BT adsl probs

Wesker

I've been with BT broadband for several years, started of at 512 then upgraded to 1mb, then 2mb. Last week they emailed me to say that i could possibly be upgraded to 8mb, but on further checking found i could only get 5.5mb in my area. I was quite pleased with that anyway so went ahead with it, getting today as my upgrade date.

So i logged onto internet this morning to find it saying 'BT connected at 7.9mb' lol, i'm not complaining about that. But after doing several online speed tests they all show my connection as still at 2mb.

Now when i applied to be upgraded they did recommend that i changed to a router as they support the higher speeds better than the old usb modems. I currently have a Alcatel usb modem but on checking the specifications on the box for it, it says it supports speeds of upto 8mb so i thought it would be ok. The modem is connected to a usb2 card. I also have a spare Thomson usb modem but havent tried that yet.

Is there any way that i can get either of these modems to recognise the new speed or am i going to have to get a router?

espresso

I believe that they set your speed after a 10 day trial period where they determine the maximum speed that your particular line will actually reliably support. You may find during this time that it becomes unstable but they won't investigate until after the trial period. You may find that your actual results vary after a new connection is established.

Wesker

Yeah i've just read on another forum that people are getting slow speeds to start with and it improves after 10 days. I'll hold on and wait a while, see what happens. Thanks for your reply

Toxteth_OGrady

There is a well documented BT fault that when you switch to ADSLMax your speed is limited to 2mbps for 3 days. Nothing you can do about it except wait. Some website have reported an interim BT fix that reduces the 3 days to 10 hours but this does not appear to have been universally applied. If you don't want to wait the three days, disconnect your modem a couple of times a day to see what you get after reconnecting. May or may not work. This is irrespective of the 10 day stability check that applies to all new ADSLMax connections. With this you can expect to see your modem frequently disconnecting and then resynching by itself. This is normal and it will eventually settle down.

:cool:

TOG

Wesker

Thanks for the information. By disconnecting the modem do you mean from the wall socket or from the computer?

TIA

Toxteth_OGrady

Disconnecting its internet connection - powering off will achieve this.

:cool:

TOG

Wesker

Ok thanks, i'll be shutting down shortly as i have to go out so i'll see if there's any change later.

fairytooth

2 things I would say: first, as above, the speed does seem to take a while to increase. Have you tried http://www.beelinebandwidthtest.com/ or http://www.internetfrog.com/ to test your actual speed?.

Secondly USB connections are not as fast as your LAN connection (if you have one on your PC). So if you have one fitted or know how to fit a PCI LAN card, if you don't already have one, try that.

Toxteth_OGrady

fairytooth wrote:

Secondly USB connections are not as fast as your LAN connection (if you have one on your PC). So if you have one fitted or know how to fit a PCI LAN card, if you don't already have one, try that.

USB 1.1 runs at 12Mbps, USB 2.0 at 480Mbs, Ethernet at 10Mbps, Fast Ethernet at 100Mbps, Gigabit Ethernet at 1000 Mbps.

ADSL runs at 512kbps, 1, 2 or up to 8Mbps. In all cases the internet connection is the limiting bandwidth wrt USB vs Ethernet, so why would fitting a PCI LAN card make any difference?

:cool:

TOG

fairytooth

Hey .... just passing on BT's advice - see below. All about bandwidth I guess. Please don't shoot the messenger... perhaps that was your problem all along?

There are several factors that determine your line speed (see What's the difference between "line speed" and "throughput speed"?). However, there a number of things you should do to ensure you get the best possible speed available on your line:


use a router or hub rather than a modem - and connect it to your computer via Ethernet or wireless, avoiding USB if possible. We offer a range of wired and wireless routers compatible with Up to 8Mb BT Broadband. For more about them, call BT sales on 0800 800 150 (select 'Broadband Enquiries' from the voice menu).

fairytooth

Here ya go

http://www.faster.bt.com/faqs.asp