Wanted: Broadband speed monitoring / logging program

[ProDave]

We are having an ongoing broadband problem which BT seem to be having a problem fixing.

 

Basically out BB works fine one minute then next time you try a page that should take about 5 seconds to load, takes 2 minutes or does not load at all.

 

Is there any program or web app that I can set up do do a speed test say every 5 minutes and log the result?  or even a basic ping or some form of packet loss test?  Anything to leave running in the background to try and get a pattern of the broadband problem we are having.

 

Want something for a pc not a phone. (Linux but will probably run under WINE if a pc program)

[SteamyTea]

Something like this?

 

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality

 

 

I was constantly loosing connection, so I made a script that pinged 8.8.8.8 every minute.  Then if it connected I got it to log a "1", if not a "0".

Ran it on an RPi for a few weeks, then dumped my Broadband and went to my mobile's 4G.

[Temp]

Perhaps try..

https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/download/internet-tools/jds-auto-speed-tester-179-3328664/

 

Just leave the program running in the background and it will regularly check all your key connection parameters: upload and download speeds, ping times, packet loss, jitter and more. This data is displayed in a chart, and also logged to a CSV file for easy analysis later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ProDave]

14 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

Something like this?

 

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality

 

 

I was constantly loosing connection, so I made a script that pinged 8.8.8.8 every minute.  Then if it connected I got it to log a "1", if not a "0".

Ran it on an RPi for a few weeks, then dumped my Broadband and went to my mobile's 4G.

Can;t get that to work.  I have logged into their forum. If I try and set up a monitor it asks me to log in and giving it the same user and password that works for their forum tells me it's invalid.

 

[Temp]

You should also check your voice call quality.  I was once told that BT are better at responding to complaints about noisy lines than broadband issues. Once they fix any line problems causing noisy audio that tends to make broadband more reliable as well. 

 

There is a number you can dial to do a quiet line test.

https://support.zen.co.uk/kb/Knowledgebase/Performing-a-Quiet-Line-Test

 

Obviously if its an issue with the broadband kit itself this won't help.

 

 

 

 

[ToughButterCup]

I lost patience with our providers in a similar case. Kicked the problem upstairs. 

 

They sent a new lad out . He discovered the signal was going past our place,  two or three telegraph posts further on, and then coming back to our pole.

Bingo. 

 

What I'm trying to say is the problem might be between your house and the last mile of wire....

[SteamyTea]

17 minutes ago, ProDave said:

Can;t get that to work.  I have logged into their forum. If I try and set up a monitor it asks me to log in and giving it the same user and password that works for their forum tells me it's invalid.

Never used it, was just the first result I got on DuckDuckGo.

 

 

[ProDave]

30 minutes ago, Temp said:

Perhaps try..

https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/download/internet-tools/jds-auto-speed-tester-179-3328664/

 

 

Tried that one as well.  Seems an old bit of software full of bugs.  I can manually test ping, upload and download, but let it run an auto test and the first thing is says is "trying to connect to WAN" followed by cannot locate WAN.

 

Next?

[ProDave]

There is no voice line fault, no crackles etc.  The lights on the router suggest it is connected. even when not working.  I am convinced it is at the exchange or further down line.  The two BT operatives I have spoken to both did no doubt the same set of tests and both concluded "something is not right" but could not quantify what was not right.

 

First one said he would phone next day to give me an appointment time, never did.  Yesterdays call resulted in "I think it might be your router" so I am waiting for the replacement to arrive.

 

 

[Temp]

M

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

Tried that one as well.  Seems an old bit of software full of bugs.  I can manually test ping, upload and download, but let it run an auto test and the first thing is says is "trying to connect to WAN" followed by cannot locate WAN.

 

Next?

 

 I haven't had to use it in anger for a few years but  if I start program with default settings and then just set the cycle time (box top right) to 10 mins it runs a test every 10 mins. Test currently fails because I haven't configured an upload server. Ping and download works ok.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by Temp

[Vijay]

Is it on all devices? Just make sure it's not your hardware

[ProDave]

2 hours ago, Temp said:

M

 

 I haven't had to use it in anger for a few years but  if I start program with default settings and then just set the cycle time (box top right) to 10 mins it runs a test every 10 mins. Test currently fails because I haven't configured an upload server. Ping and download works ok.

 

 

 

I have tried a bit more but still can't get it to work.  If I individually check upload it works.  If I just hit the "test" icon (which is what I presume it does every 10 minutes) then that is when it does the connecting to WAN, failed to connect to WAN thing.  I don't have time or patience to learn the foibles of a bit of old software that does not work as installed.

[ProDave]

1 hour ago, Vijay said:

Is it on all devices? Just make sure it's not your hardware

Yes all devices.  Both times the BT person I spoke to made me go and boot up the only wired PC in the house and confirm the problem is still there on a wired device so it is not a wifi issue.

 

It is a BT router plugged into the master socket.  They are sending a new router so that has to be worth a try but I am not holding out much hope.

 

This is sounding awfully like a few years ago at the old house where we had a similar issue except it was a permanent fault (which should have made it easier to find) and we were with Talk Talk at the time.  I ended up with half a dozen talk talk routers because that was there stock answer to a fault and they would not believe that the last 2 routers they send did not fix the fault so they sent another, and another.........

 

As an aside, at the start of this, they sent me a 4G mini hub, but I have not been able to get that to work at all.

 

BT customer service is rapidly going down in my opinion at the moment........

[Vijay]

An email to the CEO works wonders if you hit a brick wall  

[ProDave]

11 minutes ago, Vijay said:

An email to the CEO works wonders if you hit a brick wall  

I am composing it in my head already.  That's the only way I got the issue sorted with Talk Talk last time.

[Vijay]

been there too with TalkTalk - never again!!!

[Temp]

5 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

Something like this?

 

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality

4 hours ago, ProDave said:

Can;t get that to work.  I have logged into their forum. If I try and set up a monitor it asks me to log in and giving it the same user and password that works for their forum tells me it's invalid.

 

 

Ok I've tried that and it does seems to work. However it looks like you need to set up separate up accounts for their monitor system and the forum as they aren't linked. 

 

I used the "Sign up now" button top right of this page to create a monitor account..

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality

 

The user name and password I entered there lets me create a monitor and access data but doesn't let me log into the forum as I don't have an account on the forum.

 

I dare say you can use the same user and password for both, but you have to create both yourself.

[ProDave]

Thanks Temp.

 

I have now registered using that link and it works.  I now have the bizarre situation of two log on accounts at thinkbroadband both with the same use name, email and password, but they do different things!!!!

 

I have set the monitor running and when it has been going for a bit I will post some results here.

 

[ProDave]

I am afraid that one has failed as well.

 

It was giving 100% packet loss for every test.  It suggested it might be a router firewall issue. I looked at their router setup guide only to find BT Home Hub is not supported.

 

[Temp]

I guess there are advantages to using your own modem. I've never used the one Plusnet gave me. 

[ProDave]

7 hours ago, Temp said:

I guess there are advantages to using your own modem. I've never used the one Plusnet gave me. 

Using your own is fine, until something does not work.

 

Take my case of intermittent stopping and starting connection. the first thing they would say  is it must be your modem.  At least using the BT thing that is one less excuse for not fixing the problem.

[SteamyTea]

26 minutes ago, ProDave said:

intermittent stopping and starting connection

That was my problem.  Not much wrong with the speed, that is limited by the local exchange to 5 mb anyway.

It was the constant disconnecting and reconnecting that was the problem.

Just found the old script and it was a bash one, not python.

 

#!/bin/bash

while true
do
    wget -q --tries=10 --timeout=20 -O - http://google.com > /dev/null
    if [[ $? -eq 0 ]]; then
        echo $(date) "1" | tee -a connection.csv
    else
        echo $(date) "0" | tee -a connection.csv
    fi
    sleep 60
done

[ProDave]

@SteamyTea  I've got that script running now.  I will see if it picks up any outages.

Also got the pi music box streaming radio Caroline so I will know when it next drops out as it will all go quiet.

[SteamyTea]

Good, will be interesting to see how it works on your system.

The only problem is that it does not actually say where the problem is.

I am sure a clever person could modify it to find out.  Maybe ping the router and google, that may pick up a router or PC connection problem.

[ProDave]

I am in the middle of one of our "outages" right now.

 

Music box is playing a few seconds of musing then a long pause, then a few seconds of music.  Forum pages that normally load in 5 seconds are taking typically 2 minutes.

 

But Sorry to say @SteamyTea your script is still returning "1" for every test so not logging the fault.