Any problems tonight?

[Worst-service]

I guess it's sync, Rik

[Steve]

If your guessing sync well that's more likely to be a local issue i.e between router and exchange.

[Rik]

I agree with Steve, that'sa problem between you and BT, nothing to do with IDNet as such, though they will obviously try and help you with it, as will we.

[Niall]

I forgot to mention that I had an email from Brian saying they'd asked BT to tinker with settings at their end to stabilize my line, and the work would be done yesterday most likely. Well I don't know if they did but I noticed my upload speed dropped by 33% ish, and my line was still dropping last night (5 times that I noticed when I wasn't busy doing other things, between 8-11pm).

I'll give it another few days and see what happens. I'm going to start looking at the lines outside the house myself if people keep telling me the line is fine! Although no one said the line was fine this time, in fact now I think about it if IDNet ask BT to alter something at their end then does that not point at an issue with them or the line?

We have requested BT make some modification to the circuit to enable
some stability options on their systems to determine if this helps to
stabilise the line.

Ah re-reading that it's problem solving. Was way too tired last time I read it

[Niall]

I thought I'd add something I just this minute found out.

My mums phone line was knackered as I mentioned in another thread. The engineer was at the exchange today and said that someone had dropped something on the cabling there, damaging it, which caused problems. Now this makes me wonder if this could have anything to do with the problems I'm having with my internet dropping ALL THE TIME. The router is showing some drops today while I was at work, as usual, so I don't know if it was them fiddling that caused it or just the same old problem that wont go away.

So, are phone lines and DSL lines on completely different hardware, or could this have been a problem caused a while ago that slowly worsened, also causing my internet to get worse? I'm really getting desperate now as the line doesn't drop as much (this was before I contacted support) but is still dropping, and after I spoke to support (but as I said before I plan on waiting a few days to see if whatever BT do to attempt to solve the problem, works or not). It would be odd if the two things (phone and DSL) aren't connected, but who knows. Still, I'm starting to be more convinced as the days pass, that the issue is on the line itself as I've spent a lot of money replacing everything network related here. Twice. That hasn't made any difference at all and I've done everything in my power to cut out problems at this end, which I assume support agree with as they've gone to BT now rather than ask me to jump through the testing hoops you normally do (which I've done. A lot). This room has at times looked like NASA with 3 monitors and a TV, laptop, scanners and printer, speakers and a desk fan or two. Now I have my new lower power consuming PC, new monitor and got rid of all the rest. There's no reason I can think of that interference would be the cause

It's so damn irritating having absolutely zero control over a problem like this after 9 years of stable and fast internet. I really wish there was some sort of web page that you could look at to see the status of your line, so you could at least have a vague idea of what a problem could be. I've just bought a ventrilo server with a mate that I can't use as I constantly drop from it

[Rik]

Phone lines use common copper from your house to the exchange, Niall. There, the line splits to voice and ADSL equipment.

[Technical Ben]

Could they not mean the ASDL equipment, as suppose to the line? The "circuit" includes the line, but also the machinery. Machinery seems to have a mind of it's own at times.

[Niall]

Well I don't know what it is. No one seems to know what BT do, but I think they may have actually done something to my line today not monday as they told support. I came home and my router had disconnected at about 9:30 and as far as I can tell, it hadn't reconnected (the logs on these 7800Ns are a little cluttered with info for my taste, as I don't understand it all fully). I tried to force a connect when I came in and it wouldn't do it so I've rebooted the router and that's reconnected the line. That hasn't happened before during this problem patch, so I'm assuming something was done exchange side.

I really wish BT were as good as IDnet support At least IDnet support do what they say they'll do and are as transparent as they can be. BT seem to do what they want, leaving people in the cr*p

[Rik]

BT are, sadly, a law unto themselves.

[Niall]

I emailed support again this morning. My line is still dropping, but also the speed is degrading, up and down. Normally upstream is unaffected but since the end of last week (before contacting support) both have degraded. Also my my mums phone line isn't working again.

I really hope support can sort this out. There's obviously something wrong at the exchange. I'm actually on my lunch break at the moment staring at the exchange out of the window. I'm half tempted to go and have a word myself.

[Niall]

Anything wrong with IDNet email? Just tried to reply to support and got a message saying the email can't be relayed or something similar?!

[pctech]

Are you accessing the mail from your connection?

[Niall]

No, it was from my iphone. I'll send it again now that I'm home as it'll connect to my (painfully slow) connection.

[Niall]

Oh, nevermind. It seems that it went through despite that message. Ironically I just got a reply

Now, someone wave a wand and make BT be as good as IDnet support

[Niall]

My line is nice and stable again. Speed still not back anything close to what it was, but it's getting there. It had recovered to just over 7500 last night, but it's very slow going getting back up.

[Niall]

Well my line s stuck at 888 up and 7.6 down. Brian has been helpful as per usual, however I'm now firmly at the mercy of BT ad I have to risk a call out to BT at £160 because it could be "line degradation". Nice catchall cop out by BT that. Basically their equipment is sh*t and not up to what I pay for and I'm the one that is at risk of what is essentially a fine for them not finding anything.

Seriously, how can this possibly be fair? I can't afford £160 to lose. I've had noise on the phone line, adsl plummet to pathetic speeds, my mums phone line stopped working completely and apparently the line into the house is fine? Do me a bloody favour.

BT are disgusting treating customers like this. They should be forced to give full details of issued on their lines so the customers can see if they are even worth using.

I'm so pissed off by the whole BT attitude thing I really feel like canceling everything and doing without.

[Rik]

It always comes down to this, Niall, BT are judge and jury, and seem accountable to no-one.

[Glenn]

Don't BT have an obligation to provide a voice service at minimum?

[Rik]

And data at 28.8k.

[sparky]

Well, if it's any consolation I also have the same problem.

A solid 4Mb profile for several years, connecting at 4800 -5000 Mbs, now after one Sat/Sun night of resynchs on my router, caused by something on the BT line, my profile has dropped to 2Mb and I cannot connect at any more than 2528. (tried different router and cable into test socket) and still have a 6db noise margin, no audible noise on line etc.

Line degradation.  What in one night!  Especially a Sat night/ Sun morning.  There aint no way I believe that BT haven't done something to my line.  They've given half my speed to someone else I think 

Sadly no chance ever of cable where I live.................

[Technical Ben]

Could it be your router sparky? Mine died/crashed one night and get stuck in a "reconnecting" loop, so the DLM (exchange) lowered my connection to 2mb.
But a swap to a working router and a few days later the exchange upped me back to 8mb.

[Niall]

The other thing is my sisters line that's had immense stability issues, as I've mentioned here a lot, has suddenly been fixed. Now they have a 14mb line and mine is cr*p. A complete reverse of the last 3 years.

It may be coincidence but I find that extremely unlikely that the identical issues I'm seeing to my sisters old problems are nothing to do with BT. I personally think they've switched around something in the exchange that was causing issues for one area, with equipment for my area.

As always I'm completely guessing as are IDnet, due to BT being lying, incompetent fools.

How the hell am I supposed to get my problem sorted if they say there's no line fault and I know for a fact there is nothing at my end causing problems? I've spent about £1000 including my PC rebuild (coincidental, I didn't upgrade due to line issues. Even I'm not that mad ) new monitor, 3 routers, 2 faceplates, 3 filters, every electrical cable (kettle leads replaced), network cables replaced, removal of all electrical items other than the PC and monitor, from the room. I've even bought headphones and removed the speakers from the room.

Seriously, if this doesn't convince anyone that I've done absolutely everything I possibly can to remove my side from the equation, what does?!

I lost 50% of my connection speed that was rock solid for years. I've even got problems with the upload speed which I've never had before. It's not like it slowly decreased, it just went one day out of the blue and has been sh*t ever since. I forgot to ask IDNet if interleaving was on but my line seems sluggish too, which doesn't help my mood.

I'm just so angry that I'm essentially being threatened by BT to pay them to do their bloody job, and have to rely on people that openly admit they haven't had the training to do the job in the first place. Even if they tell me there's nothing wrong, how the he'll are you supposed to believe them when there clearly is something bloody wrong, and they can't be trusted to either tell you the truth or have the ability to even find a problem in the first place?

Christ!

[sparky]

Could it be your router sparky? Mine died/crashed one night and get stuck in a "reconnecting" loop, so the DLM (exchange) lowered my connection to 2mb.
But a swap to a working router and a few days later the exchange upped me back to 8mb.

Well, I am now using a different router, have been for two days. Brian tells me that BT can't cap your connection speed, only raise your target noise margin and mine hasn't been raised, it's still at 6db.  I live in hope.......

Niall, you sound angry and I can't say I blame you for being. Half of the problem is not what BT engineers do, but the fact that they are answerable to no one and that nowhere is there a record of what they actually do in the local exchanges. If they swap a card for some other fault and it affects your line, you should be able to find this out and they should flippin well have to swap it again.

It's like fighting a secret service................

[Niall]

I just got home from work and thought I'd have a nose at the box at the front of the house. As it turns out, BT are effing liars. That box was absolutely smothered in cobwebs and dirt, and clearly hadn't been touched in years. I opened the box and it's got cut back wire, exposed, a load of things that look like LEDs (but are probably just joint seals type things - yes I'm an electronic wizard ) and there is damp in there; in fact there seems to be water in there and some form of grease that felt similar to WD40.

As I'm now skint (new clothes were the order of the month), I think I'll get IDnet to call out an engineer next month as I'm off in the first week of the month, so I can be home for the visit. I really think that it's damp in that box that's causing the issue (which is what my mate said it would be weekss ago!). Also, it just started peeing down, and my connection dropped again. Also I've noticed, when looking at the line coming into my room with the router in, that the cable pin things outside are really hammered against the cable, which could also be causing problems too if the line has been crimped (which it looks like it has been).

Yes I know I'm clutching at straws, but nothing looks as it should do out there. Why that BT engineer told my mum he's checked the box outside when it clearly hasn't been touched, is beyond me.

[Rik]

Most connections are crimps, Niall, usually filled with silicon grease.