topic Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day in Broadband

FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

ojstroud — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 18:40:28 GMT

Since switching to Plusnet in December we've had the connection dropped almost daily, at a variable time generally between 11:00 and 12:00. We're not doing anything to coincide with these events, and have not introduced any new electrical goods to the house in the time frame. Reconnection often takes approx 7 minutes and this is a bit of a pain for working-from-home.

Openreach engineer visited last week and couldn't detect anything wrong on the line. There is no audio problem with the phone line.

We've tried disconnecting everything hardwired to the router. I've had a replacement router from Plusnet, and have now tried a completely different purchased router; all to no avail.

We were previously with BT and didn't have any problems then, but could be coincidental with the changeover to Plusnet.

If I speak to Plusnet again, are there any further tests or analysis that I can ask for to try to find the cause of the outage?

Cheers,

Oliver

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

jab1 — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 18:43:28 GMT

@ojstroud Is this 11-12AM or PM? That longish reconnection time suggests an xDSL drop - which modem/router do you have connected, currently?

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

ojstroud — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 18:53:43 GMT

@jab1 Timings are AM.

Current router is a new TP-Link Deco AX3000 /X50-DSL, which admittedly has been in place for only 24 hours, but an outage today fits the pattern.

The previous two are Plusnet supplied Hub Two.

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

jab1 — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 19:02:09 GMT

OK, Oliver. I hate to ask this, but the Hub2's give easier to understand data - is it possible to reconnect the second Hub2 for a while -it obviously won't solve the issue - and, say around this time tomorrow post the output from the WAN tab of its error log? This should give a baseline to work from, and may reveal the answer to the problem.

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

ojstroud — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 19:11:39 GMT

@jab1

Hi John,

I could swap back, but I've already saved logs recently - is the attached any good?

Thanks,

Oliver

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

jab1 — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 19:23:05 GMT

Are those from the TP-Link or the hub2? Also, trying to read them from that 'text' input is a little difficult, although if I can remember how, I may be able to convert it to a more readable format.

At a very quick glance, I can't see anything to give me a clue.

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

ojstroud — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 19:26:47 GMT

That's from the Hub2. I use Excel then filter using keywords. The last outage on that log was at 11:49:29 (Line 307).

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

Dan_the_Van — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 19:32:42 GMT

@jab1

do a search for DSL link down

The same information would be found in the TP-Link log

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

jab1 — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 19:32:10 GMT

Fair enough - I remembered how to convert it to a more readable format, and you appear to be losing connection with the internet - DSL failure/disconnection when you say the connection drops - this shouldn't happen as regularly as this, if at all.

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

jab1 — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 19:33:39 GMT

Cheers @Dan_the_Van - I just opened it with Notepad+ -see my comments above.

Do you have any ideas?

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

Dan_the_Van — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 19:50:52 GMT

@jab1

This is the failure in the log for line 307, latest entry is at the top

11:49:30, 30 Jan. WAN connection WAN2_INTERNET_PTM disconnected.[ERROR_NO_CARRIER]
11:49:29, 30 Jan. PPP: Stopped PPP daemon(0,1,5)
11:49:29, 30 Jan. PPP LCP Send Termination Request (User request)
11:49:29, 30 Jan. PPP: IPCP down
11:49:29, 30 Jan. PPP: LCP down
11:49:29, 30 Jan. DSL Link Down: duration was 86292 seconds

There are dsl link down in the time period 11:09 and 12:00 across a few days; note one at 17:09. The failures are just once a day rather than continuous this could suggest local interference, something being turned off/on?

Dan

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

jab1 — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 19:55:44 GMT

@Dan_the_Van I have a feeling you could be on to something there, especially as they all seem (except the 17.09 one) to be within a narrow time-frame.

@ojstroud - anything in your home/local area you can think of?

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

ojstroud — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 20:08:14 GMT

The 17:09 is likely my doing. Similarly 13:45 on 26 Jan was when Openreach engineer visited and tested the line.

Yes, I also suspect electrical interference. We are semi-detached, and have spoken to the attached neighbour but she doesn't fit the pattern. Our line comes from poles between a couple of houses in an adjacent road... I might have to go and talk to them.

Is there anything further I can ask of Plusnet/Openreach at this stage e.g. some kind of line monitoring?

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

jab1 — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 20:13:06 GMT

I doubt either Plusnet or Openreach would do line monitoring for this , but I could be wrong - no harm in asking I suppose, though.

From past experience on here, it is usually down to the end-user to attempt to find the source of the interference.

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

Dan_the_Van — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 20:37:23 GMT

@jab1

I would say it is worth going through the standard advice for fault finding.

1) if possible connect the Hub to the test socket hidden behind the master socket 5C, you will may need an inline ADSL filter for this.

2) perform a quiet line test dialling 17070 selecting option 2 and check for any noise on the landing phone line

If there is report a phone fault here :-

https://www.plus.net/help/report-a-problem/phone/#phone

3) if there is no phone fault the report a broadband fault here:-

https://www.plus.net/help/report-a-problem/broadband/#broadband

Dan

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

jab1 — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 20:39:52 GMT

Good call, Dan. I agree. If it all comes back clear, time for the thinking caps?

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

ojstroud — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 11:53:46 GMT

We had a similar outage with the Deco router for 2 days running. As of this morning, I've now reverted to the Hub Two router as the Deco's logs were useless.

Engineer tested the line including master socket when he visited last week and couldn't find any fault.

I've used the quiet line test, the line sounds fine at all times, including during the 7 minute outage that we have just been through this morning (log below). The only interesting moment was that there was a crackle as the quiet-line test got dropped, but it seems that those calls get dropped after a period - I got similar results when I tried again after the broadband connection was re-established.

I've been thinking about the possibility of a passing vehicle, but didn't notice anything at the time the connection was dropped.

I'm yet to have any opportunity to speak to neighbours about any chance of identifying potential source of interference or to find out if anyone else suffer similarly. Might get round to it at the weekend.

11:28:19	02 Feb. DSL Link Up: Down Rate=30000kbps
11:28:17	02 Feb. PPP: Sending PADI
11:28:12	02 Feb. PPP: Starting PPP daemon
11:28:11	02 Feb. WAN Auto-sensing detected port DSL WAN
11:21:50	02 Feb. admin timeout from 192.168.1.87
11:21:23	02 Feb. SIP WAN DOWN
11:21:23	02 Feb. WAN Sensing Auto sensing Complete
11:21:22	02 Feb. WAN Sensing Auto sensing Running
11:21:22	02 Feb. WAN connection WAN2_INTERNET_PTM disconnected.[ERROR_NO_CARRIER]
11:21:21	02 Feb. PPP: Stopped PPP daemon(0
11:21:21	02 Feb. PPP LCP Send Termination Request (User request)
11:21:21	02 Feb. PPP: IPCP down
11:21:21	02 Feb. PPP: LCP down
11:21:21	02 Feb. DSL Link Down: duration was 9801 seconds

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

Dan_the_Van — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 12:25:28 GMT

Hi, during this outage what colour was the front light and was it flashing?

Did the Hub restore the connection without you doing anything?

Dan.

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

ojstroud — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 12:37:58 GMT

Didn't actually check it on this occasion as it is out of the way in the loft, but previously has been noted to be flashing orange.

It always reconnects without intervention, but often takes about 7 minutes.

Re: FTTC connection dropped at similar time each day

jab1 — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 12:38:11 GMT

I'm going to be out for a while, but that extract looks a little strange to me - there should be more data on that top line - like the upstream rate and SNR levels - and that 30000kbps figure makes me wonder if something is wrong somewhere?

Also, @ojstroud , was there anything in the entries prior to the bottom entry?