My fibre broadband speed is usually consistent at around 36MB down and 7Mb up. Recently however I've noticed intermittent crackle/static on the phone line. This has coincided with my broadband speed dropping to 20 to 30MB down and 1MB up. I can also see from speedtest.net that my ping time has increased from <10 to >30 and that both downstream and upstream throughput is sometimes unstable. The reduction in upstream bandwidth in particular and the intermittent crackle/static leads me to believe that there is likely a fault on my line.
As such I raised a support ticket and received the following reply which suggests that I need to book an engineer visit. Plusnet have not told me what tests if any they have performed so my question is - is there nothing further that Plusnet can do remotely to determine whether I have an issue with my line before I book an engineer visit?
"We need to find your master socket, this is often the first telephone point where the line enters your home. If you’re still unsure of what that looks like, we have a guide here - http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/master-socket-guide.shtml When you've found it you need to make sure it’s working properly: * Locate your master telephone socket, and unplug all other equipment from the line (ideally, please try this from the test socket (behind the removable front plate of the master socket) * Now take the corded handset and plug directly into the master socket. * Pick up your handset and see if you’re still having the same problem. If you have done all the above checks and the issue is still evident then we can arrange to send an engineer to you. However, if an engineer visits your premises and the issue is found to be caused by your equipment, internal wiring or as a result of damage to BT equipment a charge of £65 may apply. This is why we advise of the above checks. If you wish to proceed with an engineer appointment we need the following information: * Agreement that if the issue is caused by any of the above that you may receive a £65 charge. * An alternative contact number preferably a mobile * Availability should an engineer need to attend the premises, between the hours of 8am-1pm & 1pm-6pm Monday - Friday."
If Plusnet support staff read this my Plusnet username is [Removed] and the support ticket number is 147034443
Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Personal information removed from a public forum to an area that staff can see.
