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Slow Broadband

My download speed is consistently below 500kbps mainly because I live about 2 miles from the exchange.

Is there anything I can do to improve this please?(cable is not an option unfortunately).

Would a change of ISP help? ( currently with Pipex and paying too much anyway).

Would a USB dongle do a better job? ( I assume these work with desktops as well as laptops)

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Thanks.
 
Yes there is, provided you're on a BT line then there's a good chance that fitting a filtered faceplate would improve your connection speed. There's a little more information about this on one of the ADSL Connection Tips pages:

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/articles/adsltips

Also, try putting your phone number in to our broadband coverage checker and let us know what the esimated BT linespeeds you get are for Standard ADSL and ADSL MAX:

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/checker/

It might also help if you could paste your router stats.
 
Thanks Mark. The broadband coverage checker showed estimated BT linespeeds for Standard ADSL and ADSL MAX of around 500kbps.

Do you still recommend a filtered faceplate?

Sorry I dont understand what you mean by router stats. Couldnt find it in jargon buster.

Would also appreciate your comments on my 2 specific points:

Would a change of ISP help? ( currently with Pipex and paying too much anyway).

Would a USB dongle do a better job? ( I assume these work with desktops as well as laptops)

Thanks again
 
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Hi Delroy,

If the coverage checker showed line speeds of 500kbps then I doubt very much a change of ISP will help, all ISP's will be limited by the speed your line can support.

A USB dongle will make no difference as it has no bearing on the speed your line can handle.

Unofrtunately I would suggest you are about at the limit your telephone line can handle!
 
Thanks Bricktop

I thought I might be able to use a dongle and a wireless service from one of the mobile phone providers to solve my speed problem. I could then sack the useless Pipex and use the money to pay the wireless SP.

Would that make sense?
 
speed loss can be caused by many factors, line length can be one of them.. how fast were you before?

recently l changed my router/modem and my speed dropped below 512k technically considering my line length and modem stats the speed one would expect me to get would be around that but amazingly my download is a meg and l live 9km from the exchange!! maybe l have ideal circumstances however visit all possibilities...

without some stats posted we cannot say anything and can only guess how to help..

heres an example of my own stats, while your numbers maybe different it should tell you the same (posting the make and model of your modem will help us tell you where to find these details)

ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 1024 kbps 448 kbps
Line Attenuation 63.5 db 31.5 db
Noise Margin 7.1 db 11.0 db
 
Hi Delroy,

Yes that makes sense, but you need to check you can get a good 3G signal in your area otherwise you will be running on 2G which is very slooooooow ;)

Some mobile providers offer a 14-day money back guarantee, might be worth trialling a 3G service to see if it is any better than your current ADSL service.

Click here http://www.directmobilephones.com/coverage.htm for 3G coverage by respective networks.

But, as timeless says, it could also be down to a faulty ADSL router/modem. How do you connect to the internet? Via a USB ADSL modem or via a network router? If it is the latter, can you log in to it and get some stats such as the ones timeless has posted?
 
Last edited:
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Hey.. I had a bad experience with my ISP. Very Slow slow...I am upset everytime this happen.. I had to call on the customer service and all they say is "They have system enhancement going on"...
 
Thanks Mark. The broadband coverage checker showed estimated BT linespeeds for Standard ADSL and ADSL MAX of around 500kbps.

I had problems with my line for quite some time, and the speed the broadband checker showed went down and down, until it now says what yours does. This is despite my line being fixed and me getting 4mb on ADSL Max now.

I'd never got a decent speed on ADSL Max the whole time I was using it, till I lost my connection completely and BT came out. They remade all the connections between me and the exchange, and fitted a new BT socket. Since then, my speed is great!

YES - ADSL MAX @ up to 8Mbps (BT Wholesale IPStream / Datastream MAX)
Estimated Best Speed: 500Kbps.

Speed Down 4389.69 Kbps ( 4.3 Mbps )
Speed Up 371.83 Kbps ( 0.4 Mbps )

*Edit* According to Samknows, I am 3305m from the exchange, which I think is just over 2 miles.
 
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