Speed

[#1]

@dougrice  I notice from your web page the solwise filter.  Whilst this particular one may be OK I have discovered from a number of tests that almost all the plug-in double-adapter types are only good for up to 2mb.
Peter

[#2]

The good old radio may help you with this one. Get a cheap little portable radio and tune it so there is no signal and its quite then walk around the house near the router etc and see if it picks up any noise. If it does you may be able to trace the source.
TV, microwave, games station central heating all maybe the problem, try when you are on the phone and also try outside as it could be something out there.
It is often a surprise what you find doing this little trick you could have power cable near the BT socket

[#3]

Good morning
As mentioned I will write up a log of my experience and post it next week.
Just a quick response for all the helpful comments people have kindly made - this is the latest answer (below) from PlusNet to my raised problem. We got to this point after I asked to cancel my subscription to PN and they asked me to disconnect everything from the test socket while they carried out another test. This test only took half an hour and they contacted me on my mobile to tell me my line still had a problem with every thing disconnected. Hopefully it will all be resolved when BT have looked at the line but I will update this log fully as soon as it is resolved.
John
Copper line test:
Test Outcome : Fail
Description : FAULT - Loop (Rectified)
Diagnosis Code: T024
MFL : CA
Copper line test still showing rectified loop fault with ALL equipment disconnected from phone line, including master socket faceplate.
Raising to BT for further investigation.
Kind regards,.

[#4]

Quote from: Redmarshall

We got to this point after I asked to cancel my subscription to PN and they asked me to disconnect everything from the test socket while they carried out another test.

Given that this problem has been knocking about for some time now PN should have one way or another arrived at this earlier and without an imminent threat of losing a customer. 

[#5]

Hmm.  Looking at the ticket, it seems to suggest that we recommended unplugging all devices with just the test socket in use back on the 16th?

[#6]

Quote from: pd

@dougrice   I notice from your web page the solwise filter.  Whilst this particular one may be OK I have discovered from a number of tests that almost all the plug-in double-adapter types are only good for up to 2mb. Peter

I've got a couple of similar "double adapter" types, brand not marked, but they were only good up to 3M3. (They didn't connect to the bell wire and had their own bell capacitor).

[#7]

Sorry for the length of this document – I did say I would post a log!
We live in a relatively modern house with an underground phone cable which surfaces close to the front door. From there the cable travels one metre in to the hall and terminates with the BT Master Socket. We live about 2 miles from the telephone exchange.
22nd April 2008
Broadband service activated.
5th May
Could only get a broadband connection when I was either making or receiving a phone call. I was advised to change the filter.
12th May
Same problem as above and was advised to try using another filter and use the test socket.
22nd May – 12th June (Call ID: 25124640)
Continuously in contact with PN over disconnections and speed problems. I carried out all their recommendations including changing filters, using the test socket, trying different phones etc. etc.
As the fault was intermittent I thought we had resolved the problem by the 12th June so I said I would monitor my connection for the next few days – unfortunately PN closed my call.
By now I had used 5 filters, I new modified faceplate, 2 routers, 3 telephones and numerous RS11 cables. All these were wired directly in to the master socket. I have also updated the firmware on both routers.
I have disconnected my answer-phone and my Sky box.
Unfortunately I was also becoming paranoid – I have even disconnected my wireless doorbell!
13th June – Present Day  (Call ID: 25332379)
Problems re-occurring so had to raise a new call but they did link it to my previous call. A couple of times we got close to calling a BT Engineer but as I can’t afford to give BT £170.00 I was trying everything I could think of to resolve the problem.
By the morning of the 20th June I got so frustrated with the situation (i.e. being advised to use the test socket, only using a corded phone, change the filter, check overhead telephone cables etc. etc.) that I created a pdf document including photographs explaining my set-up (http://www.redmarshall.plus.com/PlusNetCall.pdf) and posted this to my call.
20th June (pm) PN replied to another query I raised (where I am being charged 15p/min for calls to an 02 mobile instead of 5p/min) and said they wouldn’t refund me.
This was the straw that broke the camels back!
I phoned PN to advise them that I was going to change my phone & line back to BT and that I would then be moving my ISP!
In the ensuing discussion the analyst looked at my help call and said that I had done everything anyone could be expected to do and that it needed sorting out. He said he would phone back later.
(10:00pm) PN phoned and asked me to disconnect everything from my master test socket so they could do further tests – the faceplate was already removed.
(10:45pm) PN phoned my mobile to say they were still getting a fault on my line even though there was nothing connected to it and that it would have to be referred to BT!
Latest entry in my help call :-
Copper line test:
Test Outcome : Fail
Description : FAULT - Loop (Rectified)
Diagnosis Code: T024
MFL : CA
Copper line test still showing rectified loop fault with ALL equipment disconnected from phone line, including master socket faceplate.
Raising to BT for further investigation.
Kind regards,
After all this I still got the ‘standard’ e-mail from PN saying I would be charged £169.20 (inc. VAT) if the fault was on my system – not something I can really afford! I replied with my available times and also mentioned that PN’s test on my line (with nothing connected) had shown a fault so how could it be my equipment!
24th June (yesterday)
BT Openreach engineer came and did some checks. After a few problems with his laptop (which was giving strange messages) he checked both the one metre of wire that runs in to my house and also the BT NTE5 box. He ended up changing the NTE5 box. He also said he would give me a ring on Saturday to see if it is ok.
My router has now been connected for 22.5 hours and my phone line is also silent. Unfortunately my line rate is down to 512 Kbps but hopefully that will improve over the next couple of days.
I am not sure why PN Analysts do not advise all users with noise/disconnection problems to disconnect everything and they could then test the line. This would seemingly confirm whether it is a BT problem or the customer’s own wiring!
And finally – many thanks for the helpful comments and links from forum member.   
John

[#8]

Hi John,
To be honest with you, disconnecting all devices from the telephone sockets should be performed earlier on and I'm surprised that it wasn't.
I'm very glad to hear that everything is now working properly.

[#9]

@Jameseh,
I think your response to the post is missing the point/intent. True the problems that Redmarshall experienced should have been resolved much sooner than they were, but it would seem from not only this thread but also others on a similar vein, that Plusnet are reluctant to recommend a BT engineer visit until numerous checks have been made, because of the cost. Yet in this particular instance the line test that Plusnet performed confirmed that there was a line problem, but did not have the confidence in this line test. Rather than giving a warning about the potential charge to the customer, why couldn't Plusnet have reassured Redmarshall that if BT tried to fob him off with a 'no line problem' report that they would challenge BT on this if they tried to levy a charge?
Is the line test that Plusnet performed in this case part of the later stages of the Faults checker, and could it be performed earlier in the process rather than expecting customers to pay for new filters, filtered faceplates, routers and cables?

[#10]

Hi Maranello,
Firstly, the batch of tests that indicated a fault on the line were run manually by a CSC Analyst.  It also does not indicate with 100% guarantee that the fault is line/exchange related.  It may indicate that this is the case and will have been passed through to BT accordingly.  We are also expected by BTw to advise of any potential charges with our customers prior to booking an engineer appointment.
We are always very careful to ensure that our customer are not hit with a hefty bill from BT Wholesale.  I appreciate that the number of tests can be frustrating, but I'm absolutely certain that they would rather go through these rather than having to pay us £144+VAT to pass on to BT.

[#11]

@Jameseh,
Thanks for clarifying the situation. TBH I'm not surprised that the line tests performed by the CSC analyst are not 100% guaranteed, it's just unfortunate that BTw can't provide ISPs with more reliable tools.
However....
If a BT engineer can plug a laptop into a phone line and diagnose a problem (or as a minimum indicate that a problem exists), then why can't the software be avaiable for users to do a self diagnosis?
As customers we want some re-assurance that we won't be stung with a large bill, and going through the stages of the fault checker should be sufficient to isolate the fault to either the customers' or BTw's responsibility. But there does appear to be a stage reached when all the tests that a customer can reasonably be expexcted to perform does not confirm the fault, and at such a point it should be possible for Plusnet to perform sufficient line testing to have a high degree of confidence (if 100% is not achievable) that the fault lies with BTw. It would be good customer service if Plusnet would absorb the charges for the (small number of?) instances where the testing falsely indicated a line fault.

[#12]

FRUSTRATION 
Just managed to get my Line Rate to about 5,000 and then had to make a phone call. As I was making the call the broadband lost its connection and re-connected after the phone call at 224Kbps.
I think I will go back to Dial Up !!!!!!
I have updated my ticket again.
John

[#13]

Hi John,
If you reboot your router again, do you then get faster connection speeds?

[#14]

Hi Jameseh
It has jumped to Download Line Rate of 2176
John

[#15]

I've just read this thread from start to finish again.
It sounds to me that you still have a 'dry/dirty' joint somewhere on your line.
Considering the PN test results, the OpenReach engineer did not do his job properly, he should have checked and re-made every joint at every DP and cab between your Linebox and the exchange. The problem is totally symptomatic of this as such faults can appear to be intermittent espcially as your line seemed quiet when you did the quiet line test.