# Barely getting a third of my internet speed with new provider  - what should I check first?



## Black Panther (Nov 12, 2015)

So after two years on cable I switched to DSL because I needed a cheaper package.

I checked my internet speed (using a wired connection not wifi) and instead of 15Mbps I'm only getting 5Mbps, and instead of 1Mbps upload I'm getting 0.44Mbps and I have a ping of 25ms whereas normally with this ISP it should be 5 or 6ms.

I called ISP tech support who told me 15Mbps was arriving at my doorstep so probably my modem was faulty. Today they gave me another modem but the same problem is still there.

I contacted support again, and they told me that from their end there seems to be no problem and I'm getting 15Mbps delivered. They told me that they can send a technician over, but if he comes and finds no fault I will be charged an hourly fee.

*Now, where do you suggest that I start checking in order to make sure I cover everything possible and leave the technician as a last resort?*

By the way, I have checked speedtest on 4 different devices, both wired and wifi. I don't have any android boxes, iptv's or anything else which could be hogging internet resources.

I also don't think it's a problem with any of my computers - I still have the cable modem from my previous provider still working and that is giving me exactly the promised speed of my previous ISP.


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## Rhyseh (Nov 12, 2015)

What line sync are you getting?


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## dorsetknob (Nov 12, 2015)

some useful info here
http://www.speedguide.net/faq/what-is-considered-good-dsl-line-attenuation-371
excerpt
Line attenuation is a measure of how much the signal has degraded between the DSLAM and the modem. This is largely a function of the distance from the exchange. The lower the dB, the better for this measurement. Attenuation is logarithmic and each 3dB of attenuation halves the strength of the signal power received.

20dB and below is outstanding
20dB-30dB is excellent
30dB-40dB is very good
40dB-50dB is good
50dB-60dB is poor and may experience connectivity issues
60dB or above is bad and will experience connectivity issues

The standard signal attenuation spread for a given speed is somewhere in the region of 15-20dB for ADSL2/2+ speeds and 25-30dB for ADSL1 speeds. The following is a "guesstimate" of the line attenuation and maximum attainable speed based on distance:

Less than 1km = 24Mbit
1.0km = 13.81dB = 23Mbit
1.5km = 20.7dB = 21Mbit
2.0km = 27.6dB = 18Mbit
2.5km = 34.5dB = 13Mbit
3.0km = 41.4dB = 8Mbit
3.5km = 48.3dB = 6Mbit
4.0km = 56dB = 4Mbit
4.5km = 62.1dB = 3Mbit
5.0km = 69dB = 2Mbit

Isp's often lie to customers saying they are getting the speed promised and therefore its the customers fault (equipment ) and will always say there is a call out charge payable if no fault is found on their side of the deal

check your Line Attenuation (dB)   up and down you should find this info in your modem stats page

compare your modem stats with the equipment the isp provided ( if what they claim that your equipment is faulty   the stats for their modem will be better than your equipment)

they are responsible for the line to the house from the exchange ( including the Telephone  socket the modem plugs into)

Mine for example
*Line Status:*Connected

*DSL Modulation Type:*ADSL_2plus

*Annex Type:*Annex A/L

*Upstream* *Downstream
Current Rate (Kbps)* 876 upstream  4928 downstream
*Max Rate (Kbps)* 880 upstream  4928 downstream
*SNR Margin (dB)* 5.9 upstream  8.4 downstream
*Line Attenuation (dB)* 22  upstream  44.7downstream
*Errors (Pkts)* 0 upstream 0 downstream

you should also look into the contention ratio the isp is useing for your connection
More info here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contention_ratio#Specific_examples_by_country

excerpt
the *contention ratio* is the ratio of the potential maximum demand to the actual bandwidth. The higher the contention ratio, the greater the number of users that may be trying to use the actual bandwidth at any one time and, therefore, the lower the effective bandwidth offered, especially at peak times

In the UK, an RADSL (Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line) connection used to be marketed with a contention ratio between 20:1 and 50:1 within the BT network, meaning that 20 to 50 subscribers, each assigned or sold a bandwidth of "up to" 8 Mbit/s for instance, may be sharing 8 Mbit/s of uplink bandwidth


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## Black Panther (Nov 17, 2015)

Thanks a lot for the detailed info @dorsetknob

I tried to find the dB info but without success. Thing is that it is very rarely that I manage to log into the router. By chance I managed a couple of hours ago, but since then no matter what I try, even switching it off and on, the 192.168.....  page just keeps loading without ever displaying.

I did manage to change channels, and there was also some kind of power-saving option on the router's page but turning it off didn't make any difference.

All I could get was this:







Can you kindly explain the part I put in red square? Is that my DL/UL speed? I'm supposed to be getting 15Mbps Download and 1Mbps Upload. But this is what I'm getting, and the speed seems like it's throttled somewhat because no matter whether I use ethernet cable or wifi, no matter how many devices I connect, and no matter whether I start some really heavy downloads it just remains stable like this:






By the way, this is my router, if perhaps you might kindly know how I might get more info out of it.

By the way, I'm pretty sure it's not a router problem. When I started with this provider (using the telephone line for internet instead of cable) I immediately got this problem. They told me that 15Mbps was arriving at my house and that probably my modem was defective that's why it dropped to 5Mbps. I changed router/modem (the ISP supplies it so they changed it) but the problem remained there. So probably it's not the router's fault. But perhaps the router can show where the fault is..


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## blobster21 (Nov 17, 2015)

Do you use one of those adsl filter ?






It could be faulty


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## blobster21 (Nov 17, 2015)

Secondary / tertiary phone plugs can also attenuate / choke adsl bandwith when they are defective.

That was the case in my house, a technician removed the wires of the secundary phone wall plug leading to my bedroom, and my adsl bandwith gained a good 10% @ 12Mpbs

The reason behind this was the high CRC errors rate generated by this wall plug.


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## dorsetknob (Nov 17, 2015)

your Router is apparently has an upstream of 616 Kbps) and your download stream is 6719Kbps
as confirmed by your speed test results   your not receiving what they claim to have connected For your service (15Mbps down 1Mbps upload )

Your need to verify your speeds with *their supplied* and therefore new perfectly working DSL modem
if the figures are very close then there is a problem with their line ( Pictures/screen capture for future ref).
Then its time to further contact the ISP Asking explanation for your  your figures ( log them for several days at different times )

Basically your not getting your Bandwidth *on their Equipment* before it is consumed by your Devices and as such  it is the ISP's Problem to sort out
was there a new wall socket for the line installed or is the isp using pre existing fittings ???
They would be responsable for the line from the exchange to the router

Ps your Router looks good and has good spec's

Edit @blobster21
while a adsl filter can screw your connection up if it fails..............   its primary function is for  The Telephone Signal   not the internet   modern phones can safely do away with this filter as they are Digital and the filter is for Analog connections ( old Phones )


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## brandonwh64 (Nov 17, 2015)

DSL runs on older legacy RJ11 and depending hold old and worn out they are it could cause connectivity issues.


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## newtekie1 (Nov 17, 2015)

Black Panther said:


> So after two years on cable I switched to DSL because I needed a cheaper package.



I hate to say it, but you get what you pay for.  DSL isn't just cheaper because it is slower, it is cheaper because you never get anywhere near the advertised speeds.  If you're lucky, you'll get half the advertised speed.  They'll go round and round saying you are getting the speed you should, but unless you are right next door to the node, you're going to get nowhere near the speed you should.


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## xvi (Nov 17, 2015)

The modem is going to negotiate for whatever line speed it thinks it can reliably keep and then it's going to worry about shaping it down to your contracted rates. I'm sure the issue is that the ADSL link is not actually capable of those speeds for whatever reason, not that they've shaped you down slower than the 15Mbps you've purchased.


Black Panther said:


> All I could get was this:


The bit you've highlighted in red is what the DSL modem has negotiated for speeds between your modem and the DSLAM on the other end of your phone line. Like Brandonwh mentioned, the lines you're going over may be old and poor quality. Notice the DSL Type above it. "POTS" literally stands for "Plain Ol' Telephone Service". You're at the mercy of whatever condition the phone lines are in.


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## Black Panther (Nov 17, 2015)

dorsetknob said:


> Your need to verify your speeds with *their supplied* and therefore new perfectly working DSL modem
> if the figures are very close then there is a problem with their line ( Pictures/screen capture for future ref).



I had tested with the modem I have right now, the one screen-shot. Both tests which I did in my previous post here were done just right now.

POTS abbreviation, that's hilarious in a way @xvi!

Would I be responsible for the phone lines in my house? I think it was this same ISP who had done everything some years ago...


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## xvi (Nov 17, 2015)

Edit: Meant to add to my post, not make a second post. Sorry!


newtekie1 said:


> I hate to say it, but you get what you pay for.  DSL isn't just cheaper because it is slower, it is cheaper because you never get anywhere near the advertised speeds.  If you're lucky, you'll get half the advertised speed.  They'll go round and round saying you are getting the speed you should, but unless you are right next door to the node, you're going to get nowhere near the speed you should.


I've had decent luck with my DSL service through Verizon (which sold/split to Frontier). Service occasionally degrades lower than my contracted rate, but it's not often. Granted, this is for a 1500/384Kbps connection.
Typically, slow speeds are due to over-provisioning which is basically what dorsetknob is talking about here. This is pretty standard practice though.


dorsetknob said:


> In the UK, an RADSL (Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line) connection used to be marketed with a contention ratio between 20:1 and 50:1 within the BT network, meaning that 20 to 50 subscribers, each assigned or sold a bandwidth of "up to" 8 Mbit/s for instance, may be sharing 8 Mbit/s of uplink bandwidth


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## brandonwh64 (Nov 17, 2015)

Black Panther said:


> I had tested with the modem I have right now, the one screen-shot. Both tests which I did in my previous post here were done just right now.
> 
> POTS abbreviation, that's hilarious in a way @xvi!
> 
> Would I be responsible for the phone lines in my house? I think it was this same ISP who had done everything some years ago...



The thing is that you could rewire all your analog lines in your house but if its degraded to the nearest POP site then it will be for nothing


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## dorsetknob (Nov 17, 2015)

Black Panther said:


> Would I be responsible for the phone lines in my house? I think it was this same ISP who had done everything some years ago..



your responsible for the equipment you own
The Isp is responsible for the equipment they own or lease to you  that includes
the line from the exchange to your house right up to the Wall socket the modem plugs into
If they are using Equipment put in by a previous supplier then that is still their Responsibility( they have taken over contractual liability from previous ISP )
such as the line the  wall socket and the line to the nearest pole ( i presume you never paid for that as the telephone company install and fit this equipment  then charge you line rental ( inc line maintenance )

"If you have added extensions to their equipment such as an extension to a bedroom or den then that part of the telephone line is yours (ownership) and your responsibility"


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## xvi (Nov 18, 2015)

dorsetknob said:


> the line from the exchange to your house right up to the Wall socket the modem plugs into


With Verizon, their line of demarcation was actually outside my house on a post (which made it technically my responsibility to get it inside the house). The issue was between that post and my house, but the technician was nice enough to replace the line for me. This may vary, but it's good to check to see what part of the run is their responsibility and which is yours.


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## Rhyseh (Nov 18, 2015)

xvi said:


> With Verizon, their line of demarcation was actually outside my house on a post (which made it technically my responsibility to get it inside the house). The issue was between that post and my house, but the technician was nice enough to replace the line for me. This may vary, but it's good to check to see what part of the run is their responsibility and which is yours.



+1

It normally varies by locale and ISP. Businesses here they generally have everything up to the MDF looked after by the ISP. Getting it from the MDF to the wall is up to you.

The speed you get on ADSL varies wildly depending on a number of factors. Primarily your speed will be dictated by your distance from the exchange. However line quality and speed will also play a big role if any of them is degraded.

If you read the ADSL TOS from your ISP it will probably say something along the lines of "speeds stated are best case, actual speeds will vary".


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## Parlsson (Sep 30, 2016)

Well I work at an isp(Sweden BBB) DSL ain't so automatic as u think... Often isp need too manually configure ( I do it every day)  the output of the DSLAM(Ericsson)stinger(lucent) otherwise the connection will have massive packet loss because of bad snr , and attenuation values is one of the main values too correct speed after and to see if line has singel thread error


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