Speed Problems? Read this checklist first. [ Edited ]

[Lee_G]

If you think that you may have a problem with your connection speed try searching our help site http://help.virginmedia.com first.

Here are a few help pages designed to help you get the most of your broadband connection:

How to boost your fibre optic broadband speed

Getting the most from Virgin Broadband cable

Why is my connection slower than usual?

Once you've worked through those links, if you're still having problems and would like the forum community to help we're going to need a bit of information from you when you post.

Here's a list of things to check before you post and useful information to include when you do.


Routers

You may be using a router to allow multiple PCs to connect to the internet.  So we can be sure there aren't any problems with your router you need to test your connection with a PC attached directly to our cable modem/hub (the cable modem/hub is the device that has a think white cable screwed into the back of it).  After plugging your PC into the modem/hub you must reboot the modem/hub to re-establish your connection.  Not sure how to do this?  Don’t worry just follow this guide from our help section.


What speed am I getting?

There are a couple of ways for you to check the speed you’re able to achieve through your broadband connection.  The first is to use an online speed test such as http://top10.com/broadband/speedtest/ and http://www.speedtest.net.  These generally give you a good indication of your speed however they can be unreliable.  The best way to check your speed is to download a couple of files at the same time and add the ‘transfer rates’ of the files together.  One site you can do this from is http://www.gamershell.com (the section video game demos has a lot of large files you can try).

Once you have started two downloads simply wait for around 30 seconds, take a look at the transfer rates, add them together and cancel the downloads.  The results will probably be displayed in Kilobytes or Megabytes (KB or MB, note the large ‘B’) so you will need to change these to Kilobits or Megabits (Kb or Mb, note the small ‘b’) as this is the speed our connections are measured in.  To do this simply multiply the result by 8, or use a converter like the one found here:

http://www.digitaldutch.com/unitconverter/bits.htm


Traceroutes

A traceroute is a useful tool that can help us pinpoint the location of a fault.  The way to run one will depend on the Operating System you’re using.

Windows (XP unless specified)
Firstly click the Start button (known as ‘the Orb’ in Vista and Windows 7), then click Run and type CMD (Vista and Windows 7 users type CMD in the Search field) and press Enter.  You should now see a black window on the screen, in here type tracert bbc.co.uk and press Enter.  Once this has finished you will need to copy the information.  To do this Right Click inside the black window (which should display a small menu) and then left click on Select All.  This should turn the contents white, if it has press Enter which will copy the content.  You should now be able to paste this into your post.

Apple Mac:
Open your Hard-drive then your Applications folder, followed by the Utilities folder and finally the Terminal.  Once the Terminal window is opened type traceroute bbc.co.uk and press Enter.  Once completed highlight the results with your mouse and press Command and C (or Edit, Copy) and then paste this into your post (Command and P).

Modem/Hub information

Your modem/hub has a lot useful information that can help us identify faults.  Have a look at this guide on how to get information from your modem/hub and what we'd like you to post.

Things to include when posting

When posting in relation to a speed issue please include the following information:

• The speed you're able to obtain downloading 2 files simultaneously from a download site, such as http://gamershell.com (without a router attached)
• A trace route to the BBC website (again without a router attached)
• The Downstream and Upstream Power Levels and Downstream SNR/RxMER taken from the modem/hub Configuration Pages.
• Also if the speed issue is intermittent the time/times that the speed is reduced.