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Synch Speed Blues :(

Naiad
Grafter
Posts: 36
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Synch Speed Blues :(

Help! I'm getting desperate.
Something's suddenly (within the last couple of weeks I think) interfering with my sync speed, which is now being being chopped back to the 1600s at intermittent times that I can't really pinpoint, except that it seems to be during daytime after about 9:15. At least that's what I've found so far, now that I've realised there's a Big Problemo.
My phoneline isn't the best in the world as I'm in a rural village. However, after I got a 2Wire 2700HGV router I found I could get a rock-solid synch-speed of around 2272 which held all day and night for months and months on end unless I actually switched it off or the electric went off. But it always came back at 2272.
Now, in last fortnight, synch keeps cutting back for no apparent reason to the 1600 mark and it's badly affecting my browsing/downloading speed. I've been able to reboot and get higher synching at between 2336 and even up to 2528 in late afternoons or evenings, which will then hold overnight until there's the same old cutback next morning. So *something's* definitely up which didn't happen before.
So far I have tried:
Using a different router - same happens.
Using a different new splitter (I always leave it plugged straight into test socket anyway and we have 1 phone and no extra phone extensions). Same still happens.
Checked that nothing in the house is causing the problem e.g. phone ringing, central heating switching on/off, printer use, and everything I could think of. Nothing electrical on the premises seems to be the cause.  
I can't get the BT tester to work, as it keeps timing out and reporting a test error, try later message. (Have tried it over three days now.)
It's awful being stuck at this snail's pace and I'm really fed up with it. I want my synch back!   Cry
Any help greatly appreciated.
Current router stats:
DSL Line (Wire Pair): Line 1 (inner pair)
Protocol: G.DMT Annex A
Downstream Rate: 1632 kbps
Upstream Rate: 448 kbps
Channel: Interleaved
Current Noise Margin: 6.0 dB (Downstream) 17.0 dB (Upstream)
Current Attenuation: 59.8 dB (Downstream) 31.5 dB (Upstream)
Current Output Power: 16.7 dBm (Downstream) 11.9 dBm (Upstream) :
16 REPLIES 16
stmirren87
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎04-11-2008

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Quote from: Naiad

I can't get the BT tester to work, as it keeps timing out and reporting a test error, try later message. (Have tried it over three days now.)

You're not alone. Quite a few in here having exactly the same problem with Speedtester, me included. Can only assume there's a fault with the site. Anyone from Plusnet able to check it out? Been like this for a few days now.
Steve
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 6,853
Thanks: 336
Registered: ‎13-07-2009

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Quote from: stmirren87
Anyone from Plusnet able to check it out? Been like this for a few days now.
You might want to look here...http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,93646.144.html
If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 9,786
Registered: ‎16-06-2010

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Hi Naiad,
The main thing I read from your message was when you said the phone line isn't that good. Plug the handset in by itself and dial 17070 option 2 for the quiet line test and if there is noise then I would report it to your phone provider. That's the first thing I would be checking if your phone was with us.
Jojo Smiley
Naiad
Grafter
Posts: 36
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Hi Joanne. Yes I did try the quietline test first and it was silent. Sorry, forgot to add that.
When I said the line isn't that good I meant in respect of broadband - voice calls are okay (BT). We don't get high BB speeds here though, and I also used to get fairly frequent cuts to my stable rate for no apparent reason using a Netgear router. Then I got hold of the 2700HGV as recommended by someone on Plusnet's customer-feedback newsgroup and found it would get a better synch and hang on for dear life to the connection month after month - until this recent problem arose.
[edited to add following]:
Just restarted at 1:25 a.m. and get 2240kbps with these stats:
DSL Line (Wire Pair): Line 1 (inner pair)
Protocol: G.DMT Annex A
Downstream Rate: 2240 kbps
Upstream Rate: 448 kbps
Channel: Interleaved
Current Noise Margin: 6.0 dB (Downstream) 18.0 dB (Upstream)
Current Attenuation: 59.8 dB (Downstream) 31.5 dB (Upstream)
Current Output Power: 17.5 dBm (Downstream) 11.9 dBm (Upstream)
Naiad
Grafter
Posts: 36
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Another update:
Saturday 26th afternoon  we'd been knocked back to 1642kbps. A restart at 16:40 put us back to 2464. This synch held overnight and and most of Sunday until checked at 17:25 when things seemed to have slowed up. Sure enough another cut, this time to 1583kbps. I switched router off until 22:48 when it came back up at 2240.
I tried the BT tester again tonight and it still won't work.
I can't trace the timing of the interference, or whatever is causing the problem, to anything happening in the house and it doesn't seem to be at any particular time(s), except to say as far as I can tell it's during daytime.

To reiterate: we were fine with a rock-solid 2272 synch until around a fortnight ago. Pleeease can Plusnet save my sanity and do whatever else is necessary to get this sorted out.

orbrey
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 10,540
Registered: ‎18-07-2007

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Hi Naiad,
I've just checked your connection logs with the intent to check the line profile consistency across the exchange kit, and am not sure it's worth trying this based on the number of disconnections happening on your line (those are what's causing the profile to reduce constantly). I'd recommend raising us a fault to be honest - the previous ticket was closed as the connection was stated as working. If you run through http://faults.plus.net and advise it's a dropping connection issue it should come through fine.
Please let us know when you've done this and we'll get the line tested and the fault raised for you.
Naiad
Grafter
Posts: 36
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Hello Matt,
Thanks; I've raised the ticket (#41187805).
When I came home this evening we only got a 1664kbps synch. It had been 2240 since yesterday at 22:48, all night and until somewhere between 13:26 and 13:52 this afternoon when I checked again and found it'd reduced.  Will leave everything switched on as it is now.
The present stats are:
DSL Line (Wire Pair): Line 1 (inner pair)
Protocol: G.DMT Annex A
Downstream Rate: 1664 kbps
Upstream Rate: 448 kbps
Channel: Interleaved
Current Noise Margin: 9.0 dB (Downstream) 18.0 dB (Upstream)
Current Attenuation: 59.8 dB (Downstream) 31.5 dB (Upstream)
Current Output Power: 16.6 dBm (Downstream) 11.9 dBm (Upstream)
Many thanks.
bobpullen
Community Gaffer
Community Gaffer
Posts: 16,869
Thanks: 4,950
Fixes: 315
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Hi there,
Having just seen your post over on p.s.customer-feedback I've taken a look at your ticket, run some tests on the line and raised a fault with our supplier. Another few days and we should be able to get another engineer out to you...

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
If I've been helpful then please give thanks ⤵

Naiad
Grafter
Posts: 36
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Thanks for your assistance Bob. Much as I appreciate your own efforts 'someone' seems to have decided I do not warrant having my line properly checked out. The ticket has just been bounced back because "broadband is not a guaranteed service and unfortunately it is susceptible to disconnections from time to time and thus we do not consider the frequency of your drops in connection to be a fault".
Er yeah - I *know* BB is not guaranteed, I'm not stupid.
But if they'd bothered to read all the info I've been trying to tell them over and over on this ticket...  a few weeks ago the trusty 2Wires *would* hold a steady synch of 2272kbps and now don't (except overnight when it's usually ok).  *Something* is now causing daily dsl drops and resynchs down to the 1600s. Happens every day if I've rebooted the router to try and get a better speed back again. Later on in evening it'll be ok.
This is a *recent* development and the first engineer that visited even witnessed one of these drops happening just as he was doing initial testing. He agreed there was some kind of problem somewhere. But because it's only intermittent, once he'd found a connection in the first cabinet that was dodgy then came back to retest, the line synched at a better rate again (it probably would have anyway until the next drop).
BUT whatever is actually causing the intermittent problem is still not resolved. Nothing's changed.
I wish the bloke had done a thorough job and checked out the other connections etc down the line and at the exchange, but he didn't bother. They haven't tried everything so I still think checking the rest of BT's line joints and exchange equipment needs doing. The engineer said himself that if I still had the same problem I would need to reraise the ticket.
Well I have, but your Plusnet CS colleagues apparently can't, or don't want, to get BT/Openreach to go the whole mile and finish the job they started.
Sorry if I sound brassed off about it but that's because I am.  Not with you though, you're a good 'un. Smiley
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 9,786
Registered: ‎16-06-2010

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

HI Naiad,
I've just been doing some checks on your line and looking through the history but I have to agree with the faults team. The drops aren't significantly frequent enough to be classed as a fault and we have to have some sound basis to raise an engineer. If there was something that was causing an issue then the DLM would have restricted the IP profile lower than 1250 which yours has not gone below. I've posted below a graph of the latest disconnections for you to see.
Jojo Smiley
Naiad
Grafter
Posts: 36
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Hi Joanne.
That's all very good - but not really explaining why I'm seeing a recent change in how my connection is working now, as opposed to a few weeks previously when I didn't have a problem with it. Or why things are ok overnight but not during day.
Could you explain to me please why your graphs of disconnections don't show when I am getting dsl drops and resynchs? I might be being dense but I don't quite get that. One such example Saturday 16th when I had resynch happen at 21:42pm  down to 1632kbps from the previous 2560. If I am browsing while this happens I lose connection until the resynch is done.
I've had another drop this afternoon while I happened to be checking out the router stats in between working. The 'noise margin' I noticed had dropped down to a low of 3db just before I lost connection. Here are the stats I managed to keep from before and after. At night - when I thought things were supposed to be at their worst - I normally see 6db margin or more and don't see any resynching at all. I don't understand this. It wasn't happening a few weeks ago. Afaic there is something wrong.
Stats:
19 Apr 2011 10:45am
Current DSL Connection:
Down Up
Rate: 2208 kbs 448 kbs
Max Rate: 2208 kbs 812 kbs
Noise Margin: 6.0 dB 17.0 dB
Attenuation: 60.2 dB 31.5 dB
Output Power: 17.5 dBm 11.9 dBm
19 Apr @ 13:36pm
Current DSL Connection:
Down Up
Rate: 2208 kbs 448 kbs
Max Rate: 2208 kbs 812 kbs
Noise Margin: 3.0 dB 17.0 dB
Attenuation: 60.2 dB 31.5 dB
Output Power: 17.4 dBm 11.9 dBm
NB dsl drop and resych at this point.
From router log:
INF 2011-04-19T13:37:26+01:00 sys dsl0: connection lost, reconnecting...
19 Apr @ 13:42
Current DSL Connection:
Rate: 1728 kbs 448 kbs
Max Rate: 1728 kbs 816 kbs
Noise Margin: 5.0 dB 17.0 dB
Attenuation: 60.3 dB 31.5 dB
Output Power: 16.6 dBm 11.9 dBm
19 Apr @ 14:14
Down Up
Rate: 1728 kbs 448 kbs
Max Rate: 1728 kbs 816 kbs
Noise Margin: 9.0 dB 17.0 dB
Attenuation: 60.3 dB 31.5 dB
Output Power: 16.7 dBm 11.9 dBm
edited to correct copy stats date.
MisterW
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 14,575
Thanks: 5,411
Fixes: 385
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Your 2700HGV will store a log of the resysnchs. If its a version 5 firmware then you get to it from http://home/mdc ( it will ask for your router password )  and then select 'dsl diagnostics' from the menu. That should give you the resynch history ( not sure how far back it will store but its at least a dozen or so )  which you could then capture and post.

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.

jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 9,786
Registered: ‎16-06-2010

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

HI Naiad,
Ok, I see where you are coming from. I've explained what's happening to one of our top faults guys and he's agreed to give it a good look over for you.
Jojo Smiley
Naiad
Grafter
Posts: 36
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Synch Speed Blues :(

Thanks Joanne, much appreciated.
@MisterW:
I'm using a v6 atm, although I normally use one with v5 - which was what I had connected when I first realised summat was up.
The diagnostics only give retrains back to 16th for some reason, and I can't see a way to change it to show earlier. I'll look again when I have more time. Can't say I like the web interface of this v6 very much!