BT saying broadband speed is higher than other test sites

soupdragon10

I have carried out 4 separate speed tests using different speed test sites including the Which site, and all give me download speeds of between 0.5 and 0.8 mbps

BT insist that my speed is 2.7mbps, which I doubt as I am unable to watch programmes on BBC iplayer without continual buffering but despite sending them a document with screen shots of the results from other sites they insist that everything is fine.

Is there any way I can prove that the service that they are providing is simply not fit for purpose? I pay the same as people who are getting superfast speeds, which simply doesn't seem fair.

I live in a rural area, so fibre broadband is not an option.

Sparx

I have a few suggestions to hopefully help the matter...

#1 Are you testing on a wired or wireless connection? If wireless, you need to run a wired speed test with an ethernet cable connected from your BT hub to your laptop or computer. This way it will rule out any wireless interference or poor signal to the hub. The best way to test your speed is to use BT wholesale's speed test site here: http://www.speedtest.btwholesale.com/

I recommend trying the speed test at varied times in the day if you can e.g. first thing in morning, mid-day and evening to see if your speed fluctuates - it could prove possible network congestion in your area. Or if speeds are consistent either your speeds are correct or there is a potential fault on your line.

#2 Also if able to, can you check your router stats? This will show your download and upload speeds. If you go on your address bar and type in 192.168.1.254 it will take you to your router's hub settings. Go to 'Advanced Settings' then 'Technical Log' (the router admin password will be on the card, back of your hub) and it should then take you to a page with a bunch of statistics. A few lines down should be maximum data rate, noise margin and line attenuation - could you copy & paste this information?

#3 Could you also go to https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/ go on 'address checker' put in your house no. and postcode and copy & paste the results? Don't forget to remove your address from the results. This will show you BT's speed estimates for your line, usually this is quite accurate assuming you have no faults on your line.

#4 Do you experience any drop outs or disconnects on the internet? Or is it just slow the only issue you notice? If you pick up your home phone do you notice any distortion noise or crackling, or is it a crystal clear dial tone?

#5 How is the router connected in your house to the phone socket? Is it in the 'master socket' or via an 'extension' socket? If not in the master socket try this it may improve, or you could remove the master socket's front faceplate, plug into the test socket behind it and see if the router connects at a better speed. This would indicate an internal wiring problem if it does improve.

#6 Lastly how long have you been with BT? By any chance do you have your order confirmation details, which outlines your minimum guaranteed speed?

JJ_Egan

Some of these other speed test sites are not that reliable .

http://www.speedtest.btwholesale.com/

Once done go on to the further diagnostics and that will give your IP profile of line speed .

But this reads to me as a WiFi problem .

iniltous

As already stated , you really need to access your router stats , your provider will only be interested in your connection speed, not the 'throughput' ...if your connection speed is around 2.7Mb/s and that is in the acceptable range considering the distance your property is from the exchange ( a guesstimate would be around 6Km's ) then the issue may be something your provider isn't responsible for.
BTW, you are not paying the same as people getting 'superfast' speeds as that is considered to be in excess of 24Mb/s , although you may well be paying the same as someone who gets 17Mb-20Mb, it's never been the case that you pay for connection speed,and it's physics that dictate , when it comes to 'regular' ADSL ,the further away from the exchange , the slower the connection speed

lee111s

Put your number into here https://www.dslchecker.bt.com and post up a screenshot of the results.


Just because you’re rural doesn’t always mean no fibre based broadband. The number of properties without access to superfast broadband is shrinking every day.

[Deleted User]

iniltous wrote: »

BTW, you are not paying the same as people getting 'superfast' speeds as that is considered to be in excess of 24Mb/s , although you may well be paying the same as someone who gets 17Mb-20M

If they're paying full whack for BT ADSL then they could be paying more than someone on fibre, their current 'deal' for ADSL is £29.99.

That said if that's all that's available in their location then it's a case of supply and demand.

The OP needs to check to see if there's any other options for them (if they haven't already) at:

https://broadband.moneysavingexpert.com/?_ga=2.94056669.1155687071.1505811811-1031521753.1505811811

and/or

https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/

Otherwise there's not a whole lot they can do short of bringing it up with their MP.

onomatopoeia99

soupdragon10 wrote: »

I pay the same as people who are getting superfast speeds, which simply doesn't seem fair.

Cost to the ISP is the same whether you get 1Mbps or 10 Mbps on your ADSL connection, so it's completely fair.

iniltous

Colin_Maybe wrote: »

If they're paying full whack for BT ADSL then they could be paying more than someone on fibre, their current 'deal' for ADSL is £29.99.

That said if that's all that's available in their location then it's a case of supply and demand.

The OP needs to check to see if there's any other options for them (if they haven't already) at:

https://broadband.moneysavingexpert.com/?_ga=2.94056669.1155687071.1505811811-1031521753.1505811811

and/or

https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/

Otherwise there's not a whole lot they can do short of bringing it up with their MP.

My point was the use of the term 'superfast', the actual amount the OP pays to his or her provider isn't stated, it's possible that they pay more for ADSL than someone else may pay for VDSL or other 'superfast' technology, they may pay much less than 'list' price, and much less than someone on a 'superfast' technology, but I suspect the OP 'point' was that they pay the same for 2.5Mb/s ADSL as others pay, but who get >17Mb/s from the same (non superfast) ADSL technology.

The BT 'deal' quoted has a £60 prepaid card included so equivalent to £24.99/month, ( although it goes up after 12 months, it's a 12 month minimum term)

AndyPK

what is the minimum speed they have agreed to give you, when you took the contract out ?

JJ_Egan

OP are you watching IPlayer in HD ??

If so see
BBC FAQ


To play smoothly, BBC iPlayer programmes need a minimum amount of bandwidth (the amount of data your connection can transfer).
BBC iPlayer programmes stream at up to 2.8 Mbps or megabits (2800 kbps), depending on the quality. Our standard quality version is 1.5 Mbps (1500 kbps).
You’ll actually need a little more bandwidth than this to watch programmes on iPlayer. If you think your internet connection is slower than expected, please contact your internet service provider.
If your internet connection isn’t fast enough – for instance if you're on a dial-up connection – you’ll see a message saying you have insufficient bandwidth.
This could be because:

• you’re sharing the bandwidth with other devices;
• you’re using a wireless connection device;
• your router is allocating the incorrect bandwidth to your device.

If you’re watching in HD (High Definition), try switching to SD (Standard Definition) by clicking “Watch in SD”.