Slow ADSL speeds? Or just me being picky?

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xurizaemon

153 posts

Master Geek

#33540 8-May-2009 01:38

Hiya

The ADSL speeds we get in Meadowbank are signficantly slower than the ones we see in Piha. Which seems wierd, given that Piha is out in the wops and Meadowbank is supposedly pretty central, and in the Red network. (We're just on regular ADSL.) Same model of modem at both places.

The Meadowbank connection is on Ihug "Broadband 3" while Piha is on "Ultimate Pack". Is the business connection limited to 128K upload? We've got plenty of broadband usage to go, so we shouldn't have been rate limited.

Are these speeds acceptable, or is there something we need to fix?

VFNZ speed test page says:

Download Speed: 800 kbps (100 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 129 kbps (16.1 KB/sec transfer rate)
Latency: 93 ms

Download Speed: 815 kbps (101.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 128 kbps (16 KB/sec transfer rate)
Latency: 108 ms

Speedtest.net says:

I compared the ADSL settings in Meadowbank with the docs @ http://vodafonenz.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/vod...hp?p_faqid=5239

VPI is 0, VCI is 100

Conn Type is PPPoA VC-Mux

ADSL Status:

Item - Downstream / Upstream Unit
SNR Margin - 15.5 / 26.0 dB
Line Attenuation 54.0 / 31.5 dB
Loss of Signal - 0 / 1
CRC Errors - 872 / 1
Data Rate - 960 / 160 Kbps
Latency - Interleaved / Interleaved

Clues welcome! Thanks

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153 posts

Master Geek

#213452 8-May-2009 14:09

(cross-posted from http://forum.vodafone.co.nz/index.php?showtopic=2417&pid=19366&st=0&#entry19366 b/c no reply there yet - hoping for some peer tips!)

Another couple of tests from Meadowbank this morning:

Vodafone speed test page says,

Last Result:
Download Speed: 814 kbps (101.8 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 125 kbps (15.6 KB/sec transfer rate)
Latency: 83 ms

Please tell me this is not what I should be getting?

Last test I ran from Piha was this result - 6.5 times the download speed I get in town:

Do the router settings above indicate any interference?

Thanks in advance!

cyril7

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#213467 8-May-2009 14:50

Hi, the main issue would appear to be line attenuation at 54dB this indicates approx 4km of cable between you and the DSLAM, or issues in your house wiring, or a bad joint between your place and the exchange. Also if you are on the Red network but in a cabinet area (which is being built in your area right now) you could be suffering from effective high attenuation due to mid point injection, in which case you are better to get off the red network and back on to a Telecom wholesale connection. What is odd is that even though it has 54dB attenuation it has good S/N, this indicates the most probable issue is your house wiring or a mid point injection issue.

Your actually download tests are simply showing the limitation in your ADSL connection speed, ie the sync rate is around 960kb/s so a TCP throughput of 840kb/s is not unexpected.

Have you done an isolation test, in the first instance simply remove all phones/skyboxs/faxs and their filters from every phone jack in the house, so only leaving the ADSL modem (and its splitting filter if needed) connected to your line, whats your line attenuation and sync rate then. If you want to do a full isolation test you need to find the phone jack thats the closest connection to the cable entry to the house (ie demarc) remove all wiring from the jack onward so you only have one phone jack connected to the line with a direct cable from that jack to the demarc. If this does not have a significant improvement then you need to get Chorus involved to check your line. This all assumes that the 4km cable distance is not infact a true reflection of the line length.

Cyril

xurizaemon

153 posts

Master Geek

#213581 8-May-2009 22:09

thanks heaps for the detailed answer cyril7

is there an easy way to find the distance to my DSLAM?

we're on tahapa cres, meadowbank

from a look at http://www.vodafonemaps.co.nz/ we are near the edge of the exchange boundary

will give the isolation test a whirl now :)

cyril7

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#213598 9-May-2009 07:58

Hi, Meadowbank is run off St Heliers Exchange, so infact you may be 4km of cable from it. But next month cabinet SHB/AN will cover your street, it may already be commisioned or at least bolted to the ground awaiting cut over. However as sub loop unbundling has not yet happened, once that cabinet does go into place I would recommend that you ask to be moved from the Red network back to a Telecom wholesale connection (still via Vodafone if you wish) but using a Telecom port in that cabinet as this will prevent issues with midspan injection.

Voda currently cannot put gear in this new cabinet until rules let them, even then they may choose not to. So when Telecom inject their DSL signals into the distribution cables that run down your street it will interfere with DSL signals that Voda will have injected at the Exchange. As the cabinet is closer it will be the weaker signals from the exchange that suffer, hence you are better to move to a service provided by the cabinet. In your case it would appear to be a quite small area that the cabinet covers, so you should get very good performance from it once its commisioned.

Cheers
Cyril

xurizaemon

153 posts

Master Geek

#213606 9-May-2009 09:08

Cheers again Cyril, much appreciated.

We aren't on Red network (yet) - the phone line is with Telecom, ADSL is a VFNZ "broadband 3" plan.

Results of the isolation test (removing Sky unit, wireless phone and a long extension cord) were about a 50% increase in d/l speed (up to a whopping 1.3Mb/s) and a couple of Db reduction in attenuation. Still not the results I hoped for.

Have opened a support ticket with VFNZ call centre, gave them the speedtest results, they agreed that this was sub-par performance. We'll see what happens next!

Was considering switching the phone line to VFNZ landline to save the family a few monthly $$, but maybe simpler to avoid changing things until the ADSL performance issues are cleared up.

cyril7

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#213607 9-May-2009 09:18

Hi, definitely think its worth having a tech check the line, one suspects there could be further issues with your house wiring or lead in wire if making minor changes can bring about better results. Otherwise it could just be that you are actually 4km from the exchange, in which case waiting for cabinetisation (after having your line checked) is probably the go.

Have you tried a full isolation, essentailly removing all house phone wiring as close back to the demarc as possible, if you are not comfortable with wiring work then probably best left to a phone tech.

Cheers
Cyril

xurizaemon

153 posts

Master Geek

#213749 9-May-2009 21:17

Lo & behold - hours after I called VFNZ support (on a Sat morn) a Telecom guy turns up at the door.

Points across the road at the new cabinet they are installing and says that it should be up and buzzing by Tue at the latest, and we should expect some level of interference / intermittent outages until then.

He did a full isolation test and got the uploads up to a stunning 1.7Mb/s (just a hint of irony there) but seemed to think it was all about the distance from the old exchange, and that the new cabinet (which I could hit with a tennis ball from the porch) will improve things greatly ...

Will report back early next week :)

(Absolutely stunned that a support call on Sat morning to VFNZ resulted in a Telecom staff member appearing at the door the same day. Perhaps there is some benefit in not having the phone line with VFNZ after all - I'm not sure if that would have affected our situation in this case ... anyway, WOW.)

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xurizaemon

153 posts

Master Geek

#213754 9-May-2009 23:33

Heh. They say things have to get worse before they get better, right?

Grannit

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Wannabe Geek

#213816 10-May-2009 10:37

Hi xurizaemon,

Funilly enough we have had a pretty crap time in the last week or two with Ihug as well. We were getting downloads of around 3.5Mbs and this has dropped to a low 1 - 1.8Mbs in the last week or so. We have talked to Vodafone and have been told it's not their fault. Told to check the modem manufacturer, they told modem fine must be isp. Back to ihug, will get a tech to look into it. Yes there is a fault on the line. Telecom said that the line is limited to 4Mbs and is within normal parameters (thought we were max download-why limited?) Vodafone say still not our fault. Asked if its likely to be our line, said unlikely. Been asked to report speed test for next wee while.

Went to a mates yesterday and found he was on ihug as well. Max up and down. He found he was averaging about 2.2Mbs, not the 6.5Mbs he normally cruises at. Needless to say he's a bit bummed as well.

All and all we are starting to get very annoyed at the lack of ability to sort us out and are at the stage of changing providers (not that Telecom spins my wheels, but they own the lines right?)

We are in Mosgeil just out of Dunedin and my mate is in Dunedin.

I wonder if Vodafone is having a much larger issue than we think???

cyril7

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#213820 10-May-2009 10:43

Grannit, I think xurizaemons problem at this point is a DSL connection issue back to the Telecom DSLAM with the primary problem of line length which is not easily fixed. However luckly for him it will be fixed next week when a cabinet should sort that out.

Cheers
Cyril

xurizaemon

153 posts

Master Geek

#214111 11-May-2009 14:55

Yep. Work crew have taken their tent from across the road and left behind a shiny new cab, and 4.5Mb d/l speeds.

Strangely, although we're on "broadband 3" which is stated as max/max on the ihug website, we are only getting 128K up. This doesn't seem like it would be a line issue. Well, at least we've got one set of the bits flowing ...

Cyril, thanks again for your time and knowledge - much appreciated.

Grannit, good luck with your issues. My advice is to follow the steps on the VFNZ website as completely as possible (and following cyril's advice above may not hurt), take careful notes, write them up in an email. Then call VFNZ support on their 0800 at 8am sharp, when you will get through without delay. Talk the support staff through the issue, and be ready to send them the email when requested. Worked for us.

Cheers!

cyril7

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#214159 11-May-2009 17:36

Hi Chris, good to see its fixed, but what is your sync rate and attenuation as reported from the modem, sounds like your profile needs setting to Fs/Fs, shouldnt be a big issue to get sorted, the 128kb/s uplink will be limiting your d/l.

Cheers
Cyril

xurizaemon

153 posts

Master Geek

#214250 11-May-2009 22:53

Hey Cyril

Modem is a DSL-504G, I can't see where to change the setting on it to FS/FS - is that done at VFNZ's end or mine?

SNR Margin	13.0	31.0	dB
Line Attenuation	0.0	4.0	dB
Loss of Signal	0	0
CRC Errors	235	0
Data Rate	7360	160	Kbps
Latency	Interleaved	Interleaved

Ragnor

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#214263 12-May-2009 01:31

If I recall correctly the old ihug Broadband 3 is not a FS/FS plan, you will most likely have to change plan too a newer one, so yeah you will have to contact Vodafone.

cyril7

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#214267 12-May-2009 06:08

Yep you need to get Voda to change your profile, although out of the box all ports will default to Fs/160 and over the next few days the backend will catchup with the front.

Also biff the modem it does not do ADSL2+, change that and you should be able to achieve 20Mb/s plus, my personal recommendation is the DSE XH9949 or XH9950 if you want wifi as well.

Cheers

Cyril

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