Problems since Friday

fortyniner · May 08, 2011, 17:59:18

Just wondering if anyone else has been having problems this week-end.

My connection is dropping out every 20-30 minutes (although sometimes it stays up for several hours). This started on Friday evening and is still going on now.

Local exchange is Llanrwst in Wales although there doesn't seem to be any BT reported problems

DorsetBoy · May 08, 2011, 18:12:18

There are some issues but BT are not listing them ( new error system called stealth faults).

Quote

http://status.aaisp.net.uk/apost.cgi?incident=950

==============================

and found elsewhere

GLASGOW

Current status: Ongoing
Broadband users connecting via the GLASGOW exchange may experience difficulties accessing the Internet.
Supplier engineers are working to resolve this problem.
Demon regrets any inconvenience this may cause.

Issue started: 08/05/2011 11:47
Estimated restore time: 08/05/2011 12:15

Known area codes affected: 01236 01355 01357 014123 014124 014133 014134 014135 014154 014155 014156 014157 014158 014164 014176 014177 014194

What package are you on , what is your area code?

fortyniner · May 08, 2011, 18:21:26

Hi Dorsetboy.

Hmm... the area code is 01492 (in Wales) , package is Home SuperMax (ADSL MAX PREMIUM)

Simon · May 08, 2011, 18:33:26

All OK here, but

fortyniner · May 08, 2011, 19:00:02

Thanks Simon

Lance · May 08, 2011, 19:24:41

If you could post your router stats and maybe try running routerstats to chart noise margin we might be able to help pinpoint the problem.

routerstats can be downloaded from here: http://www.vwlowen.co.uk/internet/files.htm

fortyniner · May 08, 2011, 20:49:41

Have installed routerstats (hope I've got it set up right) for my Vigor 2800.

Looking at the stats on the router page I see :-

ADSL Status Mode : G.DMT
Up Speed : 704000
Down Speed 1312000
SNR Margin : 13.5
Loop Att. 54.0

I'll post some routerstats when I get some.

The router and all cables (wired LAN) haven't been moved at all and the good news (so far) is that the connection has been up for 1:11:18 (usually it stays up for at least 240 hours) as I say, since Friday it's been going down about every 20-30 minutes.

Thanks for all your help

Rik · May 09, 2011, 10:02:30

How's the router connected to the phone line, ie master socket, extension socket, loose extension? What else is connected to the line, eg DECT phone, Sky box etc? Do you have an NTE5 master socket, the type where the bottom part of the faceplate can be detached? For a 54db line, I'd expect at least 2-3 times the sync speed.

fortyniner · May 09, 2011, 16:13:02

Quote from: Rik on May 09, 2011, 10:02:30
How's the router connected to the phone line, ie master socket, extension socket, loose extension? What else is connected to the line, eg DECT phone, Sky box etc? Do you have an NTE5 master socket, the type where the bottom part of the faceplate can be detached? For a 54db line, I'd expect at least 2-3 times the sync speed.

Hi Rik,

Router is connected to the master socket (old type that doesn't have a test socket). Also connected to the line is a sky box and DECT phone. These have been connected to the same sockets that they have been on since we moved into the house back in November last year.

The connection was solid for about 12 hours overnight but since about 1:30pm has been going up and down again

Just seems odd that the line started playing up on Friday evening and was fine for months before that.

We are in the wilds of North Wales, about 3 miles from the nearest town so I was pleased to get the speed that I did, but if there is a chance of a faster speed I'd grab it with both hands (as would many others I guess).

Cheers

Rik · May 09, 2011, 16:17:50

Unplug the Sky box for a while, see if that helps.

fortyniner · May 09, 2011, 16:22:12

Thanks Rik,

I'll give that a go as it's not set up to record for a few hours (can't miss my viewing of Ghost Hunters *lol* )

Cheers

John

Rik · May 09, 2011, 16:22:58

It won't affect the operation of the box, except for booking PPV etc.

Simon · May 09, 2011, 16:24:37

You just mean unplugging it from the phone line Rik, yes?

Rik · May 09, 2011, 16:25:03

Yup, sorry, I should have made that clearer.

fortyniner · May 09, 2011, 16:30:59

Quote from: Rik on May 09, 2011, 16:22:58
It won't affect the operation of the box, except for booking PPV etc.

Oh right - Sky is a relatively new thing for me - I used Freeview until I moved in November to an area that I am told can't get that so switched to Sky

I understood your meaning Rik and only unplugged the box from the phone line (I left the filter plugged into the socket that the Sky box is on - hope that's the right thing to do).

Thanks again for your help

Rik · May 09, 2011, 16:31:55

That's exactly what I wanted you to do.

fortyniner · May 09, 2011, 16:52:02

Just dropped out and took about 15 minutes to get a connection again - line speed and everything else stayed the same but the PPP dropped out for the 15 minutes - that's with the sky box disconnected

Glenn · May 09, 2011, 16:56:37

Have you called support, to see if they can see a problem with your line?

Rik · May 09, 2011, 17:02:59

Support can see the line dropping for periods, usually from late afternoon to late evening, it's then rock solid again. Given the noise margin you have, my hunch would be you're losing sync as well as PPP. It looks very much like something is generating interference, and the most obvious candidate would seem to be the computer and associated hardware, eg power supplies, monitor etc. Is there anything else you tend to turn on in those sorts of time slots?

fortyniner · May 09, 2011, 17:27:55

Hi Rik,

The PC's are on 24 x 7 although the monitors are turned off at about 10:30pm for the night.

Apart from the tv and oven nothing else is on and the TV is not turned on until about 7 or even 8pm. Nut sure what your stats show on Saturday but we were out from 7am until 10pm so nothing would have been turning on or off during that period (we don't have central heating so it's not even something as "daft" as the heating pump).

We looked for things that had changed at our end and couldn't think of anything apart from the weather where it's been "damp" up here although the lines are on poles rather than underground.

Have spoken to Mirriam who has suggested changing the filter - I've plugged a different one in and also unplugged the phone on the extension at her suggestion. Now it's a waiting game to see if the problem happens again (it seems that the line test said everything was ok as at that point we had a connection

)

Rik · May 09, 2011, 18:08:15

Do you have a battery powered MW radio? If so, de-tune it so all you have is white noise (hiss) then wander around, following the phone line from the point of entry to the router. See if the noise increases anywhere. If it does, that's interference you're hearing.

fortyniner · May 09, 2011, 18:29:17

Sadly no, we don't have one of those.

After the last line drop out I've swapped the router with another to see if it's that (will have to set up a VPN that I use on it if it's still on tomorrow) at supports suggestion.

Hopefully that will solve it - fingers crossed

Rik · May 09, 2011, 18:30:33

fortyniner · May 10, 2011, 10:40:09

Update :

The replacement router has been up for about 13 hours, although I needed to reboot for the VPN this morning.

Only problem now is that the sync speed has dropped but I'm hoping that is as a result of the various ups and downs over the past few days and that eventually it will creep back up again (currently running at 736000 up and 832000 down SNR 15 and Loop Att, 54).

Will update again once I know that the line is stable again as yesterday it seemed to stay up until about 1pm ish and then the problems started again.

Rik · May 10, 2011, 10:50:12

You will need a stable connection for the noise margin to drop, which in turn will increase the sync speed. It takes about 14 days of solid connection for a drop of 3db, this will then repeat until the noise margin reaches 6db or the line becomes unstable again.