Why is my (up to 8meg) Broadband running at only 428Kb?

Question

I have BT Broadband option 3, and performed a speed test with dslzoneUK, where it showed my speed over several tests at 428Kbps. I have looked on several sites and have taken all the recommended steps to optimize my speed but no luck... any help would be appreciated because I'm paying top rate for such a slow connection

Answer 1

I agree with edward. It's one big con. I live in Hull and only got 1 provider which is karoo, part of kingston communications. They advertise 4 packages, all up to 8 meg, but the mor you pay, the more you get, allegedly. They advertise that if you are an onliner gamer you should have option 4 at £29.99 per month. I am an onliner gamer and was playing ok with only half a meg service so why would I need the top package. I reported them to watchdog as their ad is misleading.

From getting my new service of 'up to 8 meg' package I saw my speed go from excellent to what you have now. I did tests with www.speedtest.net and karoo said that it wasn't reliable. Yet when i checked the test at work it was spot on. I also had problems with my service disconnecting and when I re-connected I was getting a lower speed. As though I had been switched off to let someone else in who was paying more money. My isp denied this. I asked them how many people were in my hub and what was the total bandwith for the hub. They refused to comment. Although being very nice to them I did end up getting a constant service and currently get 4.5 meg download. They also said that there were no problems ha ha.

What is the maximum speed of your modem. You may have upgraded your package but you will need to upgrade your modem if its old. Complain to bt, try the test at speedtest.net. Keep records of when you have a good speed etc included ip addresses. Good luck

Answer 2

The maximum speed that you can receive and send on broadband is mainly limited by the distance you are from your telephone sub-station and the quality of wiring both outside and inside your house.
From your description you sound as if you are on the limit of distance. Any further and you would not be able to have broadband at all.

Check with your telephone provider (BT in the UK)
or use an on-line broadband test.

Answer 3

usually as with my comcast 8 meg it is listed as being 8 meg upload and crusing speed for net browsing , but is only 800kb or less for download speed, I my self fixed this by using internette download accelerater, it chopps up files into like a pie ( think of the slices in a pizza ) then eats them all at 1 time , dramatically reducing download times. other then that I was getting 8 meggs out out of my old 6 meg line and actually over heated and burned out 1 of the knodes on the comcast blade center they had me connected to, usually the most time I spend is waiting on server responces. when I tested my connection I used the speak easy speed test, but I live in the USA and if you are in the UK , Im not sure how things might differ their. But here in The USA not all broad band company's are the same and comcast is the fastest .I have run bridged lan's before ( 3 eithernet cards bridged) to get as much bandwidth to my computer as their system could handle. hope this hope's you out a bit.

Answer 4

The speed of your internet is dependant on how far from the exchange you are, which is why it is advertised up to 8 mg. to find out what your speed really is go to any isp and input your phone number where asked, it will then tell you the speed you can personally get

Answer 5

up to 8m broadband, 'up to' being the operative term. Depending on how many people are on your hub and the time of day the rate can vary massively. Alternatively it may be that the cabling to your house from the switch isn't up to the job, this should have been checked at installation.

Answer 6

Its all one big con, UP TO 8meg . what does that mean!!. not any body i know get anyware near that. you may get 8meg if you live less than 1 mile from your local exchange.