At wits end with broadband speeds (Sky)

Mickey666

" 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 very occasional peaks of being a bit higher. "

I don't really understand this.  Simple "typing" needs hardly any speed at all, never mind anything near 0.8mbps.  Sure, 1-3Mbps is slow for a broadband connection but unless the OP is playing graphics-intensive games then it should certainly be more than adequate for any standard 'office' applications.

I'm wondering if the OP is running a VPN into their office perhaps, or any other 'special' software that might be slowing things down? 

JJ_Egan

Is typing not the keyboard/ os and nothing to do with the internet .

onomatopoeia99

JJ_Egan said:

Is typing not the keyboard/ os and nothing to do with the internet .

Not as simple as that.  If connected to a remote server, such as with RDP, then a keystroke on the user's computer has to be sent over RDP to the remote server, rendered onto the screen image then sent back over the internet to the user.  So you get two lots of connection latency.

If the connection is trying to run above its data throughput capacity then additional latency will be introduced  due to packet loss.  

I have no idea about the interface of the sky modem/router once logged in, but if it shows a sync speed, what is it?

Neil_Jones

Virtual/Remote Desktop technology (like Citrix for example) would take some bandwidth but even on the website they recommend a minimum of 1.5Mbps, ideally 5.  If it just sits there it shouldn't use very much data.

mohammed1111

onomatopoeia99 said:

JJ_Egan said:

Is typing not the keyboard/ os and nothing to do with the internet .

Not as simple as that.  If connected to a remote server, such as with RDP, then a keystroke on the user's computer has to be sent over RDP to the remote server, rendered onto the screen image then sent back over the internet to the user.  So you get two lots of connection latency.

If the connection is trying to run above its data throughput capacity then additional latency will be introduced  due to packet loss.  

I have no idea about the interface of the sky modem/router once logged in, but if it shows a sync speed, what is it?

There is a line access / sync speed which is the maximum the line can handle and then there's throughput which is the actual achievable speed, the two should only be a few meg apart. 

If you go onto a web browser and type 192.168.0.1 you'll get the router login page, username is admin and password is sky, after logging in select the maintenance page and check what the downstream rate is. 

mohammed1111

Neil_Jones said:

Virtual/Remote Desktop technology (like Citrix for example) would take some bandwidth but even on the website they recommend a minimum of 1.5Mbps, ideally 5.  If it just sits there it shouldn't use very much data.

If using remote desktop might be worth selecting slow speed internet which should reduce the bandwidth required

Bettycheese

@mohammed1111, @Neil_Jones, @JJ_Egan, @onomatopoeia99, @Mickey666 Yes, I do have to use a VPN connection and remoedesktop in order to work. @mohammed1111 thans for the suggestion about reducing the bandwidth needed for remote desktop, I will see if Ican find this option.

Bettycheese

Oh and @JJ_Egan, it's most definitely not the keyboard or the laptop. I can work absolutely fine even with VPN/remote desktop engaged at my parents house where they have good broadband.

TimSynths

If its that bad and you cant get a fibre or VM service have you thought about mobile BB? A colleague of mine uses Three-
4G & 5G Home Broadband | Three
We are are on a VPN, use Citrix, spend all day editing and uploading Excel and take part in video calls. I've seen it as cheap as £20pm and you'll be up and running the next day, of course once 5G comes you'll never look back.

Bettycheese

@TimSynths thank you for responding. Does mobile BB mean mobile broadband? How does that work? I'll take a look at the link, thanks.