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Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

Lynnpin
Grafter
Posts: 130
Thanks: 9
Registered: ‎31-07-2012

Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

After almost 8 years with Plusnet broadband I changed to a Plusnet combined phone and broadband contract in February this year. I've already had a few problems which have been sorted but now I have another.

 

Since having Plusnet take over my phone line I have had noticeably slower broadband and numerous connection drops. Nothing has changed on my computer so I can't see it being that. I've tried two different browsers and it still happens so can only assume it is nothing I've done.

 

The internet light on my router keeps turning red or going off (infact it has just done so now while I'm writing this)! It's the same router I've had for the past 8 years. Sometimes pages are loading slower than on dial-up and I'm getting lots of different error messages with on/off lights such as:

 

[Network Error...

Your requested host could not be reached. Click on the link below to retry.

http://www.gstatic.com/generate_204]

 

[Internet light goes off altogether.
Internet light goes red.
ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT]

[Lights on but error message:
DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG]

[Internet light off altogether
DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN]

[All lights on
DNS_PROBE_STARTED
DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET]

 

I was hoping it was just initial teething problems and would settle down but it's obvious it's just getting worse not better. I only get a speed of around 3.5 - 4.0 Mb so any reduction is very noticeable and inconvenient so can somebody please help?

56 REPLIES 56
Lynnpin
Grafter
Posts: 130
Thanks: 9
Registered: ‎31-07-2012

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

Just had it go off again with the following Plusnet message appearing in browser window:

 

http://dsldevice.lan........

No Broadband found.

Ensure your service is active. We'll email and text you when everything's ready.

If we have told you that your broadband is active, please check your cables and microfilters are correctly fitted. We show you how to do this in the setup guide.

Please close this window and try again.

Jubby
All Star
Posts: 626
Thanks: 111
Fixes: 31
Registered: ‎06-08-2018

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

Hello @Lynnpin,

Please accept my apologies for the issue with your broadband service.

After testing the line, your connection appears intermittent but the speed is within the estimates. I have noticed that your connection has an incorrect setting that is commonly linked with intermittent connectivity and performance issues however, I don't believe it to be causing this issue. This has been amended to make sure it's not the cause of the problem and will take effect immediately.

 

Could you connect your router to the test socket by following the guide here and complete our troubleshooting guides. Once complete, raise a fault and let us know on here once you have completed it. Are you experiencing any issues with your phone service or solely the broadband service?

 

Thank you.

If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Lewis G
 Infrastructure Operations Professional
Lynnpin
Grafter
Posts: 130
Thanks: 9
Registered: ‎31-07-2012

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

Hello @Jubby and thank you for your response. I will try your suggestions tomorrow when I've got more time.  As far as I'm aware the phone line is OK. I make and receive few calls but I haven't noticed any problems. All I know is that these disconnections started almost immediately Plusnet took over my phone line as well. Until then my broadband had been no problem at all and never disconnected like it is doing now.

 

Might your incorrect setting solve my disconnections do you think? Presumably it has had that setting for the past 7 or 8 years.  It seems odd that it would start now as soon as Plusnet take over my phone line. 

Jubby
All Star
Posts: 626
Thanks: 111
Fixes: 31
Registered: ‎06-08-2018

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

No problem @Lynnpin,

I can't say for certain that there is a correlation between the phone line been taken over and the disconnections in your broadband service, it could be a coincidence. However, I'm not ruling it out as a possibility. The setting is the SNR margin, usually when a line has been stable the SNR margin is lowered to try and improve performance. This can cause errors on the line but in this instance it didn't, I changed it as more of a preventative measure rather than a repair.

Let us know how you get on with the troubleshooting.

 

Thanks again.

If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Lewis G
 Infrastructure Operations Professional
Lynnpin
Grafter
Posts: 130
Thanks: 9
Registered: ‎31-07-2012

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

Thanks @Jubby for your help.

 

I just had a thought. There is a difference with my phone line since Plusnet took over.  I now have Voicemail 1571 on my line which I didn't before.  Could this have anything to do with it?

 

I also just wanted to clarify the lights on my router which is an old Thomson TG585 v8. There are four lights: Power, Wireless, Broadband and Internet. It is the Internet light that keeps going off or turning red, not the Broadband one, just in case I didn't make it clear.

DS
Seasoned Champion
Posts: 2,307
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Registered: ‎06-01-2017

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

That router is before my time with plusnet, but to me it sounds like an authentication issue at there end.

So I then went to check and (copied from https://www.plus.net/help/archive/broadband/thomson-585-faqs-and-troubleshooting/ )

Internet Status
Off There's no Internet connection
Red Connection to Internet failed. Check your Broadband Username and password
Green Device connected

 

(my bold)

It could well be a simple task for them to fix...?

RandallFlagg
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 1,915
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎11-01-2018

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

 

Hi @Lynnpin

 

Thanks for clarifying that - the internet light going red is likely to suggest a hardware (router) issue, rather than a connection to the exchange issue. Could you run through the troubleshooting that @Jubby has suggested and let us know if the problem still persists?

 

Best wishes

 

Dave

Lynnpin
Grafter
Posts: 130
Thanks: 9
Registered: ‎31-07-2012

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

Hi @RandallFlagg

 

I've just opened up my socket to do the tests but had forgotten that I don't have a master socket. It's one of the old LJU sockets.

 

As the disconnections are random throughout the day, I'm a bit confused at what I'm actually looking for. If I disconnect the phone from the combined filter and just have the broadband plugged in, how long am I supposed to leave it like this and how will I know if it's still going off unless I happen to be using it at the time?

Lynnpin
Grafter
Posts: 130
Thanks: 9
Registered: ‎31-07-2012

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

I hope you are right @DS 

OskarPapa
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 1,325
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Registered: ‎09-10-2018

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

Hi Lynnpin, thanks for your response.

 

Apologies for the lack of tagging - for some reason Community doesn't want to play today!

 

On checking the connection logs we're able to see that rather than random disconnections, there is a very clear pattern in the timings:

 

Red/Green vertical line indicates drop/reconnect.

 

With this information to hand, can you think of any automatic devices, heating systems or wifi doorbells for example, that could be activating at around 12pm and then later on at around 9pm?

Lynnpin
Grafter
Posts: 130
Thanks: 9
Registered: ‎31-07-2012

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

Hi @OskarPapa 

The only thing that those times are mildly significant to is the wireless central heating controller. It has a setting for 1.00 p.m. and 8.00 p.m. but it has been set like this for the past 10 years. But this doesn't explain why it goes off at 1.00 a.m. when the heating is switched off as I have had several occasions when this has happened.

BD
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 1,359
Fixes: 86
Registered: ‎24-04-2017

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

Hi @Lynnpin, thank you for getting back to us and confirming of your wireless heating which turns on around these times. It is certainly a bizarre one and I do feel the wireless heating is interfering with the connection in some way. I'd advise moving forwards then, to hopefully get to the bottom of how the wireless heating is taking a toll to look at disconnecting your heating from the wireless for say 24 hours and see if the drops continue. If so then it may not be necessarily the wireless of the heating it's self but perhaps the turning on/off of the central heating unit. If this be the case, then I'd suggest perhaps re-locating the router and seeing if the drops persist. If it turns out since the heating was removed from wireless the drops stopped please let us know as I feel new router options being discussed would be the best option from there.
I'd make sure also if it's not already the router is plugged directly into the mains socket and isn't routed through an adaptor or extension socket in which the wireless heating could be plugged onto also.

I'm afraid I can't explain why the heating change at 1am doesn't trigger a drop also but I'm hoping the troubleshooting above narrows down the problem.Let us know how it goes.

Lynnpin
Grafter
Posts: 130
Thanks: 9
Registered: ‎31-07-2012

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

Hi @BD 

Thanks for your input. The central heating controller may be the culprit as it was moved into the room where the router is around the time the disconnections started. I will move it to another room and see if it cures it.

 

The heating is programmed to go off at 11.30 p.m. but there have been several disconnections between 11.30 p.m. and 2.00 a.m. when no triggering of the central heating is occurring so it may not be entirely due to the heating controller.

 

By necessity my router is upstairs and thus is connected by an extension cable from the downstairs socket. This is not ideal but, as already mentioned, has worked fine for the past 8 years. The router and central heating have their own separate electrical sockets.

 

I will see what happens when moving the heating controller and report back.

BD
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 1,359
Fixes: 86
Registered: ‎24-04-2017

Re: Slow Internet and Frequent Connection Drops Since Adding Phone Line

Hi @Lynnpin, thanks for getting back to us. Your advised first troubleshoot step sounds ideal especially since the problem only started since the controller was in the same room as the router. Let us know how it goes and if the issue persists as we'll happily advise on further troubleshoot steps if the issue persists.