Virgin broadband - anyone else suffering unbearably slow evening speeds?

[smileman]

I'm currently a customer for Virgin's top speed service (100Mbps) and live near Peckham Rye park. For the past 2-3 months the broadband speeds in the evenings have become barely usable.

Virgin is aware of the problem, which is due to too many subscribers in the area. However, they won't be boosting capacity until 24 June.

Anyone in my area who is happy with their 100Mbps broadband speed provider?

[Ron70]

I'm on virgin in the area of the Great Exhibition. I'm on 50mbs and get exactly that even via wireless? I'm not sure if it makes a difference but was on the 100mbs service until recently when it was explained to me (by virgin) that I didn't download enough to justify the added cost of the 100mbs service which is mainly aimed at people who download lots of "stuff".

Hence the switch which doesn't affect the speed you browse the Internet on or watching Virgin media / Netflix etc. I'm not a technical wizard but maybe worth considering?

Ron70

[Jeremy]

We are near-ish Peckham Rye and things are fine, apart from the occasional outage (often overnight).

Is your problem only in the evenings? Do you get closer to full speed during the day?

[mima08]

Hiya, we're in between PR and Goose Green and the evening speeds are ridiculous. Under 1mb is the norm... I phoned Virgin they said its because a technical issue (implying fault, not oversubscription) that is supposed to be fixed by 28th Feb. Past promises of when things would be fixed have always let me down, so am not holding my breath... Phone and ask for a refund on your bill - and if anyone can recommend a really good supplier, please let me know!

[dennis]

I'm on the virgin 50mb package, nr Goodrich School.

Usually get at least 50mb just checked now have 55.78 download and 3.35 upload

[Loz]

Have you tried checking to see if it your wireless or your broadband. If you have a network cable, plug your laptop straight into the Superhub and check your speed. If it's fine, then it is your wireless. If you have a new hub try switching to 5G or, if not, try changing the channel the signal broadcasts on - you probably have a clash with a neighbour.

[smileman]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> We are near-ish Peckham Rye and things are fine,

> apart from the occasional outage (often

> overnight).

>

> Is your problem only in the evenings? Do you get

> closer to full speed during the day?

yes, the speed during the day is just fine, the problem is only during the evening hours. It doesn't matter whether I'm on 2.4 or 5Ghz.

Like I said, virgin is aware of the problem, and it sounds like at least one other person nearby is experiencing the same thing.

Can anyone suggest an alternative provider in the peckham rye/Goose Green/Upland/Lordship quadrant for high-speed broadband?

[GinaG3]

I don't have the 100mb package but do have the 50mb one. I've been with virgin for 5 years and never received even close to the speed I paid for, they always maintained the package was 'upto X speed'. I lived on dulwich common for most of this time and it was horrendous.

I'm now on the other side of Dulwich, nearer Herne Hill and finally get the speeds advertised. In fact I'm mainly getting 52mbps all day and night when it might drop to 47mbps or so. Upload speeds are reaching 3mbps.

[Mrs TP]

I don't know the speed of ours but has been rubbish since Christmas. WiFi was dreadful over Christmas and intermittent since. Used to be able to watch live tv on the comp and can rarely do that now. Bizarrely been fab this afternoon. Bellenden side of GooseGreen. No doubt they won't be reducing their costs in the meantime.

[Countrlass22]

Hi we noticed evening time slower so did speed test came up at 4mb.

Meant be upto 50 virgin though daytime it's 40 plus.

We checked again 33 evening so think was fault.

Sky give good connection speed,bt are ok.

Virgin I'd stick with check it daily log it mail to virgin ask refund or discount if consistently low.

Shouldn't matter how many subscribe as fibre optic.

[Mrs TP]

How do you check / monitor the speed?

[Countrlass22]

Hi you can just type into Google which broadband speed check it will bring up link.which do one themselves very good.

[Loz]

This one is probably the best:

http://www.speedtest.net

[Countrlass22]

yes that's also good one.

[smileman]

Can anyone suggest an alternative provider in the peckham rye/Goose Green/Upland/Lordship quadrant for high-speed broadband?

[pablogrande]

the problem with all of these providers is the contention ratio from the local exchange, they will have a fast fibre connection into the exchange and then this is shared between however many subscribers they have in that location. so the more people who are downloading at one time the slower it gets.

I think Virgin are the only supplier that don't piggy back off BTs fibre, I've found with a few of my clients that if they get a business broadband package rather than domestic, then the speed if tipped in the business connections favour, it only usual costs a few pounds a month more and you tend to get better technical support too, with BT you don't need a business to get a business package

[DulwichFox]

The Broadband speed quoted by your ISP is a Maximum your line will work at.

That is between you and your ISP.

The Network is shared and you are unlikely to achieve those levels constantly..

Your car might be able to clock 160MPH but that does not mean you will be able to drive

through the centre of London at that speed.

Also when Surfing you will be limited to the speed and availability of the Servers of the sites you visit.

And again you will be using/sharing National / International Networks. You have no control over the speed

at which these Networks operate.

Basically it makes very little difference which ISP you choose.

They only control the bit between you and your local connetion point

DulwichFox

[smileman]

pablogrande Wrote:

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> > I think Virgin are the only supplier that don't

> piggy back off BTs fibre, I've found with a few of

> my clients that if they get a business broadband

> package rather than domestic, then the speed if

> tipped in the business connections favour, it only

> usual costs a few pounds a month more and you tend

> to get better technical support too, with BT you

> don't need a business to get a business package

Ok, so it sounds like any other ISP might be worth trying as it will be on BT's fibre and not VM's.

Thanks also for the tip on asking for a business package.

[smileman]

So I called BT and forgot that unless they roll fibre directly up to your house, which costs extra, you need to purchase a landline with your broadband (which I don't want or need). That landline makes BT considerably more expensive than Virgin Media.

Has anyone used Plusnet in this area (or elsewhere) and been happy with it? Any other good non-landline options?

[Loz]

I believe Virgin is the only company that allows you to take broadband without a landline.

[Penguin68]

BT started in the telephone business - its delivery mechanism to the house is via telephone lines - Virgin started as a cable business, its delivery is via coaxial (was anyway) - the engineering in the BT Network is enhanced telephony, that of Virgin enhanced cable. Hence BT charges for the (telephone) landlines it uses to deliver services - broadband with telephony; Virgin offers broadband with cable. It's the way their network topologies were designed and work. For Virgin it's actually more difficult to provide telephone services over their sort of network - hence they are happy not to have to. For BT it's the telephone network which forms the backbone of their delivery system, - although now there is Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) they offer hybrid systems - but the twisted pair going into the house is essentially part of the telephone network, which additionally (with the right electronics) carries broadband.

[smileman]

has anyone had fibre to the premises installed by BT? How much did it cost and how well does it work?

[Bic Basher]

Loz Wrote:

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> I believe Virgin is the only company that allows

> you to take broadband without a landline.

Plusnet do as long as you have a landline, which can be with another provider, such as BT. Not as good as Virgin in that respect, but an option.

https://www.plus.net/home-broadband/broadband-only/

[Penguin68]

Plusnet is wholly owned by BT - but operated at arms length. Like any ISP/ broadband provider (save those providing satellite broadband, which is very expensive, or mobile broadband - slower and also often more expensive than e.g. fibre services) it has to have a physical link into the house - it uses telephone lines (as do most providers other than the former NTL Cable company, now re-branded as Virgin, who uses cable access). Hence you have to be getting telephony from someone for them to be able to connect to you. Almost all domestic physical connexions (other than cable TV) are eventually provided by BT Openreach, the provider of wholesale local network to BT Retail as well as to most other non cable ISPs.

Just out of interest, emergency services (999) are only guaranteed delivery over a hardwired phone using a landline, because landlines are powered from exchanges which have back-up battery systems in case of power failure. Even if you lose power in your home, a hardwired phone will still work - wireless handsets rely on the base station to be powered, the exchange power won't be sufficient to run those. Mobiles will of course continue to work, if you have power, and signal!

[Mrs TP]

Wow thanks for the web test recommendation (I'd found a few but was nervous of downloading a bug) anyway did [www.speedtest.net] and result was 12.12 download and less than 2.00 upload :(