cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Newly Installed Broadband Speed Issue

SteveMcQ
Tuning in

I had the Broadband 200 Mbps service installed on 30th August, and it's been 6 days, & I have never achieved the 200 Mbps service or even the guaranteed minimum download speed of 100 Mbps. I am connecting my laptop to the HUB 3 modem directly using a CAT6 ethernet cable - yet my speed ranges from the slowest 19.43 Mbps to the fastest: 68.07 Mbps using speedtest.net. I have tried using a different CAT6 ethernet cable to different ports on the Hub 3 but this has made no difference whatsoever. Multiple calls to the Broadband support have also proved fruitless, and my request for a technician to check the HUB 3 and connections was denied - I was advised that my network had to be monitored for 30 days before any action could be taken. So can anyone on this site offer some advice as to how to resolve this issue

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

The FE in the name of that network card suggests that it's Fast Ethernet - e.g. 100Mbps. So you will never be able to get 200Mbps on that laptop.

See where this Helpful Answer was posted

18 REPLIES 18

jbrennand
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person
Often this caused by a faulty ethernet cable - try a second one - or - the computer/laptop's NIC card defaulting to 10/100 connectivity. Make sure its drivers are up to date and check the NIC card settings an ensure it is set to 1GB

Also is there any QoS software running somewhere that is limiting speeds? Is it a Dell running SmartByte by any chance

--------------------
John
--------------------

I do not work for VM. My services: HD TV on VIP (+ Sky Sports & Movies & BT sport), x3 V6 boxes (1 wired, 2 on WiFi) Hub5 in modem mode with Apple Airport Extreme Router +2 Airport Express's & TP-Link Archer C64 WAP. On Volt 350Mbps, Talk Anytime Phone, x2 Mobile SIM only iPhones.

Hi John, Thanks for responding to my issue.  I have just tried a third new & unused CAT 6 ethernet cable which has improved the speed slightly to 74.24 - the fastest it's ever been - but still nowhere near the speed of 200 which I'm paying for. I have also checked the NIC card (Realtek PCle FE Family Controller) which is showing a link speed of 100/100. I have also checked the Link Speed which is 100/100. I have also tried checking the Properties to see if Auto Negotiation is ticked but cannot find a listing. And I have to admit that I'm unsure as to how to change the setting to 1gb. My laptop is an aging Toshiba Satellite and I needs replacing. (A friend has suggested a Ryzen 7 - but I simply want a fast 17 inch screen laptop?)

The FE in the name of that network card suggests that it's Fast Ethernet - e.g. 100Mbps. So you will never be able to get 200Mbps on that laptop.

Andrew-G
Alessandro Volta

When VM connections work properly they deliver slightly above the headline speed and do that consistently at all times of day.  Sounds from the contributions from @Jonny-M and @jbrennand like the laptop itself is limited to a nominal 100 Mbps (about 94 Mbps maximum as measured by a speed test), but the 20-70 Mbps speeds are worrying and should not be down to the network adaptor.  What speeds are you seeing on a mobile phone?  You may need to download the Ookla Spedtest app and run that repeatedly.  If those speeds are all 200-220 Mbps consistently then the connection is good, and sounds like a laptop problem. 

If speeds on a phone are occasionally low and erratic, then although wifi speeds can vary, combining with the laptop speed range it points firmly towards a faulty broadband connection.  That stuff you were told about "monitored for 30 days", I suspect that's crap, and whilst VM can set up speed checking, I doubt they've done that for a new customer via first line support.  We're used to reading reports here of the offshore customer service staff making it up as they go along to end or disconnect calls.

Most speed faults can be resolved, so if your other options are unacceptably slow then you may wish to persevere with VM, although as you've found, VM support is often appalling, so with your 14 day cooling off period ending in about a week, choose wisely.  After that you're locked in for another 18 months.  

One of my laptops has the identical Realtek network NIC, using mine connected wireless to 5Ghz network on my wireless router.
Result 200Mb/21Mb up, changing to 2.4Ghz down to @80Mb/20Mb up.

Andrew-G
Alessandro Volta

A good call - it is quite possible for a network controller to have a high speed capability over wifi but be constrained when connecting over ethernet by a 100 Mbps port - that's still seen on some cheap devices, routers and mesh systems even today.  

 

Hi Andrew,

This has taken a very surprising turn of events. I Borrowed a newer laptop an HP one but still 4 years old - and did an Oookla speed test on that - with a download result of 88.89 Mbps. However I took your advice and downloaded the Speedtest By Ookla from the Google store onto my Samsung Galaxy  S9 plus - which resulted in a result of 219.3!!!!! I would have expected an ethernet connection to a laptop to be be faster than WiFi connection to a mobile phone, so the result has confounded me? So is it a port issue - but on two laptops???

If you are sure that you're using a gigabit network card and have a known-good Cat5e/Cat6 cable with all four pairs wired up, have tried a pinhole reset on your Hub, and it's still only negotiating a 100Mbps link, then you'll need to raise this to VM to get the Hub replaced.

Hi Jonny-M,

I agree, I think that the HUB 3 needs checking out and/or replacing by a technician  - but VM's Customer Support isn't the best. In fact it's a disgrace, since I've received more informed support from this forum than I have received from VM's paid support. I have now requested a technician to check this out - all to no avail - each request has been refused.