Broadband dropping out

[#1]

Everything has been fine since I joined Plusnet in October 2021 until the last week or so.

Now I'm getting frequent dropouts.

Rebooting my router gets me back online.

I would like to know why the dropouts have started to happen..

[#2]

Thanks for getting in touch, I'm really sorry you are having an issue with your your connection, I can appreciate the hassle this is causing. 

I'm sorry for the delay in responding, we're chocca at the moment so it is taking longer than usual to get back to you guys. 

I will look into this for you and respond shortly

[#3]

Thanks for your patience, I appreciate it. 

I have ran a test and it isn't highlighting anything external that could be causing this and I would like to check the drops you are seeing match what we can see. 

Can you check the image below and let me know if it does? 

[#4]

Thanks for having a look at this problem. Your graph shows what I would call my normal usage.

From Wednesday I started keeping a log of drop-outs:

Wed 24 Aug 2022 19:10

Sat 27 Aug 2022  19:30

Sat 27 Aug 2022  19:45

[#5]

Broadband still dropping out.

Here is my log of dropouts:

Wed 24 Aug 2022  19:10

Sat 27 Aug 2022  19:30

Sat 27 Aug 2022  19:45

Sat 3 Sep 2022  09:56

Sat 3 Sep 2022  18:10

Sat 3 Sep 2022  18:13

Sat 3 Sep 2022  18:15

[#6]

Sorry for the late reply. Are you turning your router off at night? 

If so would you be able to leave it on all of the time then see if your connection improves?

Routers are designed to be left on 24/7 as they're very power efficient. 

[#7]

Thanks for your suggestion Gandalf. I will try leaving my router on continuously for 1 month to see what happens.

There was no problem with dropouts until the last few weeks, so I feel sceptical that this is the solution.

[#8]

No problem and thanks for getting back to me.

The problem is though that neither our tests nor the exchange equipment can tell the difference between genuine drops or you turning your router off. Additionally, power-cycling your router everyday may wear out the components in the router faster.

Having said that, I've tested your line and the tests are showing a "Loop Rectified" fault which is a bit like a short-circuit somewhere. Normally caused by wiring or equipment gone wrong, so could very well be down to the router itself. 

Is your router plugged into your master telephone socket and do you have any other telephone sockets in your property? Also do you have any other equipment plugged in like a landline phone? 

Lastly if you're able to unplug all equipment and cables from all phone sockets, I can run the test again and check if we're still seeing the same fault, which would tell us if the problem is down to what you unplugged. 

[edit]

If you do unplug stuff, I'd recommend by 4pm at latest as I'll finish my shift at 4:30pm and I'm not in tomorrow but I can pick this back up with you on Tuesday if needed  

[#9]

Gandalf:

My router is not plugged into my master socket, as there is no power available nearby.

I have a socket with a call screener connected, which loops through to a phone.

I have another socket with just a phone plugged in.

I will unplug everything now for a couple of hours to give you a chance to repeat the line test.

The last drop was at 15:17 today (Sunday) and in addition there was no dial tone.

[#10]

An ex BT technician I know found that my phone was responsible for the loop rectifier fault. Hopefully all will be well now. Thanks to those who have tried to help.

[#11]

Humble apologies for the delay. How are things now? 

[#12]

Hi Gandalf: I have disconnected the phone that was causing the loop rectified fault, so now I have to wait to see if everything is back to normal. Thank you for your help, and also SammyM.

[#13]

Cool, no problem. I've just retested your line and the tests aren't showing that loop rectified fault now so yeah it looks like your phone was the cause. Let us know if you have further issues or there's anything else you'd need help with.