Line Drops

[smeghead]

My broadband connection is new and still settling down – is it normal to get frequent line disconnections during this period?

I keep getting (mostly during the evening):-
DSL:  ADSL Phy LoX Defect = 0x58
DSL:  ADSL ES=702 > allowed & UncorrectBlocks=676752 > 5000, Reset it
DSL:     SNR Margin = 2.5, Loop Atten = 31.5
PoE ==> Protocol:LCP(c021) TermReq Identifier:0x26 ##
DSL:  ADSL Booting.....

[Rik]

It looks like you have a noise problem, your margin has dropped from 6 to 2.5.

What router are you using, some are better at holding onto a line than others.

More generally, ADSL is susceptible to noise in the AM radio band and this can be generated by electrical appliances, street lights etc. De-tune an AM radio and 'walk it' along your phone cable to see if it's picking up anything.

You may also want to have a read of the internal wiring guide sticky here.

Generally, it's not normal for a line to drop frequently, though it does depend on the quality of the line - I tend to see a re-sync every 12-14 days.

[smeghead]

Interesting.

My router is a Draytek Vigor 2600 wired, several years old but has always been reliable.

When I ran the extension phone line I ran it through cable trunking already holding mains cable, so I can appreciate the interference potential. However, the only appliance using the part of the mains ring is my PC and equipment including the router itself, which I expect to be drawing a fairly steady current rather than intermittent such as with a kettle, etc. Unfortunately, I have no other options for locating the phone extension cable.

[Rik]

I had a Draytek 2600 prior to Max as it was good for long lines. I found that, under Max, however, it was not very stable, so I swapped to a Netgear DG834, which gave much better results. Now, I've moved to a 2-Wire 2700, which surpasses both.

What sort of cable did you use to run the phone extension? Ideally, I would suggest using Cat5, as the tighter twist compared to CW1308 does help to reduce noise a little. Also, make sure the ring wire isn't connected at any socket (terminal 3). It's also preferable that the cable is separated from mains cabling by 6" or so if that's an option, ie a second trunking.

It might be worth your while, if you have an NTE5 master socket, fitting a filtered faceplate, and running the Cat5 extension from the master, terminating it with RJ11 at both ends. ADSL Nation do a filtered face plate which is excellent, and can also supply 10m Cat5 cables, pre-terminated with RJ11 connectors.

[smeghead]

The extension cable I used was one I had left over from my last house. It was a 100m cable drum, standard twisted pair 4-core telephone cable with a rounded profile as opposed to flattened (i.e. DIY). The original label on the drum fell off years ago so I have no idea what the standard/specification is.

I suppose at this stage all I can do is wait until the ten-day period is over and then try other "fixes".

The property is not mine, otherwise I would be drilling holes through walls and running the cables well away from mains cable. Ditto separate trunking but I'm not allowed. I might just have to live with regular connection drops. I'm not a gamer so I can live with it I suppose, just irritating.

[Rik]

The only problem with living with it is that it may trigger the BT line management software into increasing your target noise margin to improve stability. Every 3db increase will cost you around 5-700kbps of sync speed.

[smeghead]

Ok, thanks Rik.
I guess I'll talk to my landlord and see if he'll allow me to do any drilling.

[mrapoc]

Rik - im interested in putting RJ11 on either end of one of my spare cat5 cables if it stops/limits the elevtrical interference it picks up. Im currently using a stock rj11 cable

I think it will help in this case too

[Rik]

It should do, Sam. Cat5/6 twists more tightly than CW1308, so reduces interference pickup. In addition, it's often shielded, which helps even more. Stock RJ11-RJ11 cables are often flat, so can usually be improved upon significantly.

[Sebby]

If it turns out you can't do any recabling (which may not be an issue anyway) I'd consider a new router, like a 2Wire 2700HG. Sometimes it's actually that routers aren't dealing with noise properly. I've also read in that past that the Vigor 2600 isn't great with Max, so it's entirely possible in this case.

[mrapoc]

Is this what is needed to go on either end of a CAT5 cable?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1433&criteria=CAT5%20rj11&doy=9m1

[Rik]

Yes, the 6P4C variant.

[mrapoc]

Another thing ive noticed. Having a wireless phone situated next to the router is also a bad idea.

[Rik]

I'd agree Sam, keep everything away from the phone wiring.