very slow download speeds...

[ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts]

im only managing to get 0.2mbps at the mo. its shockingly slow. slower than dial up was!

i have spent nearly all day on the phone to Talktalk trying different things to no avail. tech guy coming out to me... on bloody 4th march!

my question is... my router is next to my surround sound system... could that be causing it? Talktalk say i should be getting about 4 - 6mbps but nobody can work out why im not. would the speaker/subwoofer make a difference? or am i clutching at very distant straws?

[Naoko]

Are you connecting wirelessly, or via a cable between your computer and the router? If wirelessly, you first need to establish where the bottleneck is - in your wireless or in the connection itself. Connect your laptop or PC with a cable and see if it helps. If it does, the wireless is the problem. If not, you've excluded that as a possibility.

If the wireless is the problem, your surround sound could be interfering, anything electrical theoretically can, but it's more likely to be something that also uses wireless technology, like a cordless phone. Alternatively, wireless routers can use several 'channels' to broadcast the network, and if your neighbour's router is using the same channel as yours, that could interfere - change the channel (your manual will tell you how) and again, see if it helps. Final possibilities are someone else using your connection (I assume when you get your 0.2Mbps you're the only person in the house using it), so make sure the connection is properly secured and password protected, a fault in the router, or a settings conflict of some sort - the latter would be a bugger to track down, so try all the other stuff first.

If you're not on wireless, or you are but things don't improve when you test with a cable, you need to establish if the problem is with your equipment or settings, or if it's a connection problem Talktalk's end. You can't do anything about the latter, they'd have to fix it. The former - well, router could be faulty, do you have a spare to test with? Also, even if you're on a cable, if the router is wireless capable and the wireless is on, make sure it's secured or someone could be piggybacking onto it.

[ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts]

ok i think I've understood everything you've said.

I've done four speed tests over the course of today and the exchange is getting about 24mbps and it drops at my end.

no fault with phone line.

router is only four days old they sent a new one as a precaution and it hasn't changed a thing.

tech guy told me how to get into the router and changed a few settings while i was logged in as him. stumped really.

[ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts]

i should have said the speeds we were getting on the test were when the laptop was connected to the router with the Ethernet cable. wireless is even worse.

[niceguy2]

OK, do you remember how you got into the router? Usually it will be typing something like 192.168.0.1 into your browser. When prompted for the username/password, usually it is admin/admin.

Once in, click on the advanced button on the left. Next click on the status tab along the top.

What does it say is your Downstream Line Rate? Mine says 5844 kbps

Next, on the left, click on Statistics. Under ADSL statistics, what is your SNR Margin and Attenuation for downstream?


A few more questions. Is your router plugged into the main telephone point? Have you tried swapping the ADSL filter? Borrow a neighbours or a friends if you do not have a spare.

[ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts]

hi yes it's all in the master socket. i have tried a different filter yes.

when i type my IP into the search bar all the things say 0 as i have no adsl connection at all now. its infuriating. every time i call them there are no faults on the line. this is the third fault in 30 days and we have been without service for 13 of those days. im livid with them. they just keep saying "we need to fix the phone before we can fix the broadband" but I've never reported a fault with the phone and the line tests are clear.

[nannynick]

What are the weather conditions? Rain can flood telephone connection points (whatever they are called where you see the manhole cover). I've known that to happen and take ages for Openreach to fix.

I have also known a line to be damaged by a squirrel - which bit through the phone line (it was on pole somewhere in woodland). The voice part worked though, bit crackly. Data just died!

If you have no ADSL connection at all, then there must be a line problem somewhere. I presume you are getting a dial tone fine, so it's the data side of the line rather than voice. That could be down to various things.

Disconnect the router for a bit, then reconnect it. See if it will establish an ADSL connection. Once it has a connection, the line speed will gradually be increased as the hardware at the exchange detects that the line is working.

[ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts]

phone is working fine, receiving and making calls ok. no adverse weather here at all. lovely dry days for the last week or so. no telephone poles with cables here, it all goes underground so i can't see anything with my own eyes.

I've turned the router off, seems silly to waste my electric for it when's useless. ill probably turn it back on later to see if anything miraculous has happened.

[nannynick]

Leave it 30 mins then switch back on. The line with luck will have reset and will be trying to reestablish the connection.

[ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts]

it was off for about 40mins and still the same as before. no adsl connection at all.

[niceguy2]

All things do point towards a line problem.

[ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts]

BT openreach came today and there was a dodge connection outside so he's fixed that and speeds are back up to about 5meg. happy coconuts

thanks for all your help and advice

[nannynick]

Good to hear its running faster now.