bt internet down speed really gone down recently...

nikolii · 14 Aug 2010 at 19:12

i have bt internet and i used to get on the internet speed test thing 6 mbs down speed but now only get about 2.
also my downloads on steam are down from 700-800 kbs to about 100ish :/
any help? i have the normal unlimited usage package so it isn't my dl limit im guessing.
and my pc is the ultima viper so hardware side i don't think there is a slow down.
help please.
cheers

Mougabi · 14 Aug 2010 at 23:01

How much downloading have you been doing, unlimited usage package with BT has a fare usage policy and if you go over then your downloads will go down to 100k. You are on unlimited usage not unlimited downloads.
Goto http://speedtester.bt.com/ and put all your details in then run test.
If you are capped to 100k then it will show your line at full speed but download at 100k.
Give it a go, that's why I moved to Fast.co.uk they are expensive but I get 5x the speed BT gives and double the upload.

Rroff · 14 Aug 2010 at 23:07

Can you get the sync speed from the router? freak line conditions can sometimes knock the profile back for a few days before it recovers.

Also as above BT throttle users at peak times even on the "unlimited" packages if you exceed 100gig a month. You will see speeds around 100KB/s at peak times 5pm-midnight if you are being traffic managed for heavy use.

nikolii · 14 Aug 2010 at 23:47

it seems like im being throttled but tbh i haven't dled more than 20 gb at the absolute most since the beginning of august :/ so i dont see why id be throttled because now its slowly going up near 12ish.

and what dose all this mean ?
Download speedachieved during the test was - 2961 Kbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speedsis 1000-7150 Kbps.
Additional Information:
Your DSL Connection Rate :8127 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 443 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP Profile for your line is - 7000 Kbps
The throughput of Best Efforts (BE) classes achieved during the test is - 14.24:25.79:59.97 (SBE:NBE

BE)
These figures represent the ratio while sententiously passing Sub BE, Normal BE and Priority BE marked traffic.

The results of this test will vary depending on the way your ISP has decided to use these traffic classes.

for the bt test?
cheers

Rroff · 14 Aug 2010 at 23:52

Doesn't look like your throttled. 7Mbit profile and 8Mbit sync means your line is working properly, 3Mbit throughput is above traffic managed levels, Best Effort classes are within normal range. It could be your exchange is over-subscribed and your seeing contention (AFAIK BE classes only change based on traffic conditions in the overall network and not those more localised).

Do you know what exchange you are on?

nikolii · 14 Aug 2010 at 23:59

err i live in london but i have no clue what a exchange is tbh :/
im not network savey tbh sorry

Rroff · 15 Aug 2010 at 00:09

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange_search

enter details there should show you what exchange and if theres known issues on it.

nikolii · 15 Aug 2010 at 00:12

okay if it means anything its back to what speed it usualy is

but i never got effected by peak times before its only recently :/
could ringing up bt and having a word help at all?

and is that good? http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/LSLEE
or poop
cheers

Rroff · 15 Aug 2010 at 00:14

They should tell you for definite if your being traffic managed (you should have got an email too). They may also be able to tell you if its just exchange congestion - but if its only just started happening and is due to the exchange being over subscribed they might not have caught onto it yet.

nikolii · 15 Aug 2010 at 00:17

ahh would a call to bt help at all? like switch up to a less congested exchange or something to help me get more consistent speeds at all times?
cheers

Rroff · 15 Aug 2010 at 00:29

You can't move exchange.

The current status on that exchange is green but traffic levels are quite high so its possible your seeing degraded performance at peak times (should still see 2Mbit/s or higher tho).

You do have the option of lots of other ISPs including LLU and you should be getting fiber connectivity within the next few months. So depending on your contract with BT you could change (BE would be a good option) - theres even cable available in some parts.

As a random aside - I used to live in Grove Park a few years back

nikolii · 15 Aug 2010 at 00:33

wow really? you know the cemetery? my mums fiencee works there ^^ and mm bt do fiber is that any good or worth while?
also what would explain the sudden decline at peak times though? like it used to be 1.1 mbs dl like actually dling stuff of steam at 1.1 mbs at about 7 in the evening
cheers

Rroff · 15 Aug 2010 at 00:41

Yeah used to have a flat just off Burnt Ash when I was working in London.

RFS date for Fiber in your area is December - but likely to be enabled before that. It would be better than ADSL tho.

Assuming no one else is using the connection at your end and causing the slowdown (no ones running torrents or anything?) my best guess would be theres more congestion at peak times than the BT system shows.

nikolii · 15 Aug 2010 at 00:45

nah only me except maybe one person doing very casual facebook sort of browsing on rare occasions .
ahh fair enough well hope it at least dosnt drop to 100kbs at peak times :/ would using a wire to connect my pc work some wonders? im on 4 out of 5 bars wireless?

Rroff · 15 Aug 2010 at 00:47

If your using wireless grab a copy of this:

http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider

and see what other wireless networks are in your area - if your sharing channels with a lot of other users its possible swapping to wired or changing wireless channels would help.

nikolii · 15 Aug 2010 at 00:50

oh no i dont mean like im connecting to wireless miles away like i have a voyager hub at home its just i use wireless.
also would asking nicely for a new home hub work? for free? like pap payed by me and would that help at all? or should i just accept the fact my internet will be a lot slow from now on?

also am on the best wireless near me but cheers for the suggestion

Rroff · 15 Aug 2010 at 19:23

I was talking about your local wireless - if your wireless at home is sharing a channel with lots of other people in the area then it could degrade performance quite badly resulting in poor internet speeds.

nikolii · 15 Aug 2010 at 22:44

nah its only me using it dw rang up bt and working things out

but cheers for all the help