topic Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days in Plusnet Feedback

No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

davesellars — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 07:56:26 GMT

I opened a support issue, complaining about the absolutely rubbish speed I get here (1Mbps 0.37 down) and asking for help, explaining that I have tried another router/modem, tried moving phone sockets in my house... and I have had nothing but an automated response. Since Monday. It's now Friday.
The support issue is 62430130 so if anyone from PN is reading this, please have a look at it. If your response is even "no chance of improving it" at least I will have had a response. So far, I am mightily un-impressed.
I could just call up and ask to change to Fibre, but as I've been a customer for over 5 years (and probably more, I can't honestly recall), I would have thought PN would want to do something to help out a loyal user. Or are they only interested in dangling the shiny new goodies in front of NEW customers, like so many other corps???

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

adamwalker — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:29:18 GMT

Hi there,
Sorry you've not had a response since raising this with us on the 19th. Looking at the results of a diagnostic test I can see that the line is "syncing" at 2139kbps, that translates to a line profile of 1886kbps meaning at present that would be the maximum possible speed you could connect at.
To see if we can improve on this we'd need to look at if the line can sync any higher. I'm just wondering if you have a <a href="http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/master-socket-guide.shtml#whatsTest">test socket</a>? If so I'd like to perform another test with the router connected there to see if the sync speed varies.
Let me know if that's possible or not.

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

davesellars — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 09:16:06 GMT

I don't have a master socket, the phone wiring hasn't changed since the house was built about 16 years ago. I have tried the router directly into the socket, with just the filter and no phones. Also a different router, but got the same speed.

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

Oldjim — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 11:03:54 GMT

Can you post the stats from your router - speed, attenuation and noise margin - and then we can see if there are problems

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

davesellars — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 12:08:01 GMT

I don't think I can, I can't find that info anywhere in my router's admin screens (it's a Netgear DG834G). PN have done a line test from their end, and attached a graph and some stats to the support issue. The have now responded and offered me an engineer visit, so I'll just have to wait and see what that throws up.
I'm hoping I can get some increase in line speed because 1Mbps is just rubbish, but I know I'm at the higher end of distance from the exchange. Even so, their support response does say that they would expect higher speed, so we'll see how it goes.
Obviously posting in the forums helps bring the issue to someone's attention, but I shouldn't have to, really, should I?

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

spraxyt — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 12:37:39 GMT

Kitz explains how to get router stats for the DG834G here http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/frogstats.php#32. Posting these would still be useful even though you've had a response to your fault report.

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

Oldjim — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 17:17:06 GMT

This is how to get them

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

davesellars — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 10:48:35 GMT

Ah thanks! I had no idea that was there. Here are my router stats, thanks for your support as well, much appreciated.

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

orbrey — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:36:11 GMT

Hi there,
Looks like your profile has now uplifted to 2100 on our suppliers' side so I've moved ours up to match it, hope that helps.

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

Oldjim — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:45:37 GMT

You line appears to have a default noise margin of 12dB which is limiting your speed.
@Matt - can you post a connection log to see if there are any obvious problems
@Dave - do you have an NTE Master socket with a removable faceplate - the video here explains
If you do it would be a good idea to connect to it via a filter and report the stats again.

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

orbrey — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:18:51 GMT

Connection log, as requested:
<img src="http://ccgi.psmith12.plus.com/visradius/generated/image1353932269656.png"/>
Looking like the SNR increase might have come about on or around the 19th from that.

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

Oldjim — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:39:55 GMT

Not good but not horrible either - back to Dave with the master socket question

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

davesellars — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:36:55 GMT

Well, whaddaya know! I do have a master socket (I think), but it's not actually got a socket. What I have (by the front door) is a blank plate that has the groove just above the halfway point, but does not actually have a phone socket in the panel. Is this worth trying, should I take the panel off and see what's inside? To be fair, there's no way I could position my router anywhere near it permanently, it is in the hallway right by the door!
Also, thanks to Matt's changes, I am now actually getting around 2Mbps up and 0.37 down, which is double the down speed (not the up, though, oddly) I was getting a week ago when I raised my ticket.
That in itself is a huge improvement, but if I can get it better then I'd obviously like to do that too.

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

Anotherone — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:41:35 GMT

It sounds like you have an NTE5b which will have a test socket being the front plate.
You need to do some checks from there and have you tried another filter?
As you had some drops in connection, it will be best if you use the following method in future when swapping things around (or just want to reboot) -
Login to the modem/router as you do for getting the stats - on yours, click on Connection Status and you should see Connect & Disconnect buttons. Click Disconnect, this drops the PPPoA Internet session (not the sync), pause, then power down the modem/router. Wait a minute and then unplug it from the line. Make whatever changes, swapping things etc., taking at least 10 minutes before reconnecting and powering up. Log in and take a copy of the stats as soon as sync has occurred (they will indicate the Target Noise Margin) and you will probably also need to go to Connection Status and click Connect to re-establish a PPPoA Internet session.
Best not to do this method more than 5 times in an hour and then leave it for the rest of the day, the is to help prevent the Exchange DLM from thinking you have a dropping connection which can result in a raised Target SNRM resulting in lower sync speeds, and/or capped sync speeds (on 21CN).
So use the above method and remove the front plate from the NTE5b. Have a look at the colour of the wires and the terminal numbers that they are connected to on the back of this front plate, also whilst it is unplugged, take a corded phone and go and check all your extension sockets are dead, no dial tone or other noise.
Then next plug your phone direct into the test socket and listen to your line for crackling or other noises. Dial 17070 using option2 the quiet line test.
Then plug a filter into the test socket, plug in the phone and modem/router, power up etc. immediately take a copy of the stats and post here along with the other information.
Have you had any problems with incoming or outgoing phone calls at all?

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

davesellars — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 09:31:21 GMT

I have an engineer coming to visit this Wednesday, so I'll wait until that's happened before trying anything further myself. Thanks to everyone for your help.

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

Anotherone — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 01:49:29 GMT

You should still go and check from the Test socket because that may indicate if you have an internal problem or not. If you haven't tried another filter either and the engineer discovers that is at fault, you may get a £60 bill!

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

davesellars — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 22:39:38 GMT

Engineer's visit went okay, he juggled some wiring between the master socket and the kitchen socket where my router is attached. Resulting router stats are attached, down sync speed is now over 3K compared to 2K earlier, PN chaps, shouldn't I be getting nearer 3K actual down speed now? Is this another profile thing?

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

orbrey — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 09:35:12 GMT

Hi there,
Yes, we're waiting for your profile on BTs side to update (this won't be instant I'm afraid) before our own profile will uplift. At present it's still set to 2098 so the 2000 profile on our side is correct as things stand.

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

Townman — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 09:56:35 GMT

Question on these line stats...
Downstream stats have changed - Attenuation from 51 to 58.5 dB and margin 12.35 to 11.4 dB.
Is not the attenuation change in the 'bad' direction? If I am correct then the increase in speed seems strange!! Is there the possibility that there is still room for more improvement here?
I confess that better performance with a lower SNR leaves me confused, as one would expect the opposite!

Re: No response from support AT ALL for 5 days

orbrey — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:11:48 GMT

Well the change is in the good direction. The attenuation will go up if the speed goes up (and SNR goes down) but as long as the line doesn't drop and remains stable you should keep the faster speed.
It'll still take a couple of days of solid connectivity before the BT profile uplifts though.