topic Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation in Broadband & Landline

Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

pretend_yorkie — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 17:08:31 GMT

Have you used this to solve the grinding to a halt but not showing as disconnected issue? Our connection has been inconsistent from 2 days after installation.

I’d assumed it was the actual connection at fault but this thread supports the open reach chap’s assertion that there’s nothing wrong anywhere in our archaic copper lines…

The last “EE guide” I spoke to thinks a downgraded router would solve the issue… asked if I had my old BT stuff - no, I sent that back as it was demanded!
And EE will only send me a like for like router to try and solve the problem.

I’m due my 4th open reach engineer visit next week; it’s been the same guy each time and we both know he’s not going to solve the problem but I’ll get some nice biscuits in for him anyways.

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

JimM11 — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 22:33:05 GMT

@pretend_yorkie A response i posted to OP couple of weeks back.

The engineer should be able to hook on to the RJ11 cable and test to see if he can see cable fault issues ond errors on the line, this checks the internal of the home, then remove the Master socket and connect to the test point and check the cable back to the fttc cabinet and also see if errors are present, this will let them know which way to go, trust me it took 6 engineer visit's before OR stood up and took it serious, with a total of 2 months, my issue turned out to be main OR junction box in loft dormier from the pole, but engineer spent time splitting points until he got to there, so i have been in this house 42 years, and that junction box was original when GPO at the time installed cable say 50+ years ago, he just lifted the 2 tails, crimped the connections together and not ONE single error from then onward, but the EE Smarthub+ was sensitive to the cable signal, i was like you a dog with a bone, nothing wrong with the router, could see sync and dsl issues, but did finally get an OR engineer, ex military knew about cables, and sorted, i just said, as before, if it blips, will text HELP to 66033, get someone sent AGAIN, i have more than enough time and patience. Biggest issue was keeping the wife of the back when the sync decided to hit the toilet because it DSLAM'd right down.... Have i good simply conversation with the engineer, but do not try to tell them how to do there job, just does not work...

The Advanced Tech log, events is good at recording the DSL drop outs, time stamped as well. you can do like i did, export the event log to a file, you can also filter for just the DSL faults, export that as well, let the engineer see the condition. Did not have it as bad as you, maybe once/twice a week, but was only apparent as soon as the change over of ISP. Good luck with it all.

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

pretend_yorkie — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 22:50:28 GMT

Thanks for that information, I will show it to the engineer but I must say he’s been very thorough so far; our house and pole is only 8 years old. He’s been up the pole twice and each visit has seen him leave some tech plugged in and head down to the exchange which is 1.6km away; he has had something altered; described it to me - tech-novice - as widening the buffer space between phone and internet to reduce “noise” to see it that helped.

I am nothing if not persistent and will not be happy until I have it sorted, as not only does it affect my ability to work from home but having to spend the Christmas holidays with small children who can’t watch their beloved CBeebies instills a certain drive….

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

JimM11 — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 09:22:32 GMT

@pretend_yorkie What EE Router do you have now, and what package of speed have you got from EE? Do you only have the Master phone socket installed in your home, and NO extensions for landlines etc. Take a picture and post it up of the connection that you have from the EE Router to the OR Master socket.

If you have the ability you can check with the web interface by http://192.168.1.254 and the status screen will show you what the sync speed is at for your package, should be close to what you have purchased, the advanced technical log, and events will also show what is going on, you need your admin password to view those details from the back card on the router and assuming that you have not changed any off the details.

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

pretend_yorkie — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:17:09 GMT

We’ve a smart hub plus; with a guaranteed speed of 18.9mbps - rubbish I know, but copper and 1.6km from the exchange… I’ve just discovered it’s not actually meeting that though so more to complain about.

Can’t find anything in the log, maybe I don’t know what I’m looking for.

This is the master socket, excuse the poor quality and dust… hidden behind things due to children.

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

XRaySpeX — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:22:47 GMT

@pretend_yorkie : Welcome to EE's Home Broadband Forum.

Is it the BB as a whole dropping or just the WiFi connections? Do Ethernet connected devices stay working? What colours are the light sequence when it happens?

If you would like help with your BB speed or connection issues, please would you carry out the following steps for starters, which will enable us to diagnose the problem and advise you further. Do not restart your router to do these tests:

1. Post your full router stats:

For a BrightBox: login and go to Advanced Settings > System > DSL Status. Also post 'System Uptime' from top of System Log page.
For a SmartHub: login and go to Advanced Settings > Technical Log > Information. Obscure your names & any numbers in the BB Username & also the SSIDs.
For other routers: login to it according to the label on it as the admin user & navigate looking for its router/connection statistics.

Full router stats are key to any speed & connection issues.

2. Try a wired speedtest, using an Ethernet cable supplied with the router, here http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html . Click on the "Results Page" button at the bottom of the graph you first see and then copy to here just the "Link to this result:" link that you see below the next main graph.

3. What does BT Wholesale Broadband Availability Checker estimate for your phone number? Post just the whole table and the line above it, blanking out your phone number. If it doesn't recognise your phone number or you don't have one, use the Address Checker, not the Postcode Checker.

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

pretend_yorkie — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:04 GMT

Thanks for the comprehensive reply!

i am more and more convinced it the router.
Not sure what EE mean to offer as a replacement - downgrading us from the smart plus though.
The open reach engineer was very good.

We’ve no Ethernet connections to the router so unsure if the broadband is failing or it’s the WiFi; but everything grinds to halt for up to 20 minutes before picking up again.
The router remains on the blue “connected” colour the whole time. iPad etc still believe they’re connected so it’s obviously not dropping completely. Also, the 4g back up never kicks in.

I’m not sure what I should be sharing by way of router stats, the ee hub manager doesn’t seem to provide the information requested?

below is the local stats…

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

XRaySpeX — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:17:57 GMT

Router stats & speedtest would tells us what you are actually getting rather than what you think you are getting as well as clues as to its inconsistent behaviour. Just post them & let us interpret them.

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

pretend_yorkie — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:37:20 GMT

Ok, I’m quite out of my depth here but…

Router stats pasted as taken from EE hub manager:

Firmware updated:

N/A

GUI version:

1.13.1

DSL uptime:

33 Mins

Data rate:

1.1 Mbps / 15.29 Mbps

Data sent / received:

11.06 MB Uploaded / 74.42 MB Downloaded

Broadband username:

Redacted

Wi-Fi:

N/A

2.4 GHz wireless network name:

Redacted

2.4 GHz wireless channel:

Smart (Channel 1)

5 GHz wireless network name:

Redacted

5 GHz wireless channel:

Smart (Channel 100)

Wireless security:

WPA2-Personal

Wireless mode:

Wi-Fi 6 compatibility

speed test done on my phone as I’ve nothing to hardwire in available (laptop elsewhere etc)

Another speed test

And local data:

As you’ve probably guessed; I’m quite out of my depth!

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

XRaySpeX — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:54:14 GMT

Thanks! Don't worry about interpreting it. We do that just from what you show us.

That's rather slow. It's slow enough to be ADSL BB. Post the Home > BB Status page.

You say you are 1.6 km from exchange. That would only matter if you were on ADSL. How far from the street cabinet?

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

pretend_yorkie — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:15:56 GMT

So I’ve reported the speed issue to EE this afternoon as our guaranteed speed is 18.9mbps. They acknowledged a fault there.

The street cabinet is also 1.6km away. We’re on copper still. No plans from open reach to upgrade to fibre any time soon.

Hub Status:

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

XRaySpeX — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:39:34 GMT

Locate the hidden test socket that is revealed when you remove the bottom half of the split faceplate (2 screws or press tabs) of your master socket. Only do this if you have a split faceplate. Do you have any extension sockets in the home even if unused? Are there any wires connected to back of faceplate of master socket?

Only if you have an active landline, try the BT Quiet Line Test (QLT), dial 17070 Opt 2, preferably with a corded phone, in the test socket with the router disconnected. If there is any noise, report it to your landline provider as a voice fault (don't mention Broadband). Often sorting out voice faults will fix the Broadband as well.

Reboot the router & plug it into the test socket using a DSL dangly micro-filter. Post the full router stats & System Uptime when plugged into test socket.

Is the issue any better?

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

pretend_yorkie — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:06:01 GMT

No extensions anywhere else in the house.

It’s not a split faceplate master socket.

We don’t have an active landline, only the digital service from EE - who took over our BT digital line.

The engineer initially thought the buffer between the lines was too small so increased the buffer. No significant change.
He reported possible router fault at the last appointment.

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

XRaySpeX — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 17:03:36 GMT

The socket should still come apart. Follow Linebox NTE5C User instructions to get to the test socket. You'll need a dangly DSL micro-filter to plug the router into the test socket.

Forget the phone voice test but still test the router in the test socket.

The buffer he was talking about was probably what's called the Signal/Noise Ratio Margin (SNRM) or more simply Noise Margin (NM) usually defaulted @ 3 or 6 dB.

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

JimM11 — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 18:07:54 GMT

@pretend_yorkie Series of pictures, P1 press where you see my finger and pull gently forword, you will see now like P2, P3 hopefully is in your box or you have one lying around, P4 unplug cable from the front plate and plug in unit as shown.

P1 front removedP2P3 in you packaging boxP4 all plugged into the test socket

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

pretend_yorkie — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 21:09:52 GMT

Apologies for the slow response- currently running via the test socket. No dropping out yet but it isn’t consistent on when it occurs.

assuming I should leave the test socket in place for a while…

Below are the findings from the test socket:

direct copy and paste from the log:

Firmware updated: N/A

GUI version: 1.13.1

DSL uptime: 2 Mins

Data rate: 1.16 Mbps / 19.71 Mbps

Data sent / received:

2.08 MB Uploaded / 1.11 MB Downloaded

Broadband username: Redacted

Wi-Fi: N/A

2.4 GHz wireless network name: Redacted

2.4 GHz wireless channel:

Smart (Channel 1)

5 GHz wireless network name: Redacted

5 GHz wireless channel:

Smart (Channel 100)

Wireless security:

WPA2-Personal

Wireless mode:

Wi-Fi 6 compatibility

Firewall:

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

pretend_yorkie — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 21:10:30 GMT

That was really helpful. Thank you!

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

JimM11 — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 23:07:01 GMT

@pretend_yorkie Glad it was of use, and yes just keep it running on the test socket to see how it goes, with the speed increase, you just have to get some consistent readings through specific times, although your general bandwidth is fairly low would be a good idea to note some times, ie 9am, 1pm, 6pm etc and run a test note the results and consistency.

Speed test in general are a guidance to operation and have too many factors to consider, but if you are hitting a reasonable speed most times, and your router is not dipping in and out like previous that is the aim.

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

pretend_yorkie — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:21:13 GMT

So far so good, no drop outs and the best quality phone call (WiFi calling) in over a month.

Next question… what to I tell the openreach engineer or what do I ask for to maintain the quality of connection I’m getting through the test socket?
Obviously their recommendation would be to put the front back on the master socket!

Re: Inconsistent connection from 2 days after installation

JimM11 — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:52:27 GMT

@pretend_yorkie The front plate for the Master 5C socket is extremely good and i would recommend to anyone that they have one, it does have a way better filter arrangement for VDSL and speed control, BUT they have been known to go bad, and normally it is the first thing on an OR visit that they swap out to see if things improve, the Points on the Status to look at are the sync speed Up/Down, ratio and you now have one with and without the plate, the ADSL filter that you have fitted is just as good and does a similar function, The test socket is just direct on the 2 wires that go direct to the Green street cabinet box, with your ADSL filter in between that point.

You need to keep an eye on four parameters the Up/Down sync speed's and the System and Network uptimes, the times should match each other as long as there are no disconnect's your end or on OR side, it is also not good to be switching the router on/off as it can confuse the OR electronics and force a DSLAM on your line, that forces the speed down to maintain stability of the line, sacrifice speed for stability....

Have the OR engineer swap out the front plate, that has all the electronics, and as soon as you connect up to the master socket again, capture that Status screen sync is important, you can also ask the OR engineer to do a reset on your line, that kicks off a 10 day period were it closely monitors and adjust the line to optimal parameters, this can be a little misleading when you look at the status but depend's really on how good your line is back to the Green Street box. At 1.6KM you are out at the low end of the spectrum, i was 800M and managed to have 40/10 split on average 46/9.6 down/up syncs.

If you can get back to a Master Socket connection it does just look way better than having the ADSL filter hanging of the socket, but needs first is the priority, and looking like you may be having a bad Master Socket.... Hope that helps answer your question.