Please help - Getting 1.5mbps on a Telkom & MWEB Uncapped 4Mbps setup

[posmay]

Hi

I'm in Diep River & am on a Telkom 4mbps line with MWEBs uncapped 4Mbps ADSL product.
Since upgrading about a week or two ago I have regularly been checking my speed with speedtest.net

A friend of mine just across the road has got the same setup & is running at 4Mbps - he manages to stream Youtube videos in HD & doesn't seem to have any problems.

My speedtest.net results have always been around 1.5mbps download & does not differ during day or night. And at times the speed drops below 0.5 Mbps And it is very sporadic.

I've just run a speedtest now & results are:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1870482138.png

Should I call Telkom to get one of their engineers to come check out the Exchange?
I'd really appreciate any help or advice. And I am happy to provide more information.

Cheers
Sean

[Anthro]

Hi Sean,
Can you establish whether the connection is better with a different ISP ? (borrow a username + pass )
Also - is it possible for you to check your actual synchronization rate you have achieved on your DSL modem ?

[posmay]

Hi Anthro

Thanks for your reply.

When I log into my router, it says:

DSL UP
Downstream / Upstream (Kbps) 4096/512
Internet Connected
Connected Time 85hr 57min 17sec

I do have an SAOL account, but it is being used by my parents. So I am not sure if we can simultaneously connect to it & I don't actually know if it's a 4Mbps account. I think it's just a pay as you go bundle. Should I try test it with that?

[Tim182]

Hi Anthro

Thanks for your reply.

When I log into my router, it says:

DSL UP
Downstream / Upstream (Kbps) 4096/512
Internet Connected
Connected Time 85hr 57min 17sec

I do have an SAOL account, but it is being used by my parents. So I am not sure if we can simultaneously connect to it & I don't actually know if it's a 4Mbps account. I think it's just a pay as you go bundle. Should I try test it with that?

Yes, try that. Pay as you go should give you unlimited speed so you can test your full potential. You just need to login for 2 minutes to see what speed you get. Worst case is that the other account gets logged out for that short time. Alternatively buy a 1gb afrihost account for R19 (I think). Shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes to be activated

[Rouxenator]

At what speed does your router sync? How is the computer you are running speedtest.net on connected to the router?

What I am trying to get at is that you might be using wireless and the channel you are using might be crowded.

[posmay]

Thanks to all of you for your replies.

@ Tim182 & Anthro - am now connected using SAOL account and am only getting 1mbps & just above.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1870555111.png
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1870560149.png

Should I try with an Afrihost account?

@ Rouxenator - I am on a Macbook Pro connected to my router using Wifi. Also have a iPhone, iPad & another Macbook Pro connected to the same router using Wifi. Could that be a problem, as you have pointed out with regards to the router being crowded?

[Rouxenator]

Bingo! Wifi is your most likely culprit. Get something like inSSIDer from http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/ and see what is the least crowded channel to run on. Alternatively you can set your router to use channel Auto and then switch it off and on again, this will cause it to use the least crowded space.

[Anthro]

Your latency would not suggest a congested exchange, weird thing is that the modem is synching through to the full 4mb potential.

*edit* im reading like a chop.

Do us a fav and remove all other devices, change the channel and then.. well hope for the best

[Tim182]

Thanks to all of you for your replies.

@ Tim182 & Anthro - am now connected using SAOL account and am only getting 1mbps & just above.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1870555111.png
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1870560149.png

Should I try with an Afrihost account?

@ Rouxenator - I am on a Macbook Pro connected to my router using Wifi. Also have a iPhone, iPad & another Macbook Pro connected to the same router using Wifi. Could that be a problem, as you have pointed out with regards to the router being crowded?

Double check that the SAOL account is not limited to 1Mbit. I don't think it is but rather double check. If so it is safe to say that it is either your router or your line. No need for Afrihost account.

First try to connect your Macbook via LAN cable to the router to see if that makes any difference. Disconnect everything else for testing.

Could also well be all the iCrap in so little space.

[posmay]

Thanks again for the replies.

I spoke to MWEB support & they gave me a different route - a different username to use.
Then told me to switch off my router for 15min & try again.

I think the SAOL account may well be a 1mbps account.

While my router was off I kept working using my iPhone tethering with my MTN account. Got 4mbps - what a pleasure.
I've now put my router back on & have ONLY have my macbook connected via Wifi. All other iDevices are disabled.

Speedtest result: 1.65mbps - http://www.speedtest.net/result/1870686756.png

Then I connected using a network cable.
Speedtest result: 1.11mbps - http://www.speedtest.net/result/1870692325.png

Aaaah, so frustrating. I can try give Telkom a call, but that'll probably take a day or two.

Any other suggestions? Your help is much appreciated.

[Tim182]

Thanks again for the replies.

I spoke to MWEB support & they gave me a different route - a different username to use.
Then told me to switch off my router for 15min & try again.

I think the SAOL account may well be a 1mbps account.

While my router was off I kept working using my iPhone tethering with my MTN account. Got 4mbps - what a pleasure.
I've now put my router back on & have ONLY have my macbook connected via Wifi. All other iDevices are disabled.

Speedtest result: 1.65mbps - http://www.speedtest.net/result/1870686756.png

Then I connected using a network cable.
Speedtest result: 1.11mbps - http://www.speedtest.net/result/1870692325.png

Aaaah, so frustrating. I can try give Telkom a call, but that'll probably take a day or two.

Any other suggestions? Your help is much appreciated.

3 possibilities:
1. Its your router
2. Its Telkom
3. Its Mweb

You need to check whether SAOL is 1Mbit or not or get an Afrihost (or other) test account. Its the only way to check where the fault lies.

If you get full speed on another account capable of 4Mbit then it can't be your router or your line, ie it has to be Mweb.
If you don't get full speed it can't be Mweb, ie has to be either your router or Telkom.

[posmay]

Hi Tim182

So I got an Afrihost account.
Speedtest result: 1.84mbps - http://www.speedtest.net/result/1870764224.png

iPhone is getting 1.17mbps using Speedtest app.

So according to your feedback the it's either my modem or my line that's causing the problem.

@ Anthro - You mentioned "Your latency would not suggest a congested exchange, weird thing is that the modem is synching through to the full 4mb potential." So does that mean it would be my modem?

I guess I'll be phoning Telkom tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Thanks for the help.

[Tim182]

Hi Tim182

So I got an Afrihost account.
Speedtest result: 1.84mbps - http://www.speedtest.net/result/1870764224.png

iPhone is getting 1.17mbps using Speedtest app.

So according to your feedback the it's either my modem or my line that's causing the problem.

@ Anthro - You mentioned "Your latency would not suggest a congested exchange, weird thing is that the modem is synching through to the full 4mb potential." So does that mean it would be my modem?

I guess I'll be phoning Telkom tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Thanks for the help.

Interesting...

First use speedtest.net on a few different servers. Also use http://speedtest.mybroadband.co.za/ and post the result you get on Afrihost.

Lets see what you get and lets take it from there. Make sure you are using a network cable and disconnect your other devices from the Wifi.

Then try again this evening, maybe around 9 or 10 (or later) and post the result also

[Tim182]

Hi Tim182
@ Anthro - You mentioned "Your latency would not suggest a congested exchange, weird thing is that the modem is synching through to the full 4mb potential." So does that mean it would be my modem?

Possibly. You can't exclude the possibility of a congested exchange based on the sync speed. However, the latency would suggest that it is not congested. What kind of modem do you have (name and model)

[posmay]

Ok, thanks. Will do.
Afrihost might also take 30min for my account to "work at full speed".

Thanks for your help.