Broadband keeps slowing down to LESS than dialup s...

Question

Hi, Ive noticed a problem intermittently with my broadband (in addition to the disconnects Im still experiencing on the pc as detailed in another thread) where the speed of it will drop to 20-30BPS (note NOT kbps or Mbps but BYTES) which then forces me to reset the router.
I do NOT have a homehub as even though I was never issued with one at all (had the old voyager 205 which broke) and am using a belkin router.
This has happened twice today, both times in order to restore the speed to my internet and the various devices that run it, Ive had to pull the cable out the back of the router to reset it as during this period, I cannot even load the wholesale speed checker let alone the speedtest.net one on the pc. I manage to initiate a speedtest.net speed check on my tablet via the app but this never comes to fruition during this period because the speed is far to slow to even finish the test.
Ive tried leaving the router alone for over an hour when this happens, and it still makes no difference, the speed steadfastly refuses to rise unless the router is reset.
Is this likely a router issue (it is a fairly ageing 8 years old now) and am I better to just replace the thing.
Current router stats having just been forced to reset it again due to absolutely NOTHING loading, not even google after a 10 minute wait.
ADSL Status Information:
Status
Data Rate Information
Defect/Failure Indication
Statistics
Status:
Configured
Current
Line Status
SHOWTIME
Link Type
Fast Path
[Go Top]
Data Rate:
Stream Type
Actual Data Rate
Up Stream
1147 (Kbps.)
Down Stream
18231 (Kbps.)
[Go Top]
Operation Data / Defect Indication:
Operation Data
Operation Data
Upstream
Downstream
Noise Margin
3 dB
6 dB
Attenuation
0 dB
--- dB
Defect Indication
Indicator Name
Near End Indicator
Far End Indicator
Fast Path FEC Correction
0
0
Interleaved Path FEC Correc
0
0
Fast Path CRC Error
0
0
Interleaved Path CRC Error
0
0
Loss of Signal Defect
0
0
Fast Path HEC Error
0
0
Interleaved Path HEC Error
0
0
[Go Top]
Statistics:
Received Cells
21386
Transmitted Cells
23239
What is interesting to note, is even after 5-6 days uptime on the router, it no longer reports any errors at all and since the exchange was upgraded to the 21CN lines from the old capped adsl lines, and since then, its also stopped reporting my attenuation.

Answer 1

The contract with BT was renewed at the very late end of 2012 when they moved our line up to ADSLmax after a long fight to get my capped 2meg connection changed, and it was the sales team who told me then that I would have to pay for a homehub if I wanted one, and they quoted a price which was somewhere around £35 if I recall correctly.
If I was to go to say Currys/Argos tomorrow and get a new router (probably faster than trying to negotiate a home hub with BT) would something like this one be the right one to get for example (in terms of connection to phone line rather than a cable line) http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/networking/bt-wireless-routers/netgear-dgn2200-n3... (would also need a LOT of ethernet ports as those are my preferred connections for what I use my internet for which is Xbox360/online gaming). The only things that currently use the wireless facility in the house are the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 and a Samsung ace Smartphone and on odd occasions, a blackberry, everything else is connected via ethernet.
*edit* realised I had linked the Cable version of the router not the Phone line one.