Sky download speed problems

jimmyw566

I keep getting calls from BT with increasingly tempting offers and they claim to be able to offer 7-8 MBPS and currently I am on less than 1 MBPS with Sky(I live in the country so wasn't expecting large speeds but that is one hell of a difference. I think that when I signed up with sky 6 years ago they offered up to 2MBPS but I can't remember and Sky no longer offer broadband in my area so I can not check current estimates by them.

I rung up Sky asking why my speed was so low compared with what BT were offering and he said that Sky rent everything to get the broadband to the house from BT so they have no control over the speed we get only BT do. He told me to type in an IP address (not sure if I can re-post here) but for those who don't know it brings up the setup, maintenance etc of the router and under DownStream Connection Speed it says 7424 which he says is 7.4 MBPS. Now to my knowledge we haven't been told our speed has been improved since we signed up (we didn't sign up to that much) but I thought it would be something they would want to boast about. I have run speed tests on several independent sites (including the one on MSE) and all say the speed is below 1MBPS and from experiencing speeds in others' homes and them seeing mine all seems to be siding on the independent tests.

Now the reason he claims why the speed is slower in the evenings is that I have a 40gb/month download limit and that is split into 1.3 GB/day and if I go over that limit then the speed is capped the next day (I mainly stream not download and we have 2 Xboxs in the house but one is barely on and the other is about 5 days per week so the data used each day is very inconsistent). I really can not see me using 1.3 GB every day and if I was surely Sky would of wrote to me. Although he also said that again he can not check because it is all under BT's control.

Sorry for the long post but is anyone able to offer any help into this?

Timalay

jimmyw566 wrote: »

Now the reason he claims why the speed is slower in the evenings is that I have a 40gb/month download limit and that is split into 1.3 GB/day and if I go over that limit then the speed is capped the next day (I mainly stream not download and we have 2 Xboxs in the house but one is barely on and the other is about 5 days per week so the data used each day is very inconsistent). I really can not see me using 1.3 GB every day and if I was surely Sky would of wrote to me. Although he also said that again he can not check because it is all under BT's control.

Download usage means download of data, everything you do on the internet will count to this, not just programs you download onto your computer. Streaming will use up data more than just browsing. You would be surprised how much data streaming can use. On a good day I can use 8gb of data from streaming (on Plusnet's unlimited plan).

jimmyw566

I get that its just that some days the two Xbox's could be running games and chat for 4+ hours, which will eat a lot of data, and then not be run for the rest of the week, stuff like that. Our usage can be very inconsistent.

penrhyn

If you post your router line statistics I can estimate the maximum speed your line can handle.

Log on to your router by clicking on:
http://192.168.0.1/sky_index.html

Use admin, password sky, have a look around for show statistics and post the results.

macman

jimmyw566 wrote: »

I keep getting calls from BT with increasingly tempting offers and they claim to be able to offer 7-8 MBPS and currently I am on less than 1 MBPS with Sky(I live in the country so wasn't expecting large speeds but that is one hell of a difference. I think that when I signed up with sky 6 years ago they offered up to 2MBPS but I can't remember and Sky no longer offer broadband in my area so I can not check current estimates by them.

I rung up Sky asking why my speed was so low compared with what BT were offering and he said that Sky rent everything to get the broadband to the house from BT so they have no control over the speed we get only BT do. He told me to type in an IP address (not sure if I can re-post here) but for those who don't know it brings up the setup, maintenance etc of the router and under DownStream Connection Speed it says 7424 which he says is 7.4 MBPS. Now to my knowledge we haven't been told our speed has been improved since we signed up (we didn't sign up to that much) but I thought it would be something they would want to boast about. I have run speed tests on several independent sites (including the one on MSE) and all say the speed is below 1MBPS and from experiencing speeds in others' homes and them seeing mine all seems to be siding on the independent tests.

Now the reason he claims why the speed is slower in the evenings is that I have a 40gb/month download limit and that is split into 1.3 GB/day and if I go over that limit then the speed is capped the next day (I mainly stream not download and we have 2 Xboxs in the house but one is barely on and the other is about 5 days per week so the data used each day is very inconsistent). I really can not see me using 1.3 GB every day and if I was surely Sky would of wrote to me. Although he also said that again he can not check because it is all under BT's control.

Sorry for the long post but is anyone able to offer any help into this?

Sky offer broadband on all exchanges, subject to distance actually allowing any kind of service. I suspect that you are on the dreaded Sky Connect service, not an LLU service? If the former, BT are talking carp, as Connect is just a resold BT Wholesale product. Time for you to change providers.
What is the name of your exchange?
If you thought that streaming did not count towards your data usage, then it's quite likely that you've gone over your limit. The current Sky LLU tariffs are unlmiited so I think you're on Connect, and subject to the following:

SKY BROADBAND CONNECT NETWORK MANAGEMENT POLICY

Sky Broadband Connect is subject to a Network Management Policy in addition to the monthly Usage Cap.

We continuously monitor and efficiently manage the performance of Sky Broadband Connect to ensure that we provide a sustainable quality broadband service to our customers. When our network is busy we give priority to applications such as browsing, email, streaming, instant messaging, gaming and VOIP.

This means that certain applications which use up a lot of bandwidth (for example peer-to-peer file-sharing, large file downloads and newsgroups), which have a negative effect on other customers, may run slower at peak times. Our network is busiest between 4pm and 11pm on weekdays and all day at the weekend, but can be busy at other times too, depending on regional, national and international demand.

In addition, we monitor customers who use the most bandwidth and whose usage is having a negative effect on other customers. Customers who breach the Usage Cap or who regularly download large amounts at peak times will have restrictions placed on their accounts to reduce their download speeds at peak times. Only a small number of customers will be affected by this, typically fewer than 5%. We remove these restrictions when our network is not busy.

Please note that this Fair Usage Network Management Policy does not apply to Sky Broadband Everyday Lite or Sky Broadband Unlimited.

jimmyw566

penrhyn wrote: »

If you post your router line statistics I can estimate the maximum speed your line can handle.

Log on to your router by clicking on:


Use admin, password sky, have a look around for show statistics and post the results.

Is this it?

System Up Time: 0:53:49
Port Status TxPkts RxPkts Collisions Tx B/s Rx B/s Up Time
WAN PPPoA 51589 80909 0 2553 2269 0:52:47
LAN 81786 53864 0 2599 2998 0:53:49
WLAN 2442 435 0 224 0 0:53:24
ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 7808 kbps 448 kbps
Line Attenuation 18.0 db 8.5 db
Noise Margin 11.8 db 21.0 db
Poll Interval: (secs)

jimmyw566

@ macman
Yes I am on connect and doing an availability check on my phone line shows that they are unable to supply us with broadband. Our local exchange is Little Steeping, Lincs. And I know that everything done thorough the router on what ever device eats the data.

After doing the speed tests again this morning all show that the speeds are about 5MBPS compared to the <1 at night so my quess is that it is slowed down at night due to heavy traffic?

penrhyn

Connection Speed 7808 kbps 448 kbps
Line Attenuation 18.0 db 8.5 db
Noise Margin 11.8 db 21.0 db

From the above you are connecting at 7.8 Mbps, looks like you are suffering from network congestion.
Am I correct in thinking that you are on the dreaded Sky Connect broadband?

Your line has a downstream attenuaton of 18 db, so it should be capable of handling between 16 and 24 Mbps.

You are on ADSL Max which iirc does have and upper limit of around 7-8 Mbps.
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/EMLSTEE
Sadly you are on a Market 1 exchange and with only 400 or so subscribers its unlikely that any other isp will put their kit in your exchange.

jimmyw566

penrhyn wrote: »

Connection Speed 7808 kbps 448 kbps
Line Attenuation 18.0 db 8.5 db
Noise Margin 11.8 db 21.0 db

From the above you are connecting at 7.8 Mbps, which is pretty good.
Am I correct in thinking that you are on the dreaded Sky Connect broadband?

Your line has a downstream attenuaton of 18 db, so it should be capable of handling between 16 and 24 Mbps.

I'm not too sure what the speed cap is on Sky Connect.

This is it that speed is different to the independent speed tests and our general knowledge of roughly how fast it is. But yes we are on connect and even BT say they can only offer us 7-8 MBPS so 16-24 seems wrongly high?

macman

Since you are already on a Wholesale service line, the speed you will get with BT will be no better than Sky, ignoring any Sky traffic management factors.
With no possibility of LLU on that exchange you are unlikely to do any better.
Connect is dire; I'd consider a switch to a better BT reseller such as Plusnet.

jimmyw566

macman wrote: »

Since you are already on a Wholesale service line, the speed you will get with BT will be no better than Sky, ignoring any Sky traffic management factors.
With no possibility of LLU on that exchange you are unlikely to do any better.
Connect is dire; I'd consider a switch to a better BT reseller such as Plusnet.

The thing with BT that has attracted me is that they claim to have no usage limits so I will be in the know that I will not be slowed down because of my usage. Would you not recommend BT in favour for companies such as Plusnet then?