At wits end with broadband speeds (Sky)

Bettycheese

We have such appallingly slow broadband speeds, we are at our wits end.  I’m supposed to be working from home and at times, can barely even type as the speeds are so bad.  We have run repeated different speed tests over several weeks which show we are receiving speeds between 0.8mbps and around 3mbps (on a good day) with vefry occasional peaks of being a bit higher.  We paid for an inspection from an independent engineer who came and checked various things - he measured the speed at the point of entry to our house and it was extremely low/poor (in region of what speed tests have shown us). We have spoken with Sky, at length, who simply keep repeating that they have measured and are providing 19mbps. We have spoken to different people in the technical help department at Sky who don’t even seem to know what they are measuring from their end – one person told us they were measuring to the hub, the other to the point of supply/entry.  We have tried everything they have suggested over several hours talking to them – moving the router, having a new router from them and also a booster, all of which make no difference. They refuse to accept the evidence from the independent engineer, and won’t send their own engineer as they say there is no problem.  We are not long into a new contract so can’t leave our contract without huge penalty, and even if we could, the BT website shows they could only offer us the slowest speed with a guarantee of around 3mbps, suggesting that it’s our location/the local infrastructure that could be the problem? Some of our neighbours have poor speeds too, but oddly most of them seem to be with Sky. Other neighbours however have decent speeds (mostly with other providers). There is fibre available just round the corner, but not in our close yet. This is having such a detrimental effect on our lives and causing so much stress – I have a heavy workload and at times am unable to work, and to be able to do anything at all, we have to have everything else switched off, meaning my Husband can’t use his laptop/work, or even watch tv etc while I’m trying to work. We are desperate as my livelihood is at stake if I can’t do my job. Does anyone have any suggestions please?

Neil_Jones

Are you connecting wired or wireless to the Sky router?

If its wireless that speed is never guaranteed.  You should try wired connections instead - run a network cable from sky box to laptop and see what happens.

If the system suggests the line can only support 3Mbps, then that's all it can provide.  You are most probably on an "up to 19" package.  You can't be "delivered" 19 if your line does not support it.

Bettycheese

Neil_Jones said:

Are you connecting wired or wireless to the Sky router?

If its wireless that speed is never guaranteed.  You should try wired connections instead - run a network cable from sky box to laptop and see what happens.

If the system suggests the line can only support 3Mbps, then that's all it can provide.  You are most probably on an "up to 19" package.  You can't be "delivered" 19 if your line does not support it.

Thanks Neil. We have tried various devices with wired connection and it makes no difference, still terrible. How would we know what the line can support? If tha si the issue, we are basically stuck with unusable internet?

littleboo

Sky would have given you the minimum speed that you could expect when signing up with them - what was that?

Bettycheese

littleboo said:

Sky would have given you the minimum speed that you could expect when signing up with them - what was that?

The average download speed is 11mbps, with a guaranteed 3mbps in each room or money back. They keep insisting we are getting 19mbps, but don't seem to able tell us actually how they are measuring it.

Rodders53

Use https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL/AddressFeatureProduct  to check what speeds and options are available.  I suspect the 19 is an 'up to' type speed, as you say the guaranteed BT speed would be 3Mbit/s which is a fairly normal speed on a longish line back to the exchange.  My home has an estimated download speed of 1 to 3 Mbit/s on ADSL2+ but fibre is estimated much faster 22-40 Mbit/s (though in practice about 30Mbit/s).

If your job demands better then surely they should pay for a better/alternative internet connection?  How's your mobile reception?  There are mobile phone home router (with ethernet ports), mifi router and mobile phone tethering/hotspot options out there.  Some on PAYG/monthly rolling contracts so no long-term payments (though often a premium as a result of that flexibility). https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/

mohammed1111

Bettycheese said:

littleboo said:

Sky would have given you the minimum speed that you could expect when signing up with them - what was that?

The average download speed is 11mbps, with a guaranteed 3mbps in each room or money back. They keep insisting we are getting 19mbps, but don't seem to able tell us actually how they are measuring it.

The 19 they are probably quoting is the line sync speed which can be found on the router interface page. I would check that along with a speed test using a wired connection

Bettycheese

Rodders53 said:

Use https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL/AddressFeatureProduct  to check what speeds and options are available.  I suspect the 19 is an 'up to' type speed, as you say the guaranteed BT speed would be 3Mbit/s which is a fairly normal speed on a longish line back to the exchange.  My home has an estimated download speed of 1 to 3 Mbit/s on ADSL2+ but fibre is estimated much faster 22-40 Mbit/s (though in practice about 30Mbit/s).

If your job demands better then surely they should pay for a better/alternative internet connection?  How's your mobile reception?  There are mobile phone home router (with ethernet ports), mifi router and mobile phone tethering/hotspot options out there.  Some on PAYG/monthly rolling contracts so no long-term payments (though often a premium as a result of that flexibility). https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/

Thank you for your reply.  Our concern is not really the cost of a better connection, but more that whether there is a better or alternative option, as it seems that BT can only offer us the most basicpackage/speeds too?

I'll look in to the otehr options you've mentioned. Thanks.

Bettycheese

mohammed1111 said:

Bettycheese said:

littleboo said:

Sky would have given you the minimum speed that you could expect when signing up with them - what was that?

The average download speed is 11mbps, with a guaranteed 3mbps in each room or money back. They keep insisting we are getting 19mbps, but don't seem to able tell us actually how they are measuring it.

The 19 they are probably quoting is the line sync speed which can be found on the router interface page. I would check that along with a speed test using a wired connection

Thank you Mohammed1111; we've already done several sped tests with wired connection and the results are very poor.

mohammed1111

Bettycheese said:

mohammed1111 said:

Bettycheese said:

littleboo said:

Sky would have given you the minimum speed that you could expect when signing up with them - what was that?

The average download speed is 11mbps, with a guaranteed 3mbps in each room or money back. They keep insisting we are getting 19mbps, but don't seem to able tell us actually how they are measuring it.

The 19 they are probably quoting is the line sync speed which can be found on the router interface page. I would check that along with a speed test using a wired connection

Thank you Mohammed1111; we've already done several sped tests with wired connection and the results are very poor.

Does the router maintenance page actually show 19 on the download sync speed? 

JJ_Egan

(Our concern is not really the cost of a better connection, but more that whether there is a better or alternative option, as it seems that BT can only offer us the most basicpackage/speeds too?)

Its not BT but all ISPs that use the Open Reach network  , Sky Talk Talk Plusnet etc .Its the distance from your local cabinet and quality of the line .

Alternative supplier if available Virgin Media .