This topic

Regular reductions in speed

Navrig — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 08:28:14 GMT

I am currently on BT100 but, on Saturday, I upgraded to BT900. This was before I started doing some research on the BT100 service.

I was struggling with streaming so I ran some speedtests (all over wifi) over a couple of days. Sometimes I was getting 140MBPS but, regularly, it dropped to 30-40MBPS. The drops could happen anytime but seemed more prolific in the evening.

Google gave me links to sites where BT customers were experiencing this. I understand that does not mean it's a common issue but it tells me my experience is not unique.

Using MyBT I reported an issue using the standard options. BY advised me there was a fault outside my house and that they would fix it. 24 hours later I got an SMS saying it was fixed. The speed drops continue.

This is in the context of having lost all BB about two weeks and it also being traced as out of house and being fixed a day or so later.

My question is how can BT say something is fixed when it seems to be a continuous experience (problem?).

Plus will BT900 be anymore reliable or am I likely to see similar behaviour but with bigger numbers. 900MBPS dropping to a quarter (230MBS) or, worse, dropping to 20-30MBPS?

Re: Regular reductions in speed

Navrig — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 11:26:14 GMT

Thought I'd add a bit more.

I logged into the router and selected the "Test my speed" option. Rather than do a test I am taken immediately to this page

https://www.bt.com/help/broadband/fix-a-problem/broadband-and-wi-fi

where I am prompted to do a test and then report an error. There are 4 tick boxes to report on.

Further questions

Is this the normal process?

Is the test so quick when there is a fault that I am immediately required to report it?

This is the route I took to report the issue of dropping speeds on Saturday and reported as being fixed.

Re: Regular reductions in speed

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 13:01:59 GMT

@Navrig

"so I ran some speedtests (all over wifi) "

Speed tests over WiFi should be considered unreliable.

Not only are you testing your broadband connection, you are also testing your in home WiFi - which can be affected by a number of factors including local interference. A transmission chain is only as good as its weakest link.

Are you able to do speed tests with a desktop PC or laptop connected to the router Hub using an ethernet cable?

Re: Regular reductions in speed

Jiggy — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 20:42:37 GMT

Hi, I know the feeling? Got fibre 500 installed and was great for about 2 weeks then one day was very slow so a speed test showed 50MBPS where it was usually 400+ upload was way down as well?

I tried a reboot but to no avail so went on to the “fix a problem” BT did a reboot from their end and low and behold back to normal, all good, 4 days later exactly the same? Self reboot does nothing but magically BT reboot fixes the issue?

are they purposely slowing the speed until I complain? It seems a bit strange that it only works after they reboot it and not me? So I’m getting a bit miffed at the moment

Re: Regular reductions in speed

Navrig — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 10:16:42 GMT

Cabled test results for a newly activated (yesterday) BT900 service.

Is there a settling-in period?

A speed test upstairs via a pair of Powerline adaptors was 40MBPS.

I find the most ftrustrating thing is that the Test my broadband option in the router doesn't seem to actually test my broadband. It opens a new web page (see my posts above) and then you can "Test" and then it opens a report page (https://www.bt.com/exp/engineer-booking/?stage=issues).

So I have no idea what the test result is.

The options for reporting are:

It's none of them really. It';s just that I am not getting the promised/contracted speed.

Then you test again and the system gives you a reference number to track "the fault" but I don't actually know if they have detected a fault.

Then they tell you it is fixed but it isn't......

I am getting dizzy.

Re: Regular reductions in speed

naylor2006 — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 10:24:03 GMT

Well lets ignore powerline and WIFI, unfortunately both can be unreliable and the former particularly bad.

I do wonder looking at that test and the similarity between the down and up speed if somehow you have a bad cable which has negotiated at 100BASE between your Router and your PC somewhere. I note you got 140Mbps over WIFI before so its likely not the cable between the ONT and Router.

Out of interest, which ONT and Router do you have?

There isnt a settling in period on Fibre.

The information around whether a download profile can be incorrectly set is flaky, as in your upload profile was altered to 110 like it should be and the 100 was not, but in your case again youve had over 100 so its not likely thats an issue where it was stuck on an old profile.

Re: Regular reductions in speed

Navrig — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:30:03 GMT

I have a Smart Hub 2 and this in the connector box which, I presume, is the ONT is the following

Photo deleted but ONT identified and named in next post.

Re: Regular reductions in speed

naylor2006 — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:14:36 GMT

Its probably not a huge deal but if thats your actual ONT its not the best idea to have the serial number posted in case you want to delete it. Yeah thats the Nokia 2.5G ONT from just looking at it, recently saw someone with poor speeds after a product change get resolved by a change of ONT.

Anyway, where you have conducted the wired speed test can you check the LAN adapters link speed and make sure its 1Gbps? You can do this usually by just checking the status. Its definitely going to be important to check that that is indeed 1Gbps before performing the test.

Re: Regular reductions in speed

Navrig — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:31:25 GMT

WiFi test connected to the Smart Hub and one stud partition in the way, 15 feet away.

It's this complete lack of consistency which is confusing.

LAN adaptor - do you mean within my laptop?

I run a Pixel Book not a Windows machine.

Re: Regular reductions in speed

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:34:51 GMT

@Navrig

I notice that in all of the speed tests that you have posted, you are connecting to a server in Dublin.

Where, (roughly), in the country are you, and have you tried changing to a server closer to you, (and a few other locations), to see if the results are consistent?

Re: Regular reductions in speed

Navrig — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:38:19 GMT

A little bit more research.

WiFi connected to the Smart Hub I am getting 400-450MBPS which is excellent.

Wired to my Pixel Book I am getting 90MBPS which makes me think the USB-C dongle is 100MBPS rated.

It looks like I am getting the BT900 service. I'll just have to experiment with how I maximise distribution of the service around the house. The Poerline adaptors have been excellent over the years but perhaps they are due for replacement or upgrade. The house is an awkward shape with the service coming in at the least effective corner of the house - house built circa 2000.

Re: Regular reductions in speed

naylor2006 — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:42:19 GMT

@Navrig said:
WiFi test connected to the Smart Hub and one stud partition in the way, 15 feet away.

It's this complete lack of consistency which is confusing.

LAN adaptor - do you mean within my laptop?

I run a Pixel Book not a Windows machine.

that WIFI speed test is exactly what I would expect one stud wall away, in fact its better than I'd hope for.

Okay, I assume you are using an adapter for the Pixel Book for wired ethernet? In which case the adapter is likely to be limited to 100up/down so not a great test. You can probably confirm the link speed another way.

EDIT: So you confirmed my thoughts in a further post.

If you want 900Mbps WIFI in every room or close to you are going to need to spend alot of money and time configuring the network and radios. I wanted this for when I moved to 900Mbps and if you look at my sig you will see how many AP's I have to achieve this....

Power lines are fine for very basic tasks but you'll be lucky to ever get over 100Mbps from one.

Re: Regular reductions in speed

Navrig — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:42:05 GMT

I am in SE Scotland. I have run several tests using different online services. The speeds vary by about 10%.

So I am using the basic one provided by a Google search.

Re: Regular reductions in speed

naylor2006 — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:46:19 GMT

With faster incoming speed to the Router you will still get the same diminishing WIFI, sure next to the router itll be faster or quite close to.

Its a fairly common thing to crop up, a user upgrades fibre to 10x the speed they had before then suddenly its becomes how apparent the existing infrastructure was limiting the performance, you probably just didnt notice as much.

Achieving 700Mbps plus and house wide coverage over WIFI takes time, money and effort....and im afraid to say, not repeaters, extenders or powerlines will do this, you will need hard wired AP's around the property, even your best MESH system cant do it as every wireless hop will significantly drop the speed.

Re: Regular reductions in speed

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 12:00:18 GMT

@naylor2006

"even your best MESH system cant do it as every wireless hop will significantly drop the speed"

Does that also apply if each of the Mesh access points is cabled back to the router, as I have with my BT Whole Home WiFi setup? (WiFi on Hub / router completely disabled).

Interestingly, since I bought the WHW system nearly 7 years ago, I have always used all three disks. A few months ago, I removed one of the disks and re-positioned one of the others.

Since then, I have noticed a significant improvement in WiFi performance.

I guess that previously they were clashing and interfering with each other?

Re: Regular reductions in speed

naylor2006 — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 12:14:57 GMT

@Anonymous they key phrase is every wireless hop

Wholehome can do quite well when each disc is connected back to the router, each disc will indeed get the full available speed, I indeed ran with 9 discs in one of the most insane Wholehome setups ever: A Story - BT Wholehome AC2600 9 Disc Setup (Anyone... - BT Community

However even whilst using ethernet each disc causes an issue, you cannot set each disc on a different channel to one another, they'll all be thunking traffic over the same channel so indeed, there will be interference all the time, you might get 500Mbps in one room but this will then load up the other discs near by etc.

Ive moved the Unifi now and have every AP that are close enough together to cross talk on channels far enough apart so they do not, using 80Mhz, this will allow for compatible devices to reach 850Mbps on a single AP whilst the neighbouring ones can also serve the same speed at the same time. Having a system like that really opens the eyes, when I first got it and ran a couple speed test prior to messing with the radios, maxing out one AP would also 100% load up the neighbouring one with interference almost rendering it useless.

So yeah, actually when all discs are on the same channel, less can indeed be better.

Re: Regular reductions in speed

Jiggy — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 13:01:55 GMT

OMG! I thought I had issues 😱 good luck with your set up! Strange that we’ve put men on the moon Tesla can use satellites for wifi and the JWST can send signals from millions of miles away but WiFi drops through a wall 😂😱