topic Re: Disconnections in Broadband

Disconnections

Jaggies — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 23:44:36 GMT

My VDSL connection has been a bit flaky this last few weeks, dropping once or twice a week, usually in the early hours of the morning (2-3 am) but usually reconnecting fairly soon afterwards. No-one is usually using the internet at that time, so livable with.

Tonight it dropped out about 9 pm, but did not come back on in the usual timescale, so I rebooted my TP-Link router, but no connection.

I eventually got my IPv4 connection, and therefore Internet access, back, but my IPv6 still isn't connected.

My router stats:

	Upstream	Downstream
Current Rate (kbps)	10665	43999
Max Rate (kbps)	10688	65823
SNR Margin (dB)	6.4	8.8
Line Attenuation (dB)	3.3	14.3
Errors (pkts)	910	934

As can be seen, the current line rate is way below what the router thinks is attainable, having dropped from over 50000 (still a bit low, but then again nothing I am doing online is maxing that out) , and the error count and downstream SNR margin look to me to be quite high. I tried reporting a fault using the SMS text-based Bot, but it couldn't find my account, which is also a concern.

I'll give Instagram fault reporting a go meantime, and also post on the IPv6 trial forum regarding that separate issue.

Previous issues, apart from a lightning strike at the back end of last summer, have required a bod with a chainsaw cutting back branches where my line goes through trees, so possibly needs doing again.

Re: Disconnections

jab1 — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:17:22 GMT

@Jaggies The early morning drops look like BT/OR maintenance. Your D/S rate looks like it is banded, which suggests there is a fault somewhere.

The Instagram link will not work - it shouldn't be there. I suggest actually calling in if the bot can't find you.

Re: Disconnections

Jaggies — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 23:55:49 GMT

Thanks. Will have to bite the bullet tomorrow, still disconnecting again today.

Re: Disconnections

Jaggies — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 00:12:15 GMT

Called the help desk on Thursday morning - call answered promptly and helpful agent booked me an engineer, who arrived this afternoon (Friday) and plugged in his test equipment.

Fault detected at the cabinet, so off he goes. Connection has been up for the last 10 hours 34 minutes, and although my downstream rate is lower than I believe it should be, we'll see what DLM makes of things as the days go by.

Still possibly considering a new router though...

	Upstream	Downstream
Current Rate (kbps)	11193	48054
Max Rate (kbps)	11168	61775
SNR Margin (dB)	5.9	5.9
Line Attenuation (dB)	6.7	16.8
Errors (pkts)	21	12

Re: Disconnections

Jaggies — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 20:20:52 GMT

Well, the "fix" didn't take, as my connection has been up and down like a yo-yo over the last couple of weeks.

I raised a new fault on Monday via the bot, successfully this time, and an engineer was dispatched this morning (Wednesday). This time it was an Openreach engineer, not a contractor - he didn't have a good word to say about the contractors, but to be fair his test equipment showed the location of the fault as the cabinet, however he apparently should have followed up whatever work he did at the cabinet by coming back to the house, where his test would have probably shown the issue that was finally fixed today, a corroded junction at the DP.

Anyway, now back to this:

	Upstream	Downstream
Current Rate (kbps)	11252	56705
Max Rate (kbps)	11252	72163
SNR Margin (dB)	5.8	6
Line Attenuation (dB)	3.1	14.1
Errors (pkts)	15	1

Downstream rate I reckon should be closer to the available Max Rate, but again we'll wait and see if DLM intervenes.