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Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - The Passfield Bloke (7th Jan 2017 - 14:47:52) Is it just me or is everyone suffering with appallingly slow broadband in Passfield? We usually get a steady 4-7Mbps speed.. But the last couple of weeks it's as if the connection has been severely restricted. Even got a new router but that hasn't helped. When it goes slow it's like it's slower than dial up again, over Ethernet or WiFi.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Passfield Gal (7th Jan 2017 - 15:42:56) I am sitting 3 feet away from the router and just tested the WiFi download and upload speeds on my mobile. Download is 2.8 mbps and upload is 660kbps! We often can't watch BBC iPlayer or use other features of our smart TV because of insufficient bandwidth, even though the TV is physically connected to the router. Passfield broadband has always been pretty dire. I feel sorry for anyone trying to run a business from here!

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Sue D (7th Jan 2017 - 16:31:56) I am interested to read this as I am in Passfield and my broadband has not been good for several months, but particularly bad since before Christmas. It's forever 'dropping out' and I'm having to restart router many times a day. I was convinced it was my router which is now some 3 yrs old and having spoken to my provider (BT) several times who 'can't see' a problem with my supply they will only provide me with a new router to check if that's the reason if I commit to a new contract. I have decided to try an alternative provider and am hoping things will improve when the changeover takes place end of next week! There is an article on front page of the week's Herald re investment to be made in the county's broadband by end 2019 but we live in hope!

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Mark (7th Jan 2017 - 16:45:27) If you are having major issues since a few weeks before Christmas it might have something to do with the road works on the Passfield to Whitehill Road, the machine they use to eat up the old tarmac ripped up the phone cable in 2 separate locations, it removed a 4 ft section just before Arthur Ruds yard and cut through another piece 20 yards further up

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - The Passfield Bloke (7th Jan 2017 - 17:06:23) Yes we're with BT, they've just given me a Smart hub (HomeHub 6) which has improved the wifi signal through the house (the last one was a HomeHub 4). When the connection is working, it's fine, in fact i just did a speed test: It's not groundbreaking, but sufficient for most purposes. The problem I have had recently is the speed dropping almost completely at times. At least it looks like they're exploring solutions into getting fibre out here. In the mean time, you can register your interest for fibre by filling out this form (the more that sign up helps apparently): https://www.homeandwork.openreach.co.uk/expression-gen.aspx

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Mark (7th Jan 2017 - 17:21:25) Have you also tried changing the channel your router uses ? I had an issue recently with my Sky Router and weak signal, I went into the settings and changed the channel it broadcasts over. A lot of routers use the same channel and they all clash and slow each other down. Went from 4mbps to 17mbps almost instantly

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Mark (7th Jan 2017 - 17:23:30) Also try testing the router speed on a laptop or computer that is connected via a cable and then try via your mobile, if it is drastically different you know its more of a router channel problem

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Mario (7th Jan 2017 - 17:57:42) I m in Liphook and i have the same problem from around Christmas time.The speed went down from 12Mb/s to 2-3 some times . There is 2 options a)There is a fault somewhere b)It is done intentionally so we can subscribe for optic fibre which cost more :) What do you think??

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Dawn Hoskins (7th Jan 2017 - 18:09:34) You are not alone. It is the most stressful thing - I'm working from home a lot of the time and despite being able to cope with slow speed - when it drops out completely which it does all the time I can't communicate with clients. I work with the deaf so use facetime to communicate by British Sign Language. The service we receive here is diabolical and yet we pay the same high rate as those receiving fast or super fast provision. It doesn't seem right does it?! My Dad has recently subscribed to Netflix - the answer is don't do it! The speeds render it useless and, as it drops out every 10 minutes, his programmes are permanently grinding to a halt. I am with BT and my Dad is with Talk Talk - same appalling service on each. We changed over to BT from SKY thinking it might be better - it isn't! the advertised speed is assuming that no one else in the household is using a device - if you have - you don't even get teh glacial speed that another person has listed. I WISH I got that speed, but we get nowhere near that. Certainly the period of time between 5:30 and 7:30 is a complete write off!

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - dave (8th Jan 2017 - 11:07:16) Dawn, The standard BT price for standard broadband (which only guarantees 5.5Mbps and which is all you can get in Passfield) is £26.49/mth compared to Infinity 1 £34.99/mth and Infinity 2 £44.99/mth (incl line rental), so you shouldn't be paying the same for standard broadband as you would be for superfast broadband. All other service providers just resell BT broadband in Passfield so changing provider won't make any difference to the line speed or drop out rates, just price and customer service. The Passfield exchange is on Phase 2 of the Hampshire Council Superfast Broadband Extension Programme and should be upgraded June 2017 so there is light at the end of the tunnel, though BT has not started any work on it yet, not even the field survey or design.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Dawn Hoskins (8th Jan 2017 - 11:22:19) Thanks Dave, I'll check our package. We have BT vision, land line and broadband all in one.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - N (8th Jan 2017 - 17:14:23) Been with Plusnet for 10 years. No issues in Passfield. Stable & consistent speed £35 a month all in including line rental, uncapped . On the Lynchborough Road Do look at them before choosing BT. Even when my neighbours have had issues with BT, our BB has never had issue aside from the fact we're limited to 6mps d/l speed (usually get just under that given our distance from the exchange)

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Dawn Hoskins (10th Jan 2017 - 20:13:20) I'm not sure that we pay as much as that for all of our BT stuff - BT Vision TV box, telephone and broadband. I suppose it comes down to what you are prepared to pay for! I will look into it though as it is rubbish at the moment and it is affecting my work.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - dave (11th Jan 2017 - 01:51:22) Plusnet and anyone else just resell BT broadband in Passfield as the local exchange has not been unbundled. It is the same Internet, no matter who you buy it from.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Nicola (11th Jan 2017 - 07:34:16) Well the fact remains that I've had 10 years uninterrupted service whilst my neighbours on BT have had issues . Hear nothing but complaints about BT from friends and family .

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Helen (11th Jan 2017 - 09:56:01) I think the differences sometimes can be the connection in the home or maybe an enhanced router or better equipment? If there are maybe 3 or more things on in a household eg 2 computers and smart tv then it can become slower.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Dawn Hoskins (11th Jan 2017 - 18:56:23) Yes we have 1 tablet, 2 laptops one desktop and 4 phones all competing for a limited signal in the evening. In the day it's just me. If one of the boys decides to try Netflix none of us can get on-line. I don't bother trying anything on-line in the evenings, I think when everyone else comes home from work it slows the whole of Passfield down! My computer is plugged directly into the modem and if I log on it says, "sorry no internet connection"!

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - James (11th Jan 2017 - 22:36:28) Do you get a 4G phone signal in passfield? If so you could get a 4G modem. Would be more expensive but much faster.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - dave (12th Jan 2017 - 02:03:09) Dawn, if your son is using Netflix which would use all the available bandwidth then that is the problem. The solution, in the absence of superfast broadband in the Passfield exchange is to either stop him using Netflix while the rest of the family want the Internet or get him his own broadband connection. You will have a second line to your house already even if you don't know it, so no wiring will be required, Nicola, the difference in the quality of your Internet to that of your neighbours is most likely due to the difference in the quality of the wire (which was only intended to carry voice at 64kbps) between your respective houses and the exchange. Consider yourself lucky.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Nicola (12th Jan 2017 - 08:24:46) It sounds like a bandwidth issue to me . You could get a load sharing/baring router & another line , this would solve that issue . It won't speed up your broadband but it'll evenly distribute the BB. Streaming anything in Passfield will slow everything else down in your house . As for service providers I've never used BT and never had a problem.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - The Passfield Bloke (12th Jan 2017 - 14:12:42) Well, interesting thread. Reading through the messages, I feel pretty lucky. Kids often have netflix running, video chat + gaming, etc and doesn't generally affect the speeds too badly. The only issue I have is the dropping out/slowing down, which was happening every half an hour, then going back to normal. I've spoken to BT, they weren't aware of any technical issues, but said they'd share this thread with the engineers. I was expecting much, but since speaking to BT though, I've seen an OpenReach contractor working nearby, and things seem to have improved. (more stable) Oh, and no, we don't have 4G in Passfield, we barely have any mobile signal, unless you lean out of the window. (We have a home signal booster)

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Richard (12th Jan 2017 - 18:38:43) Pretty sure that voice traffic used to only need 9kbps. ISDN was 64kbps

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Sue D (12th Jan 2017 - 19:34:45) Further to my previous comments, I agree with Passfield Bloke that the broadband does seem more stable this week - perhaps BT have taken note following our calls. However whilst I appreciate the service is supplied via same lines/cables I am proceeding with my change of supplier in the hope of a better customer service, new router included and not to mention the saving of over £20 a month for exactly the same package I currently have from BT!

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Passfield Gal (12th Jan 2017 - 20:50:23) My broadband hasn't got any better this week, it's got worse! I tried watching iPlayer last night but gave up. All I got was buffering, followed by a frozen screen! This was with a smart TV connected by cable to the router! More often than not, I don't get any mobile signal at all at home, let alone a 4g signal!

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - dave (13th Jan 2017 - 10:55:19) Richard, analogue voice is 8kHz and with a 8 bit encoding that equates to 64 kbps. Sue D, the Passfield exchange has not been unbundled so the Internet service from any supplier uses the same kit as well as the same lines and cables and the same Openreach engineer for 2nd level service, but you are right in that you will get a different router, price and person to front the service call.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Richard (13th Jan 2017 - 12:59:18) Dave, I stand corrected :)

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Peter (15th Jan 2017 - 20:36:30) Dave - from the exchange there can be be a difference as BT Wholesale can apply differing traffic throttling. I have a business account off the Passfield exchange, it's 7Mbps DL day in day out, however over the art 4 weeks there has been significant drops in connection or speed, albeit transient. Re local mobile signal strength, EE have had an issue with the nearest cell site (tower) but that is now fixed.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - The Passfield Bloke (20th Jan 2017 - 11:19:57) The speed has at times been dropping again :( There was an openreach engineer there yesterday for a couple of hours, and it's been unstable again ever since. Very annoying!

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Nic (18th Feb 2017 - 16:01:20) Hi, For those Passfield residents who use BT Broadband/line rental, can you tell me what you pay please? Thanks

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - The Passfield Bloke (19th Feb 2017 - 11:15:07) For Anytime Calls and Unlimited broadband and line rental, (plus one or two calling features) my bill had gone up to ~£44/mth. I phoned up and negotiated the same package at around £34/mth for a year. Not brilliant, considering that's not Fibre. Because it's a small exchange, I've found third party companies won't offer the same cheap deals as in larger areas/towns. (Something to do with not having their own equipment in the exchange, supposedly). One other observation I've made with regard to BB speeds, is that if my phone is automatically backing up photos etc, it's upload completely hogs the bandwidth, and slows the download speed to a crawl. Certainly explains some of the loss of speed we've experienced.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Julian (20th Feb 2017 - 13:49:44) Hi, As a local resident with a technical background, I have been looking at alternative internet options for some time. It seems that despite receiving much funding from Government, HCC and BT keep moving Passfield to the back of the queue. In recent updates it was suggested that Passfield would have fiber connectivity between July 2016 and July 2017. Timescales have slipped significantly and Passfield is still not even at the planning stage! It is quite possible that Passfield will fall in to the 3% that won't get fiber at all. Despite rumors of re-development, the Passfield Business Center has never been part of the HCC or BT plan for super-fast fiber internet, despite the Government grant being made available for "economic development". Instead businesses have move away to areas where fast internet connections are readily available. There are approximately 320 residential properties and 80 businesses running off the Passfield Exchange. There are only 8 expressions of interest on the HCC SuperFast Broadband web site (listed in an earlier post). It is important that as many people as possible register. So, what are the options? Passfield could go it alone and have super-fast internet sooner rather than later. BT have installed fiber solutions into many rural locations with Community funded projects. The cost can often be covered by investment, fundraising, grants, etc. Another option is to provide a private dedicated community solution. Monthly costs might be comparable with BT, however the community could benefit from speeds up to 1-gigabit, both up and down! I would be keen to understand how many Passfield, Conford & Standford residents would be interested in getting together to discuss the options and working towards a solution? I have all of the information from BT to start the process, as well as the information to present a community solution. Many thanks Julian. M: 07710 801188.

Re: Passfield Broadband Speed - Just Me? - Mark Barton (21st Feb 2017 - 11:02:46) When I lived in the sticks (North Cambs) I used this company - https://redrawinternet.com who had a WISP network in place. According to their site they do cover Hampshire so might be worth a call / email to see what they can offer. WISP BTW is Wireless Network so can be as fast as fibre and has low latency unlike Satellite.

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