Who stole my speed?

[Rik]

A joint can go 'marginal' quite suddenly in my experience...

[Niall]

Well, the line outside my house has one chronic split which used to be linked to my bedroom (where the DSL is) and when there were massive problems when I first got DSL they switched the cr*p one to the phone line downstairs (my mums) and then the good one to here and I've had no issues since. That was 7 or 8 years ago, maybe more, I forget now (ah, Samknows claims it was 9 years ago, blimey!). My only other thought is that this line is now degrading. The trouble is, if there's nothing wrong at my end, or the exchange, then it's call out time and the engineer wont find anything unless he comes equipped to pull out the line outside to check it all, which I imagine they wont do, then charge me £200. I'd rather cancel the internet package than pay that to be honest

[Rik]

See what support has to say. They won't send an engineer out unless they're reasonably sure there is a fault.

[Niall]

Yeah, I imagine it'll all go back to normal soon enough. Last time I sent an email to support about this, it sorted itself out before they could do anything. I think they scared the line back into...erm line

[Rik]

Just testing can sometimes fix faults.

[Gary]

Just testing can sometimes fix faults.

Cant see that happening for a flat tyre   

[Rik]

It works if you test it with an air line, Gary. Just not for long.

[Niall]

Well after I posted last night my line was constantly dropping, although I wasn't actually doing anything so it wasn't causing me issues other than annoying the cr*p out of me. I unplugged the router and when I got up, reconnected it. The profile is now 6.7mb which is appalling for this line.

I'm in work until gone 5 today, so I'll just have to hope something magical happens while I'm in work

[Steve]

Have you actually tried the router plugged into the test socket yet?

[Niall]

Hard to do when I was in work, as I mentioned

I'll be doing the test socket thing for 72 hours. I've had a thought that as my old CRT monitor has a hub in the base, it's possible that this is creating the issue, but I'll try the test socket first just to hopefully eliminate that. Possibly even the CRT itself, although that's been where it is for months, but that's the only change in the room.

Ah well, the next 3-6 days will see as I try a few things.

[Niall]

I forgot, I don't seem to have a test socket Bugger!

I don't know if you remember when I had issues last time (that cleared themselves up), but I posted a photo that I haven't got uploaded anymore, but there is basically a cable running in off the street to a telephone socket, with what appears to be an L (looking from the side) shaped filter.

I'll order a new one of those, to eliminate that. If nothing else I'll have a spare for the future.

http://www.priceinspector.co.uk/d/30917840/Cables/ADSL-PlugIn-Faceplate-Filter--BT-NTE5-ADSL-Spliter--compare-prices

It's one of those I think.

[Rik]

One of these is cheaper and, imo, better, Niall:

http://www.adslnation.com/phpapps/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=105

but if you can fit one, you must have an NTE5 master socket.

[Niall]

Think I'll get that on payday on Monday! Ta!

[Rik]

NP, but do you have an NTE5, ie master with test socket? If not, neither of them will fit.

[Niall]

I have a cable sticking out the wall to what looks like a phone socket with that adapter/filter attached. I don't know what they actually are

[Rik]

Have a look at the photos in this post, Niall:

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,1904.msg31528.html#msg31528

If your master socket doesn't look like that when the faceplate is off, you can't use the type of faceplate filter that I've linked. Depending on the socket size, you'd need either:

http://www.adslnation.com/phpapps/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=94

or

http://www.adslnation.com/phpapps/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=95

plus an IDC insertion tool.

[g7pkf]

FACEPLATES EXPLAINED

you "could" replace your master socket for one that will fit an nte5 but you are treading on very shaky ground as it is technically not allowed.

But should you want to you can buy them here

Note you can only buy them if you promise not to replace your master socket A certain Big Telecom company wouldnt have a scoobie doo as long as you fitted it properly. If you did too good a job they would definately know you had fitted it yourself

[Niall]

Ah it looks like that nte5 face-off picture. Yay. As you can tell I don't know a great deal about the mechanics of broadband

[Rik]

In that case you can use the test socket...

[Niall]

How do I do this then? There's nothing to connect my router to. All there is, is what looks like a phone connector in there. How am I supposed to connect my router to that? Even looking at the picture in that other thread it doesn't seem like it's the same connector.



The above image has two connectors, which I'm assuming you're assuming mine has. It doesn't. It's just got the phone sized one, so I have nothing to connect my router to. I think this may be what is causing the confusion.

[Rik]

The connector behind the faceplate in an NTE5, Niall, is a standard BT socket. If it's not an NTE5, then there's no socket and the wires connect directly to the back of the faceplate, which will be the full size of the socket, not just the bottom part.

[Niall]

Updated my post

[Niall]

Well, it's not actually like that image, but the point is that I'm making that there is nothing on the socket that I have to connect a router to. It's just a cable with two wires connected to a phone socket looking thing, with no other connectors, then that ADSL nation thing you posted, plugs into it (presumably the filter/phone socket).

I'm a bit special, but I hope I'm getting this across now

[Rik]

That picture looks like an engineer-installed filtered socket, Niall, it should have two sockets on the front, one marked for phone, the other for ADSL. Is that the case?

[Niall]

http://img825.imageshack.us/i/img02411.jpg
http://img683.imageshack.us/i/img02421s.jpg

There we go!

Incidentally my connection is now 4.5mb.