[Syncmaster75]

Hi Everyone,

 

Having moved house and switched to Plusnet as my ISP I've always had a really slow internet connection, somewhere between 1.5 and 2MBps, sync rates have varied from 1700 to 2400 with SNR going from 9 to 12dB. I've had the line checked and after a couple of disconnections the Openreach engineers have been out a couple of times to sort the line out, apparently its now ok. Plusnet say my connection is about as good as they'd expect and won't do anything more, so I've been doing some more investigating myself.

 

I have 2 routers, the Plusenet freebie (a Sagecom 2704n) - this reports a line attenuation of 64dB on ADSL 2+ which is consistent with the kind of speed I'm getting. SNR on this has been down at 6dB but is now varying from 9-12dB

 

The other router, an older D-Link DSL 2640R reports a line attenuation of 53.5dB also on ADSL2+ which should give me a sync rate of ~4200 - the trouble is I think this router is faulty - it won't accept the current date/time, generates thousands of HEC errors per hour and drops and resets the connection every 10 - 24hrs, so it never gets to the max sync rate it seems to be capable of.

 

I can't understand why the line attenuation is so different between the 2 routers. If I force the Sagecom router to use ADSL2 only by disabling ADSL2+, the reported line attenuation drops to 54dB but the sync rate still doesn't get much higher than 2200. My question is, would it be worth me buying a better router in the hopes that this sees a line attenuation of ~53dB and is stable enough to get to a sync rate of ~ 4200 (still poor, I know), or is the line the problem? I live much closer to the exchange than my brother-in-law (same exchange) who gets sync rates of up to 6500 and SNR stable at 6dB

 

Any advice greatly appreciated, thanks.

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Hi,

 

I think the situation has been summed up here by Plusnet's comments:

Plusnet say my connection is about as good as they'd expect

 

 

You could try a new router (best to borrow one from a chum) and see if that improved things a little....

 

Alternatives I can think of are Fibre optics (if your location has it)

 

A different ISP  (may be a marginal improvement)

 

Using 4 g via a phone (if its available)

 

or if you have deep pockets a satellite system!

 

Otherwise its a question of making sure that each component in the chain from Internet backbone to your computer is running efficiently as possible.

 

presumably you have tried all the usual stuff like plugging into the test socket of the BT Master socket ( removing the face plate first of course) only using Ethernet, not wifi, correct fllters on all BT sockets (try changing them..the filters)  etc

 

regards

paws

[paws]

Hi,

 

I think the situation has been summed up here by Plusnet's comments:

Plusnet say my connection is about as good as they'd expect

 

 

You could try a new router (best to borrow one from a chum) and see if that improved things a little....

 

Alternatives I can think of are Fibre optics (if your location has it)

 

A different ISP  (may be a marginal improvement)

 

Using 4 g via a phone (if its available)

 

or if you have deep pockets a satellite system!

 

Otherwise its a question of making sure that each component in the chain from Internet backbone to your computer is running efficiently as possible.

 

presumably you have tried all the usual stuff like plugging into the test socket of the BT Master socket ( removing the face plate first of course) only using Ethernet, not wifi, correct fllters on all BT sockets (try changing them..the filters)  etc

 

regards

paws

[Syncmaster75]

Thanks Paws, I have indeed tried wiring the router direct to the test socket; I always use ethernet between the router and the pc. No significant difference in stats between test socket and the usual extension but then I have re-wired this extension using proper cw1308 twisted pair cable and a new face plate so I wasn't expecting this to have an effect. I've also tried a variety of microfilters.

 

Can't help feeling the 'it's as good as it's going to get' answer leaves some questions unaddressed, such as why the line attenuation varies by 10dB between the two routers? Surely line attenuation is a property of the line only and so should be independant of the router?

 

Also why is my sync rate so much lower (and line attenuation higher) than my brother-in-law's when I live much closer to the same exchange? And why does my line have SNR of 9 or higher, currently 13.2, if DLM tries to stabilize at 6dB?

 

All suggestions welcome

[paws]

Yep all understood

Its certainly a connundrum,

 

All I can suggest on the other points is that although most routers use Linux for their operating systems, and one would think that two similar routers would provide broadly similar readings.... often they don't!  

Perhaps its a "measuring" discrepancy rather than a "real" one.

 

As to the distance issue, remember that its not the distance from the Exchange by line of sight that's important, it's the actual length of copper wire twixt your computer and the exchange thats the key.

 

Oftentimes the wires go up and down every telegraph pole on the route with all the "lovely" junctions on each one covered in verdigris and so leading to losses or additional signal noise.... there are also diversions where the copper wires take into every cul de sac and close along the journey...  so although your brother may live further from the exchange there may be a lesser length of copper wire involved with his connection or maybe even some of the junctions are brighter and shinier!

 

I sometimes think there is as much art as science in some of this!

 

Regards

paws