Slow Internet? Traffic Sense "Network Provider Throttling" Must Read

WellKnownSid

It's the pain of contention not AUP throttling...

I strongly suspect that the OP isn't downloading web pages but P2P sharing outside of the AUP. Or they're tethered to a laptop which has a virus on it which is P2P sharing without him knowing. Or they're using a significant amount of monthly data way outside the 85th centile - possibly down to tethering a dodgy laptop.

Traffic management doesn't apply to normal browsing, typically to enforce AUPs / FUPs. most providers use some form of video optimisation but that doesn't affect viewing - again, normally on a site by site basis.

Be worth the OP sharing how they measure the bps and typical usage, which I suspect is atypical. Even if they don't know it.

diamonds

A 3G service should not be capped under 384kbps, over that its is 3.5G HSDPA

WellKnownSid

diamonds wrote: »

A 3G service should not be capped under 384kbps, over that its is 3.5G HSDPA

Indeed. Vodafone around here you're lucky to get more than about 300bps in Summer, but then O2 / Voda are 2G unless you drive for about three hours. Limited backhaul in our case (microwave) is the biggest constraint - the fibre needed for Ethernet has only just gone live - and that is yet to run to the towers. There is little incentive to increase the backhaul until 4G goes live in or around 2019.

Traffic management - which the OP alludes to - isn't like the M42 where everyone is restricted to 50mph - DPI combined with FUP rules allows individual packets to be rate limited. It doesn't just turn the wick down on everything for all users, simply because it doesn't have to - straight contention does that bit, and that's what traffic management is trying to prevent. For example - deliberately slowing video data down to the video's bit rate - which not only makes things better for everyone - it actually saves the user money.

I come back to... there is more to the story... I would be interested to know the usage case, how much data, across what devices, how it's being measured and importantly where.

the_commuter

WellKnownSid wrote: »

I wonder how you are measuring this...

hi Sid

Ive mesured it in two ways

1, at speedtest.net
Ive just ran a test there (1:18am) 4,23Mbps(Megabytes) Download and 1.47 Mbps Upload. During peek hours the test don't run and if it dose its very slow and takes ages to complete if it even manages to complete

2, I have IDM Installed (Internet download manager) and can read the speed off that not 100% but accurate enough to note significant drops in speed at 3pm or significant increase at 00:00 15 mins to download 10 mbs is not rare or worse

the_commuter

dealer_wins wrote: »

As a Three customer I do agree with one of the OPs points. The fact when they do throttle you its down to unusable speeds which is unacceptable IMO.

Hello Dealer

I'm glad someone else knows how bad it is

I agree throttle a bit but within reason they claim its to make it fair for everyone well in that case it is fair everyone gets crap net during peek hours

they throttle to a ridiculous speed which is barely usable, but it seems like all Network providers are doing this too, the only reason i stayed with 3 so long is cos they give you unlimited net for 28 days and was till recently or still possibly is the best mobile data deal going.

dealer_wins wrote: »

Yes throttle, but still allow enough bandwidth to actually have a working internet connection. There is a reason the network is busy in the evenings, its becuase people want to use the blooming internet then, not wait ages for a page to load!!

I havnt felt the pain of being traffic senced for a while, but when I did the internet was unusable.

Ive spoke to idk how many customer service people managers, tech folk, they have checked masts in my area no probs with the mast, went through phone settings with them and my settings are fine, waited 3 months for upgrades on the mast which have taken place and still no change last i was told was more upgrades will take place in jan or something, even if they put a mast in my livingroom, again it wont change a thing cos its trafficsense.

When you ask a network provider about their internet traffic control they flustered, ask them for figures of expected speeds during peek hours etc they cant answer, they will put you though to a manager or a tech person who still wont be able to tell you straight how can someone sell you a service and not know about it?:D

i bet half employees aint even with the network they work for

If they realized by tweeking it a bit faster it would pull in an extra few hundred thousand customers annually they would soon make it more acceptable if they are reading a 70-100Mps connection as standard = 1 18 month contract and god knows how many more PAYG Customers :wall:;)

the_commuter

WellKnownSid wrote: »

It's the pain of contention not AUP throttling...

I strongly suspect that the OP isn't downloading web pages but P2P sharing outside of the AUP. Or they're tethered to a laptop which has a virus on it which is P2P sharing without him knowing. Or they're using a significant amount of monthly data way outside the 85th centile - possibly down to tethering a dodgy laptop..

Hi Sid

I'm running a a Dell Vostro Intel core Duo E7300 @ 2.66GHZ - 2.66GHZ Processor (Its not Hyper threaded) 4 Gig of Ram, and its a fresh win 7 64 bit Operating system just on last week, kill disk formatted the old Hd and slaved it to a new Hd put the win 7 on that, think i can rule out viruses, and p2p sharing as Ive not got it set up to share and no dodgy programs on it etc not "Core I" or DDR3 Ram but core duo and DDR2 Ram, and machine meets the tech standard and 4 gig more than enough for playing music watching a move n browsing. I do tether but there's no difference whether I'm strictly mobile or tethered during peek times issues still the same, I don't P2P File share and don't over download either, I'm all within reason if i was to be downloading heavy or P2P File sharing then that would be okay as it would be outwith the peek time
Traffic management doesn't apply to normal browsing, typically to enforce AUPs / FUPs. most providers use some form of video optimisation but that doesn't affect viewing - again, normally on a site by site basis.

WellKnownSid wrote: »

Be worth the OP sharing how they measure the bps and typical usage, which I suspect is atypical. Even if they don't know it.

Ive mesured it in two ways

checked at at speedtest.net and have IDM Installed (Internet download manager) and can read the speed off that not 100% but accurate enough to note significant drops in speed at 3pm or significant increase at 00:00

the_commuter

diamonds wrote: »

A 3G service should not be capped under 384kbps, over that its is 3.5G HSDPA

Hello Diamonds:)

Idk that tbh great point though yeah 384kbps would be more than enough tbh that would be a great speed but i reckon the min need to run a fair and usable connection would be about 70Kkbps to 100kbps Minimum

miss selling customers by telling them they have a 3G internet connection as standard when they are sneaking off throttling the connection to something less than a 56K Dial-up connection, and a lot of folk don't actually know the tech side and financial side of it and so for anyone who's playing for a internet service out of 24 hours you get ripped off for 9 hours million customers = 9 hours off each person 365 = multi million pound savings which turn huge profits.

banks have a license to print worthless paper (which is all held on an agreement) but the net literary makes money out of thin air

bottom line is, Internet caps are huge money savers/makers and they do in fact serve no other purpose to benefit the consumer/customer, i wonder if home broadband providers throttle in peek times too

diamonds

the_commuter wrote: »

Hello Diamonds:)

Idk that tbh great point though yeah 384kbps would be more than enough tbh that would be a great speed but i reckon the min need to run a fair and usable connection would be about 70Kkbps to 100kbps Minimum

miss selling customers by telling them they have a 3G internet connection as standard when they are sneaking off throttling the connection to something less than a 56K Dial-up connection, and a lot of folk don't actually know the tech side and financial side of it and so for anyone who's playing for a internet service out of 24 hours you get ripped off for 9 hours million customers = 9 hours off each person 365 = multi million pound savings which turn huge profits.

banks have a license to print worthless paper (which is all held on an agreement) but the net literary makes money out of thin air

bottom line is, Internet caps are huge money savers/makers and they do in fact serve no other purpose to benefit the consumer/customer, i wonder if home broadband providers throttle in peek times too

100Kbps is 2.5G, EDGE.


Contract terms are a mess, Ofcom really need to sort them out, capping a customer below 384kbps on a 3G contract should not be allowed. A definition of minimum 4G speeds should be established.


If the failure of speeds is consistent a contract should be able to be terminated, in these days of 'universal coverage obligations' a minimum speed to access internet should be applied for each 2G, 3G and 4G, just as landline internet can now be terminated for a failure of service.

Just as ever Ofcom kissing its mobile licence holders bums.

SnowTiger

the_commuter wrote: »

1, at speedtest.net
Ive just ran a test there (1:18am) 4,23Mbps(Megabytes) Download and 1.47 Mbps Upload. During peek hours the test don't run and if it dose its very slow and takes ages to complete if it even manages to complete

That seems like busy/overload cells.

Up until about four months ago I was tethering to 3 and downloading in excess of 40Bytes of data a month. I didn't notice any slow down during peak hours.

Speed tests typically showed a download rate of 8Mbits or more. I've now switched back to using ADSL, with a top download rate of 2MBits.

I live in quite a remote area and guess 3 is less congested here.

Cycrow

How do you know you are actually being throttled ?
just because the speed drops at certain times, doesn't mean its throttled, its more likely due to congestion.

A better car analogy would be, on a motorway, some vehicles are restricted more than others, like lorries and caravans that can be restricted to 60mpg rather than 70. These are the ones being throttled, whereas normal cars get to travel at the top speed of 70.

With data throttling, its only certain data packets that get throttled, not the entire connection.

Whereas congestion would be like rush hour, past midnight you can drive down a road at full speed, say 40mph. But during rush hour you are lucky to reach 5mph on that same road. You arn't being throttled down to 5mph, you just cant go any faster due to the traffic on that road. The only way to solve it would be to reduce the traffic or increase the roads capacity. The same is true for data connections.

Throttling tries to get rid of lorries from the road to allow the cars to travel faster