Content of some sites sometime slow to load-why?

[ppppenguin]

I admit I did buy my own modem/router when I went to fibre because the Plusnet fibre offering was so rubbish at the time.

[Old Sparky]

Just checked my Broadband speeds again - download is still only a maximum of 2.1Mbbps. I haven't yet been in touch with Talk Talk about this, as, T.B.H., i don't do a lot of downloading, but maybe I should contact them. I could change providers, after all there are plenty to choose from, including The Phone Co-op, locally based, but part of the wider Co-operative movement. Problem is I've recently signed a further two-year deal with T.T., and would incur a penalty charge if I switched to anyone else.

[Murphyv310]

I'd get in contact and tell them to fix it or you'll move. Speeds like that are unacceptable these days.

[Mark Hennessy]

Old Sparky,

Important: I say the following with my moderator hat on!

There have been many long conversations about this sort of stuff on UKVRRR and other forums. It is important that you follow a systematic approach and help us help you by answering all the questions we ask. With some of the threads I was involved with, the OP didn't answer the essential questions that were asked, but didn't want to admit that he didn't understand the questions (yet subsequently claimed that yes, of course he knew it all really!). I really don't want threads like that here - where personalities get in the way of engineering - so if this thread is to remain open, please answer the questions - or ask us to explain what you need to do when you don't understand the questions. None of this stuff is complicated, but we need to break things down and take one step at a time.

So,

Q1: What speed should you be getting?

Enter your phone number into this webpage: https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/adsl.htm

It will give you a range of speeds, based on factors like the distance between you and the exchange. Look for the ADSL numbers, not VDSL. If you are in any doubt, you could send me your home phone number in a PM and I could check for you, but it's pretty straightforward.


Q2: What is your current sync speed?

To find this out, you need to log in to the administrative interface of your router. You might not have done this before, so please do ask for instructions if in doubt (give us the make and model number of your router).


Before complaining to Talk Talk, you need to know what your line should be capable of. And you need to heed my caution in post #30. That is, if an engineer visits and determines that the fault is with your equipment, you could be charged for that visit. So my questions are aiming to help you avoid this - indeed, it might well be a problem you can fix yourself, as internal wiring can play up. But either way, when you make contact with Talk Talk (and perhaps talk to a visiting engineer), you will hopefully be much better informed and therefore better able to get a satisfactory resolution.

Mark

[Mark Hennessy]

Hi again, OldSparky,

Regarding Q1, we might have a problem...

I remembered that you gave me you home phone number many years ago (so we could arrange delivery of your PC IIRC). So I took the liberty of entering that into the BT Wholesale test page. This didn't return a result, leaving me to wonder if you've changed your phone number since then...

But you are with TalkTalk, so perhaps that's why? With that in mind, I remembered that one of my relatives is with TalkTalk, so I entered their phone number into the BT Wholesale checker, and got the same result. Hmm...

However, given that you're close to the exchange, and are getting good upload speeds, I'd suggest that your line is good for at least 8Mb/s download. If you wanted to check the potential of your telephone line, I suggest that you go to a competitor's website and enter your phone number and post code - they will give you an estimate of the speed you can expect to get from them (no commitment to buy anything!).

Because of the good upload speed, I have my suspicions, but before expanding on that, please can we think about Q2.

Have you ever logged into your router before?

If not, it's really easy. You need to know the IP address of the router first of all - this is something like 192.168.1.1 - and you need to type that into the address bar of Firefox. Simples!

If you don't know the IP address of your router, here's how you find it:

1. Click on Start and type "cmd" (quotes not needed, but won't hurt). After a couple of seconds of thinking about it, you will be offered "Command Prompt". Click on that.

1.1 Alternatively, you can press "R" while holding down the Windows key on the keyboard. This pops up the "Run" dialogue. Type "cmd" in there and hit enter.

2. In the black box that appears, type the following:

Code:

ipconfig /all

A load of text will appear on the screen in response to that - you might need to scroll up and down, but you should find the words "Default Gateway" in amongst it all. Make a note of the numbers - it will be something like 192.168.1.1. This is the IP address of your router.

3. Type those numbers into Firefox. You need to type them into the Address Bar, where you would normally type website address - where the cursor is by default when you open a new tab. Just type the numbers - you don't need anything like "http://" at the front. Then hit enter...

4. You should now be seeing a page in Firefox that has been generated by your router - you might well recognise the logo of the manufacturer, for example. Somewhere on that page will be a place to enter a password (and probably a username first of all). If you don't know these details, they will most likely be found on the router itself - for Talktalk routers there is usually a sticker giving the login details on the bottom of the router. Enter these, and see if it lets you in!

4.1 Note that sometimes, before you see a page from the router, you might get a username/password popup first. If so, that's fine - just follow the rest of the instructions in step 4.

5. Now that you're finally in, you will see several menus and options. At this stage, I can't provide specific help because every router is different. However, you're looking for a page that reports the status of the current ADSL connection - and buried away on that page will be something called "line speed" or "sync speed". We need to know what these figures are - there will be a number for upload and one for download. These numbers are the "raw" speed that your modem/router has negotiated with its counterpart at the exchange, and will help us to decide what we do next.

5.1 If you tell us the make and model of your router, it's possible that I might be able to come up with more specific instructions. Or perhaps a member here - if they have the same router - will be able to assist.

Again, it's really important that we press on with these basic checks, as if a visiting engineer determines that the fault in with your PC or internal phone wiring, and not the phone line, then you could be charged for the visit.

I hope this all makes sense - please try your best with this.

Mark

[Nick]

Contention. If the bit sync rate is ok, then contention may be the issue...

[peter scott]

I confess that my site is probably slow to load on slow internet connections because I like a lot of images but it's nothing like as bad as some blogs I've come across that contain hundreds of images on a single page.

Peter

[Murphyv310]

Talk Talk will do a speed check online and if not up to their minimum speed will investigate with no charge. I got an upgrade to fibre/copper FOC. That's the reason I suggested contacting them, use the chat its the best.

[Mark Hennessy]

But what if the fault is Old Sparky's computer or internal phone wiring?

This is why we need to know the sync speed first of all. I agree that TalkTalk ought to be able to tell him the sync speed from their end, but it's a 2 minute job to get it from the router. From what I've been told, talking to TalkTalk is far from painless, so I'd much rather check everything I can first of all, so that I can go in fully prepared

Old Sparky, please come back to us. See post #37 and respond directly to that. It's very frustrating when someone asks for help but then doesn't return to the thread.

[Murphyv310]

I'd agree that TT customer service leaves an awful lot to be desired. Re sync I had no idea about it, computers to me are a PITA, a necessary evil. The TT website has a speed checker and they'll sort it out if its slow.