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Are these router error numbers normal?

qqdc4444
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎15-07-2014

Are these router error numbers normal?

We've had PlusNet ADSL for just over a week now. Some times it is fast enough for two people to be streaming from YouTube at the same time, other times it is glacial, like google taking 20-30 seconds to respond to a search query, and trying to buy something on Amazon was painful yesterday. Ping times to google.com are always good, though (e.g. under 50ms). In my mind all that points to upstream congestion, not a LAN or ADSL wire problem? But I wanted to check, as I looked at the link information and see lots of FEC, CRC and HEC errors in the last 25.5 hours (pasted in below). Are any of these abnormally high? (BT speed test also included, and that roughly matches other speed tests I've tried.)
We are on an unlimited bandwidth contract, but if we use a lot of bandwidth, so PlusNet do temporary rate-limiting? (If so, can we have some guidance on what counts as "a lot", so I can try to restrain my YouTube-viewing family. Note: the congestion I personally see is uncorrelated to if the rest of the family are using the internet or not.)

Link Information

Uptime: 1 day, 1:24:36
DSL Type: ITU-T G.992.3
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 1,001 / 2,247
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/GB]: 126.18 / 2.77
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.8 / 0.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 31.4 / 48.5
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 6.4 / 10.2
System Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / ----
Chipset Vendor ID (Local/Remote): BDCM / IFTN
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): -
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 3,136 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 2,534 / 5,771,503
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 98 / 14,998
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 66 / 12,782

BT Test
Download speedachieved during the test was - 1.29 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 0.8 Mbps-2 Mbps.
IP Profile for your line is - 1.98 Mbps
Upload speed achieved during the test was - 0.31Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 0.83 Mbps
6 REPLIES 6
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Are these router error numbers normal?

The errors are high but of more concern is that your speeds are low even allowing for the high default noise margin
I am a bit surprised that you are getting such a high upstream sync speed given that the upstream is apparently interleaved.
The fact that the upstream speed test is low indicates a possible problem
Do you have a master socket with a removable lower faceplate.
If so can you plug the router into the socket behind it via a filter and report the stats again
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 22,921
Thanks: 9,538
Fixes: 158
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Are these router error numbers normal?

Is the phone line noisy?  Dial 17070 option 2.
Have you tried a new filter?

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

qqdc4444
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎15-07-2014

Re: Are these router error numbers normal?

Yes, the phone line is noisy: in fact this is the first time in my life where speaker phone gives a clearer signal! I tried the upstairs phone extension for the first time yesterday, and we gave up, the noise was so bad. (I could hear okay, just a bit of crackle, the person at the other end could barely hear me though.)
I just tried removing the faceplate, and plugging it in to the socket behind. There is an improvement in the bandwidth numbers: [1] is from just before, [2] is from now.  I'll leave it 24hrs and see how to goes. Thanks!
Obviously I cannot leave it like this. Do I need to get BT out again?
[1]:

Uptime: 1 day, 1:28:33
DSL Type: ITU-T G.992.3
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 963 / 2,297
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/MB]: 46.48 / 996.95
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.8 / 0.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 31.4 / 48.5
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 6.5 / 11.9
System Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / ----
Chipset Vendor ID (Local/Remote): BDCM / IFTN
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): -
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 3,251 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 1,864 / 5,039,012
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 440 / 6,548
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 581 / 6,206
[2]:

Uptime: 0 days, 0:18:49
DSL Type: ITU-T G.992.3
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 1,009 / 4,887
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [kB/MB]: 589.60 / 3.28
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.8 / 0.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 31.3 / 50.0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 5.9 / 5.9
System Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / ----
Chipset Vendor ID (Local/Remote): BDCM / IFTN
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): -
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 8 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 223 / 477
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 21 / 14
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 14 / 108
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 22,921
Thanks: 9,538
Fixes: 158
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Are these router error numbers normal?

Hi qqdc4444,
There is most certainly something wrong with your internal wiring which you will need to sort out, but we'll come back to that later.
The speed is up and the SNRM is down by significant amounts - this is all good!
Can you please repeat the quiet line test again from the test socket?  If there is noise there then you need BTOR out.  If not you need to look at fixing the internal wiring.  As a prelude to this, can you please find out what the wiring looks like (wire colours) and how many wires are connected at each socket.  Also how are the extension(s) wired?  If more than one, they should be daisy-chained, that is there are no more than two cables (one in, one out) at each extension.  If there are three or more at any extension, then there is star wiring which is very bad news!
HTH,
Kevin

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

qqdc4444
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎15-07-2014

Re: Are these router error numbers normal?

I just ran the other test again:
  Download speedachieved during the test was - 3.95 Mbps
  For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 1.2 Mbps-4 Mbps.
  IP Profile for your line is - 4.31 Mbps
  Upload speed achieved during the test was - 0.37Mbps
  Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 0.83 Mbps
I.e. download seems to be doing better than upload. Our own use of the internet should've been light while running the above.
Also latest stats at the router:
Uptime: 1 day, 5:06:58
...
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/GB]: 154.97 / 4.46
...
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 2,069 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 8,318 / 258,761
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 936 / 3,530
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 1,289 / 23,976
I.e. a drop in FEC and CRC errors down, but an increase in the other numbers. However there was more bandwidth used, so maybe that is fine?
I'm still getting periods of sluggishness actually using the Internet. However I noticed I couldn't even connect to 192.168.1.254 earlier, so I want to try and see if wifi interference in the house is part of the problem.
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 22,921
Thanks: 9,538
Fixes: 158
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Are these router error numbers normal?

Hi,
It looks like you might have a number of problems; I would recommend addressing one at a time, less the matter gets confused.
Do not bother with speed tests for the moment, just post FULL router stats.  Before looking at wifi or speed tests, you need to obtain the best possible synch speed with as few errors as possible.  Until that happens, anything else is futile.
You said that you were getting noise on the line and that you got better router stats when connected to the master socket.  Have you done the quite line test from the test socket?  If there is noise there, then you need to raise a voice fault report with your phone provider.
Thereafter you need to look at your internal wiring if you cannot / do not want to locate the router along side the master socket.
Once you have a reliable ADSL synch speed, it would be worth looking at wifi issues.  Note if you have wifi interference, then there is some possibility that the same interference is affecting the ADSL service.  The program RouterStats (free off the Internet) would be useful Qin examining that, as would inSIDDer v3 home for the wifi.
HTH,
Kevin

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.