topic Re: No improvement after engineer visit. in Broadband

No improvement after engineer visit.

JayG — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:06:38 GMT

The last week has seen numerous disconnections of my connection, resulting in a D/S sync rate currently at 22.4Mbps (was 39.99Mbps), upstream 2.00Mbps (was 4.8Mbps), D/S SNRM 15dB, upside 10.2dB.

Examining the router logs showed that every day for nearly the last week, the disconnections cleared for between 9 and 12 hours after a daily morning incoming landline call from a friend, before resuming with a vengeance from about 5pm onwards.

I explained this to the engineer, who arrived shortly after yesterday's phone call and was therefore unable to detect any noise on the line. Whilst acknowledging that the broadband performance was severely impacted, he stated that he was unable to try to trace and rectify a fault he was unable to detect. Stalemate! 😥

Although he checked the DP connection, no other work was undertaken, so needless to say the disconnections returned later in the day (86 between 1602 and midnight, 122 between midnight and 0700, which is when I rang my own landline from my mobile which temporarily cleared the fault again.)

Fault Ticket 223861636 now has the reply:

“Following your recent engineer visit a period of monitoring is needed. We will be back in touch once we have had a chance to review your connection for any improvements in performance and stability.”

The ticket has been put on hold until 1100 Friday.

Would a Plusnet staffer please assist – the fault is only ‘intermittent’ thanks to the daily morning incoming phone calls - my broadband would otherwise be unusable all the time rather than most of the time.

I need an engineer who is prepared to, and actually capable of locating this fault (yesterday’s engineer said the probable bad joint could be anywhere between my property and the exchange, which suggests to me he wasn’t even aware mine is a FTTC connection!)

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

jab1 — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:18:52 GMT

@JayG I'm not PN staff - obviously - but sight of your WAN event logs might be useful. Which Hub are you using?

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

JayG — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:33:28 GMT

It's a BT HH6.

Can't post any useful logs at the moment as I replaced my original HH6 this morning having substituted my (new) spare HH6 for a few days (to no effect, needless to say.)

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

jab1 — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:35:07 GMT

OK - a pity, but hopefully one of the HT will pick this up. Obviously, that engineer was a bit of a waste of time.

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

JayG — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 07:03:47 GMT

Router WAN log for the past few hours - multiple disconnections starting around 1900 yesterday.

Data rate currently down to 20.0Mbps/1.30Mbps, SNR 14.6 up and down - think it's fair to say this fault has not been resolved!

07:11:43, 27 Apr.,ppp1:The NTP server used is: ntp.homehub.btopenworld.com
07:11:24, 27 Apr.,ptm0.101:VLAN VLAN_DATA connected
07:11:24, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_TV disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
07:11:24, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_DATA disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
07:11:24, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL link Up: Down Rate=47481Kbps, Up Rate=1296Kbps, SNR Margin Down=0.00dB, SNR Margin Up=6.00dB
07:10:54, 27 Apr.,:VLAN VLAN_DATA disconnected
07:10:50, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL Link Down: duration was 1937 seconds
06:38:53, 27 Apr.,ppp1:The NTP server used is: ntp.homehub.btopenworld.com
06:38:34, 27 Apr.,ptm0.101:VLAN VLAN_DATA connected
06:38:34, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_TV disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
06:38:34, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_DATA disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
06:38:33, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL link Up: Down Rate=47266Kbps, Up Rate=1296Kbps, SNR Margin Down=0.00dB, SNR Margin Up=6.00dB
06:38:04, 27 Apr.,:VLAN VLAN_DATA disconnected
06:38:00, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL Link Down: duration was 2782 seconds
05:52:00, 27 Apr.,ppp1:The NTP server used is: ntp.homehub.btopenworld.com
05:51:38, 27 Apr.,ptm0.101:VLAN VLAN_DATA connected
05:51:38, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_TV disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
05:51:38, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_DATA disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
05:51:38, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL link Up: Down Rate=46930Kbps, Up Rate=1296Kbps, SNR Margin Down=0.00dB, SNR Margin Up=6.00dB
05:51:19, 27 Apr.,:VLAN VLAN_DATA disconnected
05:51:15, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL Link Down: duration was 511 seconds
05:43:06, 27 Apr.,ppp1:The NTP server used is: ntp.homehub.btopenworld.com
05:42:45, 27 Apr.,ptm0.101:VLAN VLAN_DATA connected
05:42:44, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_TV disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
05:42:44, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_DATA disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
05:42:44, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL link Up: Down Rate=41151Kbps, Up Rate=1296Kbps, SNR Margin Down=0.00dB, SNR Margin Up=6.00dB
05:42:15, 27 Apr.,:VLAN VLAN_DATA disconnected
05:42:12, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL Link Down: duration was 2263 seconds
05:04:51, 27 Apr.,ppp1:The NTP server used is: ntp.homehub.btopenworld.com
05:04:29, 27 Apr.,ptm0.101:VLAN VLAN_DATA connected
05:04:29, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_TV disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
05:04:29, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_DATA disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
05:04:29, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL link Up: Down Rate=39856Kbps, Up Rate=1296Kbps, SNR Margin Down=0.00dB, SNR Margin Up=6.00dB
05:03:45, 27 Apr.,:VLAN VLAN_DATA disconnected
05:03:41, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL Link Down: duration was 41 seconds
05:03:16, 27 Apr.,ppp1:The NTP server used is: ntp.homehub.btopenworld.com
05:03:01, 27 Apr.,ptm0.101:VLAN VLAN_DATA connected
05:03:00, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_TV disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
05:03:00, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_DATA disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
05:03:00, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL link Up: Down Rate=41299Kbps, Up Rate=1296Kbps, SNR Margin Down=0.00dB, SNR Margin Up=6.00dB
05:02:31, 27 Apr.,:VLAN VLAN_DATA disconnected
05:02:27, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL Link Down: duration was 310 seconds
04:57:35, 27 Apr.,ppp1:The NTP server used is: ntp.homehub.btopenworld.com
04:57:18, 27 Apr.,ptm0.101:VLAN VLAN_DATA connected
04:57:17, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_TV disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
04:57:17, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_DATA disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
04:57:17, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL link Up: Down Rate=39745Kbps, Up Rate=1296Kbps, SNR Margin Down=0.00dB, SNR Margin Up=6.00dB
04:56:58, 27 Apr.,:VLAN VLAN_DATA disconnected
04:56:55, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL Link Down: duration was 225 seconds
04:54:31, 27 Apr.,ppp1:The NTP server used is: ntp.homehub.btopenworld.com
04:53:29, 27 Apr.,ppp1:The NTP server used is: ntp.homehub.btopenworld.com
04:53:10, 27 Apr.,ptm0.101:VLAN VLAN_DATA connected
04:53:10, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_TV disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
04:53:10, 27 Apr.,:connection ATM_DATA disconnected.[ERROR_USER_DISCONNECT]
04:53:10, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL link Up: Down Rate=29797Kbps, Up Rate=1296Kbps, SNR Margin Down=0.00dB, SNR Margin Up=6.00dB
04:52:50, 27 Apr.,:VLAN VLAN_DATA disconnected
04:52:46, 27 Apr.,dsl:VDSL Link Down: duration was 61 seconds

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

jab1 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 07:08:54 GMT

Not good - needs re-investigating! Also note the 0.00 D/S SNR margin - I've never seen that before!

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

Baldrick1 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:54:27 GMT

@JayG

Whilst you are getting these repeated disconnections have you tried a quiet line check (ring 17070 then option 2) to see if there’s any background noise?

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

JayG — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 12:30:42 GMT

Thanks @jab1 and @Baldrick1 for your interest.

I sometimes hear a slight crackle during my daily morning (incoming) landline call, usually at the start of the call. The call temporarily clears the fault as previously mentioned, so the line passes subsequent quiet line tests (especially when the engineer is present during the daytime! 😥)

I've not tried the quiet line test as such (as distinct from ringing my landline from my mobile) when the disconnections are actually happening - might try that this evening or early tomorrow morning, although I would have expected the level of interference to be much more obvious at all times given the level of disconnections being experienced.

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

adamwalker — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 16:03:30 GMT

Hi @JayG, I'm really sorry to see that the engineer visit didn't lead to much, I think the best course of action would be for us to raise an escalation and arrange another engineer visit passing on specific notes about what exactly is triggering the issue. I'll take care of that for you. Could you drop us a reply back on the fault ticket with your availability please? https://www.plus.net/wizard/?p=view_question&id=223861636

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

JayG — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 16:43:41 GMT

Will do, thanks Adam.

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

adamwalker — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 17:35:46 GMT

No worries JayG, I'll make sure we get you sorted.

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

JayG — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 07:14:53 GMT

Did quiet line test yesterday evening, once whilst still connected (blue light on router), once whilst 'down' (orange light.)

Line appeared quiet during both tests.

This morning, disconnected and unplugged DECT phone and answering machine 'just in case', leaving just a single corded phone connected.

Tried quiet line test - lots of crackling, broadband connection went down, reconnection rate now 18Mbps/800Kbps, both SNR's in the high teens...

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

Baldrick1 — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 09:35:44 GMT

@JayG

Have you tried taking the front off your BT master socket and plugging a filter in the test socket located in the back box?

This sounds like a line connection problem, doing this removes your faceplate and any internal wiring from being the cause.

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

JayG — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 12:11:04 GMT

Running from the test socket was the first thing I tried @Baldrick1 (2nd thing was substituting brand new HH6, PSU, and connecting cables.)

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

Townman — Mon, 02 May 2022 14:01:41 GMT

@JayG wrote:

...The call temporarily clears the fault as previously mentioned, so the line passes subsequent quiet line tests (especially when the engineer is present during the daytime! 😥)

That points rather firmly to bad joints which can be rectified by use of the phone line.

Given you comment about high SNRM you might also has susceptibility to REIN - something which can be difficult to track down and is best done by persistent monitoring of the router stats. Unfortunately the HH6 does not work with the de-facto tool for this - routerstats.

Try to see if you can correlate the drops not associated with the use of any electrical equipment, particularly anything using a power "brick", central heating or anything else which switches on and off through the day.

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

JayG — Tue, 03 May 2022 14:10:48 GMT

Plusnet updated my fault ticket with the information that they had detected a high resistance fault on my connection, and that it could be either inside or outside my house.

On Sunday morning I remembered that although I'd swapped out or disconnected all the items I could think of, I hadn't tried disconnecting the extension cable to a corded phone upstairs (connected via a splitter at the master socket phone outlet.)

Voila - within 24 hours the stats had started to improve significantly, with only a few disconnections (which were probably caused by positive DLM intervention.)

Phone call yesterday from a helpful chap from PN CS, with a follow up call just now. The line appears to be banded at 35.00Mpbs which he has agreed to try to remove.

Apparently it takes 3 days to do this, so I'll let you know if it was successful.

Meanwhile, thanks for your contributions - I'm off to work out how to troubleshoot what appears to be either a faulty extension lead or phone...

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

Gandalf — Tue, 03 May 2022 14:21:14 GMT

Cheers for the update,

No worries, though retesting your line now is showing that high resistance problem "Potential HR Joint or wet joint detected on GEA Service". Is your extension lead/phone still disconnected now? If so, there may still be a fault somewhere.

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

JayG — Tue, 03 May 2022 14:32:59 GMT

Well, that was a short-lived moment of triumph! 😞

Yes @Gandalf - phone extension still disconnected.

I'll let you arrange whatever you deem to be the appropriate next move - my availability remains the same as per ticket 223861636.

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

Gandalf — Tue, 03 May 2022 15:03:53 GMT

Aye I've booked the engineer for you now and I've updated the appointment details onto the ticket ref here > https://www.plus.net/wizard/?p=view_question&id=223861636
Let me know how it goes.

Re: No improvement after engineer visit.

Townman — Tue, 03 May 2022 15:12:19 GMT

@JayG wrote:

On Sunday morning I remembered that although I'd swapped out or disconnected all the items I could think of, I hadn't tried disconnecting the extension cable to a corded phone upstairs (connected via a splitter at the master socket phone outlet.)

Voila - within 24 hours the stats had started to improve significantly, with only a few disconnections (which were probably caused by positive DLM intervention.)

... I'm off to work out how to troubleshoot what appears to be either a faulty extension lead or phone...

Given the update from @Gandalf I would put that down to coincidence! Wet joints are notorious for coming and going - there is every possibility that there is nothing too much wrong with your extension wiring ... unless it is not twisted pair cable.