Modem not compatible fault.

[#1]

Hi I’m new to Plusnet broadband, was due to go live yesterday however the router was flashing orange etc and the fault I’m being told is a modem not compatible fault causing it not to sync , the modem is Plusnet hub one and is brand new , engineer visit booked for the Monday morning slot .

However there is a catch ...

This will be roughly the tenth engineer visit in ten months as with my previous isp nowtv I had regular disconnections and the last engineer said there was a sync problem but no line fault and blamed the router , the router was a brand new router and other 3rd party compatible routers also disconnected regularly.

I have a brand new mk 4 master socket with no devices connected other than broadband.

How do I get this issue resolved, each engineer visit is only ever been temporarily fixed , literally the fault resumes the same day the engineer has been ?
Assuming the router or internal wiring is not to blame what would cause a no sync modem incompatible fault ?

Thank you.

[#2]

Hi, A warm welcome to the forums.

So you’ve had multiple modems and they all fail? Seems much more likely that there’s a not yet found line fault. “Not compatible modem” is a new one from BTOR engineers.

Is the line quiet? Can you hear cracking on the line?

[#3]

Hi sorry for the confusion, the diagnosis was from the Plusnet technical department having carried out all the necessary checks.

The last engineer visit roughly two weeks ago blamed the now tv router for the sync problems but with me switching to Plusnet soon I decided to wait and see what the new broadband would be like .

There is no noise on the line , tested by myself and on the last engineer visit .

I would say in all there has been 11 engineer visits in my time at the property since September 2019 , each engineer has diagnosed a different scenario and the issue has not been resolved, unfortunately openreach don’t seem to leave notes or communicate with each other and each job is opened as a new one .

I even switched from Vdsl to adsl as I live next to the bt exchange and figured if they couldn’t fix it at least I wouldn’t be pay full whack (this was with my previous isp) still didn’t resolve the issue.

[#4]

We’ve seen a number of similar issues on here - BTOR engineers look at the obvious but not the less likely. Recently a user had had months of poor performance not resolved by multiple visits. After escalation an engineer visited checked the drop cable at the post and its fell away in his hand’. Though improved it was not fully fixed. Yet another engineer spent over two hours checking out the circuit and found an old junction box under the eaves with degraded joints.

Looks like you’ll be needing a visit from a better engineer.

[#5]

Thanks for the reply , the thing that frustrates me is that if they cannot detect a fault on the line with their equipment they say it’s fine , the last engineer who visited actually first hand witnessed the router not syncing multiple times and he said the line tests fine it’s your router , surely there as to be something else they can do .

I used to be a boiler engineer if I went to fix a fault on a boiler that had intermittent hot water I wouldn’t leave the customer without fixing the problem and if it took me 10 visits plus I think I would be sacked tbf.
There seems to be no accountability for openreach and no communication between ISPs and openreach .

Anyway was just trying to see if any other customers had similar problems , I will await to see what jackanory story openreach have on Monday .

[#6]

"witnessed the router not syncing multiple times and he said the line tests fine it’s your router"

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The line test not finding a fault does not mean that there is no fault to be found.  At best, it means that a line fault was not manifest at the time of testing.  Testing from the premises back to the exchange can miss faults which are detected when testing from the exchange to the premises.

I have had a series of engineers out who found no fault using their test kit from the premises, but the exchange initiated exit test reported a fault on the line.  He was adamant that if his kit saw no fault, there was not fault.  Had two or three such visits, then I got a different (possibly more senior) engineer to whom I reported the experience.  Hew went and tested from the exchange ... and located a fault.

In your case, I'm somewhat concerned that the focus in on your line, not your port in the exchange.  It seems to me that finding several routers "not compatible" points to a fault on the other end of the line.

Are you able to plug your router on to a neighbours line and see if it will establish sync?  If you know someone nearby who is also with Plusnet, it is even likely that your Plusnet router will also configure (with your account) and establish a PPP session.  Such would prove that its not your router, but something else.

[#7]

Your idea is a good one however im new to the area and my neighbours are predominantly elderly not sure they would appreciate me testing my router in their premises, it’s a shame that the customer should have to go to such lengths to try and resolve an issue.

I’m waiting till Monday if it isn’t resolved I will cancel all broadband subscriptions and try find a way to escalate it to the highest tier possible, I think double figure engineer visits is ample to fix a problem and it’s time for some more robust action , lord knows I’m a patient man put this is taking the proverbial.