Speeding up Broadband - Removing bell wire?

INT1

Really wanting to speed up our broadband.

Never had a problem with it really as getting 5mb/s.

It's dropped considerably lately to about 1mb/s.

I have got a spare new wireless router which I will try, along with a new mac filter.

Is it worth disconnecting the bell wire in the socket too?

Cheers

Browntoa

I did when I was ADSL , seemed to make a difference

Oblivion

I removed our bell wire years ago but I'm not convinced it made much if any difference. No harm in trying though.

I am intrigued by your experience of going from 5Mbps down to 1Mbps. Are you with Virgin on ADSL by any chance because that is exactly what has been happening to me.

Watching my router's management screen it is clear that the drop in speed (it happens over a couple of weeks) is due to the SNR Margin gradually creeping up from an ideal 6db to well over 20db.

I have to keep phoning Virgin, who put a call into BT Wholesale who manage the unbundled line, and get them to reset it. For a while is reverts to over 7Mbps but inevitably drops off as the SNR Margin creeps up again! It's driving me nuts!

grumpycrab

INT1 wrote: »

It's dropped considerably lately to about 1mb/s.

Anything changed internally recently? Have you confirmed the speed reduction at the test socket?

Worth checking that your IP Profile hasn't dropped too. (assuming its a BT line irrespective of who you pay your internet bill too.)
http://speedtest.btwholesale.com
Click Yes and Begin Test
Click Further Diagnostics, put your landline number in the first box and click Run Diagnostic Tool. Look at "IP Profile" I guess it will be 5.5

duchy

I'd be looking at a lot of other things before the bell wire based on likelihood especially as it was a sudden drop in speed (presumably ethernet and not wireless)

INT1

Thjanks for the useful info all

Yes it is a BT line but we go through sky for everything now. The wireless router is probably 3/4 years old.

I'm only paying more attention to the speed now as I have done a few videos and uploaded to you tube, it was taking a long time so did a speed test through an app on my iPhone/iPad.

It shows the previous results and was shocked at how much it had gone down.

I'll spend some time looking at it over the weekend

Thanks again

penrhyn

The first thing to do is to log on to your Sky Router and check your router line ststistics, if you don't know what they mean, post them on the forum.

Removing the bell wire will improve matters if your extension wiring is 10's of metres long.

duchy

Have you actually called Sky and asked them to help ?
It's a huge leap from slow broadband connection to bell wire.
Far more likely causes - fault on line, failing filter, damaged extension cable, corroded wiring in phone socket or even a wireless issue (if you connect wirelessly) all of those Sky could check with you as part of their standard troubleshooting.

BTW if the spare router to try isn't a Sky one...it probably won't work with your connection without a lot of manual configuring..... Sky's t&cs say you need to use their router.

By mac filter...do you mean microfilter ?

Sparx

When I was on ADSL years ago, my sync rate increased from 3Mb to 4.5Mb by removing the bell wire so was worth it.

If I was you, I'd remove the bell wire and buy/fit one of the new pre-filtered BT Mk2 VDSL faceplates [link below].

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MK2-Original-Genuine-BT-Openreach-TELEPHONE-ADSL-VDSL-FACE-PLATE-RFI-filter-/221413331972

kpwll

Try a new micro-filter, this solved my problem this week. Gone from an unreliable 2mb and under to 6.12mb.
(Not with Sky or Virgin)