This topic

Broadband Speed

ncartwr — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 16:32:38 GMT

So I have been having issues with my broadband speed multiple times the BT app reports that my speed doesn't meet their stay fast guarantee. I'm paying for 900mb and simply not getting anywhere that speed. Tonight I have run a speed check after loging onto my BT account via my PC on an ethernet connection and had the error message ' your hub is on line there is a problem on the network'. The contact us link helpfully takes you to their what do you want help with Web page. The chat bot takes you round in circles can anybody advise as to a shortcut to success to resolve this.

Re: Broadband Speed

gg30340 — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 16:38:37 GMT

Try running a speed test using the Internet Speed Test | Fast.com speed tester.

Re: Broadband Speed

ncartwr — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 16:48:08 GMT

Re: Broadband Speed

gg30340 — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 17:46:10 GMT

Call BT 0330.1234.150 and report a fault. They should run tests and take the appropriate action.

Re: Broadband Speed

ncartwr — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 18:42:54 GMT

I willl give that a try I'm not holding out much hope though all I want is what I'm paying for and to be able to work effectively from home. As you would expect I've just run a speed test from the BT app and apparently everything is fine absolute nonsense

Re: Broadband Speed

licquorice — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 19:25:18 GMT

I'm sure you can work perfectly effectively from home with that speed.

Re: Broadband Speed

ncartwr — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 20:37:44 GMT

Really!! It's useful to know a speed od 330mb is fine for working from home, it isn't!!

That's not particularly helpful when there are multiple other devices connected and it takes minutes to print drawings from AutoCAD especially when I'm paying for 900mb

Re: Broadband Speed

Kimberlin — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 21:05:18 GMT

@ncartwr I don’t disbelieve you regarding your stated requirement for 900mbps, but my Wife works from home in a very busy Local Government environment and we manage without any issues on 500mbps with 30 devices connected via WiFi at any time.

We don’t however use an ISP router preferring to use a decent 3rd party alternative. I hope you’re not paying an insane amount of money every month. As has been pointed out, reach out to BT if you’re not happy with the speeds you’re currently getting.

Re: Broadband Speed

ncartwr — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 21:21:58 GMT

Thank you, not really much help when I'm supposed to be guaranteed 900mbs and at best getting 380mb and NO it isn't sufficient for my needs for working from home.

Re: Broadband Speed

Kimberlin — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 21:35:00 GMT

How long have you had the contract for 900mb?

Have you tried rebooting the hub to see if that clears the cache? Apologies in advance if you’ve already tried that.

As I say, I don’t disbelieve your requirement for 900mb, but for probably a lot of domestic broadband customers, it would be complete overkill. Then again, I don’t understand the complexity of your requirements. Have you recently moved to BT from elsewhere? Did you have this issue before working from home?

Re: Broadband Speed

gg30340 — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 21:49:12 GMT

@ncartwr

You are paying for 900mbps so that is what you should get from BT regardless of whether not you need or use it.

There will be some overheads which will mean you may get less than 900mbps but those overheads will be nowhere near the speeds that you are presently getting which is well below your guaranteed speed.

The speed test which I posted is the one that Openreach engineers have been told to use so it should be fairly accurate.

As I previously stated you need to call BT 0330.1234.150 and report a fault. They should run tests and take the appropriate action. Make sure to tell them the speeds that you are getting and that you will be invoking the "speed guarantee". That will start the clock running which gives BT 30 days to get the speeds back to what they should be.

What is BT's Stay Fast Guarantee? | BT Help

Re: Broadband Speed

Kodikid — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 07:58:49 GMT

The speeds you're experiencing is what is expected from the SH2, some might say anything over 300mbps over wifi is a bonus.

So you'll just go round in circles if you think BT can improve it given your current router set up.

To really take advantage of the 900mbps you're paying for you need a third party router.

Re: Broadband Speed

gg30340 — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 09:40:45 GMT

It's up to you if you want to believe @Kodikid but this is what I get on a BT 500mbps package using wifi on a mobile phone on my home BT Broadband using a Smarthub2.

Re: Broadband Speed

licquorice — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 10:46:23 GMT

@Kodikid spreading his usual fud despite multiple evidence to the contrary.

Re: Broadband Speed

ncartwr — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 19:22:16 GMT

What router would you recommend

Re: Broadband Speed

Kimberlin — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 20:13:56 GMT

@ncartwr Firstly, you may not need to change your ISP router at all, there may be underlying issues causing your download speed issues, so it might be worth giving BT the chance to investigate and rectify.

From a personal perspective, I stopped using ISP routers around 7 years ago mostly because I have a degree of control over my router that I don’t have using an ISP router. I have around 30 WiFi devices connected, everything from IP security cameras, dishwasher, washing machine, a whole host of clients connected, many at the same time.

There are plenty of very good 3rd party routers out there, but of course it all comes down to how much you want to spend. I own a TP-Link GX90. It’s a WiFi 6 router which has served me very well for the past 3.5 years. I’ve had zero issues with it on both BT and Plusnet and my 500mbps package is rock solid at the package speed. I’ve optimised my router settings to suit our home setup. The cost of the router isn’t cheap though at £300, but in my view, it’s been money well spent.

Re: Broadband Speed

Kodikid — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 21:19:52 GMT

I personally bought the EE wifi 6 router off Ebay for around £25. You could even splash out on a EE wifi 7 router for a bit extra. Both plug and play with BT/plusnet broadband.

I've nothing against the SH2 but it was released in 2019 and is wifi 5 enabled making BT the only isp not to improve it's router in the last six years.

With the 900mbps BT are selling a Ferrari with a Fiesta engine

Re: Broadband Speed

gg30340 — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 22:14:40 GMT

@ncartwr

If you are only getting 380Mbps when using Ethernet I fail to see how @Kodikid can say it as a problem with the wifi on the Smarthub 2, other than he doesn't know what he is talking about.

You need to get the underlying problem of your Ethernet speed not delivering 900Mbps resolved before you even consider what you would get using wifi. Wifi is a by product of the the speed delivered to your router. If the router is not receiving the full speed how can it possibly give the full speed by wifi.

The BT Smarthub 2 can deliver 900Mbps.

As I said and others have also previously stated they get the speeds that they are paying for on their 900Mbps package so what @Kodikid has said is only his opinion and an incorrect one and not a fact.

If you were to follow his "advice" and buy a new router without getting your Ethernet speed resolved you will be wasting your money.

Re: Broadband Speed

pddco — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 22:28:32 GMT

Don’t want to state the obvious, but I will in any case, can I take it that the Ethernet cable from the ONT to the hub has been changed and ruled out as being at fault? Does the hub stats show the link speed ( to/from the ONT ) as 1000Mbps?

Re: Broadband Speed

gg30340 — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 08:27:19 GMT

Out of interest I dug out my laptop which only uses 2.4Ghz and I did a speed test using wifi on my BT 500Mbps package and I got the following result which again knocks the opinion that you will be lucky to get 300 mbps on wifi using a Smarthub 2.