BT Broadband Issues Continued.

[fastwunz]

Right, I posted not long ago about how fooked off im getting with this situation.

For some lame ass reason, BT are quoting 'up to 8meg broadband' capability (which is tosh) which my dad whole heartedly signed up for.

Now, actually getting anything over 1meg download speeds is an abosoloute miracle and anything over download speeds of 30kbps is the norm. Im sick to f**king death of it.

Last night, turned PC on. Watched the tool bar network icon come up:

Connected at 48 something or other.
Go to Gameshadow: This site gives very very fast download speeds however, im downloading at just 30kbps again. I give up.

Then the connection completely dies a death. It hasnt come back up since and i even checked this morning to see if there was a connection. The connection regularly dies and remains dead for a few days until it decides to spring back to life after its had a 'rest'.

Funnily, i keep getting a box pop up every time it disconnects stating:

'One or more wireless networks are available. Click here for a list wirelss networks'. So, i click on this and it brings up a box. With 1 network available in the list it provides - this is the network i want to connect to - The highly annoying thing is that it then asks me to enter the WEP key again!!!!!! I simply cant keep doing this! Anyway, type in WEP key and nothing happens. Great. So i give up with this. Then i right click on the network icon in the task bar and click repair. This does everything and then states 'cannot connect to the wireless network'.

So, im at the the stage where i MAY call BT - i know, its a desperate measure but there is nothing else i can think of doing. I have trawled the internet and found lots of people having simliar problems, but the main rant is about how BT quote 8meg and then put people on a server that gives no more than 1meg. Its pathetic.

Its just so strange that it will connect one day and then die for a week. My bros laptop works fine with wireless and the PC downstairs that is connceted to the router via Ethernet works fine too - although still gets a pretty slow connection - 1meg ish.

Any help please? dont make me take the step of calling BT and probably die whilst my ear bleeds as 'Achmed Mohammed' asks me 'is the green light on sir, is the red light on sir, can you see a blue light sir'. AAAAAAARRRRGH.

BTW - 5 posts suxs ass - bare in mind this is my first of 4 today. Cheers all.

 

[JoelDee]

Thats BT for you

This is the mistake you made lol

"For some lame ass reason, BT are quoting 'up to 8meg broadband' capability (which is tosh) which my dad whole heartedly signed up for. "

 

[Scutch]

My mate is with BT and says its spot on. There arent many ISPs that offer a happy customer relation over the UK. Pro's and Cons. Although you should definitely be getting around 4 - 7Mbs min from your connection.

 

[TeZ]

i got Bt aftr having virgin and its great get a good 10mb

 

[fastwunz]

Another thing - when it is connected it say 'status: associated'. - this right?

 

[JoelDee]

Have you got the BT home hub jobby? From my past experiences with BT broadband dont use there software on your machine, are you using the BT software or have you configured it your self?

 

[Ritch_182]

fastwunz,

You have two issues here, one is the wireless network you are using to connect back to your router, Is it a BT Homehub or another make of router?. It sounds like your machine is loosing sync with the wireless router. You may want to try changing the channel of the router and using something other than channel 11. YOucould also try re setting up the wireless network, getting the wifi card to sync properly with the router can be a knightmare.

Regarding the speed of the internet this is all dependant on the quality and distance from your local exchange, what its configured for and what type of phone cables are running to you street house. BT wholesale should be able to do a line test and tell you the quality of your line.

There are websites out there that can tell you what your exchange is setup to receive by entereing either your postcode or phone number here is one:

www.broadbandchecker.co.uk

Hope this helps?
Rich

 

[fastwunz]

aha - yep home hub - got the router and four wirless network adapter USB things.

Now then, im using BT software so no probs there. Just spoke with a Techy here and he told me the following:

Basically, ive probably got a conflict with other wireless networks around my house from my neighbours. The router detects one of these and drops my connection and tries to connect to it - which it cant obviously. He states that my router would have come pre-configured to run on a certain channel - 11 is most probable. This is the channel that all my neighbours will be using. Techy says to change to a free channel - either 1 or 6. That way ill be on a much less busy channel.

Anyone heard of this? he is sending me the instructions to do it now. Woo!

 

[TeZ]

^ yep i run on 6 as neighbours have a router on 11 pisses me right off

 

[JoelDee]

fastwunz,

You have two issues here, one is the wireless network you are using to connect back to your router, Is it a BT Homehub or another make of router?. It sounds like your machine is loosing sync with the wireless router. You may want to try changing the channel of the router and using something other than channel 11. YOucould also try re setting up the wireless network, getting the wifi card to sync properly with the router can be a knightmare.

Regarding the speed of the internet this is all dependant on the quality and distance from your local exchange, what its configured for and what type of phone cables are running to you street house. BT wholesale should be able to do a line test and tell you the quality of your line.

There are websites out there that can tell you what your exchange is setup to receive by entereing either your postcode or phone number here is one:

www.broadbandchecker.co.uk

Hope this helps?
Rich

I had this problem when i moved into new house, my router was conflicting with other routers on the street which also had channel 11, changed it to a different channel and aworked a treat

 

[JoelDee]

192.168.1.1 go into your router and change channel to 1

 

[fastwunz]

you lot are great - thanks.

 

[JoelDee]

You managed to get into your router then and changed it?

 

[fastwunz]

ah no - ive got to go home and do it later - the girlf wont like it as im supposed to be staying at hers. hahahahahhahahaha

Broadband checker says i should be getting 4.5meg upwards - will i see this with wireless?

 

[TeZ]

should do yes

 

[RichMcc]

I have BT too 8mb but its more like 6.5mb, the home hub is a pile of pants but Ive had over 700kbps downloads from bit torrent, just because you have 8mb broadband doesn't mean eveything will come down at 8mb
Most downloads from web servers I get at 30-40kbps some upto 100 it depends on the servers load, network traffic, distance, number of routers your traffic passes through, there are millions of factors that determin the speed at which you download

 

[dk]

anyone know how you change the channel on a BT home hub please?

thanks

 

[JoelDee]

Yea open up your web browser and type in 192.168.1.1 and enter should get you into your hub, not sure what the default username and password is though?

Do you not have an instruction manual which came with your hub?

 

[fastwunz]

this tells you all you need to know

http://www.btfusionorder.bt.com/support/troubleshooting.aspx

 

[Cookie]

BT are a walk in the park compared to the shambles that is Bulldog billing

 

[dk]

Yea open up your web browser and type in 192.168.1.1 and enter should get you into your hub, not sure what the default username and password is though?

Do you not have an instruction manual which came with your hub?

its a bt home hub, so not that easy, you use an app to get it.

but it restricts what you can do.

 

[dk]

this tells you all you need to know

http://www.btfusionorder.bt.com/support/troubleshooting.aspx

not quite as i don't have fusion but i found it and have managed to configure it.

my problem though is more to do with my sync speed

i am connected at 4.5mb but can only download at 2mb and all speed tests show it as 2mb.

phoned bt and got the usual muppet, they should provide a number people who can wipe their own bums can call rather than being patronised by telling me my internet connection will speed up if i delete my temp internet files!

asked me to connect to the test socket in the master socket, problem is i don't have a test socket, he wouldn't listen though, just kept reading the same line of the script.

Anyway, he eventually passed it through to engineering, hopefully that will be someone who actually isn't reading off a script but i don't hold much hope, we'll see in 24 hrs hopefully!

 

[fastwunz]

well i can sympathize, i've changed channel to 12 and its running at a max of 1meg. Pathetic. I have run various tests and this line is capable of 6meg - so BT - CHANGE IT.

Im so f**king angry, i really am - whats the best way to get the speed we are paying for?

i can get 4.5meg max. BT say they are providing a line thats 'capable' of 8meg and im getting 1meg. grrrrrrr

 

[Andy]

Running wireless? Plug a CAT-f**king-5 in and see if that improves things first.

 

[dk]

well i can sympathize, i've changed channel to 12 and its running at a max of 1meg. Pathetic. I have run various tests and this line is capable of 6meg - so BT - CHANGE IT.

Im so f**king angry, i really am - whats the best way to get the speed we are paying for?

i can get 4.5meg max. BT say they are providing a line thats 'capable' of 8meg and im getting 1meg. grrrrrrr

not sure, i haven't had my callback within the 24hrs anyway, bet the guy didn't even log the call.

Will call them tomorrow and tear into them.

All I want to do is explain my problem to someone of english origin who can actually help, its not that much to ask is it, I guess when you ring a company called BRITISH telecom you have to expect to speak to someone in india who doesn't listen to what you say, simply reads off a script and can't really help you.

 

[RichMcc]

If you call BT you'll get an indian who will just be reading from a script I can guarantee it... I work for BT LOL

Home hub is 192.168.1.254, go advanced, user admin, pass admin. (defaults)

Basically home hub has flaws, too many connections and it falls over, its a bunch of components built by the cheepest bidder.
Your better off buying a netgear router

cat-5 is much much better than wireless btw

 

[Andy]

They haven't been British Telecom in donkeys....

 

[RichMcc]

I made a post about that but it got removed
All the managers, solution designers, tech teams are brits but theres an army of grunts out sourced and offshored to save costs (make proffit).

 

[Nikey Mikey]

I got p&ssed of with AOL so have gone to bt. Went with their top package got the hub (the new black one) and the hub phone. All seems to be going ok at the moment havent tried to download that much but will do tommorow night. Did have a minor issue with the disk but phoned up and one of the techys took control of my computer and sorted all out. Good customer service!

 

[RichMcc]

the techys took control of my computer and sorted all out.

Not a snowballs chance in hell I'd let them do that to mine LOL
Then again I wouldn't call the retards in the first place

 

[Sib]

Many of you need to remember when slagging BT off that there are only 2 ADSL products on offer in the country.

1. IP Stream ADSL (up to 8mb dependent on line copper quality and length)
Basically you either by this direct from BT or its is leased from them by another company (orange, tiscali, aol). Uses an old skool ATM transport layer network running through a RAS and HG with rate adapted packet flow after the exchange.

2. LLU (upto 24mb and only provided by certain companies) BT have an LLU product but Bulldog/Pipex are the main provider. The copper line is still owned and leased by BT but the ADSL exchange equipement is owned by the ISP and often has GigE connections running to the the HG. These lines offer lower contention and faster back end traffic.

Your sync speed is only the rate that your modem can receive data from the DSLAM in the exchange and actual throughput can vary massively on a whole range of factors beyond anyones control. 72% of cases my department deals with for throughput are either customer setup based or external network issues.

Cookie whats the beef with bulldog billing ( I may know who you've had grief off and can kick them for you)

 

[Sib]

If you call BT you'll get an indian who will just be reading from a script I can guarantee it... I work for BT LOL

Home hub is 192.168.1.254, go advanced, user admin, pass admin. (defaults)

Basically home hub has flaws, too many connections and it falls over, its a bunch of components built by the cheepest bidder.
Your better off buying a netgear router

cat-5 is much much better than wireless btw

What part of BT you working for?

 

[RichMcc]

Im a consultant for both BT and Openreach I manage a system which deals with optical fibre ethernet products

 

[dk]

ok guys, so i used to be connected at 4.5mb (with a dlink router) and could download at 4.5 mb but now have the homehub as the dlink died and at the very beginning was connected at 4.5 and could download at 4.5 but that lasted for about a week.

Now I am connected at 4.5mb and can only download at 2 max using newsgroups, so i know its not a problem with what i am downloading.

I heard that the home hub can reserve 2mb for the 2 service if you have it, could that be whats happening to me?

should i just get a new router or keep on at bT?

any help would be much appreciated as i have been with bt for a long time now and have never had a problem, and now i have you just can't get anything decent out of them.

 

[RichMcc]

No if you have BT vision it will throttle the hub and reserve some bandwidth for that but if nothing else is using it then it should be ok.
Just because you downloaded something quick once doesn't mean you will the next time you download it. As I said there are many factors which affect download speed.

 

[dk]

No if you have BT vision it will throttle the hub and reserve some bandwidth for that but if nothing else is using it then it should be ok.
Just because you downloaded something quick once doesn't mean you will the next time you download it. As I said there are many factors which affect download speed.

i don't have bt vision but i thought maybe they were just throttling me incase i do maybe, or for the IP bt hub phone?

anyway, i know after downloading at 440 kbytes/s for over a year on newsgroups that I can dl at that speed, just caps out at 200 now and its really frustrating.

 

[RichMcc]

nah it wouldn't be throttled and they couldn't do it externally. not sure what effect the IP phone has mine doesn't work any more LOL

 

[dk]

nah it wouldn't be throttled and they couldn't do it externally. not sure what effect the IP phone has mine doesn't work any more LOL

i don't think its that anyway now as i have disconnected it, only use my mobile anyway so its a waste of time for me.

could it be at the exchange end then, although the hub says i'm sync'd at 4.5mb.

they wanted me to plug it into the test socket but i haven't got one in my master socket so can't do that.

i have a feeling i am going to have ot get used to 2mb again until my contract runs out.

 

[RichMcc]

Ive got mine running through the test socket.
Look at your phone socket, undo the two screws on the front, take the pannel off and you'll see a test port on the right. I find mine works better through it

 

[dk]

sorry Rich, without wanting to sound like an arse, i'm well aware of the test socket, its just for some reason, my flat doesn't have one.

I have 3 telephone sockets, none of them have test sockets behind them.

I have to lie to BT that i have used the test socket when I ring them up or they tell me i must have one.