3 internet speed

[gary955]

Many many months ago my broadband speed with Three's One Plan used to vary between 4 and 7 mbs on my mooring at the Widbrook end of BOA. Now it's between 0.5 and 1mbs and sometimes zero!

A call to customer services about 3 months ago revealed that they were aware of the problem and were hoping to improve it, but if anything it's getting worse.

Anyone else noticed the deterioration and know the reasons for it and when/if it might improve?

 

[Paul C]

What time of day? They definitely use Trafficsense which throttles back tethered connections between 3pm-midnight, although you'd hope they'd throttle it to something useful, not a uselessly slow rate.

[gary955]

all times of day and night

[Paul C]

I've not noticed exactly the same as you - a deterioration within a particular place - but I've noticed it obviously does vary by location; and that it also varies by time of day. Whilst sometimes this could be explained by Trafficsense, I don't think its the only reason and that in some particular areas, plain old congestion is occurring which slows the attainable speed down dramatically according to time of day. And that in some other places, there isn't a marked slowness due to time of day.

 

It would be worth (since its a boat, you can!) move to a markedly different place and do another speed check, to see how bad the original place was. Also, I've had erroneous readings with www.speedtest.net and tried www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk which seems to give much more meaningful results.

[pearley]

There is a thread running on Facebook about this. It is said that the signal deteriorated after the thunder and lightning last week. 3 are supposed to be aware of the problem and are going to upgrade the mast this week.

 

I'm on EE so not affected.

[Naughty Cal]

I've not noticed exactly the same as you - a deterioration within a particular place - but I've noticed it obviously does vary by location; and that it also varies by time of day. Whilst sometimes this could be explained by Trafficsense, I don't think its the only reason and that in some particular areas, plain old congestion is occurring which slows the attainable speed down dramatically according to time of day. And that in some other places, there isn't a marked slowness due to time of day.

 

It would be worth (since its a boat, you can!) move to a markedly different place and do another speed check, to see how bad the original place was. Also, I've had erroneous readings with www.speedtest.net and tried www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk which seems to give much more meaningful results.

We noticed a bad drop in signal where Liam and I work in Sheffield. It was bad for a couple of months but seems to be back to normal again now.

 

We have put it down to them switching transmitters over to 4g transmitters. For planning reasons they have to take one down before erecting another which will have obvious effects on the signal.

[Mike Tee]

I've had a regular complaint going with them for months about the variable speed - from 9mb down to virtually nothing - they keep saying they are fixing it, and I keep taking the refunds! (This is mostly from the house). Phone works fine all the time, but internet is not reliable, mostly fast in the morning and mostly slow in the evening, although from time to time it just falls from ample to nothing anytime during the day.

Intention originally was to ditch the home line and rely on Three's 'The One Plan', but that won't work due to the unreliability. Will have a rethink when my 12 months are up.

When out cruising this year, as far as Llangollen and then south to Marsworth, the reception, in general, was useless for internet, fine for phone. So using the ipad for TV didn't work!

[Geordie.narrowboat]

Just tested mine, 8 megs down, 1.4 up

[Paul C]

Just tested mine, 8 megs down, 1.4 up

 

Where and with what equipment?

[Bob Blues]

3 is good, in Harefield I get 5 down and 2 up in Rickmansworth 14 down and 2.5 up (3G) and 40 Down 10 Up (4G)

 

I also have a O2 sim as there is a 4g mast almost on the marina I get 10 down and 1.5 up.

 

The only problems is I have found 3 drop the service at 22:20 on Tuesdays and Fridays which is a pain when I'm trying to do a radio show. so That is why I have have a spare O2 sim which gets used for that. O2 is very expensive for data. £15 for 3GB of 4G 3 is £15 for 15GB 3G or4G

 

I use a 3G/4G router all sims work well you just need to get the right APN settings. (O2 was so secretive about it!).

 

Bob

[Mike Tee]

On Three through my phone onto laptop - 2.7 down, 1.2 up

[Geordie.narrowboat]

 

Where and with what equipment?

Lichfield using 3G iPhone and ookla speedtest.

I have not yet experienced bad speeds.

[bottle]

There are so many variables that a speed measured one second will have a different value the next.

 

I have just moved my aerial six inches improved the number of bars and doubled my speed now whether that is because the aerial was moved or just one of those things....

[Alanji]

"Coverage Map" is an excellent app for measuring signal and speed and also has a map showing signal strength in different areas. Some places do not have many readings but constantly being built up.

[Ssscrudddy]

I had this the other day at Northampton marina.

Edited September 22, 2014 by Ssscrudddy

[Paul C]

I had this the other day at Northampton marina.

 

Is that 11.83Mbps download speed? What equipment are you using to achieve this (mi-fi, dongle, or phone etc)?

 

I'm having speed issues with Three at home, we use a Huawei E5331 mi-fi but I've recently bought (waiting delivery) on an E5756 mi-fi (which has an aerial socket) and +28db antenna. If this boosts our speeds to something like the better ones quoted (on Three), all good, but if not then I'll try an 02 SIM (on a 1 month contract or prepay) and see how that compares.

[bottle]

Good signal does not equal high speed download.

[Paul C]

Good signal does not equal high speed download.

 

I know!!!! At the moment, all the time I get 5 bars (well, the dongle has a simplified display which shows green, amber or red; its web control panel shows 0-5 bars) but even with 5 bars, at peak times data is slow.

[Lady Muck]

it's always been unusable where I moor - I have a PAYG sim but I've not bothered with it for ages. We've been with EE for a year now, costs more, but at least it works!

[Ssscrudddy]

 

Is that 11.83Mbps download speed? What equipment are you using to achieve this (mi-fi, dongle, or phone etc)?

 

I'm having speed issues with Three at home, we use a Huawei E5331 mi-fi but I've recently bought (waiting delivery) on an E5756 mi-fi (which has an aerial socket) and +28db antenna. If this boosts our speeds to something like the better ones quoted (on Three), all good, but if not then I'll try an 02 SIM (on a 1 month contract or prepay) and see how that compares.

That's a Nexus 4 Android phone, on the One plan. Some nexus 4s apparently could do 4g, or rather LTE, depending on the waveband being used by the carrier, but a while back they put an update out which disabled it because it's apparently an illegal waveband in California. I assume because my phones is rooted that the update didn't happen on mine.