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BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

clanla
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Registered: ‎04-10-2012

BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

My broadband has been running consistently at around 1300kbm (ADSL connection speed, I am 7km from the exchange) for years but recently I started getting crackles on the phone and broadband dropout, but only on hot afternoons (not that there have been many of those this year), the rest of the time it was still running ok at 1300.  I reported the problem to plusnet and a BT engineer arrived and spent a couple of hours, presumably climbing up and down poles between here and the exchange, looking for the problem, and then went off saying he had done all he could.  Unfortunately he has messed something up and the line is now connecting at only 800kbpm.  There is a massive difference in performance between 800 and 1300.  I reported the problem to plusnet again, but they say there is nothing they can do as BT have declared the line a "long line" and that no further works can be conducted to improve the speed.
The fact that it was running at 1300 until the engineer messed it up does not seem to be relevant.  I just want whatever damage the engineer did repaired.  Is there anything I can do?
I now wish I had not reported the problem and just put up with the dropout on hot afternoons.
Colin
116 REPLIES 116
Anotherone
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Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

Obviously that is complete rhubarb and you've been fobbed off by BT if you still have a crackly line, who do you pay your line rental to?
The chances are that your Target Noise margin has risen as a result of the disconnections which is why you are seeing slower speed.
If you could post your current modem/router ADSL stats, which if it's a Thomson, you will typically find here. Click on View more and do a copy and paste of the data. Also the results of a BT Speedtester (Diagnostics) and your Current Line speed (Login required) that will help us judge what is going on.
Oh, and welcome to the forums by the way.
orbrey
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 10,540
Registered: ‎18-07-2007

Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

Hi there,
Sorry to hear the fault went that way, unfortunately with longer lines that can happen with broadband faults.
I'm wondering though if it might be worth reporting it as a phone fault and see if the noise can be removed that way? It'll almost certainly be interference causing the noise and that'll be what's affecting the broadband. If you could let us know when it is noisy next we'll test the line for phone issues for you and see what comes up.
Please don't let that put you off providing the stats that Anotherone has requested though Smiley
Anotherone
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Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

That's what was done. It's not clear if there is still a fault on the line, perhaps you could run a test on the QT?
orbrey
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 10,540
Registered: ‎18-07-2007

Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

Fraid it wasn't... long lines are only declared on broadband, not phone, and from checking the fault on the account it was raised on the broadband as a lower threshold breach issue.
Just tried a line test on the phone and it didn't pick anything up, which is why I asked if we could be told when it happens - that way the tests should pick up on the issue and allow us to report a specific fault rather than a generic one that would immediately require an engineer visit.
Anotherone
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Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

Fine, my mis-interpretation of the OP. Does the line look nice and stable at the mo and what's the Target SNRM?
orbrey
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 10,540
Registered: ‎18-07-2007

Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

Drops certainly seem to be happening less often at the moment:
<img src="http://ccgi.psmith12.plus.com/visradius/generated/image1349358333683.png" />
Current sync stats as reported by BT Wholesale are:

Upstream Link Info 
  Loop Loss SNR Margin Errored Seconds HecErrors Cell Count    Speed
  36        17        4              0            931510943  448
 

  Downstream Link Info 
  Loop Loss SNR Margin ErroredSeconds HecErrors    CellCount  Speed
  58        6          0              0            1034884024 800
 

  DSL Max Data 

  BIP Interface Data 
  Current line rate Line rate change timestamp Maximum Stable Rate Recalcuated ProfileTimestamp      Maximum Stable Rate
  500              2012-09-16T00:15:00        N                              2012-09-15T05:31:03  576
 

  Fault Threshold Rate Interleaving Flag ServiceOption Update Timestamp
  460                  A                2008-03-30T12:03:01

Anotherone
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Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

Hmm, don't like that, there must be some noise somewhere! Sounds like it could be a RouterStats job to see what is going on  Sad
I'll wait for the OP's response and reply later.
clanla
Grafter
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Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

Quote from: Anotherone
Obviously that is complete rhubarb and you've been fobbed off by BT if you still have a crackly line, who do you pay your line rental to?
The chances are that your Target Noise margin has risen as a result of the disconnections which is why you are seeing slower speed.
If you could post your current modem/router ADSL stats, which if it's a Thomson, you will typically find here. Click on View more and do a copy and paste of the data. Also the results of a BT Speedtester (Diagnostics) and your Current Line speed (Login required) that will help us judge what is going on.
Oh, and welcome to the forums by the way.

Thanks for the welcome and the help.
The line rental is with plusnet.  I don't know whether the crackly line has been fixed, it only happened on hot afternoons and I suspect there won't be any more hot enough till next year.
The router (it is a Linksys) shows
                        DSL Status:  Up  
      DSL Modulation Mode:  GDMT  
      DSL Path Mode:  INTERLEAVED  
      Downstream Rate:  800 Kbps  
      Upstream Rate:  448 Kbps  
      Downstream Margin:  6 db  
      Upstream Margin:  17 db  
      Downstream Line Attenuation:  58  
      Upstream Line Attenuation:  31  
      Downstream Transmit Power:  0  
      Upstream Transmit Power:  0
The BT speedtest shows download 0.44, upload 0.38 Ping Latency 41.00
The plusnet current speed shows
Estimated line speed:
    1.0Mb (Accurate to within +/- 1Mbit) - Checked on 2012-08-21 10:07:13
Current line speed:
    0.5 Mb
Thanks again for the help
Colin
clanla
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Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

Quote from: Matt
Fraid it wasn't... long lines are only declared on broadband, not phone, and from checking the fault on the account it was raised on the broadband as a lower threshold breach issue.
Just tried a line test on the phone and it didn't pick anything up, which is why I asked if we could be told when it happens - that way the tests should pick up on the issue and allow us to report a specific fault rather than a generic one that would immediately require an engineer visit.

Hi Matt, the reason the fault was reported as a speed fault was that when I spoke to someone about the noise/dropout he said that intermittent faults can be very difficult to find and that as the speed was already below the min that should be achieved then it would be better to report it as a speed fault, since likely they were both caused by the same fault.
As I said in another reply I don't know whether the noise fault has been fixed as it only happened on hot afternoons and I don't think there are going to be any more of those for a while  Cry
clanla
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Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

Looking at the chart Matt posted I see that it is dropping out a couple of times a day, which I had not noticed.  On the ticket, on 11th Sept,  after I reported the fault there is a chart showing that it ran for six days without a dropout until the hot days (7th and 8th Sept) when it dropped out multiple times during the afternoon and early evening, then it ran (at 1248) for two days again without dropout, till the next hot afternoon.  So it seems the reliability when it is not hot is worse than it was before the engineer visited.
jelv
Seasoned Hero
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Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

Something isn't right. With your attenuation you should be syncing at over 2Mbps.
I don't think it's banded because the noise margin isn't high.
Have you tried a different router?
jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)
James
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Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

Interestingly though... (this is from Openreach)
CSS Exchange: PQS/ PUMPSAINT
District code: SW
BT Post code: SA19 8HQ
PCP Id: 1
DP Number: 110
ANFP Category: L
Circuit line length estimate: 6756
Circuit line length calculated:
DP Line length estimate: 6432
Celerity line loss: 76.6
LLC Line loss: 58.99
clanla
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Registered: ‎04-10-2012

Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

@Jelv, no I have not got another router, but when the engineer was here his test kit was connecting at about the same speed.
clanla
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Re: BT have messed up my broadband connection, is there anything I can do?

@James, thanks for the help.  Could you explain what it is that is interesting about the OpenReach data please?  I don't understand all the figures.
Thanks
Colin