difficulty looking at videos

[The Flying Tench]

How about the other half dozen or so suggestions in that topic?

I've done all the ones I understand with the exception of defragging the hard disk which it says takes a couple of hours, and I'll have to leave it for now.

[The Flying Tench]

John, down in the bottom RH corner of your screen there are some little icons...one looks like 2 TV screens. place your cursor on it and you will see the connected speed.

 

Den

Thanks, but my little box with 2 tv screens just says 'Access: local and internet' - But Kirisute seems to have another way.

 

J

[The Flying Tench]

http://www.pcpitstop.com/internet/bw.asp

check your actual download speed on the link above!

just chose your closest location and run the test.

 

lets dispell some rumours next:

broadband actually has two main value..a SYNC speed and a THROUGHPUT speed (for want of a better term).

your SYNC speed is the speed at which your router talks back to the local exchange...for "up to 20 meg" a good sync speed is anything between 13 and 17 meg....ive never seen anyone hit much higher for a long period.

your THROUGHPUT is the speed you get AFTER the router..so from your phone port into your house and to your computer..this is effected by various factors..for instance: phones on the line, bad connection, extension leads, poor adsl filters,fax machines, line noise etc etc

 

Your Router might SYNC at 15 meg..but if you have a 3 phones and a fax and some nice long extension cables as well all that noise on the line will actually drop your THROUGHPUT down several meg..so you might exprience a speed of closer to 9 meg!!

 

http://www.speedtester.bt.com/

luckily BT provide the tool above, which will tell you your SYNC speed and your EXPECTED line speed...

run the test with the information it ask for: (your phone number and broadband email address)

the system will test your phone line and tell you your expected MAXIMUM SYNC speed and your current SYNC speed..chances are there is a big difference is MOST cases. If your expected speed is 8 meg but your SYNC speed is less than 2 then i would suggest a phone call to your provider to see if anything is up.

NOTE: most providers have a claus that states if your speed is higher than 1 meg then you dont have a problem! its bad policy but they will pull it alot of the time!

 

check your router as well! most home router run on an IP range of 192.168.1.?? or 192.168.0.1...typing that into your browser will open the router control panel and allow you to see what your line speeds and adsl connection sppeds are! If things just dont add up then you need to do some diagnosis yourself!

change all your ADSL filters; they do blow occasionaly and they can cause alot of issues.

unplug all the phones and test again...usually this will instantly add about a meg to your speed! over time it will add 2 or 3!

drag your router down to you PRIMARY BT socket! your primary socket has a faceplate that can be unscrewed at the bottom half of the unit. Do so, and inside you will see another phone socket! This is DIRECT connection to your phone line! plugging in here will cut out EVERYTHING in your house from your connection! its as close as you will get to plugging into the exchange itself! your router will connect as per usual and then give a far truer sign of your actual connection speeds!

NOTE:

your sync speed will go up and down all the time! digital exchanges "learn" what data connection your line can safely and stably handle and then set the speed accordingly! if your router suddenly connects alot lower than your usual speed for more than an hour then the exchange will start to slow down your internet connection speed until it reaches a stable speed! eg: say your adsl filter goes a bit wonky..causing your sync speed to drop by 2 meg...the exchange will automatically drop your connection speed down until it reaches a steady connection...from 6 to 4 etc.....if that situation doesnt change then your speed will never change again! resolving the problem will allow the exchange to push more data down your line and raise your speed again! HOWEVER; it can take up to 24 hours for your SYNC speed to go higher...in most cases it takes at least 4 before you will notice a good speed increase again!

 

so there is alot more to your broadband than simply plugging in your router! as with all thing "computer" you need to seriously start thinking about a routine of upkeep and testing/tweaking to keep things running smooth! dont panic though 99% of everyone i speak to doesnt do anything other than plug their router in either! LOL!

 

now for youtube and video streaming;

youtube is notorious for having streaming issues...it might simply be that your hitting one of those times (its been quite bad this last week) however there are things to do that might help:

update your FLASH player www.adobe.com; current version is 10.??? so if your running anything less its time to update!

get rid of all your internet toolbars! handy search engine toolbars; ebay toolbar; printer toolbar...most are useless and in 90% of cases they also keep a constant data connection to your broadband! so if your browser is open then they are eating your connection speed! the more you have the slower your browser will be, the slower the internet will be!

quickest way of killing them all? TOOLS>INTERNET OPTIONS>ADVANCED then click RESTORE ADVANCED SETTINGS and RESET. in the reset option chose to reset EVERYTHING....this will restore IE to factory defaults; disabling all browser toolbars and also deleting all your temp files etc!

with that done you can uninstall toolbars at your leisure from the standard add/remove programs option in control panel!

 

ccleaner; www.piriform.com; download it and run it....it will scan your pc for "rubbish" and remove it all for you. ive seen systems with upwards of 5 gig of temp and internet files that all go towards slowing things down alot! ccleaner can be like a magic wand....its free, its easy...its a 110% MUST HAVE!! run it once a month to keep things peachy!

 

try a different browser! some are faster than internet explorer! but ALL of them are 99% the same these days! and offer almost exactly the same features! if your swapping browser find one you like, and STICK WITH IT!! dont chop and change and swap about! each browser will store its own temp files!! the more you have; the more crap your pc has to deal with!

NOTE; Apple's Safari isnt compatible with FLASH this limits it alot! googles CHROME is very fast but comes bolted together with alot of "crapware" that you simply dont need..if you install Chrome be sure to tick boxes that say "dont install other software"! Mozilla is a common choice...its whatever floats your boat...but pick one..and stick with it!

 

if you simply cant get Youtube to play nice; why not download the vids themselves? www.keephd.com

copy and paste the video URL into the keephd website, then get the option to download the video in most common formats? its not as functional as streaming but it does allow you to keep your fave vids!

 

at the end of the day it could be many things that are causing your issues....test other video website; there are plenty that use both flash and java to stream videos. BBC is a good choice and will tell you if its something more youtube based than your internet connection etc.

let us know how you get on!

Wow, Kirisute, thank you for such a detailed reply, though some of it is a bit advanced for me. I checked the actual download speed and it was very low - only 0.28Mbps. I then tried the performance tester site, but it couldn't do it for my phone number for some reason and said I had to contact my ISProvider. I would if I could find an email for them, but in the past it's had to be by phone and takes ages. hmm, I guess it depends how determined I am - but thanks - I'll keep looking at your suggestions.

 

J

[kirisute]

Wow, Kirisute, thank you for such a detailed reply, though some of it is a bit advanced for me. I checked the actual download speed and it was very low - only 0.28Mbps. I then tried the performance tester site, but it couldn't do it for my phone number for some reason and said I had to contact my ISProvider. I would if I could find an email for them, but in the past it's had to be by phone and takes ages. hmm, I guess it depends how determined I am - but thanks - I'll keep looking at your suggestions.

 

J

 

if your broadband speed is only .28 then you have serious issues!!

on the Pc Pitstop site what was the PING time to the server you chose? For instance if you chose London (which if you UK based you should have) then the PING which it does at the start of the test should be something like 40 to 80 ish..higher and you will start to see alot slower speed. so its always worth testing a couple of times to get an average reading. A constantly high PING can mean alot of noise on your phone line which could hint towards line damage or a bad connection or even an adsl filter thats gone a bit wonky!

if your paying for an "up to 8 meg" broadband then .28 is considered "FAULTY" and as such you have right to complain and get it sorted out!

minimum for "up to 8" is usually about 1.5 meg..anything less and things are wrong!

 

the BT test site will only work with some providers.,.some are locked down and wont allow "users" to perform there own tests!

one consolation is we have identified your fault! a .28 download speed is not enough to watch streamed video! the only issue now is sorting out why your so awfully slow!

first thing to do is this:

take your router to your primary phone socket! If its a BT master socket then it will be double size and have a bottom section that is removable! Unscrew the two screws and remove the faceplate. dont pull it right off because its connected to wires..but you can carefully let it hang!

Inside you will see a "master socket" it looks exactly like a standard phone socket..it will be on the bottom right of the inside of the box.

Plug your router into that socket; your now connected directly to your phone line! give it an hour or so then run the PC Pitstop test! See if your speed has increased....if it has wait a little longer and try again (works best if you leave it plugged in over night).

if speeds increase then the issue is something "in your house"; either bad wiring, faulty phone or bad adsl filter. If speed does not increase then the fault is your main phone line or the exchange etc!

its important to know because if its inside your house; its YOUR problem! if its outside then its THEIR problem! BT will charge you for a callout that is a fault INSIDE your house!

Edited February 1, 2011 by kirisute

[The Flying Tench]

if your broadband speed is only .28 then you have serious issues!!

on the Pc Pitstop site what was the PING time to the server you chose? For instance if you chose London (which if you UK based you should have) then the PING which it does at the start of the test should be something like 40 to 80 ish..higher and you will start to see alot slower speed. so its always worth testing a couple of times to get an average reading. A constantly high PING can mean alot of noise on your phone line which could hint towards line damage or a bad connection or even an adsl filter thats gone a bit wonky!

if your paying for an "up to 8 meg" broadband then .28 is considered "FAULTY" and as such you have right to complain and get it sorted out!

minimum for "up to 8" is usually about 1.5 meg..anything less and things are wrong!

 

the BT test site will only work with some providers.,.some are locked down and wont allow "users" to perform there own tests!

one consolation is we have identified your fault! a .28 download speed is not enough to watch streamed video! the only issue now is sorting out why your so awfully slow!

first thing to do is this:

take your router to your primary phone socket! If its a BT master socket then it will be double size and have a bottom section that is removable! Unscrew the two screws and remove the faceplate. dont pull it right off because its connected to wires..but you can carefully let it hang!

Inside you will see a "master socket" it looks exactly like a standard phone socket..it will be on the bottom right of the inside of the box.

Plug your router into that socket; your now connected directly to your phone line! give it an hour or so then run the PC Pitstop test! See if your speed has increased....if it has wait a little longer and try again (works best if you leave it plugged in over night).

if speeds increase then the issue is something "in your house"; either bad wiring, faulty phone or bad adsl filter. If speed does not increase then the fault is your main phone line or the exchange etc!

its important to know because if its inside your house; its YOUR problem! if its outside then its THEIR problem! BT will charge you for a callout that is a fault INSIDE your house!

Thanks. The Ping time is about 61ms (is that minutes?) The upload time is .49Mbps, compared to .28Mbps download. Not quite sure what 'upload' is.

 

I'll do what you suggest about plugging my router into the master socket on Monday when I have some time.

 

Really helpful, thanksagain.

 

J

[kirisute]

Thanks. The Ping time is about 61ms (is that minutes?) The upload time is .49Mbps, compared to .28Mbps download. Not quite sure what 'upload' is.

 

I'll do what you suggest about plugging my router into the master socket on Monday when I have some time.

 

Really helpful, thanksagain.

 

J

ping is timed in milli seconds; its the time it takes a bit of data to travel to the server and back again via your router and phone line..a high ping can tell you that there is a line problem or that there is toomuch noise on the line...in your case a ping of 65 is a decent score...youll get issues if its higher than, say, 150 ish!

the internet provides two services; download and upload....download you know; an upload is when you send data to the internet..ie emails, ftp access to websites, moving files to the cloud etc etc

usually your download speed will be considerably higher than your upload speed...ie a 5 meg connection will usually have an upload speed of maybe 350k or .5 of a meg ish

the fact your upload speed is higher than yourdownload speed tells me something is very wrong somewhere.

testing in your master socket is certainly the next step.

beyond that you need to be calling your ISP and getting them to check things. i have a feeling though you might well find the master socket will shed light on the situation

[The Flying Tench]

I first of all took off the cover of what I thought (wrongly) was the master socket, and there was no internal socket, so I put the cover on again. I need to explain that the normal set up is that I have a rather lengthy cable (8 feet?) between the socket and the filter as the cable from the modem isn't long enough to reach the filter otherwise. It doesn't need to be 8 feet, 2 feet would be enough - it's the only extension cable I have!

 

So the set-up is:

 

Telephone socket

8 ft extension cable (with the kind of plugs that go into a telephone socket)

ADSL filter

lead to modem with the smaller kind of plugs at each end

(separate lead goes to ansaphone and telephone)

 

I took the modem off the wall to a position where the lead would reach the filter plugged straight into telephone socket, and redid the test. An immediate improvement! The download time improved dramatically from 0.28 to 1.16Mbps. No change in the upload time, constant at 0.48Mbps.

 

I suppose I could put the modem closer to the socket on a permanent basis, but it's not ideal given the position of my desk. Presumably I can get a slightly longer lead from the modem (about 7 ft, with the kind of plugs that goes into the back of the telephone). Can I get that kind of thing in Dixons?

 

I then realised that the master socket is in the loft. When I took the cover off the burglar alarm started beeping, and the reset wouldn't work, so I don't know if I pulled out one of the little wires. I think I will leave that alone!

 

Incidently, having put everything back to the original arrangement for now the download time is better at 0.54 than it was previously.

 

So thanks Kirisute, the long extension lead is obviously a big part of the problem. I guess it's just a question of me getting a better cable.

[kirisute]

I first of all took off the cover of what I thought (wrongly) was the master socket, and there was no internal socket, so I put the cover on again. I need to explain that the normal set up is that I have a rather lengthy cable (8 feet?) between the socket and the filter as the cable from the modem isn't long enough to reach the filter otherwise. It doesn't need to be 8 feet, 2 feet would be enough - it's the only extension cable I have!

 

So the set-up is:

 

Telephone socket

8 ft extension cable (with the kind of plugs that go into a telephone socket)

ADSL filter

lead to modem with the smaller kind of plugs at each end

(separate lead goes to ansaphone and telephone)

 

I took the modem off the wall to a position where the lead would reach the filter plugged straight into telephone socket, and redid the test. An immediate improvement! The download time improved dramatically from 0.28 to 1.16Mbps. No change in the upload time, constant at 0.48Mbps.

 

I suppose I could put the modem closer to the socket on a permanent basis, but it's not ideal given the position of my desk. Presumably I can get a slightly longer lead from the modem (about 7 ft, with the kind of plugs that goes into the back of the telephone). Can I get that kind of thing in Dixons?

 

I then realised that the master socket is in the loft. When I took the cover off the burglar alarm started beeping, and the reset wouldn't work, so I don't know if I pulled out one of the little wires. I think I will leave that alone!

 

Incidently, having put everything back to the original arrangement for now the download time is better at 0.54 than it was previously.

 

So thanks Kirisute, the long extension lead is obviously a big part of the problem. I guess it's just a question of me getting a better cable.

 

any extension lead will add significant noise onto your phone line and will drop connection speed as a result.

change that lead is the first part to solving your issue. if push comes to shove, put your router as close as you can to the primary phone socket and set up a wireless network instead! most wireless will run at 54 meg..and there aint a broadband in the country that will hammer that speed!

cost of a wireless card or usb dongle will be about £20....chances are your router is already wireless. that would resolve your issue.

so you got a couple of choices.

[The Flying Tench]

any extension lead will add significant noise onto your phone line and will drop connection speed as a result.

change that lead is the first part to solving your issue. if push comes to shove, put your router as close as you can to the primary phone socket and set up a wireless network instead! most wireless will run at 54 meg..and there aint a broadband in the country that will hammer that speed!

cost of a wireless card or usb dongle will be about £20....chances are your router is already wireless. that would resolve your issue.

so you got a couple of choices.

 

Thanks, I think I'll try a slightly longer lead to the modem to avoid the need for an extension lead. Please excuse a really basic question - I don't know what the kind of lead is called. When I got an ethernet cable it was only a tenth of the price on Ebay compared with Dixons, so I'd like to try Ebay, and I need to know th ename of what I'm looking for.

[kirisute]

Thanks, I think I'll try a slightly longer lead to the modem to avoid the need for an extension lead. Please excuse a really basic question - I don't know what the kind of lead is called. When I got an ethernet cable it was only a tenth of the price on Ebay compared with Dixons, so I'd like to try Ebay, and I need to know th ename of what I'm looking for.

 

erm not really a special name for them..just a modem or router lead.....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/10m-ADSL-Cable-Bro...7378&sr=8-2

chances are an adsl cable will do the job, but it will depend on the connection to your router and to your adsl filter.

some adsl filters only have the standard BT phone socket connection....whilst other allow for the standard phone connection as well as the "mini" port adsl connection.

 

the smaller connections are called RJ11 (ethernet are RJ45)...standard phone connection are 430a or 630a plugs but both fit the "type 600" BT phone socket....regardless check your fittings and either buy an adsl lead with "small" ends or one with a small end a big end!

 

you might also want to check one of these out:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AAA-Products-04828...7771&sr=8-2

its called an iPlate and essentially it lowers the noise made by the "ringer" wire in your phone socket. It attaches in between the face plate and the back plate of your BT master socket! and in some cases it can instantly increase line speed by about 1 meg!

they are easy to fit, just unscrew the faceplate (like you did to find the "test socket")..place the iPlate into the resulting area (it will slot into your "test" socket), then screw the faceplate back into place. they were originally created by BT to help with DSL conenction issues so they are tried and tested tech.