if my speed goes much slower it will stop

17-03-2009, 23:11

Even for peak times these speeds are unaceptable slow i think
for 20meg conection, and also downloaded two games files with transfer
rates of 640 kbs and 645 kbs, did not bother virgin as they just keep saying wait for 50meg to come along and it should improve my& others 20 meg conection

ufitm

Retrovertigo · 18-03-2009, 01:43

I sympathise as I'm currently in the same boat and out of desperation have ordered a new router.

The trouble is if you call tech support they do a speed test with just your modem connected and no router, and if they are happy with what you get they leave it at that. But in my case, and seems to be in others as well from googling the problem, in real terms, downloading from newsgroups for example, the speed is the same no matter if a router is connected or not. I can only think that a speedtest with just a modem gives a "convenient" result that probably isn't very accurate but suits VM's need to blame the customer rather than fix the problem.

I have pinged several sites this evenings and get massive packet loss even with just my modem connected. But some speed tests still show as ok, and seems to be all VM are interested in.

If a new router makes no difference for me then I'm switching suppliers as I am getting far lower speeds than you are. In fact I found several people in my area all suffering the same 100k-ish download speed and all of using different brands of router.

It's almost laughable that VM seem intent on dissuading the use of a router in an age where homes have multiple computers and couldn't use the net without one.

I hope you have better luck if you contact them again, but if you have a router and take it out of the equation and they are happy with what they hear, you won't get any other answer than "connect any PC's you use straight to the modem" - it's like wireless gaming consoles etc never even happened.

moaningmags · 18-03-2009, 01:47

It's not that they dissuade it at all.
It's to rule out the router as causing the issue. A lot of people are using older or badly configured routers that can't handle the higher speeds or limit each computer to a specific amount of bandwith.
Any agent who raises a slow speed issue to 2nd line or networks will have it bounced back to them and told to test with a direct connection, then re-raise if still slow.

Now if several people in your street and or area, that sounds more like a utilisation issue than anything else.

Retrovertigo · 18-03-2009, 01:52

Maybe dissuade was the wrong choice of word. But the best tech support have offered me is "the speedtest is fine with the modem, connect your equipment that way" - like I own one solitary item that connects to the internet.

I'm really surprised they don't pull a sales tactic and try and get people to buy the routers they have for sale as being a better option that what people might already have.

moaningmags · 18-03-2009, 02:03

I'd never use an online speedtester with a customer, never have, never will.
The way I've always done it is to go to gamefiles, start a download, take a note of the transfer rate.
If they get, for example, 300kb/s on one download and after starting the 2nd file they get 150kb/s on each, speak to 2nd line.
If they get, for example, 300kb/s on one download and after starting the 2nd file they get 300kb/s on each download then I'll advise that they run something like TCP optimiser.
I have a Netgear router, 6 computers connected to it and myself and the kids can stream a movie while hubby plays warcraft.
When the connection goes a bit loopy like it did in Feb, I always remove the router for diagnostics, then I have no chance of being fobbed off.

Retrovertigo · 18-03-2009, 02:16

I'm sure the original poster probably isn't sufferring from the same problem as me and I hope he gets sorted.

I'm just in a stupidly over-subbed area. Xmas and summer hols with no students, I get full speed again. Fallowfield is the biggest campus in Europe I believe and VM got greedy here selling cheap packages. But try convincing tech support of that when you call them, very difficult. They will never admit to having flooded an area so that it is crippled.

But yeah UFITM, be prepared if you call VM. Unplug a router if you have one and put your Pc straight back on to the modem. It means you have the setup how they prefer it and also saves lots of plugging and unplugging of wires and waiting for things to reset etc.

moaningmags · 18-03-2009, 02:19

What ubr are you on and I'll check it tomorrow?

Retrovertigo · 18-03-2009, 02:27

cpc3-with4-0-0-cust161.bagu.cable.ntl.com

is that what you mean by the UBR?

just done a quick download from the newsgroups and managed just about 10meg so I am pretty certain my router is still working fine. I hope this isn't filling ufitm with dread hearing others with bad news

moaningmags · 18-03-2009, 02:28

If ufitm wants to post his ubr I'll check that too.

Welshchris · 18-03-2009, 02:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by ufitm

Even for peak times these speeds are unaceptable slow i think
for 20meg conection, and also downloaded two games files with transfer
rates of 640 kbs and 645 kbs, did not bother virgin as they just keep saying wait for 50meg to come along and it should improve my& others 20 meg conection

ufitm

Now if i was told "Wait till the 50meg comes along and it will improve my and others connections" i would take that as them saying well theres UBR problems and they wont get sorted till upgrades are done which is out of order.

Retrovertigo · 18-03-2009, 02:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welshchris

Now if i was told "Wait till the 50meg comes along and it will improve my and others connections" i would take that as them saying well theres UBR problems and they wont get sorted till upgrades are done which is out of order.

That's what VM have told me on several occasions. In fact I spoke to retentions this morning asking how much notice you needed to give and he told me Manchester wasn't yet on 50meg and things would improve when it was. But they have been telling me that for 12 months. The difficult part is when they don't act on it when you speak to them, but instead insist on a speedtest site as proof.

But I digress and am stealing away from the original posters query so apologies to him. Just thought knowing others are in the same boat offers some sort of hope that he [probably] doesn't have duff equipment.

18-03-2009, 06:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by moaningmags

If ufitm wants to post his ubr I'll check that too.

ubr01 bromsgrove, the reason i have not phone support/or contacted
newsgroup about this is i am fed up of getting told the same old excueses
.and i have already tried all the other things other posters have sugested
many times . when in contact with vm they are always ok so the says
ufitm

Welshchris · 18-03-2009, 09:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retrovertigo

That's what VM have told me on several occasions. In fact I spoke to retentions this morning asking how much notice you needed to give and he told me Manchester wasn't yet on 50meg and things would improve when it was. But they have been telling me that for 12 months. The difficult part is when they don't act on it when you speak to them, but instead insist on a speedtest site as proof.

But I digress and am stealing away from the original posters query so apologies to him. Just thought knowing others are in the same boat offers some sort of hope that he [probably] doesn't have duff equipment.

1 month is whats needed and even if ur in the 12 month contract u can get out of the contract as Virgin themselves have broken this by not being able to offer you with a reliable service.

moroboshi · 18-03-2009, 23:12

I've given up trying to get Virgin to fix my 20mbit connection. It's rarely above 1mbit and is often so slow regular web pages don't load correctly. They've so far given me 3 different excuses and now refuse to answer my emails. Their excuses are:

1 - your area is over subscribed. No estimate on a fix.

2 - we're upgrading the network. No estimate on a fix.

3 - your PC must be full of spyware. But, it's not. I've checked. Very, very thoroughly.

Virgin's pathetic excuse for a network is so bad it would be funny, if I wasn't still paying these idiots every month for it.

Retrovertigo · 18-03-2009, 23:20

Yeah even though I have ordered a new router out of desperation, I am sure it's over subscription and nothing more. The one feed coming up at the front of my house is split into 5 of the flats here. Coupled with the fact that every house on my road is now flats and you can imagine how many feeds are going in compared to if they were houses with a single family in each property.

The same goes for most of the houses near me now. All converted into flats and all VM brown boxes outside everywhere you look. Despite speeds getting worse, they still come round once in a while knocking door to door trying to drum up business. Even knocking on mine when I already have it!