Airtel V-Fiber (VDSL) - Problems after upgrade [40 Mbps/Bangalore]

So this is gonna be a bit of a long post,but please bear with me! First off,i've been using Airtel BB since the past 7 or so years and the only reason i've kept it this long is it's the most stable net connection in my experience.So finally after all these years i decided to upgrade to v-fiber after being pestered constantly by Airtel.They offered a free upgrade,no charges. So yesterday evening i got the upgrade done.I was provided with a D-Link DSL 224 modem/router.


1. The first thing i noticed was the frequent net disconnections.It wasn't that bad yesterday,but since this morning has increased in frequency.In fact,in the time i started making this post i was disconnected 3-4 times.On my previous adsl connection i probably went this whole year with maybe 2 or 3 disconnections in total!!! So vdsl so far seems very unstable.

2. The second major concern is that my plan (Rs. 799/50 GB) promised speed of 40 Mbps but i have only managed a max of around 16-18 Mbps.

I called CC regarding the speed issue and he said he has updated settings, i should be getting 40 Mbps after modem restart and waiting for 10 minutes,but i am still getting 16-18 Mbps speed.The complaint is still open and am waiting to hear from them.

I don't know if the wiring in my apartment complex has been changed in a long while,but i do know that the wire coming to my apartment has been jointed in a couple of places due to damage.Maybe this has something to do with the issues?

My latest speed tests:
Speedtest.net by Ookla - My Results
Speedtest.net by Ookla - My Results

Line stats,attenuation, SNR etc:
https://i.imgur.com/RHKu9XB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Tm1PksM.jpg

1. You are getting that speed because your line is syncing for that speed.

Get yourself officially: 16 MBPS Plan on V-Fiber and check if you get any stability?

But moving to 8 MBPS might be more stable since you are saying you are having drops on such stats. (Your nearby Exchange is too far away from your home).

So my V-fiber saga continues.....😛🙄

The Airtel engineer for my area showed up today afternoon and worked on my problem for 2 hours.He showed all my line stats on his official software and everything was ok (marked green).Only problem (highlighted in red was SYNC).He mentioned 3 possible reasons/fixes:

1. Copper wire problem - he said he changed this and line is fine
2. Router/modem firmware update - he updated to latest firmware
3. CPE replacement (customer-premises equipment) - ???

After router firmware update etc,my Down stream and Ups tream values changed: https://i.imgur.com/AvL8llN.jpg

Up Stream 6569 kbps
Down Stream 44778 kbps
Attenuation Down Stream 22 dB
Attenuation Up Stream 21 dB
SNR Margin Down Stream 10.3 dB
SNR Margin Up Stream 9.7 dB

Although the connection has now been stable for 3 hours,latest speed test shows no change on both my laptop and phone (between 18-22 Mbps) - Speedtest.net by Ookla - My Results

Now here's the really weird bit 😵😕 :

I did a speed check via 4 other devices in my home: 2 laptops and 2 phones.My dad's laptop and phone are getting 35-40 Mbps speeds.My brothers laptop/phone are getting 30-35 Mbps speeds.(i checked the speeds on each device one by one)

What i don't understand and what the Airtel engineer was unable to answer is why only am i getting only between 18-20 Mbps?? He said it could be my wireless network adapter (Atheros AR5007EG) driver.I checked the driver but windows said it's the latest from 2010 (version 7.7.0.498).

While banging my head against the wall looking for some answer/fix for this,i read some comments online that certain routers or DHCP servers are incompatible with Windows Vista (yes i'm still on Vista!).I don't know if this has anything to do with my issue but Windows has a fix for this - link

So,any of you geeks out there have any insights into my problem? 🤓

Are you doing the speed test on your device over wifi or wired? If it is wifi, your wifi on the laptop maybe only wireless G and not N. Try with wired if you haven't already.

Edit: Guess I should read the longer posts more thoroughly LOL!. Atheros ar5007 is a 802 11 b/g wifi adapter. Wireless G is limited to max 54Mbps at very close range, the speed you report is about right. Try to do a test wired to the modem and see if you get higher speeds.

@Karan

So it's because my wireless network adapter is only capable of max 54 Mbps? is that the reason why i'm getting 20 Mbps? i should point out that the router/modem is around 15 feet from my laptop.I do have the oldest laptop in my home.Both the other laptops are much newer models.But the question then becomes why the slow speed on my phone too?? It's an old Samsung Grand Quattro 😛

I will do a wired test and report back.Thanks.🙂

Yes, that is indeed the issue. The phone as per the specs does support wireless N, but again being old, you never know how well it will perform.

Just check in the modem's wireless settings that you have channel width(or something along those lines) set to 40Mhz or 20/40Mhz. That will allow wireless N devices that support HT40 to connect to your router using two streams instead of one. Should increase the overall speed a bit, provided the devices connecting support it as well.

@liverpool79 Hi. Good to know that your problem was simply with an update. Since changing lines or equipment is of a too much hassle and time-consuming. Your engg. is of the area is a truly good (be good with him so that he do the job for you on priority in future).

Now coming to the speeds, I have iPhones, Macbooks, iPads, Laptops, PCs, Androids.

My iPhone gets the least speed since it's the oldest WiFi device I have in my hands right now (It's iPhone 5S).

Where as my other devices which are pretty newer have the best connectivity and speed.

The very first and basic way of casing out the cases is to really check the stats with LAN first. (Connecting a PC with Ethernet and keeping the WiFi off). This would tell you the real strength of your network.

Once your Ethernet Case is clean, It means it has to do with your sender and receiving device only.

In most of the cases, Router isn't the reason for WiFi (unless engg. or you messed the WiFi settings).

As you said your device is too old, It clears out the case.

Call your friend over your home for a chit-chat and ask him to bring his latest Mobile and Laptop. You can test the stuff on him. 🙂

You can also ask the engg. to use his phone if he has a newer generation phone.

One thing, You should really upgrade your phone as it's my caution advice using really old phones are too much hazardous and risky too (battery burns).

One basic thing which I might want to mention but maybe you already know: Distance between your device and the router plays the role too. Make sure you are testing such stuff with the less congested channel and standing infront of the router itself.

Do me a favor, keep your log open and let me know how many disconnections you have in 72-120 hours (that's like 3-6 days of time) If you get disconnections it means something is still wrong.

So record your logs and DSL Connection Connected Time, Router Turn On Time for your records.

This would help me too in something I am diagnosing myself.

@Karan I have 16 MBPS VDSL Connection. What should be the Sync for 16 MBPS?

Secondly, If someone has the similar sync and little better SNR, He can opt for 40 MBPS without facing any disconnections?

Let me know.

If you are looking for 2MB/s speed on your computer then you would need about 18Mbps sync rate to account for the additional overhead for it to be possible.

The SNR isn't the real contender, it is the attenuation that matters, even then you would need quite a lot better SNR than a 16Mbps plan to get a stable 40Mbps connection over VDSL2.

Take a look at the graph below, should give you a fair idea of what speed each form of xDSL can achieve at distance.

@Karan Actually my plan is 16 MBPS, But they are syncing me 45000. Is that correct?

Because, don't you think they should sync me lower?

Secondly, If I have the similar stats as the above mentioned screenshot, can I upgrade to 40 MBPS?

Well, like they say, the more the merrier. Syncing lower would be advised if your connection is unstable, airtel anyways caps the speed on your PPPoE user ID on their end. So, the sync rate doesn't do much, unless, the server fails to apply the cap, or the actual sync rate itself is lower than the speed provisioned, in that case you would be hard limited by your sync rate.

Yes, if you have 45Mb sync rate then you should be able to get 40Mbps. But, in the end it all depends on airtel, if their line feasibility doesn't show your line is good for 40Mbps, they simply won't do it.

@Karan I have sent you the message. Could you check my stats there and let me know.

Oh, just saw that. The numbers are pretty good in themselves, but, I see a lot of downstream FECs. How long had the modem been up for when you took that screenshot?

@Karan It's 7 days or so... But I have not used the internet of this modem. (I have multiple connections). I have not used more than 50 MB of this internet in my current cycle.

What's the issue you think I have here?

Yes,you guys are correct.Checked speed via Ethernet and it's 40 Mbps on newer laptop,same speed on iPhone 6 too.I guees my ancient laptop and phone are the problem.🙄 By the way, i also just remembered that the Airtel engineer also achieved 40 Mbps on his phone.😛

Anyway,seems i have another issue.So the 500 GB bonus has yet to show up on my smartbytes page.Just spoke to CC and person said i have activated it.but it's not showing up?