Should I go for the new years contract if might slow down to dialup speed?

[#1]

Oldjim,
I had problems with a hard drive and windows got mangled this morning, acronis boot cd didn't work so router has been rebooted as it is currently wired into an extension. Currently downloading all the updates to XP and going to sleep on getting Acronis going and how to recover firefox and especially Thunderbird. They are on all three drives. Never suceeded last time this happened!
Have DMT loaded before reading this see attached. I wll move to Routerstats if it happens again.
Thanks,
Wuz

[#2]

Hi Wuz,
That's really bad luck with the hard drive, hope you get everything recovered ok.
That last DMT screenshot is looking "better" from an "overall" point of view, but there is something not nice going on with that SNRM. Whilst the SNRM from you router stats, and the "average" SNRM for want of a better way to describe it, is showing low variability (good sign) there are what appears to be these nasty spikes showing on the screen shot.
If Jameseh reads this tomorrow, perhaps he could confirm if there was any loss of sync on the 18th between 7pm and 8pm and if so, how long each incident was roughly. Similarly for the 19th from just before 2230 to 2255.
You can keep DMT on the machine (just don't run it) if you want to try RouterStats, to confim the behaviour is nasty spikes and not some funny interaction with DMT. Personally I think you have got a fundamentally good line with a problem/bad joint somewhere.
However, there are some other checks/reviews that need doing as well.
In your initial post you talked about 2 unused extension points, then in reply #16 you said

Quote

One filter replaced last Friday  as missus complained of noise on an extension phone and this solved it. One other old wired phone replaced at same time last week as it was worn out.

So what phones are you using, and are they plugged in via filters, they should be high quality ones that are like either the Thomson or Zyxel, or if they have a BT logo on, they should be fine (cheap ones can lower your sync speed). I presume you have no sky boxes or anything else connected to the line?
If you are using a DECT phone, you should unplug it and switch it off and use a corded phone whilst monitoring your problems. You should also removed the front plate from the master socket and plug the filter and router and phone in there. This will eliminate your internal wiring as a potential source of problems.
The BT line test you mentioned doesn't mean the line is OK. If you have an intermittent joint/cable, nothing may show on the test unless the fault happens to occur at that instant. I would talk to your missus some more in case she has heard noise since, noise disappearing when you changed the filter may have been total coincidence. Also, next time you spot a nasty noise spike or sync drop (does it seem any worse when it's very windy?), pick up the phone and see if you can hear noise.
Because of the apparent length (duration) of those pulses, it's worth checking (to eliminate the possibility hopefully), do you have any Radio Hams, CB Enthusiasts or a local Taxi company near you?
I think that's enough to be going on with, update us when you can.
Regards.

[#3]

Quote from: Anotherone

You should also removed the front plate from the master socket and plug the filter and router and phone in there. This will eliminate your internal wiring as a potential source of problems.

One additional question: When you have done this can you confirm that every other phone socket in the house is dead?

[#4]

Dear all,
I have been busy and have now almost everything working. I moved the router back to an extension and wired it yesterday to get going again after my hard drive crash. I notice tonight using BT my profile is back to 2000.
Your DSL connection rate: 2656 kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP profile for your line is - 2000 kbps
Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 1568 kbps
I have just reinstalled  Routestats but can't see how to copy and paste so attach a screenprint.  My last look at DMT is also attached.
Will review everything including buying better filters. Mine are cheap ones from a local shop and Maplins
When I move the router back although I will check everything again although I must say I am happy with the speed I am achieving now as it is double what it was so will wait before trying to to reduce the noise target.
But It will have to wait as the OH wants me to retreive "lost" pictures" from my badly organised backups.
Jelv not sure wht you mean. There are two rooms with unused phone extension points but no filter or equipment attached. They are live (or were a week or so when I tried them) simply unused
Many thanks
Wuz

[#5]

RouterStats graphs can be captured as JPEG images both automatically when a page is filled, or on demand by clicking the Capture Now button to the right of the stop button.
Configuration parameters need to be set to enable this:
Click the Configure (gearwheel) button.
Select the Graphs tab then Capture Properties on the left (see attachment)
Tick the Rx Noise Margin, Always and Capture additional graphs when RouterStats closes options.
Browse to set a suitable storage location.
Click Apply & Save.
Close window.
JPEG images will now be stored in the location you set. You can view these in RouterStats by clicking the View graphs button and selecting one from the list. Of course they can be viewed in any image viewer and attached to posts.
Hope this is helpful.
David

[#6]

Hi Wuz,
When you are able to move the router back to the loft, you must try with it plugged into the test socket behind the i-plate. If that is where it was plugged in when it was in the loft, fine, but you did not clarify that. What Jelv was also saying was that when it is plugged in there, that is, the front plate of the maser socket is removed, that your extensions are actually dead. That proves that they are not connected in some other way to you telephone line.
Now if you did have the router plugged into the test socket for those previous results, all you need to do is remove the front plate from the master and check the extensions are dead.
Please re-read my reply #61 and say what phones you are using where, and answer any other unanswered
questions.

[#7]

Anotheone,
I will use the test socket and check the other points sometime after tomorrow when it goes back up to the loft. I will probably wait until I have bought some quality filters.  I intend to replace all bar the one that came with the router last summer.
There is a BT Diverse X10 with 2 DECT phones, an old wired Betacom phone alarm FCR5000/6000 and a brand new wired Binatone Spirit 710 which replaced an old Betacom recently.
The phone were noise was heard was the Betacom but changing the filter seemed to fix that.
Hope to get back up to the loft tomorrow and will use master socket and listen to all the extension sockets.
As far as I am aware none of my near neighbours are radio hams etc!
Regards,
Wuz
 

[#8]

If all the sockets are dead when the face plate is removed AND you intend to have the router plugged in to the master socket then you could safely replace the face plate with a good quality filtered faceplate which would remove the need for filters in the extensions. If either is not true (not all sockets dead when face plate removed or router is to be plugged in to an extension) that option is not available.

[#9]

I have now checked all phone points are dead when I plug into the mastersocket. I then changed all the filters except the Netgear one to Zyxel filters.
BT test with all phones disconnect and plugged into master socket shows.
"Your DSL connection rate: 2496 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  448 kbps(UP-STREAM)
    IP profile for your line is - 2000 kbps
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 1612 kbps"
I am about to plug the phones back in and try using routerstats to move the target SNR down from 15.2 to 12. using RouterStats.
I will copy screenprints of the Routerstats graphs but I can't see any method of copying the Routerstats page to post here as right click just offers refresh. Doesn't seem as user friendly as DMT was.
Is there anything else I should do.
Thanks to all for their help so far.
Wuz

[#10]

Right click the graph and select Copy to clipboard. Go in to a graphics package (e.g. Paint) and paste the graph in.
The Router stats page you can drag over and select copy as text and paste that straight in to your post - but it is not formatted. However it is just displaying your routers stats web page. So I suggest you go in to that and copy that rather than trying to copy it from RouterStats.

[#11]

Here it is,
I move the noise target down slightly and will move it a bit more tomorrow as it seems stable.
Netgear shows
   
System Up Time 101:43:57
Port Status TxPkts RxPkts Collisions Tx B/s Rx B/s Up Time
WAN PPPoA 77492 73184 0 467 4293 05:13:17
LAN 10M/100M 6692 0 0 5 0 101:43:49
WLAN 11M/54M 658268 680538 0 2115 180 101:43:40
ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 2432 kbps 448 kbps
Line Attenuation 56.0 db 30.0 db
Noise Margin 13.4 db 18.0 db
and graphs of the routerStats attached.
Wuz

[#12]

Can you go into Routerstats and set up the graphs so they will record at least 24 hours then leave the computter running overnight.
This will show how much your noise margin drops overnight

[#13]

Oldjim,
Have done this earlier today and will post them tomorrow.
thanks,
Wuz

[#14]

Oldjim,
Currently BT speedtest showing
Your DSL connection rate: 2432 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  448 kbps(UP-STREAM)
    IP profile for your line is - 1750 kbps
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 1589 kbps
Routerstats graphs for last 24 hours attached.
I am about to move the target down from 13.3db to 10db
Wuz