My face plate already plugs into the master socket behind the plate, as I checked when I was looking at swapping it for a filter plate.

Yes. The point is, unplugging the faceplate takes all the extension wiring in the house out of the equation.

Sorry, forgot to say we cancelled the O2 contract (to varibale and always slow/cutting out) and now are with BT broadband at 8mb speed, which is around 1.7-2.5 in reality.

The modem is the correct one for the line/contract.

Did you use the BEBox with the correct filters when you had that issue? I initially had BE Issues but found it was down to the ADSL modem I was using. Changed that to the BE supplied one and it's been sweet as anything since.

TriggerFish - Firstly I assume you've made sure absolutely every device e.g. sky boxes etc in the house have a microfilter on. Having confrimed that, given how much better your friend's connection is just a few hundred yards away, I recommend you try taking your house's internal wiring out of the equation.

It was plugged into the test socket for a while as the faceplate of the main box broke. It was recently replaced so the socket should be ok. When it was plugged in the difference was tiny, if any.

We have the master socket which has the modem (and VoIP phone) and a normal landline phone plugged in. Then there is an extension which runs straight from the inside of the main socket to a phone upstairs. All the sockets are filtered.

Do you reckon that running an extension by tapping into the main socket before it exits the face plate could be an issue?

Did you use the BEBox with the correct filters when you had that issue? I initially had BE Issues but found it was down to the ADSL modem I was using. Changed that to the BE supplied one and it's been sweet as anything since.

I honestly can't remember, but I think we tried swapping them to check, but it made little difference.

It was plugged into the test socket for a while as the faceplate of the main box broke. It was recently replaced so the socket should be ok. When it was plugged in the difference was tiny, if any.

We have the master socket which has the modem (and VoIP phone) and a normal landline phone plugged in. Then there is an extension which runs straight from the inside of the main socket to a phone upstairs. All the sockets are filtered.

Do you reckon that running an extension by tapping into the main socket before it exits the face plate could be an issue?

Does that extension run from the clip in points on the face plate or has it been tapped to the wire. The latter is illegal and will cause problems and the first can cause problems.

Give it another go in the test socket and if there is no improvement then use samknows to find your distance from the exchange and work out if you should be getting things that low.

I honestly can't remember, but I think we tried swapping them to check, but it made little difference.

If you didn't use the BeBOX (O2 box) then your DSL connection would have been unstable as heck and slow too unless you had been very lucky.

When changing modems you may experience retraining on the line if the exchange picks up that something has changed massively.

Oh no, we used the correct modem, I meant I don't know which microfilter we used.

RE the extension it seems to come from clips on the inside of the faceplate (4 numbered points). It was fitted by the BT man, so I doubt its an illegal solution. Would it be worth trying to plug the extension into a doubler plug from the front of the faceplate?

This is from the test socket;

This is from the faceplate as it would normally be;

Me thinks if you're down at that speed you need to find out the distance from the exchange as unless you're right on the limits you should be doing a bit better than that.

Perhaps an iffy phone line, but now you're with BT and BT I'd push them to fix it a bit.

If it comes from where I think it does (the local BT phone exchange, which google seems to suggest it does) it is about 2miles away by road, depending upon route.

In my mind, that sounds quite close and suggests the problem maybe with the line as suggested. But I am not 100% sure that is the correct exchange.

What is LLU ?

Ive checked my exchange using Sam Knows (good innit !) and I dont have LLU only BT wholesale. I get 1.4mb download. Ive had lots of problems with it in the past - the engineer says its because Im on the edge of the exchange limits.

LLU = local loop unbundling. In LLU, the ISP is responsible for the whole service end to end rather than reselling BT's IPStream Max wholesale product. If you're only syncing at 1.4mbps downstream with IPStream Max, you wouldn't see a speed improvement moving to an LLU ISP anyway.

Have you tried what I suggested to TriggerFish, i.e. taking the faceplate off your master socket and plugging your modem straight into the internal test socket, thus taking your house's extension wiring out of the equation?

Edited 27 July, 200916 yr by wega3k

2 miles by road doesnt mean much.

The cable length could be half or double that distance!

If it comes from where I think it does (the local BT phone exchange, which google seems to suggest it does) it is about 2miles away by road, depending upon route.

In my mind, that sounds quite close and suggests the problem maybe with the line as suggested. But I am not 100% sure that is the correct exchange.

Don't forget phone doesn't come as the crow flies, but even so if you're 2 miles from the exchange i'd expect more than 2Mbit.

Does your phone cable come down from a pole as if it does there is a good chance water has got in and caused oxidation on the cable causing the low speeds you've got.

I know the wires could take any number of routes, but the distance quoted wasn't as the crow files.

It does come from from a pole yes, can't remember the last time I saw it being worked on either. If it is affectivly rusting away, would I stand much chance of getting BT to fix it? Or is that never gonna happen?

And thanks for all the help so far, much appricated!

Yep I've seen BT fix it, especially if the phone rings for no reason very occasionally or is noisy as well as the broadband being slow.

I'd call up BT internet and tell them it's very slow and your phone is noisy and do they think these are connected.

LLU = local loop unbundling. In LLU, the ISP is responsible for the whole service end to end rather than reselling BT's IPStream Max wholesale product. If you're only syncing at 1.4mbps downstream with IPStream Max, you wouldn't see a speed improvement moving to an LLU ISP anyway.

Have you tried what I suggested to TriggerFish, i.e. taking the faceplate off your master socket and plugging your modem straight into the internal test socket, thus taking your house's extension wiring out of the equation?

I already have my broadband connected to a special mastersocket which isolates it from the rest of the house's phone lines - done by BT. I am 2832m away from the exchange. If the phone lines are comparable to the overhead power lines that feed the house then they too are also very old and tatty.

On speedtest this morning I got 1.01Mb/s download and 0.38 upload.

Would changing my router help? I am ethernet wired to the router - not wireless.

Ive got the early BT home hub (2 ethernet ports only ). Is there anything better I could buy?

Download Speed: 4.74Mbps

Upload Speed: 0.37Mbps

This is what I get with vodafone at home and I am about 2 miles from the exchange

Line rental 24/7 free land line calls and unlimited BB all for £24 a month

On speedtest this morning I got 1.01Mb/s download and 0.38 upload.

Would changing my router help? I am ethernet wired to the router - not wireless.

Ive got the early BT home hub (2 ethernet ports only ). Is there anything better I could buy?

What line rate does your router think it is synching at?

Are you doing that over wireless and is anyone or anything else using the internet at the same time you are carrying out the tests?

Triggerfish, If you have tried all the above your only recourse is to contact your Broadband supplier and ask for an Broadband trained engineer to fix your line. I know it's pain phoning the helpdesk but you have to be most insistant that an visit is required else they just keep asking you the same questions and going through the same procedure.

As for changing you CP, this will make no difference as they all the CP's will use your existing pair of wires from the exchange to your main socket.

If intermittant noise is present on your line this is what plays havoc with the synch. and download speeds. Not any easy fault for an engineer to find. It would be better for the line to stop working alltogether, then it's easy to fix. Good luck on this one.

Happy with that I appear to have gained another half meg on my stable sync rate with the heavy rain.

Quick supplementary question (maybe a dumb one too, sorry) - is Sky webmail based or does it work with Outlook or Outlook Express ? I have more than one email address that feeds into OE and if I go with Sky, not sure this would work..?

Sky uses Googlemail. Simply use it in IMAP version.