Good morning guys

Opti: Printer USB, Home Hub Ethernet

Kayak: Connection as you describe. From the telephone side of the ADSL filter there is a "splitter" or "doubler" or whatever it's called so that phone line is split with one line goling to the PC and the other to the printer.

What I really want to know is if that set up, effectively just adding another extension (the printer), should so seriouisly damage my download speed (down to 0.13meg this morning).

BT are coming at their own invitation. Mr Calcutta has got fed up with me over the past 10 days. He keeps saying that they have adjusted my profile at the exchange (whatever that means) and I suppose this is the last resort.

TOK

If you have a printer on the same USB port as the ADSL connection then the printer may well slow the broadband speed. However, your real problem is that you have a USB ADSL modem. These are just not safe to use, and should be immediately replaced by an ADSL / Ethernet firewall router.

That will improve your broadband security and performance, and stop the printer problem.

The only place for a USB / ADSL modem is the rubbish bin.

Opti: Bit of confusion here, I think. The BT Home Hub is an ethernet connection. It's the printer that has a USB connection.

Tok, check that the telephone lines are well away from power cables.

TOk

If the printer is USB and is plugged into the same wireing as the broadband then the broadband adaptor must also be USB.

Kayak:
Wiring no different from when I was getting 1.5meg. Just did test: Down 0.128. Up: 0.365. We are 2300m from the exchange and should get 3meg from a BT line, according to test site.

Opti:
Sorry for being thick, but I'm not sure that I follow you. USB 2.0 wire from printer goes to USB slot and Ethernet wire from Home Hub goes to Ethernet slot.

OK, why not disconnect the fax and try the speed test again?

K - Tried that a week ago but no difference. Waiting for Mr BT. Due before 1pm.

TOK

That clears it up, when you said -"The phone wire comes from the master socket to a filter and then a splitter with one wire going to the printer and the other to the BT home hub" - I had assumed that the printer and the hub were on the same circuit.

Mr BT has been and gone. He said the line speed at the master socket was 1.7meg (which was around what I used to get) and dropped to 1.1meg when it reached the filter, after say 8m of wire, and then 0.3 on the computer. He blamed the Home Hub and said he would send me another. I'm not convinced. Could it be the ethernet connection on my computer. It has an ethereal green glow with occasional flashes of orange or is that just normal?

Meanwhile, many, many thanks to K and O for your input.

Kayak, not running the telephone cables alongside mains cables, is that a general rule?

TOK

You should always plug the ADSL unit into the master socket (with as short a lead as possible) and then run an ethernet cable to your computer. It is probably worth buying an Iplate, this is a BT device that costs around 15 (nothing to do with another company that makes c**p mobile phones) this may improve the rate further.

It is not out of the question that the ethernet link is at fault but unlikely, as ethernet runs at least 50 times faster than your broadband link so it should not be a factor.

Windows Virtual Memory Minimum Too Low

This appears a couple of times every day.

Clubman

How much RAM have you on your system?

Keep taskmanager running and note how much memory is being used especially immediately before the message appears.

Currently installed memory:2Gb



1GBDDR PC3200 1GBDDR PC3200

Plateman, I find it makes a lot of difference to the noise margin my router reports.

Suddenly the speed has shot up to 1.1meg. I wonder why?

TOK, 8m of ADSL wire is a lot. Can't you place the home hub closer to the master socket? Also, buying a filter/splitter to replace your master socket will help.

K "filter/splitter" - do you mean Iplate?

No I mean a faceplate to fit directly on your master socket and replace your current filter, such as this one:

http://www.adslnation.com/products/xte2005.php

Replacing your filter with a high quality one such as the one above will help, as will getting rid of the wire to the filter by installing it straight on the socket.

The iPlate is likely to help, possibly even more, but only if you have extension sockets elsewhere in the house. You can fit an iPlate behind an ADSL faceplate.

Of course both these solutions need a new-style BT socket with the test socket inside.