Help please - very slow Virgin Media broadband
Discussion
I hope this is in the right forum but please move if not.
I was hoping that the collective wisdom of PH may be able to help. I have got Virgin Media broadband - supposed to be the 200mb/s version. However, it often seems to drop out - which has been far more noticeable since I have been working from home. The kids keep complaining that game playing (on PCs) is slow and keeps freezing, I find that I lose connection when working on the laptop a few times a day - overall, it is frustrating
I have used the download speed check - it varies between 35mb/s and 100bm/s. The upload speed is as low as 15bm/s. This seems to be very low to me - but I am far from an expert as you can probably tell!
I am not sure how to resolve this - we do have a number of gadgets in use at any one time (2 PCs, 2 laptops and several mobiles/iPads) - however, even disconnecting most of these does not seem to help.
We have tried various boosters etc but they do not seem to make much difference.
And getting through to anyone at Virgin Media is almost impossible.
If anyone can give me any pointers - especially if it sounds like a Virgin Media issue rather than something at our end - I would be very grateful. I have looked at getting ethernet cables run to the PCs/laptops but really don't want to spend more money if it will not solve the problem.
I was hoping that the collective wisdom of PH may be able to help. I have got Virgin Media broadband - supposed to be the 200mb/s version. However, it often seems to drop out - which has been far more noticeable since I have been working from home. The kids keep complaining that game playing (on PCs) is slow and keeps freezing, I find that I lose connection when working on the laptop a few times a day - overall, it is frustrating
I have used the download speed check - it varies between 35mb/s and 100bm/s. The upload speed is as low as 15bm/s. This seems to be very low to me - but I am far from an expert as you can probably tell!
I am not sure how to resolve this - we do have a number of gadgets in use at any one time (2 PCs, 2 laptops and several mobiles/iPads) - however, even disconnecting most of these does not seem to help.
We have tried various boosters etc but they do not seem to make much difference.
And getting through to anyone at Virgin Media is almost impossible.
If anyone can give me any pointers - especially if it sounds like a Virgin Media issue rather than something at our end - I would be very grateful. I have looked at getting ethernet cables run to the PCs/laptops but really don't want to spend more money if it will not solve the problem.
An easy test to do if you have a PC with an ethernet port is to plug the PC directly into the Virgin router rather than connect it over wifi then do a speed test.
If the wired speed test is faster than the wifi speed test the issue might be with your wifi rather than with Virgin and you can stop trying to deal with Virgin which is always a win.
If it is your wifi Virgin can't help you with that. A modern mesh system would probably help.
If the wired speed test is faster than the wifi speed test the issue might be with your wifi rather than with Virgin and you can stop trying to deal with Virgin which is always a win.
If it is your wifi Virgin can't help you with that. A modern mesh system would probably help.
Pot luck with VM who you get to speak to, we had a 'local' chap last week who was very helpful.
Does it cut completely or just slow down? If just slow, connect your laptop to the router with an ethernet cable and check speed. If this is fine, then presumably just a wifi issue which VM may not be interested in. Upload speeds are always a fraction of download. I have a 300 download and a 35 upload. Not sure which router you have, but we had a Superhub 1 which was causing issues. VM supplied a Superhub 3 which, together with my mesh network, has yet to raise any complaints from the gamers in the house.
Does it cut completely or just slow down? If just slow, connect your laptop to the router with an ethernet cable and check speed. If this is fine, then presumably just a wifi issue which VM may not be interested in. Upload speeds are always a fraction of download. I have a 300 download and a 35 upload. Not sure which router you have, but we had a Superhub 1 which was causing issues. VM supplied a Superhub 3 which, together with my mesh network, has yet to raise any complaints from the gamers in the house.
Thanks both
We have done the speed check using an ethernet cable directly into the Hub - so seeing 35mb/s was a bit disappointing! We are out of contract with Virgin Media now so I may see if they can update the Hub as part of a negotiation about renewing with them.
I cannot see that any of the alternative providers have anything better to offer - but don't want them sending an engineer out, saying there is no problem and then charging me for the privilege!
We have done the speed check using an ethernet cable directly into the Hub - so seeing 35mb/s was a bit disappointing! We are out of contract with Virgin Media now so I may see if they can update the Hub as part of a negotiation about renewing with them.
I cannot see that any of the alternative providers have anything better to offer - but don't want them sending an engineer out, saying there is no problem and then charging me for the privilege!
Upload speeds on VM tends to be about 10% of download speed. I'm on the 500mbps download speed, and get 37mbps upload.
If you're only getting 35mbps down directly via ethernet, then it suggests a box/cabling issue - which usually requires an engineer visit.
My last visit was very easy to set up (booked for days after I called) and he fixed my problem within 30 mins (dodgy cable from the wall box to the Tivo box). He also renewed some external cabling/plugs as a precaution, as it was the ones that were fitted when Telewest first put cable in.
BTW, the Virgin box (Hub 3) is not very good for wifi propagation, and lots of posts twill ell you to put it into modem mode and buy a decent router & wifi/mesh system.
I went for the Devolo Magic 2 powerline solution, so that I have one plug next to the Virgin Hub, and then 2 quite powerful wifi plugs in rooms as far apart as I can (one in upstairs back bedroom, one in downstairs hall). I can also connect devices to these via built-in ethernet ports. Not had any issues with mine for the approx. 10 years I've had them, and only recently upgraded to the fastest versions once I had broadband speed that demanded it.
But make sure your connection/box is 100% before you spend anything else. I'm in the same position as you, in that it's VM at 100mbps+ or phone-line service at 18-30mbps max - in fact my 4G back-up dongle gives me 80mbps+.
BTW, the Virgin Community forum is quite useful for advice, and you'll sometimes get a moderator to escalate your queries to the support team for a call-back.
If you're only getting 35mbps down directly via ethernet, then it suggests a box/cabling issue - which usually requires an engineer visit.
My last visit was very easy to set up (booked for days after I called) and he fixed my problem within 30 mins (dodgy cable from the wall box to the Tivo box). He also renewed some external cabling/plugs as a precaution, as it was the ones that were fitted when Telewest first put cable in.
BTW, the Virgin box (Hub 3) is not very good for wifi propagation, and lots of posts twill ell you to put it into modem mode and buy a decent router & wifi/mesh system.
I went for the Devolo Magic 2 powerline solution, so that I have one plug next to the Virgin Hub, and then 2 quite powerful wifi plugs in rooms as far apart as I can (one in upstairs back bedroom, one in downstairs hall). I can also connect devices to these via built-in ethernet ports. Not had any issues with mine for the approx. 10 years I've had them, and only recently upgraded to the fastest versions once I had broadband speed that demanded it.
But make sure your connection/box is 100% before you spend anything else. I'm in the same position as you, in that it's VM at 100mbps+ or phone-line service at 18-30mbps max - in fact my 4G back-up dongle gives me 80mbps+.
BTW, the Virgin Community forum is quite useful for advice, and you'll sometimes get a moderator to escalate your queries to the support team for a call-back.
TNJ said:
Thanks both
We have done the speed check using an ethernet cable directly into the Hub - so seeing 35mb/s was a bit disappointing! We are out of contract with Virgin Media now so I may see if they can update the Hub as part of a negotiation about renewing with them.
I cannot see that any of the alternative providers have anything better to offer - but don't want them sending an engineer out, saying there is no problem and then charging me for the privilege!
Which Superhub have you got? If it's an old one they were doing free upgrades I think. Check your speed at different times, it can drop off markedly in peak times. They can sometimes see an issue when on the phone to them so it's definitely worth a call.We have done the speed check using an ethernet cable directly into the Hub - so seeing 35mb/s was a bit disappointing! We are out of contract with Virgin Media now so I may see if they can update the Hub as part of a negotiation about renewing with them.
I cannot see that any of the alternative providers have anything better to offer - but don't want them sending an engineer out, saying there is no problem and then charging me for the privilege!
As a reference, my 100 mbps Virgin has been rock solid since lockdown. No outages.
I get about 110 mbps on a cabled speed test. Around 75 mbps all over the house, with a ‘value’ mesh system
As you get the problem on wired test, the problem is theirs. Nothing else you can do.
Will just need to persist unfortunately in getting hold of them.
I get about 110 mbps on a cabled speed test. Around 75 mbps all over the house, with a ‘value’ mesh system
As you get the problem on wired test, the problem is theirs. Nothing else you can do.
Will just need to persist unfortunately in getting hold of them.
Same here. Easily get 110Mbps on a wired connection. Can often get the same on a wifi connection with my Ubiquiti access point.
I did have lots of problems a year or so ago with the speed dropping down, then out, then back up to 100Mbps. Was generally worse Friday and Saturday evenings. Turns out it was due to VM overselling the local area capacity. Simply too many people and not enough bandwidth. Took them over 6 months to complete the upgrades to resolve.
You could set up a quality monitor. It continually checks the connection however the monitoring can sometimes disappear as VM use dynamic IPs.
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/faq/broadband-quali...
I did have lots of problems a year or so ago with the speed dropping down, then out, then back up to 100Mbps. Was generally worse Friday and Saturday evenings. Turns out it was due to VM overselling the local area capacity. Simply too many people and not enough bandwidth. Took them over 6 months to complete the upgrades to resolve.
You could set up a quality monitor. It continually checks the connection however the monitoring can sometimes disappear as VM use dynamic IPs.
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/faq/broadband-quali...
Need to establish if the connection is actually dropping? Does it show on the router as trying to sync and or does everyone complain about the net at the same time?
It sounds like the line has a fault somewhere and the constant drop outs have speed managed the line to a safer speed.
With internet it has become a common assumption that more speed is better.
Actually with a home broadband service a slower speed with stable connection, not over subscribed (virgin are terrible for this) and low latency ( important for the kids games) if far more preferable.
A 30-40mb line will support a several kids gaming and people streaming at the same time, the throughput is actually not that high.
Set up a broadband monitor, ill give you and idea of what the connection is doing over a few days.
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitorin...
It sounds like the line has a fault somewhere and the constant drop outs have speed managed the line to a safer speed.
With internet it has become a common assumption that more speed is better.
Actually with a home broadband service a slower speed with stable connection, not over subscribed (virgin are terrible for this) and low latency ( important for the kids games) if far more preferable.
A 30-40mb line will support a several kids gaming and people streaming at the same time, the throughput is actually not that high.
Set up a broadband monitor, ill give you and idea of what the connection is doing over a few days.
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitorin...
Edited by bungz on Thursday 8th October 13:40
Mine did the same if we had more than 6-7 devices connected to it.
As someone else said earlier, put it in modem mode and purchase a decent wireless router instead.
I ended up with a Netgear Nighthawk and it copes admirably with 30+ devices connected to it. Never had a problem since.
As someone else said earlier, put it in modem mode and purchase a decent wireless router instead.
I ended up with a Netgear Nighthawk and it copes admirably with 30+ devices connected to it. Never had a problem since.
Login into the Hub status page, check the upstream and downstream channels.
You should see 24 downstream, and 4 upstream.
We had an issue recently where I was only seeing 4 downstream and 1 upstream and it was constantly dropping out, for upto an hour at a time. In the end it turned out that after a 'cabinet cleanout' our connection had been botched back in with the coax shielding touching the inner stinger. Obviously, you'll need to call out a VM engineer for that.
Out internet was flawless before, and since it was fixed.
You should see 24 downstream, and 4 upstream.
We had an issue recently where I was only seeing 4 downstream and 1 upstream and it was constantly dropping out, for upto an hour at a time. In the end it turned out that after a 'cabinet cleanout' our connection had been botched back in with the coax shielding touching the inner stinger. Obviously, you'll need to call out a VM engineer for that.
Out internet was flawless before, and since it was fixed.
VM are starting to distribute the V4 hub, so worth asking the question.
Other things to check as mentioned - are the connections to the hub/Tivo boxes secure, are the cables in good condition, and a speed test when hard-wired to an ethernet port on the router.
A wifi scanner app on a phone or tablet might be useful to check if there is any contention with a neighbour, i.e. same channel
Other things to check as mentioned - are the connections to the hub/Tivo boxes secure, are the cables in good condition, and a speed test when hard-wired to an ethernet port on the router.
A wifi scanner app on a phone or tablet might be useful to check if there is any contention with a neighbour, i.e. same channel
Might be of no relevance but....
I had Virgin some years ago. Got great speeds everything hunky dory. Then, over a period of months it slowed & slowed at peak periods (evenings). Eventually there was next to no internet in the evening.
Long story short, but basically they'd oversold the service in our area. All the 1000s of newbies were overloading the infrastructure.
I had Virgin some years ago. Got great speeds everything hunky dory. Then, over a period of months it slowed & slowed at peak periods (evenings). Eventually there was next to no internet in the evening.
Long story short, but basically they'd oversold the service in our area. All the 1000s of newbies were overloading the infrastructure.
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff