Connection goes on and off like a set of Christmas tree lights today

[#1]

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@ColdharbourDave wrote:

The TP Link router is/was AC2000 wireless dual band ADSL2+ modem router Archer D50. 

Checking page 18 of the handbook for that,  it appears that you do have the possibility of being able to control bufferbloat,

although we'd have to work out what the numbers are for your connection first, but can't be any worse than the Hub2

You might have to wait a while for the above image to appear, or wait until @James_B  fixes this stupid forum image censorship.

[#2]

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@outcast wrote:

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@Baldrick1 wrote:
I have it from a very reliable source that the BT version of their hub incorporates QoS features that prioritise voice traffic

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Well yes and no !

The router that any new BT customer will receive is the "BT Smart Hub 2"

The "BT Smart Hub 2" does prioritise VoIP traffic using a separate dedicated VLAN when connected by FTTP or VDSL.

  HOWEVER

The "BT Smart Hub 2" does NOT support prioritised VoIP when traffic is passed via ADSL.

My understanding is that the "BT Smart Hub 2" doesn't have any user adjustable QoS controls to optimise broadband.

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Very true. It is designed to simply support their own 'Digital Voice' service.

[#3]

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@Baldrick1 wrote:

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@ColdharbourDave wrote:

So you recommend I simply walk away from this ADSL contract and pay PlusNet over £300 for no service do you?

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I'm not sure who you think is suggesting that?

If Full Fibre is available then you can upgrade to this with Plusnet

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That was probably directed at me, as I've pointed out that the AltNet mentioned in the first post

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@ColdharbourDave wrote:

I'm beginning to wonder if one of the new fibre providers such a G Network is the way to go. 

At least you don't then have to negotiate with BT Openreach (and possibly now EE)

I've been with Force9/PlusNet since 1994. I can feel a change coming on!

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appears to be available at £15/month for full fibre., as posted in Reply #39

Given that @ColdharbourDave  also said -

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@ColdharbourDave wrote:

I am on a copper landline to minimise cost - and being deaf it just so happens I have a BT 200 phone for the deaf.

I appreciate this will not be an option when copper ceases - but I am a (STATE) pensioner and trying to keep costs down.

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So even if Openreach Full Fibre is available (as per @bmc 's enquiry),

the cheapest Plusnet offering would be significantly more expensive at £25.99/month -

[#4]

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@ColdharbourDave wrote:

I am a (STATE) pensioner and trying to keep costs down.

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@ColdharbourDave 

To help you with finding you an affordable way forward,

Can you give us a ballpark idea of what you are paying Plusnet every month for -

• Line rental
• ADSL broadband
• Call package
• out of package call charges
• anything else

From looking around, just line rental with ADSL is more expensive than the low end full fibre prices,

and Plusnet's out-of-package call charges are VERY expensive compare the the same calls made via VoIP.

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[#5]

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@outcast wrote:

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The router that any new BT customer will receive is the "BT Smart Hub 2"

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Is there such a thing as a 'new BT customer' ?  Are they not all put onto EE with the EE 'tower' that they find so difficult to make support full digital voice ?

Remember that @ColdharbourDave needs a working green BT431 socket for his BT200 corded phone.  The cop-out of a free set of wi-fi cordless handsets is of no use.

[#6]

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@ColdharbourDave wrote:

Fair enough. But how can a faulty ADSL connection cause certain Google searches to cut the internet connection?

And indeed that curious fault whereby my bank calling me and asking me to input a pass number causes the internet to cut out.

(not sure if this is still happening - I did get through to the bank on Friday - at snail's pace not suitable for transactions)  

Speaking as a former analogue electronic engineer (audio) in the 1980s this idea that its the ADSL that is the problem to me smacks of gold-plated loudspeaker terminals etc (ie Woo!) 

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May be duplicate but it did not show up.. lets see if I remember what I put !

Any data (eg google search) has to get there and back intact and in a reasonable time or it generates errors.  That includes the data verifying the 'secure' certificate.

The bank calling puts the ring voltage on your copper pair.  If (as seems highly probable) that pair is faulty the 60V thrashing about is going to change things.  Even just picking up the handset for a dail tone might change things - for better or worse.

However all this is pointing to copper side faults so hopefully you just need putting on to a different pair which is a swap in exchange and manhole/cabinet.  The allegedly scarce ADSL parts should not come into that.

[#7]

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@mwwagain wrote:

Remember that @ColdharbourDave needs a working green BT431 socket for his BT200 corded phone.

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Which is why he needs a VoIP adaptor in order to continue using the BT200,

that then assumes a usable working VoIP service, which would be tricky to do over a poor ADSL line.

Therefore the logical move is to get the £15/month 50Mbps AltNet full fibre installed, and migrate the phone number to VoIP.

Job done.

He just needs to get out of paying the early termination charges on the remaining contract with Plusnet, either due to unresolved line fault, or Plusnet breaking their contract of not being able to supply SoADSL when Openreach remove the telephone voice component as a result of the PSTN retirement in early 2026.

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[#8]

@mwwagain thanks for the helpful explanation.

@outcast got it in one. My phone issue is the ability to use the BT200 when required. 

[#9]

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@outcast wrote:

Therefore the logical move is to get the £15/month 50Mbps AltNet full fibre installed, and migrate the phone number to VoIP.

He just needs to get out of paying the early termination charges on the remaining contract with Plusnet, 

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THe Altnet £15 offer is a social tariff requiring @ColdharbourDave to qualify for certain benefits. BT also offer social tariffs, so a call to Plusnet Customer services and  a request to move to a social tariff with BT should result in the same outcome but without the ETCs.

[#10]

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@mwwagain wrote:

Is there such a thing as a 'new BT customer' ?  Are they not all put onto EE with the EE 'tower' that they find so difficult to make support full digital voice ?

Just to complete this argument then, having explained the hypothetical case of what happens with SoADSL and VoIP with BT, the Plusnet customers (on ADSL ONLY) who have been directed by Plusnet support to migrate to EE "Digital Voice", quickly discover that EE won't take on SoADSL customers, and instead direct them toward SoADSL known to be available from BT, only then to discover that BT don't support VoIP on SoADSL lines with the provided router.

Somewhere on the BT website, there was a reference that suggested customers on SoADSL might be able to get third party VoIP working, but that they would require a suitable third party router with VoIP QoS which the customer would need to have suitable technical knowledge to configure.

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[#11]

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@Baldrick1 wrote:

... BT also offer social tariffs, so a call to Plusnet Customer services and  a request to move to a social tariff with BT should result in the same outcome but without the ETCs.

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Good point !

We won't know whether that is a possibility until  @ColdharbourDave  responds to Reply #59,  to know what options he has.

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[#12]

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@outcast 
…, and instead direct them toward SoADSL known to be available from BT, only then to discover that BT don't support VoIP on SoADSL lines with the provided router..

When you say VoIP, do I assume the generic service provided by third party organisations?

Why would BT support this when their routers are ready configured to support their own ‘Digital Voice’ service?

[#13]

Just to provide an update.

PlusNet left me a message on voicemail Saturday afternoon asking me to get in touch to arrange an engineer home visit

I called customer services Sunday morning - having had a poor start to the day Internet wise.

Could not log on to National Rail enquiries to ascertain if South East trains were running Brixton to Victoria for Proms purposes. (sometimes they are closed on Sunday for engineering work never mind major strikes) 

Anyhow my Proms visit (for which I had a ticket) was abhorted due to this information deficit and I rang PlusNet in the concert interval (on Radio3) at about 11.45 am - the call lasted a good half hour.

Had a long chat with (named) customer service person in Sheffield.

Firstly he tested the line - nothing wrong he says.

The it starts crackling in the background so he says he'll get the engineer out for a noisy line.

He has no specific answer to why my YouTube is running slow stopping and starting, or I cannot log into various sites including internet banking.

So as a first step he has booked an engineer for 8am - 1pm on Tuesday 9th Sept. (tomorrow).

We did discuss the copper landline situation. He said my area is Full Fibre priority area, therefore PlusNet will not maintain copper lines. They might be able to pass me onto EE for this.

I left the PC on when I went to the Proms in the evening.

On returning home at about 10.50 pm the PlusNet router was solid orange (disconnected).

A bit of fiddling about on the PC managed to get the router back to blue (ON).

Left the PC on all night, and today performance of the internet seems reasonable, though I have not tried my bank.

YouTube on the TV is a bit hesitant with rotating roundels from time to time.

What will tomorrow bring from BT Openreach? I've already had two reminder calls.

Good job the actual  line is working!!!

[#14]

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@ColdharbourDave wrote:

We did discuss the copper landline situation. He said my area is Full Fibre priority area, therefore PlusNet will not maintain copper lines. They might be able to pass me onto EE for this.

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Given your need for the BT200, I would be VERY cautious about accepting any EE offering.  The two people I have helped with this transfer (forced from ex BT accounts) both had 3-4 weeks without a working landline as the EE router does not come with the green BT431 socket configured, and EE help are also unable to make it work.  They kept sending engineers but it is a back-office fix known to only 'a few' - and no easy way to reach 'the few'.

The 'fix' is handing out free cordless handsets that connect by wi-fi.

The statements in the EE user guide of 'just plug your phone into the green socket' were not substantiated in reality.  ( I guess 'pack of lies' might not go down well with mods :-))      )

[#15]

Well the engineer came, took the covers off the incoming BT/PlusNet socket & did tests - disappeared to the exchange for an hour and a half. He confirmed its now working and said the line might take a week to stabilise.

So we wait and see.

Regarding full fibre & PlusNet - with telephony. Comes down to whether the WiFi handsets are useable in my case - which they might be. When I was an engineer (with Decca/RS/Grundig etc we had a catch phrase "If the customer doesn't like it they can send it back!"  Does this apply to PlusNet wifi phone contacts I wonder?