Very slow dial-up style speeds on 18MB synch

[chuckstar_za]

Hi all.
After 3 hours on the phone with Sky which has resulted with an engineer call out I'm now at my wits end.

My router stats are as follows:

Port	Status	TxPkts	RxPkts	Collisions	Tx B/s	Rx B/s	Up Time
WAN	PPPoA	8100	8724	0	461	5676	0:25:41
LAN	Down	0	0	0	0	0	0:27:15
WLAN	Up	22343	21501	0	6992	1702	0:26:52

Broadband Link	Downstream	Upstream
Connection Speed	18404 kbps	1150 kbps
Line Attenuation	9.5 dB	6.4 dB
Noise Margin	6.1 dB	3.2 dB

For the last 6 months I've run an solid 16MB connection.
Yesterday morning my speed slowed down to a crawl (but with the stats posted above).
Downloads ran at 10kbps and some just timed out.
Pages were slow to load .

Speedtest showed a downstream speed of 0.05MB (that's when it ran, most times it said 'configuration load error'.

I've tried connecting via LAN to the master socket and same results.
My neighbour is also experiencing similar issues. He is also with Sky.

Customer support went through all the usual switch it on, switch it off, have you got anti-virus, etc etc and said my line speed was 'excellent, there is no problem'.
I'm convinced that there is an issue with traffic priority as I can play World of Tanks perfectly with the same ping as usual, just the occasional packet loss (this OFC could be their server) while using TeamSpeak. But any downstream HTTP traffic is slower than dial-up. Upstream funnily enough runs just as well as it has prior to the issue (at least sending an e-mail with a 2MB attachment went quickly, were as it's taking an HOUR to download a 2MB file). Now I loved the 90's but having 90's style download speeds isn't on

Nothing has change in my set-up and when I tried to download that 20MB test file from thinkbroadband :: Download Test Files via IE and FF it just runs for a few seconds on about 50k and then drops to 4.5k then to nothing.

Any ideas?

[Isitme]

See next post.

[Isitme]

If you are using Windows, start in Safe Mode with Networking and go here to do a speed test. Sky User - Broadband Speed Tester This will rule out any software on your machine causing a slow down.

I notice you are using a Sky address starting 5.70.xxx.xx, this is a new one I think, I wonder if it has anything to do with your problem. If it is, can you switch the router off for about 40minutes, then switch on again. This should give you a new IP address and maybe cure your problem.

[chuckstar_za]

Thanks for your reply.

I tried the safe mode, no joy.
Funny you should mention the IP. When Speedtest has decided to work, it's put me near to Canterbury with my location somewhere just off the coast of Suffolk. Must be all that salt water that's messing up my router!
Usually my location is slap bang in East Anglia. This problem manifested itself over night on Monday into Tuesday, I wonder if my IP wasn't switched then.

I'm off to the shops later, so will leave the router off then and see if that works.
Thanks for your help.

[gymno]

I notice you are using a Sky address starting 5.70.xxx.xx, this is a new one I think

Since switching from mer to pppoa a couple of weeks ago, i only ever get given ip's in this range.

I've had many of them too, having rebooted several times & obviously once too many, as dlm is now running.

No problems here.

[chuckstar_za]

So, router has been off since I went to the shops and now it's back on.
Still a 5.70.xxx.xx IP and still this weird horrible speed. Well, speed is probably the wrong word for it, crawl might be more apt. 13.5KBs download isn't really speed is it?

[Isitme]

There are some exchanges suffering from throughput problems, but even if yours is, it should not effect you to this extent. I think all you can do is keep on at Sky and emphasise that although your sync speed is fine, your actual download speed is dire.

You can check if your exchange is on the list by checking here. - Broadband and Talk service updates | Sky Customer Support

[chuckstar_za]

My exchange is listed. Though the problems (albeit very slight problems, mostly it effected my ping) we had with congestion were resolved in mid Feb.

The number of times today I had to explain over and over that while my synch speed is fine, my real world line speed isn't even technically broadband.... I appreciate that the support guys are working via script mostly, but is it that hard to understand that what my synch says and what my actual throughput are are two wildly different speeds.

Something is definitely up as webpages load O.K(ish), VOIP works fine and I can play online games, but downloads of any description are glacial. Streaming is a total non-starter.
Guess I'll have to wait for the engineer on Friday and explain everything again from scratch. At least I'll be able to show him in person that my synch and throughput are totally different animals.

[Isitme]

Unless they send a broadband trained engineer with instructions to fix it you will get no where. A BTO engineer will test the line say its OK and leave. Getting a broadband engineer out is difficult as they cost about 3 times as much as an ordinary one.

[chuckstar_za]

"Getting a broadband engineer out is difficult"

Well, that's disappointing to hear as quite clearly there is something a bit more wrong than just a bit of cable gone wrong.
Is there anything I can do this side to prove conclusively that the synch speed they are seeing and what my throughput is aren't the same?

How does one actually speak with someone at Sky who isn't running off a three ring binder?

Funnily enough, my neighbour who is also experiencing the same problems just popped round to ask if mine was still playing up. There's obviously something wrong at the exchange as the speed issues effect us both, it's not effecting VOIP or TCP traffic, so it's not a physical line problem (at least not inside my house), or user equipment issue.