Poor speeds - FTTP

[Ewan1]

"Have you checked the settings on your laptop Ethernet port? As you are getting a bit less than 100Mbps it may not be configured correctly. My desktop is supposed to have 1Gb capability but I never get more than 500Mbps no matter how I configure it. If I plug the same cable into a more recent laptop I get the full 900Mbps so it could just be your Ethernet port that is faulty."

Older hardware cannot handle these speeds. My desktop motherboard ethernet port is great up to about 300Mbps beyond that it causes the system to freeze intermittently,  especially if you force it by running a speed test. Using a USB converter cable I can get 750Mbps. The Desktop is about 10 years old now.

I would switch on the WIFI and test it with a modern smart phone for example, you should get at least half your contracted speed as WIFI is half Duplex (can't send and receive simultaneously, unlike Cat 5+ ethernet cables )

[Madhatter007]

@Ewan1, I dont have the GB laptop with the dedicated port, the port is fine as the person I borrowed from was hitting 800 on it.
I have two USB C dongles by different makers and not sure how to test them?
If anyone knows how please share?

[iniltous]

The router isn’t reporting a sync speed , FTTP  isn’t a rate adaptive system , every connection on the PON is the same , the different speed profiles  available on GPON are achieved by restricting the port speed of the individual ONT connected to the PON , that is set when your service was provisioned / configured initially ….if this were an issue with the PON , all users would be equally affected , unless the issue was with the ONT or the users own equipment.

There was a similar post on another ( more technical in nature ) very similar to this , in fact it was a  MacBook using USB dongles ( presumably because the width of the machine means an Ethernet port physically won’t fit ) and the issues were so similar that leads me to think it may even  have been you, however with that discussion  it wasn’t BT that supplied the service but another ISP , in fact if I recall correctly that person switched ISP ( neither the original or new ISP was BT ) but no improvement was made .

Depending on how well  you and your neighbours get on , if possible try your  wired kit in a near neighbours  address  ( with OR FTTP  )  a very near neighbour to ensure you much as possible that they are on the same splitter as you ) and preferably try their wired kit at your address as well .

The other thing is obviously don’t keep trying the same speed tester site , especially one owned by a competitor network.

[Madhatter007]

Sadly none of the neighbours with fibre. I know well enough to ask them.

Am I right in reading your post that the hub speed isn't the line speed? What I meant by synch is the line speed. If so why do BT use it as meeting minimum. guarantee.

[pippincp]

What does fast.com report as you speed?

[Madhatter007]

Two Fast.com tests seconds apart.
One was 310, second one stopped on 71. They did something yesterday and its made the uploads half what they were, before, they were rock solid in the range 68 - 73 but not never more than 50.

PrivacyEnglish (US)
Your Internet speed is
320

Mbps
Latency
Unloaded
3 ms

Loaded
4 ms
Upload
Speed
49

----------------------------------
PrivacyEnglish (US)
71

Mbps

[iniltous]

You need a different point of view with regards to GPON FTTP compared to FTTC/ADSL…the total bandwidth is around 2.5Gb download ( ignoring upload for now ) ,  downstream ‘data’ is broadcast to all ONT’s on the PON  from the OLT  , so your ONT ‘receives ’ every downstream data packet , as does every other ONT on the PON ,this aggregated data maxes out at 2.5Gb if the demand is such , if no one is consuming data ( so at ‘idle’ so to speak ) then it’s not 2.5Gb but whatever the demand  is at that particular instant in time , your ONT is only interested in the data addressed to it , ignoring everyone else’s ‘data’ , if you ran a speed test on a 500Mb profile , and the total aggregate demand, including your speed test were less than 2.5Gb then your speed test result would be ( near enough ) your profile speed , this is the normal state .

Your ONT is set to a profile ( say 500Mb ) next door could be 150Mb ,  the data ‘hitting’  both your ONTs is identical, in content and speed , your ONT provides the limit , in this example the neighbour is limited to 150Mb by the ONT , you 500Mb by your ONT , even if you are the only two ONT connected to the PON ,  this 2.5Gb is shared , regardless if there being one ONT or 30 ONT’s , if there were 30 ONT connected and each were simultaneously downloading multi Gb files ( not very likely ) that is less than 84Mb each ( ignoring dynamic bandwidth allocation for now ) , so a speed test in these conditions, the speed to hub ( what you call the line speed ) won’t show the profile speed , it will show the actual rate data is being received, but generally 2.5Gb  is more than sufficient so in all but extreme conditions a speed test will be the profile speed less any Ethernet overheads , so on a 500Mb profile, around 480Mb .

Because the chances are there will be many fewer than 30 ONT on the PON , and the majority will be ticking over consuming (relatively) tiny amount of bandwidth, and the ‘bursting’ nature of data transmission, 2.5Gb is more than plentiful, so that a 900Mb customer can be guaranteed 700Mb .

TBH , in your case , I would suggest you need to either borrow someone else’s equipment that doesn’t have an issue on their own FTTP service , or take your kit to an address with OR FTTP and ‘prove’ it performs correctly, (or confirms the problem moves with your kit) as stated earlier your issue seems virtually identical to a recent post on another forum , even to the point of using the same manufacturer of equipment.

I think the least likely problem will be with the PON itself as every user would suffer the same problem as you , it’s conceivable that your ONT is faulty , and if you have reported a fault , a change of ONT would be  useful if simply to eliminate it as the cause.

[Madhatter007]

Unfortunately I don't know anyone on OR FTTP to ask, do have access to VM 1GB line, would that be good enough to rule kit out or has to be Open Reach line?

[iniltous]

It could be helpful as far as your equipment is concerned ( as far as ruling it out as the issue) trying it  on a VM service but doesn’t help as far as using ,  not just Openreach FTTP but another ONT on the same PON in fact the same splitter you are on, hence a very near neighbour.

Try reporting the problem although to a certain extent you may get resistance if the speed to the hub is fine , should a visit be arranged suggest a change of ONT to eliminate that when the OR tech arrives.

[Madhatter007]

I tried the laptop and both dingles at my friends house and speeds were 900 on his 1GB line.
Dongle is GB capable. It can't be the issue of the variable speeds?

BT are sending an engineer out this Thursday. So hopefully gets resolved.

Thank you all for your help.