Maximise Your Internet Speed

If your line is not purely fibre it's best to keep your router / modem connected to the Internet and synced for as long as possible, this is because if you repeatedly disconnect and reconnect it, it will make the DLM (dynamic line management) in the exchange think that your line is unstable, it will then cap your line lowering the speeds lower and lower and it will take a minimum of 14 days to start returning your speed once your line is stable, in the green zone (more about the green zone further down the page) and kept connected synced. I would like to add that you can speed up the process of returning your speed instead of waiting 14 days, as I said it will take a minimum of 14 days, but it can be quicker as it depends on what the DLM in the exchange decides to do and how fast it decides to do it, as sometimes it can even get stuck and it will not remove the cap on your line. So if your line is still capped, if your line is already stable, in the green zone (more about the green zone further down the page) and kept connected synced. And if you have had a fault fixed, then make sure to get the Openreach engineer to perform a DLM line reset at the end of the job, as this will clear the cap on your line much faster and if the DLM does not remove the cap on your line, a DLM line reset may be needed even if you have no fault to fix. This applies to the UK, but this could also apply to other countries as well. I would like to add here is information from kitz about the "Dynamic Line Management (DLM) System". Also, I would like to add that this website taught me some of the DLM information above.

Replace your router / modem if you have an ISP provided one and if it is disconnecting and reconnecting your Internet sync often, a third party router / modem is best because they also let you access advanced line diagnostics and they let you change advanced settings. Also, it is best to choose an integrated router and modem, as it stops the need for an extra cable that could lose you speed because of radio frequency interference noise, which causes errors and because of more attenuation / insertion loss (signal loss) due to an extra cable. I would like to add that if your line is purely fibre you will probably be given a separate modem to use instead and then you will have to connect an Ethernet cable from it to your router. Additionally, different router / modems can have different CPU's in them, so if your line is not purely fibre it is best to match your router / modem's CPU to the CPU in your local Internet cabinet for the best compatibility, if they are matched and are Broadcom CPUs you get the fastest modem speeds can be whilst still being the most stable and the most reliable. Finally, even if your local Internet cabinet doesn't contain a Broadcom CPU, if your line is not purely fibre and if you have a router / modem which contains a Broadcom CPU, the Broadcom CPU will still provide the fastest modem speeds can be whilst still being the most stable and the most reliable. I would like to add that it's not CPU and CPUs, it's chipset and chipsets, sorry for making this mistake.

Buy a multi-band radio or if you already have one use it to scan all the frequencies on shortwave and medium wave to check if you have any devices that emit radio frequency interference noise that could interfere with your Internet signals it will be heard as a noise on the multi-band radio, if you do detect anything then eliminate the source of it to decrease errors that are caused by it. Here is a Wikipedia page about what is a Shortwave radio and what is Medium Wave.

If your line is not purely fibre and If you do have to disconnect your line it's best to use the session disconnect button in the GUI (graphical user interface), as this will also let the DLM in the exchange know you have terminated the connection on purpose and it will then take no action on your line because of this. Also, if your line gets disconnected by accident either way always keep it disconnected preferably for at least 30 minutes, this is because the DLM in the exchange monitors your line in batches of 15 minutes, so if you let it stay disconnected for more than 30 minutes it discards all the batches instead of taking action on your line, as it understands that you have terminated the connection on purpose and it takes no action on your line because of this. I would like to add that I know this can sometimes be a hard thing to do, as even I cannot leave our Internet disconnected for this long anymore. This applies to the UK, but this could also apply to other countries as well.

If your line is not purely fibre and If you have powerline adapters HomePlugs make sure they are set to low interference mode, this is because powerline adapters HomePlugs run on the same radio frequencies as Internet signals, so they will interfere and cause errors in your line if they are not in low interference mode. I would like to add that by internet signals, I meant VDSL for Gigabit HomePlug AV2 versions at least, they will not cause interference on purely fibre lines themselves due to purely fibre lines not using electrical signals, but they might cause interference still due to interference caused in the Ethernet cables inside of your home and I would still recommend to enable low interference mode for this reason even when used with purely fibre lines. Here is information from CableWholesale about "How Megahertz Relates to Ethernet Speeds & Cables".

And I would like to add that even in low interference mode they still might interfere causing errors and low interference mode usually lowers their speeds even further than they already are. One of the reasons their speeds can be low is when low quality house electrical wiring is present, another is that your house's electrical wiring can have interference caused by powered devices and another reason is that every powerline adapter HomePlug shares the total bandwidth with each other like WiFi shares the airwaves frequencies with any other devices broadcasting on the same WiFi channel frequencies.

If you still want powerline adapters HomePlugs, to get the best speeds from them get Gigabit HomePlug AV2 versions, which offer the fastest most stable speeds of any powerline adapters HomePlugs, but your results will depend on your house's wiring quality. I would like to add that when I said your house's wiring quality, I meant your house's electrical wiring quality and at the moment Gigabit HomePlug AV2 versions are the fastest, but this probably will change in the future. WiFi mesh devices may promise high connection speeds, but depending on how far each node is from each other say through walls and floors will determine the actual speed they deliver. To get the best speeds from WiFi mesh devices always buy tri-band versions, as these versions usually will have a dedicated 5GHz radio for connecting each node to each other, so it will not slow down the other radios that are providing a connection to your devices and I would like to add that when I said the other radios, I meant the other WiFi radios.

So I would recommend WiFi mesh devices over powerline adapters HomePlugs, as with powerline adapters HomePlugs every electrical wire in your house's walls becomes an antenna broadcasting interference signals which appear to also be emitted from your house's power sockets and WiFi mesh devices are in my experience faster with more consistent speeds especially with WiFi 6 AX versions. Here is a Wikipedia page about what are powerline adapter HomePlugs and here is a Wikipedia page about what are wireless mesh networks.

Buy or make your own twisted pair Internet cable, as these cables reject radio frequency interference noise, but don't get shielded, as these will act as an antenna picking up and emitting interference if you do not ground them. This is what to look for in a pre-made cable or what to look for when you make your own. You can make your own by buying a CAT 5e or CAT 6 twisted pair Gigabit Ethernet cable, CAT 6 reduces crosstalk radio frequency interference noise more by separating the twisted pairs and CAT 6 twists the twisted pairs tighter. Make sure the cable is 100% pure copper, which has better conductivity, as it can be CCA (copper-clad aluminium), but don't get this because it's just copper coated aluminium and it will increase attenuation / insertion loss (signal loss). I would like to add that I have seen online along the lines of that no copper is ever 100% pure, but in the cable's marketing some cables state this, so really just make sure the cable uses as close to pure copper as you can get and if possible make sure it uses OFC (oxygen free copper). As I have seen online along the lines of that cable's can use other things besides "CCA (copper-clad aluminium)", so look out for these lower quality cables and avoid them for the reasons I have already stated.

Also, if you are not making an RJ45 to RJ45 cable for a purely fibre line then the cable can only be stranded, a stranded cable is more flexible, but it will increase attenuation / insertion loss (signal loss), so get a thicker cable and make it shorter to compensate. This is because a solid cable is less flexible and it can not be crimped into RJ11 or RJ12 connector plugs reliably, as it only has two prongs to bite down into the internal wire which is OK for stranded, but for solid it will be an unreliable connection, it would need three prongs with the middle being thicker to peirce the sides of the internal wire instead holding it in place and with solid you shouldn't bend the cable or the internal cables too much or they can break which will reduce the speed. But if you could have used solid it would have had even lower attenuation / insertion loss (signal loss). Make sure the cable is either 23 or 24 AWG, as these are thicker to lower attenuation / insertion loss (signal loss). I would like to add that the lower the number with AWG the thicker it is, so if you can find lower than 23 AWG even better, but be careful as if it's too thick the cables may not fit and / or the cables sheath may not fit into the RJ11 or RJ12 connector plugs.

I would like to add that when I said "it would need three prongs with the middle being thicker to peirce the sides of the internal wire instead holding it in place" I got it wrong when I said the bit about the middle prong needing to be thicker, as I have looked online and they seem to most commonly have the same thickness / width with their middle prongs. I think the reason why I thought they had thicker / wider middle prongs was because I thought that it held the solid cable in place, while the other 2 prongs pierced the sides of the solid cable, but now I think that all 3 prongs pierce the sides of the solid cable and all 3 prongs hold the solid cable into place.

I thought I saw recently 3 prongs with the middle prong being thicker / wider, I might have been mistaken at the time, but I have found out that these connectors are real and they are only to be used with stranded cables, as they pierce into the stranded cables and they will not make a reliable connection if they are used with solid cables. So get the 3 thin prongs with the middle prong at a different angle to the other two prongs, as this will cause the cable to be surrounded by the prongs, with the 3 prongs biting into the sides of the solid cable while also gripping it into place instead. And I have learned there is also a 2 prong version that will do this, but you may as well get the 3 prong version, as it will probably be more reliable. I learned most of this by watching this YouTube video "How to tell the difference between CAT5 / CAT6 solid / stranded core RJ45 plugs". And I would like to add that I have paraphrased some of the Ethernet prongs wording using information from these YouTube videos, both are the same video from the same YouTube account, but in different resolution quality, etc. "The Difference Between RJ45 Solid and Stranded Mod Plugs – YouTube" and "The Difference Between RJ45 Solid and Stranded Mod Plugs – YouTube". Also, maybe using information from this YouTube video "Industry Tip Solid vs Stranded Modular Plugs", maybe from this website "Stranded vs Solid Wire Cable - Which to Choose?" and possibly from other sources, as I have learned a lot through the years.

Additionally, by buying the correct size RJ45 plugs for either CAT 5e or CAT 6 and if you are not making an RJ45 to RJ45 cable for a purely fibre line, by buying RJ11 plugs for CAT 5e or RJ12 plugs for CAT 6 as well. Make sure the connector pins in the plugs are gold plated, 50 microns thick gold plating if possible, this prevents corrosion. Here is information about how gold plating helps and about conductivity copper vs gold. Then by buying a cable crimper that has RJ45, RJ11 and RJ12 slots for the plugs, the cable crimper will crimp your cable once you have wired it up in the connector plugs to the correct connector pins that your Internet uses. Remember to make the cable as short as possible without causing too sharp of a bend, this is to make the attenuation / insertion loss (signal loss) as low as possible, remember to push the cable into the connector plug as far as it can go, so the sheath is fully in and the internal wires are fully in, remember to use the twisted pairs with the tightest twist rate (number of twists) and remember to only untwist the twisted pairs to a maximum length of 1/2 an inch or 1.27cm, when you are wiring them up, this is so the minimum amount of radio frequency interference noise is let in. Finally, if you are not making an RJ45 to RJ45 cable for a purely fibre line, here are two videos on YouTube showing you how to make the Internet cable using either a CAT 5e twisted pair Gigabit Ethernet cable or a CAT 6 twisted pair Gigabit Ethernet cable.

I may have also paraphrased some of the how to "make your own twisted pair Internet cable" using information from websites and from other sources, as I have learned a lot through the years. I cannot remember which source I got the information from, as multiple sources say along the lines of the same wording and I cannot remember where I got it from, but this information is common knowledge anyway.

Get Openreach to fit the new NTE5C master socket and the new Openreach MK4 filtered face plate, as these offer the best connection with the best line filtering. This applies to the UK, but other countries will have their own new master sockets and new filtered face plates.

Get Openreach to check your line to make sure there are no faults or radio frequency REIN interference (Repetitive Electrical Impulse Noise), but you can check for it yourself like I told you to do with your multi-band Radio. This applies to the UK, but other countries will have their own engineers to check your line.

If your line is not purely fibre make sure that your overhead wire from your telephone pole is not an older grey coloured one, as these are not twisted pair wires and because of this they will let radio frequency interference noise into your line. This applies to the UK, but other countries if you have overhead wires from telephone poles make sure they are using twisted pair wires to reject it from going into your line.

If your line is not purely fibre check your line for noise using Openreach's free line test facilities by dialling 17070 and choosing option 2, to run a quiet line test, then listen for any noises on your line, a hiss / static sound can be normal if it's consistent. This applies to the UK, but other countries might have their own line test facilities phone number.

Make sure that your Internet cables and your Ethernet cables are not touching any other cables or are near any power outlets, this is to prevent radio frequency interference noise from entering the cables and this makes sure that no errors in your line are caused by it. I would like to add that I know it can be hard to do this due to various reasons, so if you have to bunch Ethernet cables up together and seperately if you have to bunch power cables up together, this is fine, but at least try to make sure if you use unshielded Ethernet cables and if you use Internet cables that they are not touching power cables and / or are not near power outlets. As even I struggle to make sure that all our Ethernet cables are not touching our power cables and / or are not near our power outlets, but I will try to check and correct this if necessary. Also, where possible use high grade multiple shielded Ethernet cables, CAT 7 or CAT 8, but only if you have Ethernet ports that are grounded or only if you have grounded the Ethernet cables another way, this is because if a shielded Ethernet cable is not properly grounded it will act like an antenna picking up and emitting interference. Here is a page that helped me and it has extra information on the subject of "Shielded cable" - "Grounding at both ends". Make sure that they are thick 23 or 24 AWG grade, as these are thicker to lower attenuation / insertion loss (signal loss), as I would like to add the lower the number with AWG the thicker it is, so if you can find lower than 23 AWG even better.

I would like to add that I know this can be a hassle to get a cable at this thickness with all of these other requirements, as the CAT 7 Ethernet cables that I use meets these other requirements, but they are 26 AWG. The new CAT 8 Ethernet cable that I have bought and that I am now using meets all of these requirements by being 24 AWG too. And I would like to add that I know sometimes it's not possible to use thick Ethernet cables, as sometimes I need to put them through tight spaces, sometimes I temporarily use lower quality Ethernet cables while trying to find higher quality ones or while waiting for higher quality ones to arrive and sometimes I am lazy and I use lower quality Ethernet cables. This can be until I either remember that I wanted to use a higher quality one or until I either find a higher quality one in the end or until I buy a higher quality one or by that time I need a longer or a shorter one, so I either find a longer or a shorter higher quality one or I buy a longer or a shorter higher quality one, etc.

Also, I would like to add that I know it can be hard to make sure all the Ethernet ports are or will be grounded at both ends, or to make sure all the Ethernet cables are or will be grounded at both ends another way. As even I have not made sure that all our Ethernet cables are grounded and I will try to check and correct this if necessary. But if it's not possible to ground them at both ends, then grounding them at one end is better than not grounding them at all. And I wanted to give you the best advice about how it's meant to be done, so you can do it the right way and so I know that I have given the correct advice, etc.

Additionally, make sure they are 100% pure copper, which has better conductivity, as it can be CCA (copper-clad aluminium), but don't get this because it's just copper coated aluminium and it will increase attenuation / insertion loss (signal loss). I would like to add that I have seen online along the lines of that no copper is ever 100% pure, but in the cable's marketing some cables state this, so really just make sure the cable uses as close to pure copper as you can get and if possible make sure it uses OFC (oxygen free copper). As I have seen online along the lines of that cable's can use other things besides "CCA (copper-clad aluminium)", so look out for these lower quality cables and avoid them for the reasons I have already stated. Finally, make sure that they have gold plated connector pins, etc. 50 microns thick gold plating if possible, this prevents corrosion. Here is information about how gold plating helps and about conductivity copper vs gold. These Ethernet cables are also futureproofed, as they can support speeds well over 1 Gbps, full duplex and symmetrical. Symmetrical means that say for Gigabit Ethernet it's 1 Gbps for the download and 1 Gbps for the upload and full duplex means that for Ethernet it can download and upload at the same time.

Make sure if you are not using a cable that you unplug it, because if you keep a cable plugged in that's only connected at one end, it will act as an antenna picking up radio frequency interference noise and emitting it. This can cause errors in your line. I would like to add that this would occur if a cable was shielded, but then not grounded at both ends because one end was not connected, etc. But also this would occur if a cable was shielded and not grounded at both ends while both ends are connected, etc. I know sometimes it can be tiresome to keep having to disconnect cables at both ends, as sometimes I either forget or I can't be bothered yet to disconnect them at the other end or because I may be reconnecting them soon anyway. Here is a page that helped me and it has extra information on the subject of "Shielded cable" - "Grounding at both ends".

Buy ferrite beads / ferrite chokes or if you already have them clip them to your power cables, as they reduce radio frequency interference noise coming from and going into your power cables. This radio frequency interference noise can cause errors in your line, always put one near the end of the power cable near the source of it and if both ends of the power cable are near the sources of it then put one near each end of the power cable. Here is a Wikipedia page about what are ferrite beads / ferrite chokes.

Fit surge and spike protectors to your devices in your property, as this will limit radio frequency interference noise coming from your devices entering your house wiring or from going into your devices, this will help powerline adapters run at full speed through your house wiring and it will also protect your devices from damaging surges and spikes.

If you want to make sure that your router / modem will not get turned off even with a power cut, then you will need to buy a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), the UPS will instantaneously or near instantaneously take over powering your devices in the event of a power cut, so your devices will not turn off and you will not lose sync of your Internet connection. They also provide surge and spike protection, radio frequency interference noise filtering to limit it coming from your devices entering your house wiring or from going into your devices, voltage trimming and adding to keep voltage stable and some are even able to provide the purest power a battery can provide called pure sine wave. Here is a Wikipedia page about what is a UPS (uninterruptible power supply).

If your router / modem allows Telnet or SSH access, enable it and monitor your line using DSLstats via Telnet or directly via Telnet or SSH by running for an example "xdslctl --stats". Your router / modem might need a slightly different command to show the results, but when you see the results by running the right command it will show you all your line statistics which will allow you to understand your line fully, as for an example how many errors you are getting, what your lines SNR values are and what your lines attenuation / insertion loss (signal loss) values are.

If your line is not fully fibre once you know how many errors your line is getting that will allow you to keep your line in the green zone of the DLM in the exchange, which will allow it to increase your lines speed by lowering SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), as the lower it is the faster your speed is, but it will only do this if your line is stable enough to not produce more errors because of this. The DLM in the exchange if your line is stable enough will remove interleaving error correction, which will increase your speed and will also enable G.INP error correction, which will give you back the speed that was lost when interleaving error correction was enabled, it will do this by reducing errors and increasing your speed. But any error correction will usually incur a speed penalty as a reult of the errors being corrected, this is partly due to added overheads, meaning more data has to be sent of the same information to have redunancies in case one copy of the information doesn't get received due to errors. This applies to the UK, but this could also apply to other countries as well.

ES errors and some other values like SNR are the only ones the DLM in the exchange cares about, not CRC errors and not FEC errors, as FEC errors are just errors that have already been corrected, so find your ES errors value then find your sync uptime, change your sync uptime into seconds by entering into a calculator, first add the days, then times that by 24, then add the hours, then times that by 60, then add the minutes, then times that by 60 and now you have the seconds of how long your line has been synced. The goal is to keep the total uptime error seconds value (which is your total uptime in seconds once divided by your ES errors value) above 300 for fibre/copper lines and above 250 for only copper lines. If it is then your line is in the green zone and your speed will be set to the maximum your line can support, as long as you keep it connected synced. This applies to the UK, but this could also apply to other countries as well. Here is information from kitz about the "Dynamic Line Management (DLM) System". I would like to add that this website taught me some of the DLM information above.

Here you can learn how to get the highest speed your Internet can support, with more knowledge to come.