How many reconnects before becomes an issue?

[#1]

Think I'm still getting errors, I just had my first connection drop since I switched back to the Plus-net router. (but no way to be sure.)

I've changed everything I can think of at my end and I'm out of ideas.

I'll keep an eye on it for the rest of the week to see if my speeds drop again. I had a slight drop in speed this time but it's within my usual acceptable speed range.

[#2]

With issues such as this too much change does not help. You do though need to eliminate potential sources of noise - and be able to monitor such noise.

Which Plusnet router are you using?

The Plusnet Hub One is a BT Home Hub 5a which works nicely with RouterStats. That program (download from the internet) will provide a graphical display of what is happening to the line stats over time. The shape of those plots will inform what’s happening on the line.

Power line adapters - what brand / middle / age? Some have adjustable settings to work better with VDSL. With the above monitoring in place, you will be able to see clearly if they are causing issues when switched on.

[#3]

So far had a few disconnects again today! back to 20Mbps speeds

I've got the PlusNet hub one router.

Started using TP-Link "AV1000 Gigabit Power Line starter kit" last week (My old was a "Tenda AV1000 kit")
They are "dumb devices" so no config available. and that's not made any difference

I'll have to get Router Stats running in wine on my server and leave it running for a few days to locate any issues.

[#4]

@Bill_C 

what type of master socket do you have, do you connect directly to it or on an extension?

Openreach 5c mk4 master socket can suffer from poor connection between the faceplate and the hidden test socket. In some cases the faceplate does not make a sound connection which can introduce intermittent crackling on the phone. 

Regardless of the master socket type, if possible I suggest you connect directly to the test socket to see if this stops the issue from occurring. 

I also notice the line attenuation keeps changing which is not correct

11.8 db with 54999 kbps and 20.2 db with 22951 kbps

Hopefully routerstats will give more of a clue of what's happening.

Dan.

[#5]

Dan's observation on the variable attenuation somewhat points to an issue with the d-side circuit or indeed the NTE socket.

However, the DS appears to be capped at 55mbps ... would be interesting to understand why!

[#6]

@Townman @Dan_the_Van 

Yup my router is directly plugged into the Mk4 faceplate.

I've now plugged my router into the master socket + filter and so far I'm 30mins in no errors.

I'll keep it like this over the weekend and see how things go.

If it is just the faceplate issue I'll have to sort out a replacement from somewhere.

Thanks for all your help.

[#7]

What are the current DS stats please?

[#8]

Hi

Download speed is connecting at 64472Mbps. But getting 52Mbps when doing a test.
Upload speed is 19999Mbps and getting 20Mbps

Attached images :
BT Wholesale test report.
Router stats page (switched back to the TP-link to see error rate easier)

[#9]

Those stats look better. The attenuation is circa 12dB again and you’ve broken through the 55mbps capping. There’s much merit in leaving things as they are and see how long they last.

A difference between sync speed as reported by the router and data speed as reported by speed tests is to be expected.

[#10]

Powerline adapters can interfere with the VDSL signal because of the overlap in frequencies. Although this is the case for all makes, some are better at dealing with interference than others. For example, Devolo has a special setting that mitigates interference and even if you have a Fritzbox, the both can communicate through the TR-064 protocol to lessen the negative impact of powerline on VDSL signal even more. Therefore, you should test with and without powerline adapters (say for a week).

However, looking at your stats, it looks like you have a fault on the upstream (as someone mentioned here the d-side) and so you'll most likely require an Openreach appointment.  

[#11]

https://www.devolo.co.uk/about-devolo/press/en-devolo-optimises-the-interaction-between-vdsl-and-pow...

https://www.devolo.global/about-devolo/press/glo-devolo-patent-ensures-optimal-vdsl-performance 

One way of testing if your powerline adapters have a negative impact is by unplugging them. If your connection drops then, then you will know not to use them. From my experience, Devolo have a minimal impact on VDSL signal. But any setup will depend on lots of factors, for example how close the tel. line is to the electrical wiring in your home and whether or not you have cable spaghetti. Although some use TP-Link and Tenda powerline successfully without adverse effects on VDSL signal, since these are budget powerline adapters, their firmware doesn't have the same sophisticated ways of addressing the negative impact of powerline adapters on VDSL as premium products, such as Devolo. Furthermore, from my experience, even within the Devolo range, some are better than others. When I tested with Devolo Mesh WiFi (rebranded Magic 2), I noticed a negative impact on my connection. Whereas using Devolo Magic 1 didn't have a negative impact at all. 

(PS 1 There's also the issue of the effects of advertising, i.e. whether or not one actually needs 2400Mbps speeds of Magic 2, as these are theoretical and also one is limited by the speed of the ethernet port, not to mention the speed of the Internet connection.) 

(PS 2 For those having ADSL, the negative effect of powerline is minimal.)

[#12]

Yeah,

Think have been very stable since last night.
I do have a handful of errors show up on the upstream line overnight, but it's not changed today and a few errors here and there is probably to be expected.

If it's not changed by Monday/Tuesday I'll consider things "fixed" and I'll see about getting a new faceplate.

[#13 · Accepted solution]

@Bill_C 

this is good news, if the NTE5 is out of sight you could leave the inline adsl filter in place rather than getting a replacement faceplate one. Amazon sell MK4 faceplates.

Dan.

[#14]

So it's been over 2 days and things are looking good.

Few downstream errors on Saturday night (When the network was not being used) but has been stable since then.

Ordered a new Faceplate so that should be here tomorrow.

Might just bite the bullet in the new year and talk to my housing association to see if I can get a few of the phone points replaced with Cat6 runs, would be bit of an ordeal, but if I can get network cable to unused phone points, that would let me dump the powerline adapters and get better networking.

Image attached : Latest line stats

[#15]

Thanks for the update @Bill_C

Glad to hear things are looking better.

Let us know if there's anything else we can help with