Poor speed & eratic line stats.

[macmilm]

Hi all,

Only just got my BB unlimited connected on friday AFIAK DLM is not running on my line yet (according to my account info in mysky)

I live just over 2km from my exchange so expected not to get the 20mb.

My down line attenuation varies from 49db - 53db and changes regularly.
The noise margin varies between 6 and 8.2.

Connection speed down varies between 3200 - 3777
Up between 500 - 722

Is it normal for attenuation to vary like this?
Didnt expect attenuation to be so high for a line length like this..

I am about 1.8km as the crow flies so expect upto 2.5 line length.
Postcode (IP11 2YR)

Is it looking like this is gonna be my max speed. Was expecting faster and need it really due to working from home.

Any advice appreciated.

Only other option is virgin which i wanted to avoid as I have experienced their customer service before.

Thanks all

P.S When is DLM likely to start??

[Scubbie]

I would first ask how you are connecting your router to your telephone line?

Ideally you should only connect the router to the Master socket. Never use an extension lead or an extension socket.

You should also only use the grey ADSL lead supplied by Sky with the router.

Also when posting your stats, it would help to see them unedited as those who are experienced can quickly see what is going on this way. I appreciate that the new Sagem 2304n doesn't make copying & pasting the stats very easy, but you can always post a screen dump as below.

[Isitme]

My down line attenuation varies from 49db - 53db and changes regularly.

Unless it is the variation between G.DMT and ADSL2+, probably indicates there is a problem with your line, the attenuation should not vary by much more than .5-1db. As Scubbie says, try it in your Test socket, using only the ADSL cable supplied by Sky. Poor internal wiring can also raise your attenuation by a considerable amount.

[macmilm]

Thanks guys....

Dont have a test socket.. only got one of the old pre NTE5 style master sockets with BT logo on front.. plugged into that using cable provided by sky and no extensions.

Have also tried disconnecting all other phones or devices and no change.

Also find attached a couple of screen shots of stats...

now 53db and awfull noise margin :-(

P.S for the first 2 days is was 49db constant never changed at all it was only this morning it started jumping all over the place.... nothing has change to my setup

[macmilm]

Also forgot to say, spoke to one of my neighbours who is also on sky BB.
He claims to have about 9.5 mb connection and is only 4 doors away from me so surely 3.3 that I am getting is a bit poor.

Thanks

[Isitme]

You could try removing the ring wire from the number 3 terminal on the faceplate, this may help a bit, but it is more likely to be a fault on your line.

There is an outside chance it is a faulty router, you can check this by plugging in another router. It will not connect to Sky, but it should show the attenuation and ADSL speed. If the attenuation comes down and your speed goes up to 4Mb or more, this will show the Sky router is faulty. If it is the same, then it is the line that needs fixed.

[macmilm]

Thanks for all the advice.

Just removed the ring wire... although it did nothing to the attenuation the noise margin immediately shot upto 9 which is a lot higher than before..

Is that a good thing.

Interestingly it turns out they started DLM yesterday and its since then that the attenuation has been higher.. is that normal ??

Thanks again

[Scubbie]

That is good. It looks as though the ring-wire was holding back your potential connection speed.

Unfortunately this is a common issue. The ring wire picks up radio interference and this increases line errors, reducing you speed potential.

It was used on older telephones to cause them to ring. It is no longer used on more modern telephones.

[RUNITDIRECT]

The ring wire IS used on a lot of phones still, it's not such an issue with ADSL as the plug in filters generate the ring voltage on pin 3 locally. Consider swapping the old socket for an NTE5 and fitting a filtered faceplate to this. Even if you do not fit an ADSL faceplate you can connect pin 3 again as the new NTE5's that we sell have a bell wire filter so they do not affect the ADSL signal.

[macmilm]

Still find it strange that the down attenuation jumped from 49db to 53db when DLM started?

Anyone know why?
It was 49db for first 2 days constant and only jumped when they say DLM commenced.

Noise margin now upto 9.4db.

Using a few online calculators (kitz/samknows e.t.c) it shows that the 4db I have lost makes a difference of over 1mb would love to find those 4dbs lol

Appreciate all your help.