IP Profile, Sync Speeds, etc.

[#1]

According to my ticket -

Quote

Your fault has been raised to our supplier. Please note that they can take between 48-72 hours to provide a response.

That was on Thursday of last week. It's now Tuesday and I haven't heard anything and the connection is still dropping (it dropped again last night). Any news would be greatly appreciated.

[#2]

We will need to repeat full manual testing on this one after the exchange engineer visit, it's in hand with the Faults Team still.

[#3]

The faults team have got back to me mentioning that BT want to come to the property and also listed a number of things I should be certain I've checked before requesting this, mostly because they don't want to send somebody out if they don't need to because of the big £140+ fee that BT would charge me.
Because of this, I decided to test the connection again in the Test Socket (behind the master). I immediately noticed this-

These are the line stats BEFORE using the test socket:
adslctl: ADSL driver and PHY status
Status: ShowtimeRetrain Reason: 8000
Channel: FAST, Upstream rate = 444 Kbps, Downstream rate = 2268 Kbps
Link Power State: L0
Mode: ADSL2
Channel: Fast
Trellis: U:ON /D:ON
Line Status: No Defect
Training Status: Showtime
    Down Up
SNR (dB): 7.6 22.9
Attn(dB):         46.5        27.3
Pwr(dBm): 0.0 12.8
Max(Kbps): 5264 1072
Rate (Kbps): 2268 444
These are the line stats AFTER, whilst using the test socket:
adslctl: ADSL driver and PHY status
Status: ShowtimeRetrain Reason: 8000
Channel: FAST, Upstream rate = 444 Kbps, Downstream rate = 2268 Kbps
Link Power State: L0
Mode: ADSL2
Channel: Fast
Trellis: U:ON /D:ON
Line Status: No Defect
Training Status: Showtime
      Down Up
SNR (dB): 10.4 23.8
Attn(dB):         46.5 27.1
Pwr(dBm): 0.0         13.0
Max(Kbps): 6104 1036
Rate (Kbps): 2268 444
The number I'm looking at is my SNR (dB). Is it normal for the SNR in the test socket to be over 2dB different? I also tried the router in the Master Socket to see if that made any difference, but SNR vaules were pretty much the same as the extension socket I usually use in the room next to the master socket (so about 7.6 dB). I've decided I'm going to leave the router plugged into the test socket for a couple of days and see if I have any connection drops. Whilst I do usually use an extension socket, I do not have anything else plugged into the line at all, not even a phone. I've also tried 3 or 4 different ADSL filters, all leading to drops in the connection. Strangely enough, the connection never seems to drop during the day, it only seems to be dropping out at night. (usually from around 2am-9am).
Sorry for the long post, but just as a recap - is it normal for the SNR to be so different in the test socket when compared with a normal extension socket?

[#4]

You're on a banded profile so your maximum sync speed is limited. As the line is slightly 'cleaner' in the test socket, there is a bigger gap between the ADSL signal and the noise, shown by a higher SNR margin. 2dB is entirely normal and nothing to worry about, you'll always expect a small difference between the master and test socket due to the presence of other wiring and connectors.

[#5]

Connection dropped out today at approximately 14:20pm whilst using the Test socket, so I can rule out internal wiring as the cause of the problem. I'm trying a different router again now to see if the problem persists. Thank you for the responses so far. After I've definitely made sure it's nothing my end I'll update my ticket requesting a BT engineer to come out to the property.

[#6]

With a different router and a different filter the line dropped again this morning at about 7:20am (which has happened at 7:20am quite a few times now). I've sorted my ticket out with dates I'm happy for BT to come out as I'm actually very confident there is nothing wrong with my side of things now.

[#7]

Can you also update your ticket to say that you've tried an alternate router into the test socket and are aware of potential charges? The Faults Team can then book your engineer.

[#8]

Ticket updated with the relevant information. Thanks.

[#9]

Quote from: shadowff6

Connection dropped out today at approximately 14:20pm whilst using the Test socket,

Quote from: shadowff6

With a different router and a different filter the line dropped again this morning at about 7:20am (which has happened at 7:20am quite a few times now)

I don't suppose you have a boiler or any other appliance that comes on or goes off around those times?
Just a thought....
B.

[#10]

I'd had a similar thought myself a few days ago, but checked and it didn't seem to be anything inside the house that came on at those specific times really. 2am is a common drop for me as well so it is a bit suspicious, but nothing at all that I can think of inside the house.
Edit: Just trying another filter in an extension socket in the house and the SNR has gone up from about 6-7dB with all the previous filters, to now 9-10dB. Unless I'm really really unlucky with the other 3-4 filters I've tried, I'm going to guess the problem will still persist with this new filter, even with the higher SNR.

[#11]

We need to know sync speeds in tandem with your SNR margins to advise further

[#12]

Sorry, I should have just posted stats originally-
adslctl: ADSL driver and PHY status
Status: ShowtimeRetrain Reason: 8000
Channel: FAST, Upstream rate = 444 Kbps, Downstream rate = 2268 Kbps
Link Power State: L0
Mode: ADSL2
Channel: Fast
Trellis: U:ON /D:ON
Line Status: No Defect
Training Status: Showtime
    Down   Up
SNR (dB): 9.4     22.7
Attn(dB):       47.0     27.2
Pwr(dBm): 0.0       13.1
Max(Kbps): 6008 1012
Rate (Kbps): 2268 444
As far as I'm aware, sync speed is the same as it was before. If you compare to the previous stats I posted (not those in the test socket) the SNR there was around 7dB. Plugged into the exact same extension socket with a different filter (I've seriously tried about 4 that all gave me an SNR of about 7dB) this one gives 9.4dB.

[#13]

You're on a 1-2Mb banded profile so your sync speed will probably have been the same.
For the same synchronisation speed, a higher SNR margin indicates a better connection.
For the same line, a higher SNR margin coupled with a lower synchronisation speed indicates a worse connection.

[#14]

Do those stats indicate that the previous filters were possibly dodgy and this one is normal then? Is the +2dB difference with exactly the same setup (only using a different filter) a big deal or is not something I should be concerned with at all and that the fault probably lies elsewhere? 

[#15]

2dB isn't a massive difference but certainly worth having if it's a simple case of using one filter over another.