Topic: broadband below isp estimated speed

[ratty redemption]

rabbit and i recently moved into a new flat just outside bath. we were told that we could have our bt (an english isp) adsl account transferred from our previous flat. that had a speed of nearly 20mb, this area was meant to be at least 3mb, and although a lot lower than what we had become used to, we signed up for another year with bt. it turns out we're getting only 1.5mb and every day i've been doing speed tests to see if it changes, it doesn't. it also keeps cutting out, so slow downloads take even longer as i have to keep restarting them.

does anyone have any suggestions on what we can do considering this seems a breach of contract imo?

[kat]

Not sure there's anything you can do with regards to the T&C as they never make any guarantees about service quality, it's always pretty 'loose' language for that very reason, so they don't get tied down.

With regards the quality... It might be worth getting them to do "line tests" (there's a specific term for this which I can't remember off the top of my head but you should be able to find info on the net). Check the following;

• The physical line into the property, old lines can degrade quality significantly
• Sources of interference, limestone can cause issues (your geography too funny enough), some forms of metalized insulation (aluminum backed in particular). Also look to RSI (Radio Signal Interference) - other electronics, microwaves in particular
• The Channel of the router and turn off 'auto-select'; if you use the same channel as your neighbors it can cause issues

Not sure what causes the cut-outs, I'm struggling with that myself and nothing I've tried seems to fix the issue to any great extent; just when it appears to be a regular occurrence (happens on the dot at "X" o-clock) it stops doing it and I've no idea why. Also keep in mind that the system we use is based on 'contention ratios', the same ADSL line can be shared by up to 50 other people so check your speeds at various times of the day if you can and see if you notice anything.

[ratty redemption]

thanks a lot for the advise and info kat, we'll look into all of those.

currently we don't have a microwave, although will be buying a new one this weekend, so i'll do tests before and after and possibly place the devices in different rooms, if i notice anything. i've also unplugged all other devices i could including our landline phone which shares the adsl filter/splitter.

i've been doing tests using speedtest.net at various times throughout the day and night, it seems consistant, other than on newyears eve when it dropped to 0.1mb but we assumed that was due to the exceptional amount of users sending messages etc to each other.

[ratty redemption]

we've tried an ethernet cable from our router and the speed didn't change at all, they also disconnected us this week for several hours then reconnected us at an even lower speed. thankfully the next day bt restored our 1.5mb.

my flat mate was told we had to wait two whole weeks then phone one of those indian call centers for technical assistance, before they will even consider us talking to a fluent english speaking technician. i'm not racist, but overall i'm disgusted by the service 'british' telecom is providing us.

At BT our focus is on excellent customer service. We always aim to be within easy reach and we want to make sure you get the answers you want quickly and easily. To find the contact information you need, just choose from the full range of options below.

http://www2.bt.com/btPortal/application?pageid=pan_contactus&siteArea=pan

[kat]

Oh the joys. Here's another test to try. See if you can hop onto an 'open' network via wireless. If you get better speed then it means there's potentially an issue 'locally' - the line into the building, under the floor, etc.. etc.. is causing the issue; this could be fixed to a certain degree but depends on the property and what 'maintenance rights/obligations' you have with it. If you don't get an/any increase then it potentially means low connection speeds are normal in your geographical area/location (because other people get similar speeds) and unlikely to be fixed over the phone to anyone.

[ratty redemption]

thanks kat, although wouldn't it be risky connecting to an unsecured wireless network? i can see a few in this area according to our connection list. we did try knocking on our neighbours doors a couple of days ago but everyone was either out or just not answering. so we left a note asking them to let us know what speeds they get, if they don't mind telling us.