Fault ongoing - conflicting diagnoses - would like to understand better.

[#1]

I've just been upgraed to ADSL2+ (on 23rd Feb) Connection was fine that evening. The following morning there was no connection. Router was syncing with exchange apparently stable, but there was no IP address or DNS servers coming from plusnet.
I called support from work, and the fault was identified as AUTH (see below for full extracts from tickets with names removed). I was asked to do some tests (in particular try a different router, and connect to the bt test logon. My son tried an alternate router (no change), but before I got home to try the bt test logon, the connection re-established itself for no apparent reason. Total down time was about 10 hours.
Since then the connection has been (from my point of view) stable, and yesterday I asked for the ticket to be closed. I have been restarting the router once per day,  because I asked for upload cap to be removed, and was checking to see if it had been done. (Perhaps I shouldn't have done that)
Until this morning. Exactly the same symptoms as last time. However this time, when I phoned support it was diagnosed as DCN (connection fault). Interestingly the upload cap was lifted yesterday, or the day before.
I have now been asked to connect to the test socket with everything else disconnected. I have done this, and the connection re-established after 1 hour. (again, no apparent reason why it connected then and not earlier) I will of course, leave it undisturbed for the 24 hours.

Now from my point of view the symptoms both times have been identical - so why has the diagnosis been different?
Further - what can cause the symptoms I am seeing (Router has upload and download speed available, but no connection)
Thanks
Tony
************************


Previous fault ticket - 40165095
9:50am, Thursday 24 Feb 2011
**INTERNAL
Fault Type Identified: Auth
Confirm you’ve advised the customer to complete the following:
- Try connecting with bt_test@startup_domain: Y
Confirm you’ve advised the customer:
- Possible SFI charges: Y
Obtain:
- Mobile Number:xxx
- Contact Times: anytime
- Router Model: netgear dg834
Kind regards,
Dear Mr Collins,
You told us you can't connect. Please turn your router off for 60 minutes and then try connecting with the following username: bt_test@startup_domain
If you have problems after doing these tests, please leave your router plugged in with power on and reply to this message
Kind regards,

Current Fault Ticket - 40483392
9:48am, Saturday 5 Mar 2011
**INTERNAL
Fault Type Identified: DCN
Confirm you’ve advised the customer to complete the following:
- Connect to the test socket: Y
- Unplug all other devices from the line: Y
- Test with another microfilter: Y
- Leave equipment turned on: Y
- Leave equipment connected in this way: Y
Confirm:
- Is the customer able to test with another router? Y
Confirm you’ve advised the customer:
- Possible SFI charges: Y
Obtain:
- Mobile Number: xxx
- Contact Times: 9:00-21:00
- Router Model: Netgear dg834gt
Kind regards,
Dear Mr Collins,
Please do ALL these checks to progress the broadband issue or you may incur engineer charges:
Plug your router into the test socket
Remove all other devices from your phone line
Try a new microfilter and (if you can) router
If problems persist please reply to this message. Ensure the router is in the test socket & turned on
Kind regards,

[#2]

Hi tonycollinet,
Apart from one drop yesterday your line has been stable for over 48 hours now. I can't see what caused the effects you described. Have you had any trouble with your connection in the last 2 days?
Jojo

[#3]

No problems since Sat AM (Router plugged into test socket in the hall). However, I also had no problems the pevious week when it was connected in the study.
I can leave it in the hall another day or so, but have a cable suspended up the stairs to connect into the wired network - so cannot leave it there indefinately.
I also need to reconnect the phones.

[#4]

HI tonycollinet,
I'll run some more tests and see how it's performing now for you.
Jojo

[#5]

HI tonycollinet,
It's all looking good from this end, with a profile of 13000k.
Jojo

[#6]

Hi
Thanks for the help. Your support agent has said (in the ticket) that if I reconnect the faceplate and have a subsequent problem, it will point to internal problems. That is not conclusive though, because as you can see, it worked fine for over a week (on the study connection) in between the two problems. It is equally likely that if I was able to continue using the test socket, then the fault could recur there.
I still want to understand why my router can be reporting a stable upload/download speed, but still with no connection (no IP address supplied by plusnet) for over an hour in the test socket, and for most of the day in the study last time it happened.
Any ideas?
PS. a drop just now will be down to me reconnecting the faceplate.

[#7]

Quote from: tonycollinet

I still want to understand why my router can be reporting a stable upload/download speed, but still with no connection (no IP address supplied by plusnet) for over an hour in the test socket, and for most of the day in the study last time it happened. Any ideas?

Could be a number of reasons for that. It could be the network, the router, firewalls, many things. Although, if the problem were to reoccur in the study, we'd still need it back in the test socket to investigate futher. As BT are responsible only up to the test socket, if the fault occurs in the test socket and we rule out the router we can safely say it's external and take it from there.
Jojo