I recently transitioned from Zen to EE, opting for the EE One plan to consolidate all our services under a single provider. Initially, I retained our Zen-supplied FritzBox router, configured in a MESH network, to preserve the existing complex port forwarding and customised settings. However, since the activation of EE broadband, we have experienced daily disconnections between 10:00-11:00 AM and 00:00-01:00am, usually generating a new WAN IP address in the process.
The FritzBox logs consistently report a "PPPoE Timeout," followed by the standard sequence of "Synchronization (Training)," "DSL Not Responding," and eventually "DSL Available." While the connection is restored within a few minutes, these interruptions result in temporary loss of broadband service.
Historically, the FritzBox has proven reliable in detecting line faults. During our time with Zen, the router identified a recurring fault between the cabinet and our property. This issue, which caused frequent disconnections and significant reductions in sync speed, was traced to the cabinet's wiring configuration, specifically, a phone pulse interfering with the line, as diagnosed by an Openreach engineer. Following their intervention, stability was restored.
Since switching to EE, the FritzBox has not identified any line faults. Moreover, the sync speed has improved significantly as more neighbours have transitioned to FTTP, reducing interference on our ADSL line. Speeds now approach the 80/20 Mbps "vmax," compared to the 60/15 Mbps observed upon moving in. Unfortunately, as residents in an apartment building, we remain ineligible for FTTP until building managers approve the required wayleave—a process that could extend for up to 18 months.
After several days of troubleshooting and adjustments, I have successfully routed all my services through an IPsec trunk to maintain the functionality of my publicly served services and complex network setup. To investigate potential compatibility issues, I replaced my FritzBox router with the dumbest router I've ever come across, the "EE SmartHub 2," ensuring EE could not attribute the problem to third-party equipment. Despite this, the daily disconnections persist, now occurring between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM and lasting between one and three minutes. The SmartHub provides additional feedback during these dropouts, with its front logo flashing different colours and gives me a nice time and date stamp in the system log.
Using EE's own hardware is effectively ruling out hardware-related faults and eliminating EE's potential objection regarding "unsupported" equipment.
This situation has left me deeply dissatisfied. I terminated my Zen contract prematurely, incurring a substantial exit fee (which EE has "promised" to reimburse). However, as I am still within my 14-day cancellation window, I am seriously considering reverting to Zen despite the financial implications.
Our primary motivation for switching to EE was the cost efficiency of the One plan, saving approximately £40 per month across two phone contracts, and benefiting from a more reputable mobile network provider. While I was reluctant to change broadband providers given my technical requirements—such as Zen's static IP, exceptional support, and detailed line diagnostics—I believed I could adapt by employing DDNS and services like Cloudflare Tunnelling for hosting on the EE's "dynamic IP" service. This belief is now being tested by the unresolved connectivity issues.
Is anyone else experiencing consistent daily broadband dropouts with EE, particularly around the same time each day? My connection drops for 1–3 minutes daily, with the SmartHub 2 flashing to indicate a fault, but it reconnects without further explanation. I suspect this could be an issue on EE’s end, and I’m hesitant to call support only to receive a scripted response from a so-called "tech guru" or face months of waiting for a resolution. If anyone has encountered similar problems or has advice on how to escalate this effectively, I’d appreciate your input.
