Namesco Broadband Speed Testing, not 8Mbps

The speed of my broadband feels sluggish, it doesn’t snap onto the screen with ease. So, I emailed Namesco, my ISP provider, and they said:

Slow speeds can be caused by a multitude of factors, including but not limited to:

• Exchange congestion
• Contention ratios
• Server load
• General internet traffic
• Hardware issue/traffic
• Network issues
• Quality of telephony systems/installations
• Software installed on the local machine
• Virus or trojan activity

I guess that provides us with a few things to consider! Funny they don’t suggest any of these things being an issue when they use the phrase UPTO 8Mb..

I just did a test on http://www.speedtest.bbmax.co.uk/ and it came up with a download speed of 4537kbps.  This morning it was nearer 6000kbps. I went to Namesco’s recommended broadband speed tester: http://www.speedtester.bt.com/ but couldn’t get onto it!

In order to sort the above list of joy I have to:

Before we can investigate your slow speed issue, you will need to run a full virus and malware scan. Make sure that you download the latest engine and definition updates for your software before you run the scans. Good examples of antivirus and antispyware packages, include Grisoft AVG (http://free.grisoft.com) and Lavasoft AdAware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/).

Then there’s more joy to follow:

Once you have carried out a virus/malware scan, you will need to carry out some speedtests using the official BT Speedtester tool. This tool allows you to measure your speeds and the results are logged against your phone number for analysis by BT and ourselves. In order for us to escalate a fault to BT or investigate further you must perform a number of speedtests. It is recommended by BT that you perform a minimum of three speedtests per day for a period of three days. These tests should be spread throughout the day where possible (for instance, one in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening), to ensure a rapid resolution to your issue.

I guess I haven’t got enough to do as it is!

~ by bip mistry on April 11, 2008.