topic Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025 in Broadband

Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Madeleyite — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 16:14:44 GMT

My Hub Two has rebooted 6 times in 7 hours today. There have been no power cuts.

PSU is firmly plugged into power socket. Cables both sides of the PSU are firm ly plugged in as well.

The power supply jack is firmly plugged into the Hub.

The FTTC telephone cable runs directly from the Openreach 5C Master socket with Mk 4 faceplate.

Is there anyone who can test my broadband line and or hub remotely?

See log of today's event up to 15:37 hours today: -

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Townman — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 16:53:08 GMT

How is your circuit fed to your property?

Overhead?

Do you think that this was most probably due to the high winds?

Does this happen all of the time?

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

outcast — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 19:36:03 GMT

@Madeleyite

Have you tried Plusnet's Report your problem by text message by texting HELP to 07800008121

Be aware that this doesn't appear to work for everybody, but if it does for you then it'll be a quick way to test your line.

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Post released from Spam Filter.

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Dan_the_Van — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 19:35:19 GMT

@Madeleyite

Looking at previous posts of yours I note you have a Master Socket 5c with a MK4 faceplate, sometimes as I have found the faceplate becomes poorly seated, a reseat of the faceplate might be required.

and what @Townman said.

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Madeleyite — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 17:16:46 GMT

Thanks for the swift reply.

The line to the property is underground. I don't think it is down to the high winds since these died down yesterday and we only had wind gusts around 45mph.

No, I see a dropout maybe once/week so six in 7 hours is very unusual.

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Madeleyite — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 17:21:34 GMT

Thank you.

The faceplate is protected from being knocked by a wooden barrier in front of it so I can't see how it would become loose all by itself but I'll check the faceplate tomorrow.

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Townman — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 18:03:29 GMT

The terminals have been known to corrode est of there’s any dampness around.

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Madeleyite — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 08:35:54 GMT

I have checked the faceplate and everything is rock solid due to my having taped everything using strong tape and installing the protective wood barrier bar. My feet cannot impact wire or faceplate. See photos. I did this in December 2023 and everything has been okay until yesterday.

The location is underneath my desk in my dining room/office so it is a dry, warm, clean location with no chance of terminal corrosion.

A laptop PSU is 7cm gap to the left of the master socket.

There have been no more dropouts since 15:37 hours yesterday so could it have been at Plusnets end or maybe Openreach were doing some work that affected my line connection.

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Madeleyite — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 09:37:14 GMT

I have studied my log of dropouts some more (see photo) and I see that the dropouts frequency increased from 31/10/2024 when I took out a new faster broadband deal with Plusnet. Nothing changed at my end except the download and upload speeds increased so I wonder if the speed increase has made the connection more unstable?

The dropout on 11/8/2024 was 127 days after the previous dropout but now the maximum has been 13 days but often less.

Can anyone get Plusnet to check my line please?

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Marsh — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 09:45:29 GMT

Heya @Madeleyite,

I’ve ran some tests on your line, and no faults were detected. To further troubleshoot, you can try plugging the broadband cable into the test socket of the master socket.

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Madeleyite — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 10:39:51 GMT

Thanks for running the tests but although the line itself may be okay could it be some setting at Plusnet causing more dropouts since new faster broadband deal began on 31/10/2024?

I was getting 37 Mbps on the previous deal and now I am getting 50+ Mbps download and I was wondering if a Plusnet setting is pushing more data than the line can reliably handle.

Or could it be the Hub Two itself or its PSU?

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Dan_the_Van — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 10:39:56 GMT

@Madeleyite

The Hub Two Advanced Settings >Technical Log >Information page will detail your current lines sync details, maybe post a screen shot or attach an export of the settings as a CSV file to a reply post. Just be sure to obscure your broadband username

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Madeleyite — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 10:46:06 GMT

Thanks. Here is the info csv with my username deleted.

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Dan_the_Van — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 11:55:55 GMT

Thanks, the important data is:-

Data rate,10.0 Mbps / 60.7 Mbps
Maximum Data rate,10.0 Mbps / 62.9 Mbps
Noise margin,6.2/3.9
Line attenuation,8.9/19.2
Signal attenuation,8.9/20.7

For that line attenuation you are doing very well to have a data rate above 60 Mbps, the expect rate would be lower than this, probably what you used to have.

The noise margin is 3.9 having it raised to 6 might improve stability but might result in a drop of speed.

Have you any redundant phone extension cables connect to the master socket as if unused they should be removed

@Townman

any thoughts

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Madeleyite — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:13:12 GMT

No. the only thing plugged into the master socket is the cable to the Hub Two. See first photo in post 7. I don't have a telephone landline anymore.

Maybe it is the Noise Margin. I don't need 60 Mbps. Contractually my Minimum Garaunteed Download speed is 38.6 Mbps and I would prefer stability. I would be happy with 45 to 50 Mbps. Can Plusnet change the Noise Margin to give more stability whilst achieving 45 to 50 Mbps?

Also why did it all start after 31/10/2024 when new deal began? It was much more stable before that. Maybe the Noise Margin was higher then than it is now?

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Dan_the_Van — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:23:20 GMT

If the Hub two has not been factory reset since 31/10/2024 the WAN event log may have the answer.

From the Home page >Advanced Settings >Technical log >Event log Select category WAN

Look for a line which looks something like

14:03:59, 21 Sep. DSL Link Up: Down Rate=nnnnnkbps, Up Rate=nnnnnkbps; SNR Margin Down=n.ndB, Up=n.ndB

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Madeleyite — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:46:43 GMT

Yes the previous deal SNR was much higher so that may be it. See photo.

Can Plusnet increase the current SNR a little (maybe up to 6?) to get more stability or is it done automatically by some monitoring & control system?

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Dan_the_Van — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:53:32 GMT

Hopefully @Marsh is still following the thread and he can comment?

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

RealAleMadrid — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:59:34 GMT

@Madeleyite On FTTC and SOGEA Plusnet have no control of the line parameters, it is all automatic and done by the Openreach DLM (Dynamic Line Monitoring) System.

Re: Frequent dropouts 25th Jan 2025

Madeleyite — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 13:04:22 GMT

Understood and thank you but I am sure that in the past Plusnet have manually tweaked the SNR value after which the DLM begins monitoring/controlling around that new SNR value.

I would like Plusnet to repeat this action.