Broadband problem continues

[quidsup]

After two phoncalls and two promises that my line would be fixed Im still stuck on slow speed

So I phoned up BT today to have another moan.

Well to cut a long story short they denied there was a problem on their side, despite their own speed test showing I was down on speed, the callcenter agent said the problem must be with my computer and I should contact my supplier.
OOOO If ever there was a wrong thing to say!!! I told her I have a six core computer and I built it myself. (didn't mention about Linux)
So I asked to be put through to cancellations. She asked why I wanted to cancel, so I said this fault was unacceptable and their download limits were too tight. She wanted to run a line test and would call me back.

10 Mins later she called back and confirmed there was a fault on my line (really? :^O) she then put me through to the supervisor. He told me it had been transferred over to the network repair team with an urgent escalation and it would be fixed within 48 hours.
I was kind enough to say the agent was ok but the problem was with their system.

Literally within a minute of putting the phone down I got a call from the Network repair team. 😮 They wanted to do more tests so I had to disconnect everything.

They called me back again 30 mins later and asked me to reconnect everything. Did that but the broadband didn't come on.
It came on again a few mins later at the same slow speed.

Hopefully everything will be fixed by monday?


This whole thing has just been cr*p. If I hadn't had the techie knowledge I wouldn't have ever been able to prove the fault was theirs. And if I hadn't threatened to cancel my service I would be sat here thinking oh it must be my computer at fault.
Not impressed with BT X-(

[**fuzzy**]

My brother phoned AOL and complained about something or other, can't remember what now, he said he wanted to move to Sky as he'd had enough of them. Don't know what he said, but he gets his broadband free now! :^O

[quidsup]

lol good one

But I really wouldn't go with AOL. Its a rip off even if its free

[ladderrack-123]

you don't need to prove anything to them, just quit and move, or at least threaten to, as youve seen it does get things moving.  if theres a fault on the line though moving wont help, its the same line whoever supplies the service

[quidsup]

The fault turned out to be Bt severely capped the line speed. Once unblocked I hit speeds of 4.8Mb, but within two weeks it was restricted back to 3Mb.

I've now swapped to Sky and am getting 5.2Mb, Unlimited downloads, and its £2.50 a month cheaper than BT.

I talk about it all in this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORthi8a0eRM

[*fuzzypeg*]

Does any of the computer techie members know if it's possible to make a router a secure connection so no other bugger can use it? I'm sure our new neighbours are using our connection, it's getting slower and slower. 😞

I noticed there was a new security enabled network called 'scrumpy' (!) when I connect to a network and the signal is crap, only one bar. We're with Sky as you know, but the router is useless and unpredictable, kept chucking us off the 'net, so we bought a BT voyager router and didn't have any problems with it, until recently. I've phoned Sky so many times to ask them why their router (netgear) won't run properly and they fiddle around with it and make it worse. Either OH can't get it on his laptop, or I can't get it on my desktop p.c. and that's why we bought our own.

[ladderrack-123]

when you click your wi fi icon you will see a list of all available wirelesss systems.  If yours is a secure network it means you need a password to get on it.if your password is a good one, a mixed up bunch of upper/lower case letters and some numbers thrown in for good liuck its unlikely anyone will get in unless they are a dedicated hacker.  You can also change your password regularly.
its more likely your internet has just slowed down for some reason, they do that,  Are you on a BT line or Cable(virgin)?
I just checked mine and somebody out there has an unsecured wifi network if i should wish to use it.

Another thing is to make sure you dont have file sharing enabled on any of your folders. normally windows has a dedicated 'shared, folder, in win 7 its called the public folder.  That what anybody connecting to your computer as part of a network would see. if theres nothing in those folders your pretty safe.  I think youd be very unlucky to live within wi fi range of a serious hacker, though somebody must do.

[ladderrack-123]

if your own router is not secure you can log on to the administration software by typing 192.168.1.1 (sometimes the last number is 2) you will then have to log in so you should have a username and pasword.  The default username is usually admin and if you never used it before there may not be a password.  (this may all be different for BT, my router is a netgear. you should have a manual on it) in there you should find(somewhere the means of securing the wifi connection WPA-PSK is the best.  you make up a password and thats it.

[*fuzzypeg*]

Thanks Dave 🙂 Our phone line is with BT and calls are with Sky. That's exactly the problem, the router isn't security enabled. I'd never find the instruction book for it 😞 can't find anything in this house. The only 2 networks on my computer were Sky (security enabled) and our BT  Voyager, but the security enabled 'scrumpy' one appeared shortly after the new neighbours moved in.

[repairexpert]

If your broadband is with Sky Anne, just ring their help line, tell them the model of router you're using and they should be able to put you though to someone technical who can tell you how to set up the security.

You certainly don't want an open wireless network; they could be using it for illegal activities, file sharing, porn downloads, etc. and you are responsible. 😉

[quidsup]

Are you using Skys hub Anne?

Its against their rules to use your own. Not that I would be doing that of course ;)]:):^O

[*fuzzypeg*]

The only router you're supposed to use with Sky is the netgear one they provide, like you said Ivan. If you use any other, they don't want to know. I've phoned them loads of times, they tell me to do things I don't understand. 😐 Too techie for me, anyway I find it impossible to hold a phone and fiddle around with wires and stuff behind the tower. (If that's the right name for it.) They seem to think people have 2 pairs of hands. It worked fine for a while when we first had Sky, then OH bought himself a laptop and he couldn't get on the 'net. That's when I first contacted Sky. They tweaked things  ?:| so he could get the net on his laptop, but then I couldn't get on the 'net with my desktop. That happened several times, each time I phoned Sky, either his or mine didn't work after, so we bought the BT voyager router. It works fine mostly, but is insecure. It never bothered me as no one around here had a computer, until the new neighbours moved in and I can see him when I come home from work at night, in the small lit front bedroom sat by the window in front of his computer and probably using our signal. X-(

[repairexpert]

Anne, if you post the problem on the new Techi board...

http://community.ebay.co.uk/forum.jspa?forumID=1004

someone will talk you through it step by step and tell you how to secure the router. Sorry I'm not an expert on routers myself.

[quidsup]

http://www.voyager.bt.com/wireless_devices/voyager_2091/product_info.htm

I didn't know what router you had

[ladderrack-123]

according to that your router should be pre secured and the password on the bottom of the writer.  the other secured system yuo have detected is probably yuor neighbour's and its unlikely he will be using yours, if your on a BT phone line the connection is notoriously unreliable and also as with any service company its an uphill struggle to get them to admit its on their side.

[madamwhiplashk]

Now thats another problem im going to have to look into! i use a router, the kids needed it for xbox live and i use it to connect the laptop to it because its better than the dongle. We all just use it and never have to put in a password or nothing, does that mean its not a secure 1?:| When i switch on the laptop there is about 6 that i could connect to, is that all other peoples connections or something then? There is BT, Skoda, and others and they arent mine. Its all to confusing isnt it:_|

[quidsup]

Secure connections have a little padlock symbol next to them in the list.

Get your wireless connections secured up with the highest standard WPA/WPA2 Preshared Key (PSK) and put in a nice long 63 character password.

Phone up your provider and ask them to talk you through how to set it up. If they say your box can't achieve that standard ask for a new one that can.

I know it sounds a lot, but who gets in trouble if your neighbour is a pedo or downloads movies without paying for them through your broadband? As the owner of the connection it is you and you're responsible for it!

Saw something recently that said 90% of wireless hubs in the UK can be hacked into in less than 2 mins with tools freely available online. I can see a couple of programs sat in my software catalogue in Linux.

[ladderrack-123]

normally in windows if you have the list of available wi fi networks you can run yuor mouse over them and it will tell you if they are secure or unsecured and also the type of security, eg WPA-PSK, WEP etc.  If your sky router was installed by sky they almost certainly will have made it secure, it normally is the dafault with the password on the base of the router.  The website for the BT router says it has the same default.

Just click on the wi fi icon, a little thing looks like a set of pan pipes.  the list of available networks is there, run your mouse over them and see what security they have. 

Personally I dont think wi fi hacking is as prevalant as is made out,

[quidsup]

Probably because the victims are completely unaware.

If they had the knowledge to check then they would  know how to set it up correctly in the first place.

I've used my neighbours unsecure wireless in the past. Infact I was really generous and put an admin password on for them so no one else (including them) could get in and change it :^O ]:)

-- Edited by quidsup at 03/02/2011 11:07 PM GMT

[*fuzzypeg*]

😮 Tut.

This is the one we have

http://www.voyager.bt.com/wireless_devices/voyager_1500/product_info.htm  It says password protected in the specs., but I see no option for adding a password

-- Edited by *fuzzypeg* at 03/03/2011 12:19 AM GMT