price and wouldn't do anything about my current speed problem.

Is there any way around this new test and support process that could get some real action?

Is there a different way into the testing system along the lines of the old IPConfig route?

For background, I have a second VDSL line and home network that consistently runs at around 55 Mbps with rare dips, to 30 Mbps. Never had any need to try an on-line check or call for an engineer.

With the right technology properly tweaked I could probably get that line to deliver more than 24 Mbps to my second (office) network. But first I'd like to see it I can get the current line fixed.

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

imjolly — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 09:15:01 GMT

can you post the connection stats from your router

as you are not using hub then you are not on digital voice so can you check phone for line noise by dialling 17070 option 2 should be totally silent

can you post results from dslchecker

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

michaelkenward — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 10:26:18 GMT

should be totally silent

Indeed it is.

can you post results from dslchecker

That threw up a page of stuff. Anything particular to look for?

Post it how? Does this work?

Thanks for stepping in. This is a baffler. Years without real problems and high speeds and then this brick wall.

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 10:31:59 GMT

I assume you did actually get dial tone on the phone when you tried it, as the speed drop would tend to indicate a disconnection on one wire?

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

imjolly — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 10:44:08 GMT

the checker shows expected range 60/42mb and currently connection 27mb at 25/1

are you able to post connection stats from your router - connection speed, noise margins etc

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

michaelkenward — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 10:45:07 GMT

@Keith_Beddoewrote:
I assume you did actually get dial tone on the phone when you tried it, as the speed drop would tend to indicate a disconnection on one wire?

Yes. Dialling tone is loud and clear.

The line is rarely used for phone calls. It was installed to work as fax and dial-up "broadband"!

Don't the people who deal with these customer queries run tests like that? They used to.

I get the impression that the mere mention of not using the Homehub was the end of the discussion as far as they were concerned.

I have two Homehubs one for each line (still in their shrink wrap). Is putting one of them on line the only way to get them to pay attention?

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 10:53:44 GMT

I would connect one of the home hubs, and leave it connected for a few days to see if the speed increases, as its possible that BT have made some changes to the connection profile, that only works best with the Smart Hub 2.

You are not going to get 70mbs, as the speed range for your line is 42.4Mbs to 60.6Mbs.

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

michaelkenward — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 11:10:04 GMT

@Keith_Beddoewrote:
I would connect one of the home hubs, and leave it connected for a few days to see if the speed increases, as its possible that BT have made some changes to the connection profile, that only works best with the Smart Hub 2.
You are not going to get 70mbs, as the speed range for your line is 42.4Mbs to 60.6Mbs.

Will do. Not sure which generation of Home Hubs I have. Do they finally have a "modem only" option?

Or do I have to mess around with my carefully configured network of expensive Netgear routers and satellites?

But how can we explain my Highest Speed of 72.46 and consistent run of tests 65 to 72 Mb/s?

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 11:39:48 GMT

How long ago did you get the faster speed?

As more people are connected to the cabinet, the connection speed would drop, hence the lower expected speed range.

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

michaelkenward — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 12:07:19 GMT

@Keith_Beddoewrote:
How long ago did you get the faster speed?

I got the faster speed last month, just before this collapse.

As I said in my first long winded message:

Speedtest shows that my highest speed was 72.46 Mbps (09:49 PM on 12.25.23) with an average if 43.04.

As more people are connected to the cabinet, the connection speed would drop, hence the lower expected speed range.

They did build a new estate in the village where they have the exchange, Handcross, but that was completed a few years ago. It may even be on a different exchange. It is nearer to Crawley.

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

michaelkenward — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 11:38:18 GMT

It took some effort, my Netgear system is still bust, but I have had the BT HomeHub 2 up and running for a couple of days now. No change.

My speed still staggers along at a consistent 24 Mbps, about a third of the top speed I had before this problem started. It is even lower than the minimum guaranteed download speed of 25 Mbps for BT's lesser accounts.

The Hub Manager reveals a Max Observed Downstream Speed of 27.4 Mbps. So something is broken somewhere on the network.

I dread having to grapple yet again with BT's support team, which seems to delight in passing the buck and blaming everyone else for a fault that has suddenly happened with no changes that I can see at my end that would lead to such a dramatic drop in speed.

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

imjolly — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 11:42:19 GMT

can you post stats from the SH2 - advanced settings/technical log information

have you tried connecting direct to test socket with a filter to see if that improves connection speed

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

michaelkenward — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 15:58:17 GMT

I'll play with the plugs later, meanwhile:

I'm more used to the maximum data rate, and often get better.

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

licquorice — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 17:19:25 GMT

There is something seriously wrong with either your line or the DSLAM in the cabinet with a noise margin of 25.2 for downstream but a normal 6.4 for Upstream.

Only an engineer investigation will resolve the issue.

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

michaelkenward — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 17:32:09 GMT

Thanks.

That's what I thought, but when I talked to BT's support team they wanted to pass the buck and the person I first talked to (in Ireland) didn't seem to have any ability to check things at their end. He just passed me on to someone in sales to flog me a broadband backup.

That's why I turned to this place.

In the past the on-line test system has gone trough to the stage where it reported that there is a problem and went on to book an engineer.

I guess this is one of the benefits of the rebranding. Welcome to EE.

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

michaelkenward — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 17:33:40 GMT

You couldn't make this up.

BT/EE sent someone (on contract) who spent about 10 minutes determining that there is no problem on my system. (Took him more than an hour to find us as apparently he doesn't know how postcodes work.)

After trying to run and confirming tests that I have already done on my HomeHub – thanks to the tips posted here – he used his laptop to find a graph that showed some sort of dropout 10 days ago that coincided with my speed drop.

This told him that the problem was somewhere put on the network. Any reason why they had to send someone to my premises to test the outside line? Doesn't BT/EE have a connection to the same test site?

I have now received a notification "Your problem has been fixed".

Nothing has changed.

I could use a word to describe that, but this is not the place for obscenities.

In the process, I discovered that BT/EE now has a separate bunch of gophers who go out and check for faults. In the past the system would lead to an OpenReach appointment. No longer.

He also confirmed that BT won't even check faults if I don't use one of its horrible HomeHubs. So, our telecoms supply industry has gone from being a nationalised monopoly to privatised monolith. Users can just get stuffed.

Again I was told that I am only guaranteed a 25 Mbps connection. The fact that I have had at least twice that speed, sometime nearly thee times faster, ever since the VDSL service started is irrelevant.

Sounds like a cue to quit this contract and to use my fancy router to connect my office my second line. That connects at around 60 Mbps and can deliver at least 25 Mbps to my office, which is about 20 metres away.

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

imjolly — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:18:51 GMT

Did you try connecting to the test so ket with a filter to see if that made any difference to your. Connection?

The person that came to your home was not a BT/EE gopher but a contractor used by openreach. As already said you need an actual openreach person to solve your fault if connecting to test socket makes no difference

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

michaelkenward — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:32:18 GMT

@imjollywrote:
Did you try connecting to the test so ket with a filter to see if that made any difference to your. Connection?

He didn't seem interested in that. But I will certainly give it a whirl. (There may be a dead spider or two in there.) I have done it before.

The person that came to your home was not a BT/EE gopher but a contractor used by openreach.

He did say he was a contractor – I asked because of his anonymous white van – but he led me to believe he was with BT.

He had enough information to escalate it within OpenReach, but instead has it checked as "solved" by BT.

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

PaddyB — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 20:26:29 GMT

Hi @michaelkenward,

Thank you for posting back to update the thread. I'm sorry the contractor wasn't able to get your service repaired. If you send me your details, I can take a look at the fault and I can help to arrange an Openreach engineer if needed.

I have sent you a private message with instructions on how to contact the team. You can access your messages via the envelope icon at the top right of the screen, or click on this link, Private messages

Thanks,

Paddy

Re: Cannot get an exchange reset for sudden drop from 70 Mbps to 24 Mbps

pippincp — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 22:01:01 GMT

Likely a Qube engineer, Worse than useless.