Full Fibre Installation

[pddco]

In all these cases the best speed tester to use is within the  MyBT App. It’s under the My Products section, Broadband. It tells you the speed to the hub and , on the same page, the speed to the device that requested the speed test. 

So, you’ve got a problem with the service ( to the hub) you can see that instantly in plain sight. And if you’ve got a problem with your “customer side” stuff like WiFi or a dodgy Ethernet cable, you can see that too. 

There are quite a few advocates saying using fast.com.. But why would you, if you’re a BT broadband customer? Or am I missing something? 

[gg30340]

Fast.com is what the Openreach engineers use.

[licquorice]

Not sure how the speed to the hub can be measured with the MyBT app with FTTP, the speed will always be 1Gbps from the ONT to the hub regardless of speed to the ONT.

[pddco]

What??? It’s the speed from wherever the server is that instigates the test to the customer’s hub via the broadband service that’s been delivered. Surely.. I’ve got FTTP and yes the Ethernet link speed from the ONT to the Hub is indeed 1Gbps but that’s not what’s being checked is it? I run a test and I get 150Mbps download to the hub which is bang on for my fibre 100 service that I’m paying for.. 

And of course Openreach will likely use fast.com as they’re absolutely not bothered about the customer’s WiFi performance. They’ll simply use an Ethernet cable either from a Hub port or the ONT.

If you use fast.com from a WiFi device it’ll only tell you the speed from the fast.com server or whatever to the device. So will be the lesser of the broadband service speed being delivered by BT in this case and whatever the vagaries of the WiFI connection have on the speed between the hub and the device. 
If the WiFi is great it’ll damn near match the broadband service speed. But if it turns out less than you’re expecting then what you definitely don’t know is wether that reduced speed is due to a service speed issue (to the hub)  or between the hub and the device.. Think I’ve said that before.

Now , if you were to use a good quality (not dodgy) Ethernet cable connected to hub and then to a PC running fast.com then agreed that speed result should match your expected broadband service speed. 

[licquorice]

I have absolutely no idea what's being checked, but to me 'speed to the hub' means the Phy speed to the hub but clearly not.

[Jane2018]

I got FTTP recently (but via Community Fibre, not BT but have kept my BT broadband as back up for now). The speed quoted is very low indeed particularly if we are talking about an ethernet cable from there into a computer.  I installed a new network adapter card by the way into my new computer so that my computer could get a higher speed (I have up to 5GB - very fast  with CF and usually get between 3.4GB to 4.8GB on my computer with ethernet cable using the fast speed checker of which I had never heard until the installation man suggested it rather than my usual). Before I installed the new card thing into my PC my PC was capped at 1GB although 1GB is more than enough for most people anyway.

[Kimberlin]

@gg30340 

Thanks for that. Not heard of that speed test before. Just ran it ethernet connected into my laptop, 510mbps on a 500mbps package 👍

[linkyyork]

Thank you for all the comments and queries. Can I just say that before Full Fibre, we were on FFTC, and on that, both of our computers were upstairs, with the modem connected to one computer with the yellow Ethernet cable. We never got to full speed, around 60, but it seemed OK we were quite happy to accept that figure.

When the engineer came to fit the FFTP he asked where the modem was and said it should come downstairs, where it is now fitted, connected to the wall socket with the Ethernet cable.

Now today when the BT man phoned he said they had tested the cable from the Exchange to the house and it was at 400+ . He asked if I had tested it on a mobile and as I hadn't he sent something that allowed me a carry out a speed check on the phone. When it was completed twoboxes came up. one which was the test for the phone, and the other one was the test to the house which showed the results of  400+ plus the up measurement of around 70. The BT man could see the results of the test his end

The speed has gone up a bit on my computer but only 50+

The wife has done a speed test downstairs and that came to 400.  My mobile showed a lower speed.

Right where do I go from here, because I was surprised the fitter on Monday didn't check it was working OK going only by the light . Can I get BT to come in the house and offer some advice at how to proceed.

Thanks again to everyone.

[licquorice]

I'm afraid the problem is yours, not BT's. Internal wiring and WiFi coverage are entirely your responsibility.

Increasing the speed to the house will not increase the speed of WiFi. With FTTC, the speed of the broadband would have been the limiting factor, it is now your WiFi.

You can either invest in a WiFI  mesh system or powerline adapters with WiFi and Ethernet 

https://community.bt.com/t5/BT-Devices/What-disc-do-I-have-BT-Complete-Wi-Fi-or-BT-Whole-Home-Mini/t...  for BT options, but there are many tird party systems or 

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/powerline/  for powerline solutions

[WSH]

Presumably by “modem” you mean the Smart Hub 2 router.  (The modem is the box with lights that the engineer fitted to the wall – called an ONT or Optical Network Terminal).

You say the Smart Hub has been moved downstairs so you must now be connected via Wi-Fi.  That will really knock the speed down.  You really need ethernet cable to get the full benefit of the FTTP speed increase.

Edit:  Oops, Licquorice beat me to it...again.