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FTTP installed today but desktop speed under 1mbps...

Hello, Openreach installed FTTP today. My recently new Win 10 laptop running as expected at just over 50mbps down and 10 up.
But the sad part is that my 7 year old HP desktop is running at approx. 1mbps down and about 3 up. (correct). The correct router wasn't delivered in time so the engineer fitted Version 5 router to keep me going until new router should arrive tomorrow. As you probably have guessed I am with BT internet. Anybody offer a solution to this serious problem because I love my Win 7 desktop. :(
 
With regards to the old HP, how is it connecting to the router: wireless or ethernet? If ethernet, what ethernet card does it have fitted, gigabit or 10/100? If wireless, again what card does it have, and what speed is it connecting to the router at?

If the newer computer is connecting at the correct speeds, but the older one isn't, thats suggests the older one's hardware somewhere along the way is either maxed out or not connecting to the new equipment correctly.

Check the LAN or WLAN connection speeds as seen by the older computer as a starting point before troubleshooting further.
 
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Thanks folks for replies. Just having a quick look now. I'm away for the day so probably tomorrow before I can do anything.
 
Another possibility is that Win 7 might be trying to update itself (e.g. downloading the Win10 code) in the background while you're running a test. Certainly there's no reason why Win7 itself, as OS software, would be that much slower at downloads than Win10.
 
I have had a 2008 era 4GB Core 2 Duo system running at over 50Mb via wifi, so I doubt mere age is an issue (it was also Win7).

You dont say how it is connecting, or what speeds it got from your previous connection.

Wifi, check drivers and if they are fine, try changing location/antenna angle.

Ethernet - try a different cable in case the one you are using has been damaged, also try a different port on the router.

The PC itself, check the port settings are correct, I suggest turning off any green energy settings the port may have as it can cause issues with some routers.

Software - ZoneAlarm used to regularly screw up wifi AND ethernet if it was running when you installed a new COM device, or updated the drivers on an existing device (ethernet port, wifi card/dongle)
 
Thanks for replies. Some food for thought there.
I am wondering if my USB network adapter is too week. It's 300 mbps.
I connected Ethernet cable and speed has reached what I should be getting, it's 51.5 mbps. Would a 1200 mbps sort the problem? I have been doing a little research.
Edit: Just done a speed-test wirelessly with the new router and speed has increased to 12mbps. That is a big improvement on the test with router the engineer gave/loaned me. Forgot I am also in upstairs bedroom with solid walls all around me. :)
 
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Double check the tests you are using to make sure WHAT unit they are reporting speeds as.

Dont make the Mb v MB mistake.

By USB connector, do you mean a wifi adapter?

300Mb would be 2.4GHz, which can be fairly congested in many urban area, causing massive slow downs as it fights for band width with neighbouring 2.8GHz networks.

If it is possible, play with the country settings to enable the higher channel numbers (ch11-12), and manually set to ch 11 to see if this helps.

Also, USB can have a contention issue if it is being shared with anything that polls the USB connection a lot - like a USB wireless mouse/keyboard dongle.
 
Thanks to Green Meanie and Captain_Cretin. Green Meanie I tried your suggestion but it didn't help.

Captain went into router and it is already channel 11.
I am looking at this adapter, is it likely to increase speed to my desktop:

TP-LINK Archer T4U V3 USB Wireless Adapter - AC 1300, Dual-band

What do you think?
 
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That wifi USB adaptor should be fine. However, if you can, you should buy a PCI wifi adaptor such as this for a deskop PC as PCI wifi cards perform far better than USB versions. Of course you will need to have a spare PCI card slot, if you're not sure, post a pic of your PC open and it should be fairly easy to tell.
 
Your FTTP is really only delivering 50Mbps down and 10Mbps up. Do you mean FTTC by any chance - I suspect you do.

Your very slow connection could be down to all manner of things. I suspect the old desktop does have an Ethernet port. I would start by lugging the PC to the router (temp measure) and trying with an Ethernet cable first. If you are closer to your router you might also get a stronger WIFI signal. I expect the issue is the WIFI, the USB WIFI dongles are often not great.

Depending on the distance and construction of walls etc WIFI might not be workable solution at all. You have a few options to consider:

1) Use an Ethernet cable if possible - old technology but still the best....if often inconvenient....
2) Find a more central location for the router.
3) Better WIFI card in desktop.
4) Cheap mesh WIFI system - the Tenda ones are very cheap and work quite well.
5) WIFI extenders - never had much luck with these personally.....
6) Powerline adapters - very dependent on the specific house, wiring mains noise etc. I am not a fan but some people swear by them - and they have fallen in price considerably recently.
7) An additional wired access point closer to computer - an old BT home hub available for peanuts on eBay can be used.

As with most things it is a bit trial and error and it is easy to waste money on ineffective solutions. If you can borrow kit such as powerline adapters before buying then great.

Personally, after trying a number of options in the past, I have found that a mesh system was the only way I have gotten good WIFI around the whole house. My mesh only has two nodes - Tenda MW6 ones, and cost £60 from Aliexpress. The second satellite is hard-wired though. If you don't need above 100Mbps then the MW3 nodes might be cheaper.

There is also a WIFI speed test app on Android (well loads of them) but one in particular that I found useful. You use it in combination with a tiny server app on a Windows computer that is hard wired to the router. You can then run around your property testing WIFI speeds in different locations and testing different setups. It is potentially better than using a Broadband speed tester as you are just testing your network. In my case my WIFI is much faster than my broadband.
 
Your FTTP is really only delivering 50Mbps down and 10Mbps up. Do you mean FTTC by any chance - I suspect you do.

Your very slow connection could be down to all manner of things. I suspect the old desktop does have an Ethernet port. I would start by lugging the PC to the router (temp measure) and trying with an Ethernet cable first. If you are closer to your router you might also get a stronger WIFI signal. I expect the issue is the WIFI, the USB WIFI dongles are often not great.

Depending on the distance and construction of walls etc WIFI might not be workable solution at all. You have a few options to consider:

1) Use an Ethernet cable if possible - old technology but still the best....if often inconvenient....
2) Find a more central location for the router.
3) Better WIFI card in desktop.
4) Cheap mesh WIFI system - the Tenda ones are very cheap and work quite well.
5) WIFI extenders - never had much luck with these personally.....
6) Powerline adapters - very dependent on the specific house, wiring mains noise etc. I am not a fan but some people swear by them - and they have fallen in price considerably recently.
7) An additional wired access point closer to computer - an old BT home hub available for peanuts on eBay can be used.

As with most things it is a bit trial and error and it is easy to waste money on ineffective solutions. If you can borrow kit such as powerline adapters before buying then great.

Personally, after trying a number of options in the past, I have found that a mesh system was the only way I have gotten good WIFI around the whole house. My mesh only has two nodes - Tenda MW6 ones, and cost £60 from Aliexpress. The second satellite is hard-wired though. If you don't need above 100Mbps then the MW3 nodes might be cheaper.

There is also a WIFI speed test app on Android (well loads of them) but one in particular that I found useful. You use it in combination with a tiny server app on a Windows computer that is hard wired to the router. You can then run around your property testing WIFI speeds in different locations and testing different setups. It is potentially better than using a Broadband speed tester as you are just testing your network. In my case my WIFI is much faster than my broadband.

I’m guessing he’s on a 55/10 package.
Most customers go for the smaller ones (40/10, 55/10, 80/20), only a few go for the 160/30 or 340/50 profiles.
 
As Green Meanie says not everyone takes the higher speeds on FTTP. According to TBB, around 80% of users take out 80/20 or less speeds on FTTP Openreach platform.
 
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Haven't had a change to disconnect computer and get it opened.
Thanks purplebogmonst. Very definately FTTP. I don't do films and music so what I have is sufficient ;)
 
I’m guessing he’s on a 55/10 package.
Most customers go for the smaller ones (40/10, 55/10, 80/20), only a few go for the 160/30 or 340/50 profiles.

Interesting to know. I have not looked into many FTTP packages as no options here at the moment, although TrueSpeed soon. I guess I had assumed that most FTTP offerings were symmetrical. No issue with people selecting packages that fulfill their needs at the cheapest available price point - in fact quite the opposite, silly to pay for something you do not require.
 
Thanks baby_frogmella, will try get box open tomorrow.

If you havent already got around to opening the case, download Piriform Speccy instead; it will scan the system, Identify all the components and give you a detailed breakdown of what pci/pcie slots you have.
 
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