BT Extender 600 slow speeds with BT infinity?

[Raycorrupt]

I got BT Infinity 2 around 24 hours ago (est. speeds 76 down, 20 up) and am only getting 56 download and 10 upload with a computer plugged into the router via ethernet.
This is not the only problem: I have a BT Extender (the one that plugs into the mains) to get internet in my room, but the speeds I get there are only 15 download and 10 upload. I don't see what the problem is, but there's a red light flashing on the Hotspot even when the internet is working.
Any help is appreciated

 

[Rowdyrauderson]

Internet speeds are dependent on many variables. It is not uncommon to get lower speeds during peak usage times. Therefore checking your connection speed with something like speedtest.net is very subjective.
As for the extender, I am not familiar with it, but is it wireless?

 

[Raycorrupt]

Internet speeds are dependent on many variables. It is not uncommon to get lower speeds during peak usage times. Therefore checking your connection speed with something like speedtest.net is very subjective.
As for the extender, I am not familiar with it, but is it wireless?

I checked the speeds on speedtest on to computers, one connected to internet wirelessly, one connected by ethernet. They are both downstairs. On both of them, I get 56 down and 10 up.
On my upstairs computer (which is connected to the internet by BT Hotspot: the router connects to a plug-in BT box via ethernet ->the internet goes through the mains to the Hotspot upstairs-> connected by ethernet to my computer. So it's essentially wired.), so on my upstairs computer I get 15 down and 10 up. I don't know why this is.

 

[Rowdyrauderson]

You should check the duplex and speed settings for the NIC on that machine upstairs, as well as the settings on the extender. About how old is the machine upstairs?

 

[bill001g]

Network sent over power is still a form of radio transmission and it is subject to interference which makes it slower. It also depends on the technology being used. Some of the ones that claim 200m really can only do 20-30m. All you do is try other power outlets and hope it is better

 

[Rowdyrauderson]

Network sent over power is still a form of radio transmission and it is subject to interference which makes it slower. It also depends on the technology being used. Some of the ones that claim 200m really can only do 20-30m. All you do is try other power outlets and hope it is better

Those BT extenders transfer over the power line? No wonder it is slower.

 

[Raycorrupt]

You should check the duplex and speed settings for the NIC on that machine upstairs, as well as the settings on the extender. About how old is the machine upstairs?

It's an Aurora R4, about 2 years old.

 

[Raycorrupt]

Network sent over power is still a form of radio transmission and it is subject to interference which makes it slower. It also depends on the technology being used. Some of the ones that claim 200m really can only do 20-30m. All you do is try other power outlets and hope it is better

Thanks for the information, I'll try a different socket

 

[Rowdyrauderson]

Network sent over power is still a form of radio transmission and it is subject to interference which makes it slower. It also depends on the technology being used. Some of the ones that claim 200m really can only do 20-30m. All you do is try other power outlets and hope it is better

Thanks for the information, I'll try a different socket

Also take a look at the speed/duplex setting on your R4. You can manually assign it to 1Gbps Full duplex. I am not sure how auto-negotiate works on the extender, so it is best to just set it yourself.

 

[Raycorrupt]

Network sent over power is still a form of radio transmission and it is subject to interference which makes it slower. It also depends on the technology being used. Some of the ones that claim 200m really can only do 20-30m. All you do is try other power outlets and hope it is better

Thanks for the information, I'll try a different socket

Also take a look at the speed/duplex setting on your R4. You can manually assign it to 1Gbps Full duplex. I am not sure how auto-negotiate works on the extender, so it is best to just set it yourself.

Thanks Rowdyrauderson, I did as you said and the speeds went up to 24.05 mbps download and 10.85 upload.
Thing is, the computer downstairs (connected wirelessly, without the extender) gets 56 mbps download and over 10 upload.
Is there any additional way?

 

[Rowdyrauderson]

Network sent over power is still a form of radio transmission and it is subject to interference which makes it slower. It also depends on the technology being used. Some of the ones that claim 200m really can only do 20-30m. All you do is try other power outlets and hope it is better

Thanks for the information, I'll try a different socket

Also take a look at the speed/duplex setting on your R4. You can manually assign it to 1Gbps Full duplex. I am not sure how auto-negotiate works on the extender, so it is best to just set it yourself.

Thanks Rowdyrauderson, I did as you said and the speeds went up to 24.05 mbps download and 10.85 upload.
Thing is, the computer downstairs (connected wirelessly, without the extender) gets 56 mbps download and over 10 upload.
Is there any additional way?

I'm sorry, I am only familiar with Cat5/e/6 standard of cabling. If you are running a data line over the main, I am not sure what the highest speed you can expect. There is always the option of getting a Wifi card for your R4. Also, since your download is 56Mbps you probably are broadcasting 802.11g. I'm sure your router is newer than that, but you might have an older machine that is making it run in "g" mode. Upgrading to something like 802.11n or a/c would significantly increase your speeds. Of course this all depends on what your bandwidth is from your ISP.

 

[Raycorrupt]

Network sent over power is still a form of radio transmission and it is subject to interference which makes it slower. It also depends on the technology being used. Some of the ones that claim 200m really can only do 20-30m. All you do is try other power outlets and hope it is better

Thanks for the information, I'll try a different socket

Also take a look at the speed/duplex setting on your R4. You can manually assign it to 1Gbps Full duplex. I am not sure how auto-negotiate works on the extender, so it is best to just set it yourself.

Thanks Rowdyrauderson, I did as you said and the speeds went up to 24.05 mbps download and 10.85 upload.
Thing is, the computer downstairs (connected wirelessly, without the extender) gets 56 mbps download and over 10 upload.
Is there any additional way?

I'm sorry, I am only familiar with Cat5/e/6 standard of cabling. If you are running a data line over the main, I am not sure what the highest speed you can expect. There is always the option of getting a Wifi card for your R4. Also, since your download is 56Mbps you probably are broadcasting 802.11g. I'm sure your router is newer than that, but you might have an older machine that is making it run in "g" mode. Upgrading to something like 802.11n or a/c would significantly increase your speeds. Of course this all depends on what your bandwidth is from your ISP.

The router I have is the BT Homehub 5, it came with the Infinity 2 package. What kind of speeds can power cables transfer?
Would buying a new wifi card actually increase my speeds?
Thanks for the help

 

[Rowdyrauderson]

Network sent over power is still a form of radio transmission and it is subject to interference which makes it slower. It also depends on the technology being used. Some of the ones that claim 200m really can only do 20-30m. All you do is try other power outlets and hope it is better

Thanks for the information, I'll try a different socket

Also take a look at the speed/duplex setting on your R4. You can manually assign it to 1Gbps Full duplex. I am not sure how auto-negotiate works on the extender, so it is best to just set it yourself.

Thanks Rowdyrauderson, I did as you said and the speeds went up to 24.05 mbps download and 10.85 upload.
Thing is, the computer downstairs (connected wirelessly, without the extender) gets 56 mbps download and over 10 upload.
Is there any additional way?

I'm sorry, I am only familiar with Cat5/e/6 standard of cabling. If you are running a data line over the main, I am not sure what the highest speed you can expect. There is always the option of getting a Wifi card for your R4. Also, since your download is 56Mbps you probably are broadcasting 802.11g. I'm sure your router is newer than that, but you might have an older machine that is making it run in "g" mode. Upgrading to something like 802.11n or a/c would significantly increase your speeds. Of course this all depends on what your bandwidth is from your ISP.

The router I have is the BT Homehub 5, it came with the Infinity 2 package. What kind of speeds can power cables transfer?
Would buying a new wifi card actually increase my speeds?
Thanks for the help

I am not sure as the speed over power lines. I imagine its not very fast as there could be a lot of EMI.
Anyways, speed on the internet is all relative to the speed of your ISP's connection. How much do you pay for?
If it is less than 50Mbps download then you would be fine with an 802.11g card AND router. Now if you are paying for faster internet then an 802.11n or a/c card and router would get you much faster transfer speed. So, yes, getting a new wifi card, if your router is already n or a/c rated, would increase your speeds.
Before buying anything, physically look at the router. It should have the speed rating (b/a/g/n/ac) somewhere on it. Then look at each machine on your network and see what speed they have. At this point, anything at "g" or lower (b,a) should be replaced.

 

[Raycorrupt]

Network sent over power is still a form of radio transmission and it is subject to interference which makes it slower. It also depends on the technology being used. Some of the ones that claim 200m really can only do 20-30m. All you do is try other power outlets and hope it is better

Thanks for the information, I'll try a different socket

Also take a look at the speed/duplex setting on your R4. You can manually assign it to 1Gbps Full duplex. I am not sure how auto-negotiate works on the extender, so it is best to just set it yourself.

Thanks Rowdyrauderson, I did as you said and the speeds went up to 24.05 mbps download and 10.85 upload.
Thing is, the computer downstairs (connected wirelessly, without the extender) gets 56 mbps download and over 10 upload.
Is there any additional way?

I'm sorry, I am only familiar with Cat5/e/6 standard of cabling. If you are running a data line over the main, I am not sure what the highest speed you can expect. There is always the option of getting a Wifi card for your R4. Also, since your download is 56Mbps you probably are broadcasting 802.11g. I'm sure your router is newer than that, but you might have an older machine that is making it run in "g" mode. Upgrading to something like 802.11n or a/c would significantly increase your speeds. Of course this all depends on what your bandwidth is from your ISP.

The router I have is the BT Homehub 5, it came with the Infinity 2 package. What kind of speeds can power cables transfer?
Would buying a new wifi card actually increase my speeds?
Thanks for the help

I am not sure as the speed over power lines. I imagine its not very fast as there could be a lot of EMI.
Anyways, speed on the internet is all relative to the speed of your ISP's connection. How much do you pay for?
If it is less than 50Mbps download then you would be fine with an 802.11g card AND router. Now if you are paying for faster internet then an 802.11n or a/c card and router would get you much faster transfer speed. So, yes, getting a new wifi card, if your router is already n or a/c rated, would increase your speeds.
Before buying anything, physically look at the router. It should have the speed rating (b/a/g/n/ac) somewhere on it. Then look at each machine on your network and see what speed they have. At this point, anything at "g" or lower (b,a) should be replaced.

My apologies. I have dug deeper into the matter and realised that I have not got a BT Extender but the BT Home Hotspot 500 Kit. After checking the manual: http://btsupport.custhelp.com/ci/fattach/get/4169225/1423649637/redirect/1
I discovered that the red light on the hotspot unit means "low transfer speeds". If anyone could shed some light on this, it'd be appreciated.
Thanks for your help so far, Rowdyrauderson.
EDIT: I have a 802.11n card I believe. Paying for 76 mbps downlad, 20mbps upload. I think you may be right about powerlines reducing speeds. I'm actually very disappointed that I only get 56 mbps max download, even with a PC connected to the router via ethernet.

 

[nimbah_52]

BT infinity 2 is "Up to 76Mb". It does not guarantee you that speed. The closer you are to the cabinet the higher your speed.

There's nothing you can change in regards to the your download/upload speeds. You may see it improve gradually over the years as BT upgrade their network.

 

[Raycorrupt]

I did some testing of my own, and found out that the sockets in my room have the worst connection speeds for some reason. Using a laptop, an ethernet cable and my BT extender, I tested every socket in the house. In the room adjacent to mine, I get 50 mbps, compared to 25 mbps. An interesting thing is I got 15 mbps in my conservatory on one socket, but 50 mbps on another in the same room.