and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

after my woes of upgrade to XL BB tonite we have hit a low point tonigt.. due to logic we have in this world, for an extra 14 pounds a month I am getting a lower speed now.

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2009/10/13.png

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2009/10/14.png

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2009/10/15.png

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2009/10/16.png

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2009/10/17.png

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2009/10/18.png


I am going to downgrade back to 10 MB and this is just not acceptable

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

I have NEVER seen my true speed when using a speedtest site, however when actually downloading a file I regularly do

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

You will never get a true result with speed test - due to varients on the server.

Can you post power levels: 192.168.100.1 - root / root - upstream and downstream.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

As they said.

Speedtest.net has always given me speeds from 0.5Mb to 6Mb whereas speed.io is usually more accurate. I can see via DUMeter and various other downloading apps that have speed measurements built-in what my real speed is.

As I type this I am downloading from Usenet at 9.1Mb :tu:

Paused that, exited and ran speedtest.net. Best of 3
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2009/10/12.png

Inaccurate as usual.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Cable Modem Downstream
Downstream Lock : Locked
Downstream Channel Id : 0
Downstream Frequency : 402750000 Hz
Downstream Modulation : QAM256
Downstream Symbol Rate : 5360.537 Ksym/sec
Downstream Interleave Depth : taps32Increment4
Downstream Receive Power Level : -2.4 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 41.0 dB



Cable Modem Upstream
Upstream Lock : Locked
Upstream Channel ID : 4
Upstream Frequency : 37500000 Hz
Upstream Modulation : QAM16
Upstream Symbol Rate : 2560 Ksym/sec
Upstream transmit Power Level : 39.5 dBmV
Upstream Mini-Slot Size : 2


tracert from bbc.co.uk

Tracing route to bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.138]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.1
2 23 ms 13 ms 14 ms 10.45.216.1
3 17 ms 14 ms 16 ms hudd-cam-1b-v107.network.virginmedia.net [80.7.154.185]
4 13 ms 16 ms 17 ms hudd-core-1b-ge-012-0.network.virginmedia.net [195.182.174.81]
5 20 ms 20 ms 12 ms lee-bb-b-xe-602-0.network.virginmedia.net [212.43.162.121]
6 7 ms 7 ms 25 ms lee-bb-a-ae0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.187.185]
7 21 ms 26 ms 16 ms nth-bb-b-as2-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.185.101]
8 14 ms 16 ms 16 ms tele-ic-1-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.184.2]
9 24 ms 29 ms 50 ms pos6-1.rt0.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.239.237]
10 13 ms 19 ms 39 ms 212.58.238.129
11 14 ms 15 ms 37 ms virtual-vip.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.138]

Trace complete.

using http://www.speedtest.bbmax.co.uk/ over the last 3 hours

10am Download Speed: 15420 kbps (1927.5 KB/sec ) Upload Speed: 526 kbps (65.8 KB/sec )
11am Download Speed: 9877 kbps (1234.6 KB/sec ) Upload Speed: 498 kbps (62.3 KB/sec )
12pm Download Speed: 5360 kbps (670 KB/sec ) Upload Speed: 488 kbps (61 KB/sec )

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Your modem readouts are fine. Excellent downstream SNR.

Your objective download tests (that's the way to do it) could be interpreted:
10:00 15 Mbps Kids/students still in bed
11:00 10 Mbps Kids/students have stirred
12:00 05 Mbps Kid/students are busy

What do you think?

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

could be true regarding the readings, I know my son plays COD online with his PS3 but what baffles me when I was on 10 MB few days ago never had any issues was getting a constant 9 MB 24 hours a day but since I went over to 20 MB the speed has decreased at times .. but as you say could be various factors

am going to plug cable modem directly into desktop and see if speed improved by removing the wifi router incase its a bottleneck

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Ring in and get them to run some checks on your connection as everything else here is just supposition, you need to know if the is a fault on the network causing this problem and only Tech Support can provide that answer because no one on here can.

Tech Support is open 24/7 on 151 from your Virgin Media Phone. It's absolutely free.

Or call 0845 454 1111 from any other phone line.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

just rang up and they confirmed my connection is very good and I should be getting a full 20 MB speed.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

So you need to investigate your equipment to see if you have an issue.

Did they run a speed test and what were the results.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

using http://www.speedtest.bbmax.co.uk/ for speedtest

10am Download Speed: 15420 kbps (1927.5 KB/sec ) Upload Speed: 526 kbps (65.8 KB/sec )
11am Download Speed: 9877 kbps (1234.6 KB/sec ) Upload Speed: 498 kbps (62.3 KB/sec )
12pm Download Speed: 5360 kbps (670 KB/sec ) Upload Speed: 488 kbps (61 KB/sec )
1pm Download Speed: 5745 kbps (718.1 KB/sec ) Upload Speed: 526 kbps (65.8 KB/sec )
2pm Download Speed: 3547 kbps (443.4 KB/sec ) Upload Speed: 486 kbps (60.8 KB/sec )
3pm Download Speed: 8619 kbps (1077.4 KB/sec ) Upload Speed: 441 kbps (55.1 KB/sec )

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

These are going to be inaccurate results. Slightly. I would say, your over contended. Aswell - is there just the one machine your house?

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

No Jellyfish did the agent run a speedtest with you and what was the result for them to say that the is problem with the connection.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

yes one desktop and PS3 for online, as per the results kids werent at home from 10-noon so PS3 online shouldnt effect the speed test

---------- Post added at 15:08 ---------- Previous post was at 15:07 ----------

he wanted me to connect the router directly to the PC but couldnt at the moment due to my son being online on his PS3

what kind of test would I need to run from my desktop ?

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

I would say one a few things

* Over contended
* Try a different speed test to be honest

Also, when you redo the speed test disconnect everything and do it connected directly to the modem.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

I can see what you mean, but my argument is when I was on 10 MB up to Thursday I was getting a constant 9 MB on my 10 MB connection, since upgrading to 20 MB my speed is still at 10MB if not lower and the only variable that has changed is the connection speed as my PC is still the same as of last week. Unless my PC is not configured correctly for 20 MB but was for 10 MB

I have done the game server download by downloading 4 large files 700mb-1gb and working out the speed and that again only yields results of between 8MB - 12 MB and not the 20 MB I should get.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

If it is possible to connect directly the PC or even a laptop directly to the modem you then run the speedtest below as this is what I would run if I spoke to you.

If you are a Virgin Media customer then the best speedtest is from the links below.



click on these 2 gamefiles battlefield_2142_demo.exe and bfme2demo_english_final.exe and save them to your desktop, and then wait a couple of minutes then write down the transfer rates on the files that are running add them together then multiply them by 8 and you will get a truer download speed.

Remember to stop and delete the files.

i.e : 250Kbps X 8 = 2Mbps, 500Kbps X 8 = 4Mbps, 1250Kbps X 8 = 10Mbps, 2500Kbps X 8 = 20Mbps

Then add 10% to the final figure to account for any processes running on your computer.


http://www.virginmedia.com/testmyspeed/manual.php

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

I have done this numerous times over the past 2 days, downloading 4 large files 500mb-1gb in size and then working out the speed and the results tend to be between 8MB and 13 MB and not the 20 MB I am paying for.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Is that direct or through the router, if it the same direct then you need to call in again.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

ok direct cable modem connected to my desktop

downloadng them 2 large files form the game server

here are my results

download rate

90 kb/sec
80 kb/sec

add together and multiply that by 8 =1360

does that mean I am getting 1.3 MB speed

that is truly shocking

and just to confirm this

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2009/10/8.png

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

If you are getting those sort of speeds then the is an issue somewhere and needs to be checked, you need to call in again.

Try on Monday after 0800 for s UK call centre.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Jellyfish, it does sound like it could be unacceptable levels of oversubscription in your area. You may well have been moved to a new UBR when you upgraded. To save you time trying to troubleshoot a non-existent problem, it would be well worth your your time posting on the newsgroup to see if you have oversubscription problems on your current UBR. You'll get a reply within 4 working hours and if it is oversubscribed then there is no point in any more troubleshooting from your end, if it isn't oversubscribed then carry on with reporting it to Virgin customer support. Click on the connection link at the top of this page to find your UBR but it might be worth asterisking out the CUST number when you post.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

To back up Caph's assessment of oversubscription (and to build on my earlier suggestion):

10:00 15 Mbps Kids/students still in bed
11:00 10 Mbps Kids/students have stirred
12:00 05 Mbps Kid/students are busy
13:00 06 Mbps Kids/students munching lunch
14:00 04 Mbps Kids/students seriously at it again
15:00 09 Mbps Kids/students doing/watching sport stuff

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

some good news, this morning I am getting a solid 20 MB using the games files download

1000 kb/sec
1250 kb/sec

with calc comes to 19.8 MB

but my argument is never had any issued when I was on 10 MB only since going to 20 MB

will monitor it thru the day and see

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Great that you've got good news for now.

I think what we're asking you to do going forward is to view the issue through the traffic contention lens.

Cheers

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

if lets assume the issue is oversubscription on the UBR how long does it take for VM to look at the issue and then resolve it

lets assume I moved to 50 MB would I get pushed a new UBR ? I assume each BB speed you subscribe to has its own UBR (10, 20 and 50)

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

So far as I know, the UBRs are DOCSIS sensitive (there are other experts who know the full skinny). 50 Mbps is DOCSIS 3 and use UBRs other than those used for 10/20 Mbps which I believe can share UBRs (DOCSIS 1.1).

I haven't moved to 50 Mbps from 20 because I prefer the capping (STM) to be in place to protect my average service.

The 50 Mbps service currently has no STM and so there is a subscription overload (IMO) that makes contention in some places very high as kids/students go mad with downloading, streaming or gaming.

To resolve contention is a balance that VM have to strike against their reputation, versus investment cost, versus STM policies. I'm quite sure that VM will look at a speed complaint, do their line test (probably with a QoS override from their IP address) and declare the line to be OK if they don't see unexpected attenuation or SNR. And that would be right. It's an "up to" service and to some extent a postcode lottery (see Manchester for details). VM know where they have to increase capacity (again see Manchester for details) and can choose between capping or infrastructure investment.

Hope that answer helps.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

I finally got my 50Mb working on Thursday and www.speedtest.net showed 50.4Mb on it's London server - all others showed lower.
As of yesterday The London server has been showing 22-28Mb so I wasn't happy.
Having read this thread I tried downloading some of the Game Demos and got:
Adding up the speeds of the 5 files I was downloading consecutively was giving me a steady speed of 6.52Mb/Sec - which works out at 52.16Meg

I'm happy with that :)

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Excellent feedback. Speedtest.net afficionados take note!

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

As I always say I will trust that any day over any other speedtest site and our 2nd line expect any caller to have been tested via that site before we call them.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

Speedtest.net has always been pretty accurate in the past for me. It certainly gives the most accurate results for mobile phones and always seemed fine when I was on 20Mb.
It is still where I'd point people as a first point of call.
But a second opinion doesn't do any harm and nothing beats actual results.
If speedtest.net reports the results you are expecting then great - if it doesn't then actual tests by downloading files can only help.
Gamers should also check out pingtest.net
Any site can be affected by external influences and any site will only show a maximum but if you can download at your maximum speed and another site is showing lower then it's the other site that's at fault.
I've been happy with speedtest.net for a couple of years - but I've just proved (at least to my satisfaction) that it's not accurate for me now, which is a shame as it has been accurate and easy in the past.

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

There are two reasons for speedtest.net being less than useful.

The first is that the results at any time will usually differ as between servers that you choose. Some servers are notorious.

The second is that internet behaviour changes from second to second. The speedtest.net snapshot period is too short to overcome these effects - never mind contention on the server you've chosen.

Downloading a very large file from a location known to have high bandwidth takes minutes and that makes for nice averaging over the period of concern to you.

You can do 10 speedtest.nets on the trot to your favourite server and you will have large variances (usually). That tells you only that the internet is a variably busy place.

So if you point people there as first port of call, they'll be straight onto this forum complaining about problems many of them don't have!

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

I have been using them for a long time (since before they changed their name) and have consistently found them most reliable.
I participate on many forums and constantly update my views as I receive new information but speedtest.net has given very consistent results for many people and for speeds of less than 24Mb I have yet to be convinced that I should not continue to recommend them.
YMMV

Re: and I though it couldnt get any worse
 

There is also other issues that can cause the results to vary - server load, transit, routing, switching etc etc