3 second ping time

[#1]

I have a problem where everything is fine for a few minutes and then for the next few minutes connection is super slow. I ran a ping test and you can see the same, 28ms or so and then suddenly 3 seconds and 30% dropped packets.

After a  long and increasingly frustrating conversation with a Plusnet agent, they said there is nothing they can do about it as ping time is not under their control. I can understand it if someone wants superfast ping for gaming, but I just want a working connection! He kept saying 'you have 5 MHz  bandwidth, it's fine'. Yes, but I have no data!!!!! Seems clear to me it's a problem with the DSLAM or at the exchange.

It's like the water board saying 'what are you complaining about, you have a pipe to your house, the fact that there is no water in it is not our problem'.

I am now at the stage of moving all my email contacts so I can terminate my Plusnet agreement - after more than 15 years!

Anyone else had this?

[#2]

Hi Phil, I'm really sorry about the issue and the admittedly poor support you've had on this so far, I'll do my best to help and make sure we get this sorted out. I was just wondering if you've been connected over WIFi or ethernet whilst this has been an issue and if you're still using the original router we sent out to you a few years ago.

[#3]

It would be good to cover the basics here...

Broadband is not going to work well if the "phone" line is not working properly.

Please perform a quiet line test - dial 17070 select option 2 using a corded phone plugged into the test socket behind the face plate of the master socket. It should be silent. A noisy phone line (or no dial tone) will have a marked adverse impact on the performance of broadband.

If the line is noisy or there is no dial tone, then a PHONE LINE fault needs to be raised with your phone provider. If this is PlusNet, you can report a fault on line using the button below.  From the Q&A list, choose the one which matches the problem, 'open' the 'section' and click the trouble-shooter link.  NB: If you receive a failure message (rather than a log-in prompt) then log-in to the user portal in a different browser tab and attempt to use the trouble-shooter again.

• Phone Faults

What line speed doe the router report?

How is your line performing?

Please post your router stats; for PN routers use the buttons below, for other routers look at the Kitz link.

Also run a BT Wholesale speed test (ideally using an Ethernet wired PC with the WiFi turned off) then run the further diagnostics, download the .PDF report and post the results here. DO NOT REBOOT the router!

Check the Plusnet user portal for the "Current Line Speed" which is relevant to users with static IP addresses.

• TG582n Stats
• Hub 0 Stats
• Hub 2 Stats
• Kitz list
• BTw Speedtest
• PN Broadband Status

[#4]

Hi Adam - thanks for the prompt reply.

This is on a hardwired ethernet connection. I've stripped the system down to a laptop plugged straight into the router to test this. Also tried a microfilter direct into the telephone test socket to eliminate internal telephone wiring. I have a 4g off air router as a backup and this works fine, so I'm 100% sure it's somewhere on the outgoing path from the Plusnet router.

The agent told me my router is 5 years old, although I thought it was possibly older. The engineer who came to site (previous call) wanted to change it. He did not have a spare but said he'd get one sent. Unfortunately this never came to pass and the agent said I'd have to pay if I wanted a new one.

[#5]

So this is not a WiFi issue so it must be a line issue, probably an intermittent issue, which points to a voice problem.  Is there noise on the line?  What are the stats reported by the router?

[#6]

Tested the line - silent....

Are these the stats?

Your Plusnet adviser may ask you for the following information:
1 - Product name: Plusnet Router
2 - Serial number: N7160891B002583
3 - Firmware version: 7.275.11_F2704N_Plusnet
4 - Board version: F@ST2704N
5 - Mode ADSL
6 - Uptime: 2 days 02:29:14
7 - Data rate: 1053/5347
8 - Maximum data rate: 1052/5784
9 - Noise margin: 5.9/11.7
10 - Line attenuation: 27.8/48.5
12 - Data sent/received: 2.2G/325.8M
20 - Broadband username: XXXXXXXXXXXX
21 - Wi-Fi network/SSID: PLUSNET-QM83XK
22 - Wi-Fi connections: Disable(802.11 b/g/n(up to 144 Mb/s))20 MHz WPS enabled
23 - Wi-Fi security: WPA2
24 - Wi-Fi channel: Automatic (Smart Wireless)
25 - Firewall: Default
26 - MAC Address: 90:4d:4a:6c:0d:e4
27 - Software variant Version 1.0
28 - Boot loader: 7.275.2

[#7]

Yes, They are.

The 11.7dB DS SNRM figure suggests that noise is present on the line and that the DLM is managing the line for stability.  Normally the SNRM should be 6dB.  The SNRM and sync speed are inversely proportional - if one figure goes down, the other goes up, so a raised SNRM means slower speeds.

The target SNRM figure should be 6dB, or something else (usually higher) in 3dB steps - 11.7dB is close to 12dB which is fairly aggressive DLM management for stability.  That suggests that there have been large noise spikes on the line, which have caused repeated disconnections, with the DLM responding accordingly to counteract.

There is no report here of a line test and the results - probably because the initial analysis looked towards a WiFi issue on the 5GHz band, which the 2704 (Plusnet Hub Zero) router does not support.  Sight of the recent disconnection history (VR plot from Plusnet) might be illuminating.

The 2704n router does not work with any of the useful line monitoring tools, so for the moment (unless you have access to another router) just keep a watch on things - when you notice slow ping times, pick up the telephone and check the line for noise.  Bad joints will cause intermittent poor performance; such would be a typical cause of the SNRM being as high as is yours.

[#8]

Hi Adam - thanks for the prompt reply.

This is on a hardwired ethernet connection. I've stripped the system down to a laptop plugged straight into the router to test this. Also tried a microfilter direct into the telephone test socket to eliminate internal telephone wiring. I have a 4g off air router as a backup and this works fine, so I'm 100% sure it's somewhere on the outgoing path from the Plusnet router.

The agent told me my router is 5 years old, although I thought it was possibly older. The engineer who came to site (previous call) wanted to change it. He did not have a spare but said he'd get one sent. Unfortunately this never came to pass and the agent said I'd have to pay if I wanted a new one.

[#9]

Odd ... duplicate of post #4 - did something get stuck in the spam filter?

I doubt that there is anything wrong with the router here.  It is very clear that the DLM is managing the line - the question is why?

[#10]

Hiya @PhilDunford, 

I'm really sorry for the hassle this is causing and I can appreciate how annoying this must be. I have opened the complaint and provided an update here. My colleague Adam will follow up with you.  

[#11]

Thanks Sammy

[#12]

Hi Townman

Plusnet are sending me a new router, so I'll try that - although as you say, I'm not sure it will fix it.

I can hear no difference on the quiet test on the phone if the fault is present or absent.  There is an almost imperceptible background noise all the time, but really it's very quite for a 2KM mostly overhead country line. I've had previous faults which caused slow speed, but the crackle was so loud you could not make out a word anyone was saying and the fault was easily fixed by the lineman. 

[#13]

H Phil, I'll check in with you after a couple of days to see if the router has reached you and we'll pick things up from there.

[#14]

So...

I (coincidentally?)  had a burst of really noisy line - openreach found a bad joint and fixed it. Line seems OK again. However, internet problem is exactly the same.

New router arrived (thank you Plusnet). fitted and pinned up OK, but new weird problem.

Blue light on.

Can access google and do a search, but as soon as I go to any website, I get "This site can't be reached, connection reset". Before I raise another call, am I doing something silly?

At no time was I asked for my logon or password - don't know if this is relevant. 

[#15]

Hiya @PhilDunford, thanks for getting back to us. I'm pleased the engineer was able to locate an issue and resolve it. 

It looks like your router is failing to authenticate and is connecting on set up details. I'd advise to complete the following steps:

1) Connect to the Hub One via WiFi or Ethernet, then open a browser and go to http://192.168.1.254

2) You should come to a page with information about your connection, click 'Settings' at the top and it will ask you to sign in with a Password. This is located on the back of your router under 'Admin Password'

3) Select the option for 'Broadband.'

4) You will see some default options, if not, please press 'Disconnect' on the right and this will allow you to change the Username and Password.

5) For your username, this should be your account username and should be in the following format: username@plusdsl.net
Your password is your account password

6) Press 'Connect' and you should be online.

I can see Adam is due to follow up with you later today, let us know how you get on with these steps!