If I am lucky/really lucky, at certain times of the day, I get 7.8 MB/s on my ADSL 8 Mb/s Broadband...which is nice... ...!

But I still have to dial up my Service Provider every time I switch my computer on (with an external wired ADSL USB Modem) every morning, and at various times during the day when I re-start my computer.

Apparently, according to a Telephone Service Engineer, it is because I do not use a Router, (only a wired, USB ADSL Modem), and I do not leave my computer permanently switched on!...(Fire hazard at night, shopping, visiting, etc!).

He says that this "dial-up" procedure I use every day, actually slows down my Internet speed, because the Exchange gets confused, and thinks that there is a fault on the line each time I connect, and automatically slows  me down for a couple of days trying to trace the imaginary "fault"!
...so my "dial-up procedure" which I use each time, permanently slows me down!
As I am the only user of my computer, and all my ancillaries are "wired", a "Router" is an added complication, and causes Port problems during "Multiplayer" activities, so I just use a simple, wired, ADSL USB Modem for connection, which manually/automatically dials my Service Provider each time the Computer is switched on.
(For fire safety reasons I never leave any electrical appliances switched, on when I am not in the rooms!).

The Telephone Engineer's recommendation is to always leave a Router, (if you use one), switched on permanently!

...and there endeth the first lesson!.. ...!

Paul.... ...!