topic Re: Disconnects Evenings in Broadband

Disconnects Evenings

Dolly — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 22:56:16 GMT

We lose internet connection and the light starts flashing orange. after a few minutes it goes blue and works for 10 minutes before doing it again.

This happens every day after 7pm all evening.

Text Help gave me the usual canned response saying it fixed it, and to reboot. obviously it didnt as it a time staller.

Factory reset no help, all cables ok and untouched.

Not out of contract for a few months which is annoying.

This is my elderly parents address which is too far for me to visit

Any suggestions other than switching?

Thanks

Re: Disconnects Evenings

markhawkin — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:26:55 GMT

Switching won't help.

It sounds like a line fault and another supplier will have the same problem.

If "full fibre" (so a fibre all the way to the house) is available, an upgrade to that would help (but note the landline phone will be lost in that process with Plusnet).

It's worth checking if the phone line (assuming there is one) is "noisy" as that is another sign of a line fault.

Report a fault and let the fault process work.

Re: Disconnects Evenings

Dolly — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 10:48:18 GMT

not full fibre and they are reluctant to upgrade with a company they are unhappy with, i've tried to explain.

plusnet are sending a new router apparently, how that will help i don't know.

We'll see what happens. It's annoying being 300 miles away.

thanks

Re: Disconnects Evenings

pvmb — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 12:43:49 GMT

Assuming they have a landline telephone, can you (on a visit?) they, or somebody else, check their landline for noise? Dial 17070 Option 2 (if I remember!) for the Quiet Line Test.

There should be no obvious noises on the line, such as intermittent crackling. If there are they could be from outside their premises, on the Openreach system, or inside on the Openreach Line socket itself or on the physical connections between there, and the router. Worth jiggling the connectors while listening on the phone for crackles.

When I was on ADSL 2+ I used to have repeating issues with the Openreach NTE5 master socket - strangely, not so when on FTTC.

Re: Disconnects Evenings

Dolly — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:32:33 GMT

I asked them to do that test and apparently it's a continuous tone, I've since made a long call leaving it on speaker and it started crackling, an engineer is coming Thursday 👍

Re: Disconnects Evenings

MisterW — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:58:17 GMT

@Dolly

plusnet are sending a new router apparently, how that will help i don't know.#

You're right of course, it probably wont!

However, where the testing doesnt establish a definite fault, it seems that Openreach are reluctant to book an engineer unless the router has been proven not to be at fault...

Re: Disconnects Evenings

jab1 — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:04:50 GMT

@MisterW I can confirm that - on two occasions when the fault was on the poles ('disturbed' cables), I had to go through that charade.

Re: Disconnects Evenings

Dolly — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:44:36 GMT

Engineer called and found a poor wet connection outside, reconnected and sealed apparently. New router also arrived and plugged in.

So far it's working ok with a speed test of approximately 29mb

Will see what happens this evening.

Thanks all

Re: Disconnects Evenings

Townman — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 23:01:22 GMT

Can you talk your parents into loading and using Quick Assist. It’s a Microsoft remote access product which allows taking over of a remote computer. That would give you the means of accessing to router to get the line stats.

As for your parents being reluctant to upgrade with a poor supplier, you might try to explain that the quality of delivered service is not in the gift of the ISP. It is all dependent on the quality of the BT Openreach network.

Re: Disconnects Evenings

Dolly — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 07:58:40 GMT

They don't have a pc only a tablet, I'll see if there's anything available for that.

I'm hoping it was ok last night as I've heard nothing.
Thanks

Re: Disconnects Evenings

Townman — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 23:21:27 GMT

Try TeamViewer.