Options
Can changing a broadband provider really improve the connection ?
Justin Aerial
Posts: 5,710 Forum Member
✭
We`re having problems with our broadband connection, it`s unreliable. It`s also a little slow (about 4MB/sec) but that really doesn`t bother me that much, it`s the fact the connection intermittently drops out which is the real problem, in fact we frequently have to resort to our 3G dongle just to run the business when the broadband connection drops out !
The thing is, if you change your broadband provider doesn`t the signal still come down the same cable anyway ? So does changing your broadband provider make any difference to the connection`s reliability ?
Then there`s the line and the Broadband, usually, but not always with the same company, does changing either make any difference because I don`t really want to change my broadband provider (as opposed to the phone line) if I can help it due to the possibility of being off line for a period etc.
The thing is, if you change your broadband provider doesn`t the signal still come down the same cable anyway ? So does changing your broadband provider make any difference to the connection`s reliability ?
Then there`s the line and the Broadband, usually, but not always with the same company, does changing either make any difference because I don`t really want to change my broadband provider (as opposed to the phone line) if I can help it due to the possibility of being off line for a period etc.
0
Comments
www.samknows.com who has equipment at your exchange.
of course if you get a reasonable result on 3G you could get a Mifi
Have you done the usual checks like try the router plugged into the test socket behind the master socket face plate? That would eliminate any internal extension wiring/phones/Sky box etc hanging off the line.
Do you also suffer from noise or crackles on the phone? That could indicate a line fault.
Assuming you can get Virgin's copper co-ax cable internet, and assuming that there are no congestion or other problems locally. It might be an improvement but it isn't guaranteed.
We`ve bypassed the master socket face plate and it didn`t make any difference.
As for the crackle on the phone line that`s a bit difficult to check because we only use that line for the broadband connection, we use the other lines we`ve got for the phones. We have briefly tested it a few times and it doesn`t seem too bad.
Also does it appear to fail more often if it's raining? If water is getting into a joint somewhere then that can cause problems. Or a dodgy bit of insulation letting the rain in.
http://www.vwlowen.co.uk/internet/files.htm
RouterstatsLite is an easier version to set up but if you want all the graphs etc then download v6.8j....it's compatible with most routers.
Thanks Chris I`ll try it when I get a minute.
Just when I got a moment to test it the broadband was working ! I`ll wait till its poor then retry the test. Of course Sods law will dictate that it`ll work fine from now on, but that`s a result then isn`t it ? ! ?
Exactly. Virgin's fibre broadband isn't available in everyone's area.
Intermittent and/or slow connections are caused by telephone line faults, router faults and wireless interference pretty much all but 5% of the time. Maybe your provider is less than proactive at correspondinng with Openreach (the company that every provider rents telephone lines from and are therefore responsible for all faults unless it is a Virgin Media line) but that is a customer service issue and in no way means that they caused the fault.
Yes if you went from ADSL to Fibre (for example 'BT Broadband' to 'BT Infinity') you'd have a faster connection, because your Internet is running a different course from the telephone exchange to your house than it was before, through less speed restrictive materials. However, when using the exact same technology you can expect all ISPs to run within 2-3 Meg of each other, the difference being caused by the way bandwidth is allocated amongst other minor details, also LLU equipment at the exchange used by providers that 'operate their own network' so to speak can cause slight differences. The only providers that currently have LLU equipment are Sky and TalkTalk.
So, for example if you are switching from Plusnet to BT perhaps Plusnet is 15 Meg, BT might be 13 or 17 depending on minor details but any technical problems or constraints you had with Plusnet would remain.
You should get identical/near-identical sync speeds with BT or Plusnet - since both companies use BT equipment and other parameters like line length won't change (unless also moving to fibre) - no physical work is performed to the line. Changing from BT's router to Plusnet's router might change sync speeds slightly but not by several megabits.
But changing ISPs can make a huge difference - because different ISPs operate their own networks in different ways, some may traffic shape, some might not, and each ISP acts differently to changing demand for bandwidth. So moving from one horribly congested ISP to one that isn't will make a huge difference to performance even if other things haven't changed. It would also be totally correct to blame the provider.
That doesn't make sense. Plusnet don't have LLU they use the BT Wholesale network.
I had similar problems with my broadband until May this year. I started with Orange (formerly Freeserve dial-up) and then moved to Sky in order to obtain the advantages resulting from also having Sky TV. Both suffered from frequent dropping events and/or low speeds. Complaints about this to both ISPs resulted in the usual requests to scurry around the house checking filters, which when duly done, was of course no remedy. Sky also carried out a line test which gave the result that a fault existed 'on or near the premises', but then did nothing to resolve this!
In May this year the line, which was occasionally noisy for telephone calls, ceased working altogether. It took them 10 days to fix it, but now the broadband is fine and the phone line is clear.
My questions from this - why was nothing done when the line test revealed a fault which I think was there for some time? How do you get Openreach to investigate if you think your line is faulty but it is still working, albeit obviously not as well as it should be?
Lots of people complain that they cannot deal with OR directly, but if they did and a charge was raised due to the end user getting OR out when no fault was on OR's pair, how could they 'bill' the end user, and if the end user didn't pay, what sanction could OR take, after all the CP is OR customer, the end user is the CP's customer
I'm not too worried about who owns what kit. Pipex and BT said they couldn't provide higher speeds, PN did. Not my issue if their online checking doesn't give the right results.
but one line could be a lot further from the exchange or could contain more aluminum than the other, and how are they wired internally, surely you have 2 master sockets ?
plus net is owned by BT, wouldn't touch em with a barge pole, I had an interview with them they seam very unprofessional.
I have tested the line a few times under the fault condition and it seems quiet, does that imply the fault isn`t on the cabling ? I`m a bit concerned because we`ve moved our phone cables around a few times, plus the junction box (with the incoming BT line) is an absolute dog`s breakfast. It was like that before, BT left it like that [the door on the front was bodged semi closed] but I`m a little concerned BT or Openreach (or whoever they call themselves these days) will try to blame us and charge us. Having said that even having to pay would be preferable to the unreliability we`re experiencing at the moment.
If it wasn`t for the Orange 3G dongle we`d frequently be in the doo doo. Incidentally, does anyone know how to turn off the "recompression" on the 3G ? I know you can use "control + refresh" but having to do that every time is a pain.