This topic

So....throttling...

CJP — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:12:39 GMT

I'm on the 500Mbps "semi-skimmed" Fibre plan and speed-tests are fine.

I've been trying to download from a friend's Seadrive server and I can NEVER get more than 3MB/s. Some sketchy BBC and Twitter performance, too, but everything else seems to fine.

This 3MB/s limit is the same no matter what PC I use. Even my mobile phone maxes out at 3MB/s, except when I turn off Wifi and use 4G instead. When I do that the download speeds rise to around 20MB/s.

I did try my VPN on one of the PCs and couldn't see much difference. I just tried a different VPN, one that I don't often use, and it jumped to to around the same 20-30MB/s.

So what's going on here? BT Tech guy came this morning and swapped out the router. Didn't make any difference. He was stumped.

The only possible explanation is that BT is throttling some inbound traffic. Maybe port-specific, I don't know how that works.

Re: So....throttling...

licquorice — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:13:02 GMT

@CJP wrote:

The only possible explanation is that BT is throttling some inbound traffic. Maybe port-specific, I don't know how that works.

That is obviously not the only explanation as BT do not throttle anything.

Re: So....throttling...

CJP — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:14:17 GMT

So what else? Gladly test all hypotheses.

Re: So....throttling...

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:20:02 GMT

Perhaps that is the maximum speed your friends outbound network and/or server can manage?

Re: So....throttling...

CJP — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:22:43 GMT

No. There are others getting much higher from all around the world. As a matter of fact I am the only one in the UK. His server is hosted in the UK. Everyone else is in Canada, US, Australia and New Zealand.

Re: So....throttling...

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:29:35 GMT

I'd start by trying different DNS on your PC.

Re: So....throttling...

Keith_Beddoe — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:29:44 GMT

I assume they must be using a torrent, if they are serving multiple locations?

Re: So....throttling...

CJP — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:34:46 GMT

Thanks. Did look at that a few days ago, but got a little bit lost. Will have another look.

Re: So....throttling...

CJP — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:36:11 GMT

No, not torrents.

Access is done via browser (which isn't great) or via Client app which integrates into Windows File Explorer, so acts like a physical drive, and you can copy, paste, upload etc etc.

Re: So....throttling...

CJP — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:38:37 GMT

I think it was actually Keith's post in an earlier thread that confused me...

https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-setup-Wi-Fi-network/smart-hub-2-dns-settings/td-p/2301272

Will look at individual DNS settings.

Re: So....throttling...

CJP — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:48:46 GMT

Tried Google's DNS...no change.

Still maxes at 3MB/s

Re: So....throttling...

CJP — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 12:23:04 GMT

So....this is interesting.

Just started a trial of NordVPN and my download speeds from the same server are 15/16 times faster. Instead of downloading at 3MB/s I am now downloading at around 45-50MB/s.

If this isn't throttling or another type of traffic control, then what is it?

Re: So....throttling...

Les-Gibson — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 13:04:17 GMT

In message 1, you said " I just tried a different VPN, one that I don't often use, and it jumped to to around the same 20-30MB/s."

In message 12, you said "Just started a trial of NordVPN and my download speeds from the same server are 15/16 times faster. Instead of downloading at 3MB/s I am now downloading at around 45-50MB/s."

I suspect you 've answered the question yourself but you could try a free trial with 3rd VPN provider to confirm

Re: So....throttling...

CJP — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 13:11:05 GMT

The first VPN trial was with one of those cheap ones. You know the type...lifetime VPN for £30. But as I tested more, I was getting very flaky performance. Some allowed nothing, some were about 10MB/s and it was rare to get the 20-30MB/s I saw early on.

On that basis, though I would try with a better VPN like Nord. And...yep...tried two large files now and both were downloading at up to 50MB/s.
There may well be another explanation....but I can't think of it. So, Occam's Razor. BT are doing something!

Re: So....throttling...

wkirkman — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 23:55:20 GMT

Hello,

Could just be a bad route. There are many times where the route traffic takes goes through a router that is having issues. First thing I would do is run an MTR trace route test from a Linux machine at your location to the server IP Address and see if there is a router along the route losing packets - happens all the time. The reason a VPN you are using won't have the same issue is that the VPN may well take a different route as it is going to the VPN's server, and only then releasing your traffic into the wild, which would then take a route from VPN Server to your hosted Server.

I suppose you could see it like you taking your car to work and always going the same route that has pot holes in the road. Instead you take the VPN bus that goes a different route and drops you off, and you then can walk a new route to work from the drop off point.

So worth checking as it might not be BT themselves, but might just be a point between the two points you are trying to go between (you and hosted server) which is not necessarily under BT control, and nothing you or they could do anything about anyway. In my line of work I see this all the time as I work for a bespoke VPN company.

Re: So....throttling...

CJP — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 09:33:06 GMT

Thanks for the response. That is a possibility.

I'd like to think that this would have been resolved over time, but it has been a couple of weeks since the server was set up. We were originally using Nextcloud, now Seafile, and that was working fine for all the time it was being used. Not that this matters but it had to be changed because of hard-drive failure and Nextcloud's unwillingness to support external drives.

I still should have an open complaint with BT so let's see whether that amounts to anything.

Don't have a Linux machine here...but I do appreciate the response! Thanks again.

Re: So....throttling...

Crimliar — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 09:44:10 GMT

DNS translates readable addresses to IP (and a little bit more), once the connection is made it won't do anything to speed up or slow down your data rates.
*There are a few exceptions where BT DNS will point you to content servers within their own network, but it's rare and commercial stuff only.

Re: So....throttling...

WSH — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 13:13:56 GMT

Clearly your VPN service provider's server is acting as a bottleneck. Probably oversubscrbed. Pay cheap, get cheap.

Oh, and I'd fully agree with Crimliar. DNS has nothing to do with connection speed.

Re: So....throttling...

CJP — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 14:29:53 GMT

I'll recap on my experiences...

BT (no VPN) - 3MB/s

Cheap VPN - 0MB/s up to 30MB/s

Nord VPN - 40-50MB/s

Even with the cheap VPN download speeds from the server, it is often much much better than using BT network.

As for DNS, I was only responding to someone offering advice. I tested the hypothesis, and it didn't make any difference. I don't think this needs mentioning again.

Re: So....throttling...

WSH — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 16:08:06 GMT

Sorry, misread message 14.