# Internet  intermittently slowing down to a crawl



## Brendan Burgess (8 Apr 2022)

I am a Virgin Media customer.

My internet connection has been fine, but recently it has slowed down.

I have tried
1) switching off the modem and switching it back on.
2) Pressing the reset button

It works ok for a while but then slows down again.


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## mathepac (8 Apr 2022)

Similar problems with eir the last few days.


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## Brendan Burgess (8 Apr 2022)

OK, I rang Virgin Media. 

(Although they said the wait time was 20 minutes, they answered in 4 minutes.)

She said that as the modem is 4 years old, it could be a fault in the modem.

So she is sending me out a new one. 

Brendan


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## Brendan Burgess (8 Apr 2022)

I pressed the reset button and now it's



About an hour later  - I didn't do anything else to the modem.


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## Leo (8 Apr 2022)

Unlikely to be the modem and more likely to be contention, or the number of other people sharing whatever limited bandwidth they have in the area.


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## Brendan Burgess (8 Apr 2022)

Hi Leo

That is interesting. So rebooting or resetting my modem has no effect. It just gets better of its own accord and I make the false association between resetting and an improvement?

I will ask my neighbours if they are Virgin users and if they are experiencing problems.

Brendan


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## RetirementPlan (8 Apr 2022)

Are you certain that the problem is with the broadband and not with the device (laptop or tablet or phone) using the broadband?

You could try testing from different devices using the same network and see what results you get. Try it at different times of day and see if there is any pattern.


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## Brendan Burgess (8 Apr 2022)

Hi RP.

Good idea. 

Next time it's slow, I will check it with my phone to see if it's also slow.

Brendan


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## Blackrock1 (8 Apr 2022)

hi Brendan, those speed tests are they wired or wireless. If wired you have an issue, if wireless its either the hard ware or your wireless set up.

Ideally you would have your wifi split between 2.4g and 5g, and where you can connect to the 5g band, its range is lower but speeds are higher and its less prone to interference.


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## Brendan Burgess (8 Apr 2022)

Wired to my laptop.

Just checked on my phone : 224  - didn't give me an upload reading.

Sorry, I don't follow the rest of your post.

Brendan


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## Blackrock1 (8 Apr 2022)

Brendan Burgess said:


> Wired to my laptop.
> 
> Sorry, I don't follow the rest of your post.
> 
> Brendan


if wired then there is an issue, replacement modem would be a start.

The second part of my post was more geared if the results were via wifi, so its advice on how to optimise your wifi speeds.


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## dubdub123 (8 Apr 2022)

It may be a fault on the line, external or internal to your house Ask them to run a check on the line if you phone them again.

If its a laptop etc thats experiencing the slow down, try hotspotting to your phone and see if laptop is still slow. If ok you are isolating the issue to the wifi.

 If issue persists, see if they can send out an engineer to get it checked, but they should be able to perform checks before sending someone onsite.


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## Brendan Burgess (8 Apr 2022)

OK

So it slowed down again on my pc to  1 

Checked it on my phone and it was 138 

So is that telling me that it's the wired setup is the problem? 

Brendan


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## Brendan Burgess (8 Apr 2022)

I didn't change anything.. Checked it a minute later and it's back up to 248 on the laptop and 203 on the phone.


Brendan


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## noproblem (8 Apr 2022)

Lots of people have fibreoptic connection coming to their house, but their actual house isn't wired for such a scenario.


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## losttheplot (8 Apr 2022)

Would the laptop be installing software updates in the background?


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## Okokokoknic (8 Apr 2022)

Brendan Burgess said:


> OK
> 
> So it slowed down again on my pc to  1
> 
> ...


Generally yes, assuming you started the tests at the exact same time. 
It might be worth checking the Ethernet cable between your PC and the router, and possibly replacing it if you have a spare.
Sometimes the clips on the cable jack can break, so the cable may not be fully seated - handy check is to make sure its firmly pushed in to port on PC and port on router. Also watch out for any severe kinks in the cable.


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## jdwex (8 Apr 2022)

Is it a Dell Laptop, by any chance, Brendan?


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## Brendan Burgess (9 Apr 2022)

No, it's a HP


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## Brendan Burgess (9 Apr 2022)

So, at 2.51 pm yesterday, I spoke to Virgin.

The new box was delivered by DPD this morning. 

I won't switch over until Monday just in case there is any problem and I need technical support. 

Brendan


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## landlord (11 Apr 2022)

Brendan, 
Exactly the same type of fault. Virgin Media also said I should get a new box. It arrived a week ago. 
For the last three months I have been running the Google chrome extension “ Internet connection log“ we have a computer running 24 hours and this works away in the background loging anytime the Internet is dropped. It was previously showing multiple drops a day. I have to say since I installed the new Virgin Media modem router there have been no drops. I didn’t actually believe them that this was the fault but to be fair I think they were correct.


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## Brendan Burgess (11 Apr 2022)

landlord

That is great. I will install it later today or tomorrow.

Brendan


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## Brendan Burgess (11 Apr 2022)

I have added that extension. 

It only shows the drops though and not the reduction in speed.   But I suppose that is fair enough as repeatedly testing the speed would impact the speed itself.


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## landlord (12 Apr 2022)

I am not sure if a drop is logged as a complete loss of  connection or a drop in speed below a certain threshold. I also forgot to mention that my main computer is hardwired via Ethernet to the modem router, so a drop of internet was being logged and not a drop in wifi. It is important to distinguish the difference.


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## Brendan Burgess (12 Apr 2022)

OK

So I put in the new modem yesterday and it worked fine ... for a while.

But a couple of hours later, the connection came to a complete stop.

The Internet Connection Monitor is great.  It shows a little green arrow   when the internet is connected.

And goes brown   when the connection has been dropped.  Despite the system icon   showing the connection
 working.

I rebooted the laptop and it was fine.  ( It comes and goes without rebooting the laptop, so this might or might not be the cause.)

I switched my laptop off overnight. When I turned it on this morning, the connection was fine, but dropped almost immediately and came back within a minute.

I said earlier that I had a cable connection. I don't. It's by wifi.

So my plan is when it drops or slows again, to check it on my phone.

Brendan


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## Brendan Burgess (12 Apr 2022)

It's bad on my phone as well.

I rang Virgin Media and got through within 6 minutes, which is good. 

They are sending out an engineer tomorrow. 

Brendan


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## Blackrock1 (12 Apr 2022)

Brendan Burgess said:


> OK
> 
> So I put in the new modem yesterday and it worked fine ... for a while.
> 
> ...


i would be willing to bet then that you have a wifi set up issue rather than an issue with virgin,

my advice to split the bands would be worth trying,






						Can't split wifi between 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz
					

My wifi was split previously into 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz settings which worked better for me as I have a number of devices connected. Lately the wifi went down so I reset it and now it won't split between 2.4 and 5Ghz again. I have been to my Hub 3.0 settings page and it says there that they're both...




					community.virginmedia.com
				




look at the 3rd or 4th post here.


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## Leo (12 Apr 2022)

Blackrock1 said:


> i would be willing to bet then that you have a wifi set up issue rather than an issue with virgin,


What type of setup issue gives sponradic results like described?



Blackrock1 said:


> If wired you have an issue, if wireless its either the hard ware or your wireless set up.


The Speedtest tests run a load test between your device and a remote server, so you can't assume that a poor result on a wireless connection is down to the wifi itself.


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## Brendan Burgess (12 Apr 2022)

Blackrock1 said:


> if wireless its either the hard ware or your wireless set up.
> 
> Ideally you would have your wifi split between 2.4g and 5g, and where you can connect to the 5g band, its range is lower but speeds are higher and its less prone to interference.



I take that you are referring to this? 

I have absolutely no idea what "splitting my wifi" means.

And as Leo asked - does this account for the intermittent nature of the problem.  It has been fine for the last hour, but when I press reply, it might well just go into suspense. 

Brendan


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## Blackrock1 (12 Apr 2022)

Leo said:


> What type of setup issue gives sponradic results like described?
> 
> 
> The Speedtest tests run a load test between your device and a remote server, so you can't assume that a poor result on a wireless connection is down to the wifi itself.


Interference on the wireless channel for one, far more common an issue on 2.4ghz v 5Ghz.

If Brendan connects wired and everything works as it should, then we can isolate the issue to wireless, i dont think he has done this yet, he should.


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## Blackrock1 (12 Apr 2022)

Brendan Burgess said:


> I take that you are referring to this?
> 
> I have absolutely no idea what "splitting my wifi" means.
> 
> ...


if you read the link i sent you have the instructions, at the moment your virgin router is using both the 2.4 and 5ghz channel so when you connect to your wifi you are most likely ending up on the 2.4 as its range is greater.

If that 2.4hhz channel is subject to intereference then yes that could account for the nature of the problem.

Simply put,

connect your laptop via an ethernet cable for a period, if you encounter no issues then its either a hardware or a wifi configuration issue
if you have isolated it to that and you experience the same issue with different devices then its not a hardware issue its a wifi issue,
If its a wifi issue you need to address that.


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## Leo (12 Apr 2022)

Most modern routers will offer channels on both 2.4 & 5GHz ranges, and the majority work very well managing them and broadcasting everything on a single WiFi network name. With a single WiFi network for all, the devices connecting can choose the best channel for themselves.

By splitting, they mean reconfiguring the router so that both ranges use a different WiFi network name. You then have to go reconnect devices a deciding what ones access the 2.4GHz channels, and what can only use the 5GHz channels. The problem with that approach is you need to figure out what works best for each connected device, and then you likely need to restrict your phone and other mobile devices to the 2.4GHz channels to give you greater range from the router.


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## Blackrock1 (12 Apr 2022)

Leo said:


> Most modern routers will offer channels on both 2.4 & 5GHz ranges, and the majority work very well managing them and broadcasting everything on a single WiFi network name. With a single WiFi network for all, the devices connecting can choose the best channel for themselves.
> 
> By splitting, they mean reconfiguring the router so that both ranges use a different WiFi network name. You then have to go reconnect devices a deciding what ones access the 2.4GHz channels, and what can only use the 5GHz channels. The problem with that approach is you need to figure out what works best for each connected device, and then you likely need to restrict your phone and other mobile devices to the 2.4GHz channels to give you greater range from the router.


i have my own network equipment, i have yet to find a router sent out from virgin, sky, digiweb, or anyone else that id use personally but i understand i am in the minority.

That said i have always split my networks, and very few devices wont work on 5ghz, and you get far better and more consistent speeds.

Another thing to look into would be what dns server your router is using and maybe change that to open dns or googles dns server.

given you dont seem to like my suggestions Leo, what would you suggest he do?


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## Leo (12 Apr 2022)

Blackrock1 said:


> Interference on the wireless channel for one, far more common an issue on 2.4ghz v 5Ghz.


Speed drops like Brendan is experiencing are more likely on the provider side. If there is interference on a channel, the router or laptop should switch channel. An app like Fing will let you analyse the quality of all channels.


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## Blackrock1 (12 Apr 2022)

Leo said:


> Speed drops like Brendan is experiencing are more likely on the provider side. If there is interference on a channel, the router or laptop should switch channel. An app like Fing will let you analyse the quality of all channels.


i would agree if he tested wired to the modem, but he hasnt as of yet.


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## Leo (12 Apr 2022)

Blackrock1 said:


> given you dont seem to like my suggestions Leo, what would you suggest he do?


Given you suggested that poor down/upload speeds on a wireless connection had to be to a local WiFi/hardware issue I was doubting your credentials   

Splitting the WiFi is overkill for most people unless they have spcecific devices that can be problematic on one or the other, likes certain ZigBee hubs. 

Monitoring or regular testing over a wired connection, as you suggested, is the best way to isolate this to a provider side issue and a WiFi analyser will highlight intereference issues. But be in no doubt that the providers usually know this issue is on their side, just it's a lot chaper for them to plactate users by sending out a new router than it is upgrade the capacity of their lines to be able to cope with their installed base.


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## Brendan Burgess (12 Apr 2022)

Hi Blackrock

Just checked that, and apparently I need some adapter to plug an ethernet cable into my laptop - a HP Thinkpad.

Before I got this laptop a year ago, I did connect my desktop via a wired connection, so I would probably go back to that anyway, if it's faster and more reliable.

Brendan


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## Blackrock1 (12 Apr 2022)

Leo said:


> Given you suggested that poor down/upload speeds on a wireless connection had to be to a local WiFi/hardware issue I was doubting your credentials
> 
> Splitting the WiFi is overkill for most people unless they have spcecific devices that can be problematic on one or the other, likes certain ZigBee hubs.
> 
> Monitoring or regular testing over a wired connection, as you suggested, is the best way to isolate this to a provider side issue and a WiFi analyser will highlight intereference issues. But be in no doubt that the providers usually know this issue is on their side, just it's a lot chaper for them to plactate users by sending out a new router than it is upgrade the capacity of their lines to be able to cope with their installed base.


fair enough i have rarely experienced a degradation in service on the provider side, its far more frequently been an issue with local wifi set up (in my own and my wider family experience where i am the default internet fixer ) 

My own line is FTTH so normally rock solid, i believed virgin was always pretty good as well but maybe not the case any more.


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## Blackrock1 (12 Apr 2022)

Brendan Burgess said:


> Hi Blackrock
> 
> Just checked that, and apparently I need some adapter to plug an ethernet cable into my laptop - a HP Thinkpad.
> 
> ...


amazon should sort you out, do you know what adapter you need? USB3.0 to ethernet or micro usb to ethernet?


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## Brendan Burgess (12 Apr 2022)

The Virgin is calling tomorrow afternoon, so I will wait for their verdict.

Brendan


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## Blackrock1 (12 Apr 2022)

Brendan Burgess said:


> The Virgin is calling tomorrow afternoon, so I will wait for their verdict.
> 
> Brendan


thanks let us know.


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## Firefly (12 Apr 2022)

I'm with Virgin and had multiple dropped connections also this morning for what's it's worth. Probably all the kids off school using the internet for studying streaming


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## AlbacoreA (12 Apr 2022)

You can't test your connection on the Phone or using Wifi. 

You need to test it using an wired ethernet connection and/or look at the signal quality on the modems own control panel. 

That said I've have weird issues with the VM modem in the last few months where the wired connection slows to a crawl but the wifi is fine. Contacted VW but no satisfaction there. Has happened about 3 or 4 times in the last 6 months and after about 4 or 5 hours go back to normal.


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## Peanuts20 (12 Apr 2022)

Is it worth doing an anti-virus scan to see if there is anything running on your laptop that is slowing everything down?


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## Brendan Burgess (12 Apr 2022)

I don't know if this gives you any useful information 



It was unusable today at around 9.30

And then was fine until the connection dropped a little while ago. I was having my lunch so I didn't notice it.

So 4 hours of fine service. 

What does " wi-fi/ethernet ok" mean if I have no connection? 

Brendan


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## Brendan Burgess (12 Apr 2022)

Just checked the download speed and it's only 74 

So it seems to take some time after an outage to get back up to speed.

Brendan


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## AlbacoreA (12 Apr 2022)

Not being very clear on what this data is one (wired/wireless) or how its collected.


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## Leo (12 Apr 2022)

AlbacoreA said:


> You can't test your connection on the Phone or using Wifi.
> 
> You need to test it using an wired ethernet connection and/or look at the signal quality on the modems own control panel.


I've compared wired and wireless speed tests multiple times with little variance in the results from one to the other. Obviously when testing over wifi, the device should be close to the router with nothing in between. It would be pretty rare in those circumstances for the WiFi connection to be the limiting factor.


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## Leo (12 Apr 2022)

Blackrock1 said:


> fair enough i have rarely experienced a degradation in service on the provider side, its far more frequently been an issue with local wifi set up (in my own and my wider family experience where i am the default internet fixer )
> 
> My own line is FTTH so normally rock solid, i believed virgin was always pretty good as well but maybe not the case any more.


I've 500Mb FTTH and there is constsnt variation in the speeds obtained, with evening peak streaming times usually the worst affected. Once or twice speeds have dropped below 5Mbps.


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## Blackrock1 (12 Apr 2022)

Leo said:


> I've compared wired and wireless speed tests multiple times with little variance in the results from one to the other. Obviously when testing over wifi, the device should be close to the router with nothing in between. It would be pretty rare in those circumstances for the WiFi connection to be the limiting factor.


i disagree, there can be all sorts of variability with wifi speeds but wired devices should give consistent speeds.


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## Blackrock1 (12 Apr 2022)

Leo said:


> I've 500Mb FTTH and there is constsnt variation in the speeds obtained, with evening peak streaming times usually the worst affected. Once or twice speeds have dropped below 5Mbps.



i have never seen anything coming close to that, and my speeds are monitored by my router running periodic speed tests, have you experienced this with a wired connection? i know you will disagree with me but thats almost certainly an issue with your set up, there is no way FTTH should be dropping 90% if its speed at peak times.


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## Brendan Burgess (12 Apr 2022)

Hi Blackrock

But I have the problem on my mobile as well, so clearly there is a problem. 

Wiring my laptop might or might not sort out the laptop, but it won't sort out my phone. 

Brendan


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## Brendan Burgess (12 Apr 2022)

AlbacoreA said:


> Not being very clear on what this data is one (wired/wireless) or how its collected.



On my laptop using https://www.speedtest.net/

Not wired as I don't have the necessary cables yet.

Brendan


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## AlbacoreA (12 Apr 2022)

Until you test the wired you're really just guessing. 

if there is a problem with the wired. It could be something in the box outside in the road. Sometimes when they add more people in the area it effects your connection or if there is signal problem there. Like water getting in or such. I get more or less what I pay for all of the time. 

But I had no end of problems on Wifi until I switched to using a MESH.


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## Leo (12 Apr 2022)

Blackrock1 said:


> i disagree, there can be all sorts of variability with wifi speeds but wired devices should give consistent speeds.


But in an environment with limited to no variability it's entirely possible to get consistent results. You can disagre, but I'm just stating my experience and that is that I get the same results whether wired or wireless and close to the router. When testing I'll use my laptop wired and wireless and my phone on the desk in my office which is ~2.5m from the router. WiFi isn't nearly as flakey as you seem to be suggesting.



Blackrock1 said:


> i have never seen anything coming close to that, and my speeds are monitored by my router running periodic speed tests, have you experienced this with a wired connection?


No provider in Ireland offers contention free connections without charging a premium, so you must be very lucky and be on a line where all connections are not in use, or have ludite neighbours who have low usage. Vodafone / Eir run 48:1 contention on their lines so you are guaranteed to see variability in download rates as those other users ramp up demand. 

There's a very good reason that providers heavily caveat their speed claims and that most of their support forums have countless complaints about slowdowns.


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## AlbacoreA (12 Apr 2022)

I've got close to my Wired speeds on WiFi since I switched to a mesh. The response times are slower on Wifi though.  Which effects something like gaming. But not video streaming as the latter buffers (caches). A video meeting where lots of people have video on can sometimes better on wired. Other than that I rarely need to be on the wired connection these days.  Normal video calls are fine on Wifi. 

Newer laptops have better Wifi than older ones. You'd wouldn't think it makes much of a difference but it does. If you're still rocking some old equipment.


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## landlord (13 Apr 2022)

Brendan that internet connection log software should be used with a ethernet connection to the device so you can establish whether it’s a provider issue or wifi interference issue. Please keep us posted regarding the engineers opinion.


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## Brendan Burgess (13 Apr 2022)

The engineer is here now.  The connection is an old UPC connection and he said it is probably faulty. He also did not like the wiring outside the house which goes at right angles which he says is easy to break.  

So he is fixing all that now. 

The problem is that as it was an intermittent fault, I am not sure how it can be tested.  But I suppose, if the problem recurs, at least we will have eliminated the wiring and the UPC box. 

Brendan


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## AlbacoreA (13 Apr 2022)

You climb everest in small steps.


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## Brendan Burgess (13 Apr 2022)

He is finished now.

He said the problem was definitely the old box and wiring.  And it should be fixed now.

He also plugged the ethernet cable into my laptop saying it was much better than going over wifi. (I had tried to plug it in but thought it was too big. I didn't need an adapter.) 

Brendan


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## Brendan Burgess (13 Apr 2022)

All in all, great service from Virgin. I haven't had much dealings with them since they took over UPC. UPC was really the pits.

I rang on Friday. 
The phone was answered within a few minutes.
She said it was probably the modem and sent me out a new modem.
It arrived on Saturday.

I rang yesterday to say it had not fixed the problem. Again, got through in about 5 or 6 minutes. 
 They offered me an appointment in the morning or afternoon. The guy rang me 20 minutes before he arrived.

Brendan


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## Leo (13 Apr 2022)

Brendan Burgess said:


> He said the problem was definitely the old box and wiring. And it should be fixed now.


Will be interesting to see if you have further degradation. Dodgy wiring should only really result in that kind of variance if they are being moved about.


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## Blackrock1 (13 Apr 2022)

Brendan Burgess said:


> He is finished now.
> 
> He said the problem was definitely the old box and wiring.  And it should be fixed now.
> 
> ...


it is one of those ethernet ports  where you have to fold down the bottom, they use them for space saving but im sure they are prone to failure! anyway.

Glad they have done something, be interested to see if that was the root of the problem.


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## Brendan Burgess (14 Apr 2022)

OK, I have not noticed any outages or slowness since his visit yesterday.


When I "woke up" the laptop this morning, it appears to have lost its connection. 

And there seems to have been a 3 seconds outage just before midday. 

Brendan


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## MrEarl (14 Apr 2022)

Hello,

I've read this thread with interest, having had a very similar experience, only a few months ago.

I have the Virgin 500mbs service.

* Replaced the modem, didn't solve it
* Over the phone tests, didn't solve it
* Virgin technician called, appeared to make some progress by replacing the box, but still had issues
* I ultimately replaced my PC (I had a 3-4yr old machine, which couldn't update to Windows 11, but had all other updates done, and wasn't causing any issues on Windows 10,  with either Firefox or Chrome browsers).  Guess what, the new machine works like a dream,  when I access the internet, over WiFi...average download speeds are high 300s,with the PC upstairs and modern downstairs.

BTW -  while distance from the modem plays its part, WiFi is not half as bad, as some here are suggesting.

I just ran a speed test on my phone, over WiFi, in the last few minutes - 439 downland and 45 upload speeds. Ping 8ms. Jitter 2ms. Loss 0.0%. I'm about 15ft away from the modem, and there's a door between us.

Virgin are expensive, particularly when you look at what fibre broadband costs in the UK, but unless you are connected to SIRO, Virgin are the best option. (Starlink could be an option, but again, the service isn't cheap).

Last, but not least, like Brendan,  my overall experience with Virgin was very good (they had issues a few months earlier, with long wait times, but they seem to have resolved the difficulties).


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## Brendan Burgess (14 Apr 2022)

MrEarl said:


> * I ultimately replaced my PC (I had a 3-4yr old machine



But did you not test it on your phone or with a laptop? 

If I had been poor response times on my laptop and a great response on my phone, I would have thought it was my laptop set up, as someone here suggested earlier.

Brendan


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## landlord (15 Apr 2022)

Brendan Burgess said:


> When I "woke up" the laptop this morning, it appears to have lost its connection.


Is you laptop now connected via ethernet ?


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## Brendan Burgess (15 Apr 2022)

landlord said:


> Is you laptop now connected via ethernet ?



Yes. And my printer too.


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## MrEarl (16 Apr 2022)

Brendan Burgess said:


> But did you not test it on your phone or with a laptop?
> 
> If I had been poor response times on my laptop and a great response on my phone, I would have thought it was my laptop set up, as someone here suggested earlier.
> 
> Brendan



Yes, I did in the early stages, where the problems were consistent across all devices. After the replacement modem, and having had the technician visit,  it was just the PC that was dropping in and out.

It was only later, when everything else was working fine, and I don't getting good continous speeds, that then resorted to buying the new computer.


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