Outage fixed ? Nope. i cant go on with this dreadful service

[#1]

I dont know if its my hardware, the line, the exchange or their equipment, but i have now the worst ADSL service since Talktalk .. i know Plusnet *are* BT - so i would have hoped for a better ADSL service, unless they are too now reselling Talktalk now as well. I had BT Openreach out a couple of years ago, my line died - it was repaired.
the connection to my IRC 'room' is often timing out - the client reporting ' ping timeout '
If its my hardware i will buy new, i really dont mind, but the incredible amount of disconnects i really do.
The 'Plusnet Assist' win7 app just crashes on start, i'm not using a Plusnet router, thats probably why ?
My Netgear DG834pn  is checking out ok as far as i can tell, all  leads and the filter are replaced. telephone voice is good, solid and crackle free.
the modem/router lead is in directly in the master socket , no extensions or anything into the Master socket - (faceplate off). nothing else is connected
not even the landline phone is connected. just the netgear.

current router stats are:
ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 10941 kbps 1143 kbps
Line Attenuation 38.0 db 19.8 db
Noise Margin 2.9 db 5.6 db
Anyone help please
it just quit again - i need a reliable connection to my IRC channel..
------------------
update (after another PING timeout) my router was still 'connected'
** Plusnet assist started working** a little now, it sits in the systray at least, but after clicking 'Open' it
the small window opens it pings somewhere, prob my router (i guess) but of course doesn't find a (Plusnet branded) router as stated earlier.(above)

[#2]

Maybe ask PN for a log of the disconnects etc and see if they can put you on a more stable profile ?

[#3]

Do I assume that you can't access the internet - the light on the router is red
Have you tried clicking on connect in the router
Or is it something else

[#4]

Ahh - I may have misread the original post - is this a one off outage or have you had repetitive trouble with your connection recently ?

[#5]

It maybe that Pcl-bng02 went down again at 16.45. It came back about 5 minutes ago.

[#6]

Hi chaps, thanks for a speedy reply -
Dom - who would i ask to get on a 'better' profile ?
OldJim - the router lights dont turn red i'm afraid, i am instead looking in the router HTML config pages - when i notice my internet drops.
the constantly polling (every 10 sceonds)   router stats are what i watch.  
Several variations seem to be happening -
A) the connection fully drops, as is  if the ADSL carrier drops
b) sometimes it looks as though negotiation fails
c) ping timeouts can be huge - and sometimes packet loss.
i even updated the routers' firmware. - made no difference
-Marc

[#7]

maybe pcl-bng02 is getting over saturated with traffic

[#8]

In which case the starting point is to raise a fault here https://faults.plus.net
However if you can hang on until Monday the staff on here may be able to set your default noise margin to 6dB which may help
How often does it drop and is it at random times
What does the router log say when it happens

[#9]

@ MarcLinux = are you using Netgear firmware, or DGTeam firmware which can be used to tweak the SNR?
If it's the latter, set the SNR margin to 6dB and see if things stabilise (albeit at a small trade-off in lower synch speed).

[#10]

Thanks OldJim and Jaggies - i have done everything i can pretty much i think, without replacing the router - which is my next thing anyway as i want a 5Ghz capable one.
Stock firmware Jaggies,  when i pick up a new modem / router i shall flash it - it may come in as a handy diagnostic tool as you say, whiist being able to tweak the unit may glean some information for fault finding in the future.
i have reported the fault - Thanks OldJim - having to click through all the obvious stuff for non-geeks was a pain, but its reported. I could of course wait til monday, but a lot of work i do happens over the weekend - 24/7 irrespective of day / time.
Hopefully the upbeat and happy 'service status' page is updated to reflect reality - as it seems Plusnet is struggling to keep ADSL working for not just myself.
The info in the router status is not too helpful when connection drops, generally just 'disconnected' or 'LCP down' is all i see. not much to go on is it ! 

[#11]

it does seemingly happen randomly too - on occasion the router reboot seems to freshen up the connx and ADSL appears again, but can disappear several times, LCP down or other messages. never seen a red light on the router - not sure there is one, the ADSL carrier LED seems to be on usually, for what its worth.
Thanks for your help so far Chaps..
Marc

[#12]

Marc,
Are you aware that over the last 3 days in particular, there has been a really bad spate of widespread connectivity issues, apparently both BT backbone related and PN gateway related?
Kevin

[#13]

Hi Kevin ..
Yes mate, Thanks, i have - and its still the worst interconnection i have ever had in 20 years.,
how i wish i had stuck with the last poor ISP.

[#14]

Marc,
Can we take a step back on this issue please?
I have been running a long thread with another user who is also experiencing unexplained xDSL disconnects.  He has had a router firmware upgrade, a router replacement, the copper circuit checks out clean for both voice and broadband.
He has a non-NTE5 installation (LJU) with two extensions installed by BT.
You have had similar issues using two ISPs - this really does point to a phone line and / or exchange equipment issue or router - all NOTHING to do with the ISP, though they are responsible for managing the resolution of the issues if the cause is BTOR systems.
Is the router you are using with PlusNet the same one you used with your previous supplier?  From one of your other threads in May this year...

Quote from: Twills

Lots of errors on upstream causing data request packets to fail. I suspect (but not concluded) that its either the router, microfilter or wiring up to the master socket as your copper line is testing fine remotely.

The above description somewhat explains your perception of your packets going into a black hole and connectivity issues to websites.  That thread was left with an open request for the router stats, after a suspected defective filter was replaced.
You've now come back with lingering frustration that you are still experiencing issues - I rather suspect that the problem you had with your previous ISP has never been bottomed out and it is still giving you issues today.
Have you ever raised a fault report here - http://faults.plus.net - as suggested a couple of times?
Is the phone line quiet?  Dial 17070 option 2 - it should be quiet.
I know you have run with the router in the master socket and you still see disconnects.  Looking at your router stats from...

Quote from: MarcLinux

current router stats are: ADSL Link Downstream Upstream Connection Speed 10941 kbps 1143 kbps Line Attenuation 38.0 db 19.8 db Noise Margin 2.9 db 5.6 db

The SYNCH rate is somewhat higher than expectations for the line's attenuation, due to the lower than normal SNRM.  I am guessing that the target is 3dB which is low level flying and might be the cause of line instability if there is a source of interference (REIN) around you.  If the target SNRM is 3dB, your line's stability might be improved by moving the target to the more normal 6dB.
The best way to explore the REIN possibility is to install and run RouertStats available here - http://www.vwlowen.co.uk/internet/files.htm - running this 24x7 and watching the SNRM graphs will clearly indicate the presence of REIN if that is the cause of your issue.  Note that REIN is not something which you can be assured can be fixed by BTOR.
With a bit of detective work, we should be able to get your issue addressed quickly.  These tests will minimise the possibility of BTOR attendance not finding a fault and seeking to charge you for the visit.
Kevin