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Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

kanda
Grafter
Posts: 30
Registered: ‎17-11-2013

Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

Hi, any thoughts on these figures? The 'phone line line is very crackly but I have previously been told by an engineer that this won't necessarily affect my b/b. Things aren't quite as bad as they were this time last year when an engineer was called out but I have noticed a deterioration of line speeds again this time down to 0.6Mbps which is matched by a drop in the BTWholesale IP profile for my line to similar figures. And yes, I realise that turning the router on/off will slow things down  Embarrassed I'm serious considering dumping my landline altogether if it isn't fit for purpose for 3 months of the year and my line rental saver anniversary is very close  Smiley Things seem to get worse after it's been raining heavily. I realise BT OR can't control the weather but this has been an issue for many years now. And yes, I realise that turning the router on/off again will affect my line speeds  Smiley
Uptime: 3 days, 10:40:16
DSL Type: ITU-T G.992.3
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 443 / 691
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/GB]: 321.25 / 3.79
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.8 / 0.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 34.7 / 58.0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 21.4 / 19.1
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): 1,131 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 0
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 14 / 1,332
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 10 / 1,075
Last years figures;
Uptime: 0 days, 0:01:47
DSL Type: ITU-T G.992.3
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 444 / 574
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [kB/kB]: 80.94 / 249.36
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.8 / 0.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 34.5 / 57.5
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 21.4 / 6.5
(edited for the sake of brevity)
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 61,363
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 0
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 0

(BT Wholesale basic test 0.47 Mbps d/load 0.35 Mbps upload 35 ms ping)
12 REPLIES 12
Chris
Legend
Posts: 17,724
Thanks: 600
Fixes: 169
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

Quote
The 'phone line line is very crackly but I have previously been told by an engineer that this won't necessarily affect my b/b.

Noise on the line can cause many issues with broadband. Can you try a single corded phone handset into the master socket (test socket if possible) and let us know if the noise continues.
Former Plusnet Staff member. Posts after 31st Jan 2020 are not on behalf of Plusnet.
kanda
Grafter
Posts: 30
Registered: ‎17-11-2013

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

Will try this later but for now the green internet LED on the TG582n seems to be flashing continuously even when wifi is turned off and nothing connected via ethernet.
Chris
Legend
Posts: 17,724
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Fixes: 169
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

IIRC the internet light will flash, this shows the router is connecting and transferring traffic. Even if you're not actually using the line there will always be a small amount of data being transferred.
Former Plusnet Staff member. Posts after 31st Jan 2020 are not on behalf of Plusnet.
kanda
Grafter
Posts: 30
Registered: ‎17-11-2013

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

Now looking a lot healthier. 1.5Mbps d/l, 0.36Mbps u/l on Speedtest.net. Has someone done a line reset?  If so, how long should I leave it after experiencing slow speeds before requesting one again? Still unsure of the benefits/disadvantages of rebooting the router when things go a bit pear-shaped.
Uptime: 0 days, 4:19:56
DSL Type: ITU-T G.992.3
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 443 / 1,920
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/GB]: 363.34 / 4.04
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.7 / 0.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 34.7 / 56.5
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 20.8 / 11.6
System Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / ----
Chipset Vendor ID (Local/Remote): BDCM / IFTN
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 9 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 1 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): -
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 1,352 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 0
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 4 / 238
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 2 / 848
Chris
Legend
Posts: 17,724
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Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

I don't believe we've done any resets on the line.
I'd suggest against resetting the router as this can cause the exchange equipment to believe the line is unstable and can therefore cause slower speeds.
Let us know how you get on with checking the noise on the line.
Former Plusnet Staff member. Posts after 31st Jan 2020 are not on behalf of Plusnet.
kanda
Grafter
Posts: 30
Registered: ‎17-11-2013

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

Well, the line is much quieter now than it has been for a while. I've previously suspected water ingress somewhere, as the line noise always coincides with wet weather, but it hasn't rained here since Saturday, and the frost will also have reduced the humidity in the air. The green BT cabinet, visible from my house does seem to get a lot of visits from BTOR, but I don't think anyone's called today. Perhaps it's just the DLM kicking in and correcting things but fingers crossed as all is OK at the moment and the line speeds seem to be holding.
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
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Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

Hi,
These figures are "all over the place"!
There are massive differences in synch speed and SNRM.
What the engineer told you is fundamentally wrong - if there is noise on the line it WILL at some level or other be detrimental to BB operation.  Your symptoms are those of bad joints.  Who provides your phone line?  If it is not PlusNet, then you need to get them out to fix the NOISE but do NOT mention your broadband issues as they will just duck!

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.

jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
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Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

You could have the best car in the world, but if a road is rough not even a Rolls Royce will give you smooth ride at a good speed.
It's the same with broadband, if the line is rough the broadband will slow right down to try and make things smoother and if the phone line is really bad it won't work at all.
Get the phone line fixed!
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)
Chris
Legend
Posts: 17,724
Thanks: 600
Fixes: 169
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

Quote
Well, the line is much quieter now than it has been for a while.

Is there still any noise at all when you try a single handset into the master (test socket is preferred) socket?
Former Plusnet Staff member. Posts after 31st Jan 2020 are not on behalf of Plusnet.
kanda
Grafter
Posts: 30
Registered: ‎17-11-2013

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

Chris, checked the phone line at the master socket and it is still much quieter.  BTW the green internet LED on the router is now solid instead of flashing. Townman, Jelv, thanks for the replies. I rent my phone line off Plusnet but of course it's maintained by BTOR. The master socket was replaced as a cautionary measure 12 months ago by BTOR and I also watched the engineer remake the connections at the cabinet. I did have to wait several hours for him to turn up just as I was about to give up and leave the house, so I wasn't too impressed, so my general feelings are if it ain't too broken, don't bother trying to fix it. Apart from the wire from the cabinet to my house which I can't see BT replacing, in all honesty I think I've gone as far as I can with BT. I still think the weather is having a greater effect on my line quality, presumably at the cabinet or the overhead connections.
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 22,919
Thanks: 9,536
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Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

Well that is good news - it is all within PlusNet's gift to manage.  It will always be BTOR who fix things, but PlusNET sets the direction.
Is there ANY noise on the line, even if it is better, any noise is very unhelpful.
Sometimes it can take several BTOR visits to find the best pair to the cabinet.  Whilst they might not replace the cable, they might find you a better pair.

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.

Gus
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 3,236
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Registered: ‎31-07-2007

Re: Noise on line affecting b/b speeds?

kanda when the open reach "engineer" came, did he/she just hook up a machine to your phone line and trusted that it said nothing is wrong?  Who then did not physically go look at your cabinet.  Some lazy open reach engineers get the job logged and move on to the next that way.
Hound the engineer when it comes and constantly mention that you have/had phone line noise and its intermittent, saying it comes with bad weather, so you still have a fault even if its not audible currently with your phone.
Quote from: Townman
Sometimes it can take several BTOR visits to find the best pair to the cabinet.  Whilst they might not replace the cable, they might find you a better pair.

More like it takes a real engineer to fix it, every time I have multi visits its the same thing, they trust that machine they bring and don't bother to go look if it saves them time.
FTTP 500 regrade from Tues 28th November