Pulling my hair out over PlusNet lack of support.

[#1]

I have tried to get PlusNet to answer my issue below.

All they are interested in is to get my to sign a new contract so they can send be a replacement Router. This does not explain or answer the series of events over the Chrismas weekend.

I believe my lines banded profile got reset to a lower one with an upper DL speed of 6655. 

Plusnet do not want to reset my download speed to the pre Christmas weekend. The have basically capped it at 6655.

Can anyone help?

Regards

Please see below:-

1. Before the Christmas weekend 2023 my download speed was approx 7.9 Mbps.

2. For several days (from the start of the Xmas week end, approx 22nd Dec) the download speed was less than 1Mbps. 

3. My maximum speed slowly increased (after the Xmas weekend) to no more than 5.7 Mbps over several days and weeks.

4. This time last year I was down loading at a speed 2 Mbps faster than I do now.

Under PlusNet's Broadband Terminology Guide.  https://www.plus.net/help/archive/broadband/broadband-terminology-guide/

the Banded Profiles are as follows

2272kb/s - 4544kb/s

3328kb/s - 6656kb/s. <--------

4864kb/s - 9728kb/s.   <-------

7168kb/s - 14336kb/s

My Data rate connects at DL 6655kb/s which matches the Banded Profile DL of 3328kb/s - 6656kb/s.    

Can you reset my Banded Profile to the next band (which I believe may have been the band I was set at before Christmas 23) 4864kb/s - 9728kb/s. I believe this is the DLM learning process.

Regards

Your Plusnet adviser may ask you for the following information:

1 - Product name:    Plusnet Router

2 - Serial number:    N7171081B005543 

3 - Firmware version:    7.275.17_F2704N_Plusnet

4 - Board version:    F@ST2704N

5 - Mode    ADSL

6 - Uptime:    0 days 02:11:08

7 - Data rate:    1100/6655

8 - Maximum data rate:    1096/10816

9 - Noise margin:    5.4/11.4

10 - Line attenuation:    22.2/42.5

12 - Data sent/received:    21.9M/101.9M

20 - Broadband username:    t

21 - Wi-Fi network/SSID:    PLUSNET-TPX7JR

22 - Wi-Fi connections:    Enable(802.11 b/g/n(up to 144 Mb/s))20 MHz WPS disabled

23 - Wi-Fi security:    WPA2

24 - Wi-Fi channel:    10

25 - Firewall:    Default

26 - MAC Address:    f4:6b:ef:8d:e7:4b

27 - Software variant    Version 1.0

28 - Boot loader:    7.275.6

Third similar reply below.

Hi Thomas, I hope you're having a good week? Speed issues can be frustrating when they happen. I have looked into your issue and there no faults that I have found, but your router is very old. It might be time to look into an upgrade with the Customer Options Team, their direct number is 0800 013 2632. If you prefer, we can arrange a call to discuss this. -[CSA Removed], Sheffield

Mon 13:49

You sent

This is an identical reply as before. I do not want a new contract. Can you tell be me which banded profile I had before the 15th Dec 2023

Enter

12:43

plusnet

Hi Chris, No change has been made on your band or product. You are on the same product. Banding profiles as this is managed automatically by Openreach and it is not something we have control over. A lot of factors could be responsible for the reduced speed but we have not made any change on your product. There is no fault on your line, so it might be a problem with the router. Are you willing to look into this? -[CSA Removed] - Sheffield

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): CSA name(s) removed (to an area staff can see) as per Forum rules.

[#2]

@KitKite What was the date of the Help desk information in your above post? The data on that indicates that you do/did have a problem when it was grabbed - your D/S noise margin is way too high, and unless you have turned the router off, you had DSL drops previously, which will have caused the banding.

To be honest, I would accept the suggestion to get a new Hub - the 2704 is ancient, and could be dying, which MAY explain your errors I mention above.

[#3]

Don't you think it's rather unfair to lambast Plusnet just yet? Their suggestion of a new router is just common sense as the 2704 was great for its day but is now well past it, like myself! You've skipped the Hub One and I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the Hub Two.

[#4]

The router has been rebooted after the Broadband failure at Christmas. It was left on for several weeks. It increased to a max download of 6655. The max limit of the lower banding is 6655. Is that a coincident?

Also how long should the broadband take to change to the next higher banding profile?

[#5]

@KitKite Can you post your current Help Desk?

[#6]

Thanks for the reply.

My frustration is that PlusNet has not or avoided making any comment or apology to the system failure in my area at christmas. 

My modem is stable at the very top of a banding profile at 6655. Can someone explain why at exactly 6655 and not say more or less.

It does not change. Even after a modem reboot. Its like the line capable of going higher but can't because its locked/capped to that profile. If a line is set to a banded profile can that line go higher?  And how long will it take to move to a higher band?

I live in the South London/North Surrey area. How can i find out why my line dropped to a unusable speed of way below 1Mbps over the Christmas period?

BTW. My service is not a fibre.

[#7]

I am aware you are on ADSL - your use of the 2704 proves that, as does the data contained in the screenshot. Now can you do as I asked and post your current Help Desk?

[#8]

(Sorry if this is a 2nd reply i think i didn't send it???)

Yes Sure.

What do you mean '...current helpdesk?' Is it the PlusNet support question number or the modem stats or some thing else? Not sure 

[#9]

The modem stats- as in your first post, in the form of the bit that starts ' Your Plusnet adviser may ask you for the following information:'

[#10]

Your Plusnet adviser may ask you for the following information:

1 - Product name:    Plusnet Router

2 - Serial number:    N7171081B005543 

3 - Firmware version:    7.275.17_F2704N_Plusnet

4 - Board version:    F@ST2704N

5 - Mode    ADSL

6 - Uptime:    2 days 03:14:22

7 - Data rate:    1180/6655

8 - Maximum data rate:    1180/10872

9 - Noise margin:    5.4/11.7

10 - Line attenuation:    22.2/42.5

12 - Data sent/received:    616.3M/1.9G

20 - Broadband username:    t@plusdsl.net

21 - Wi-Fi network/SSID:    PLUSNET-TPX7JR

22 - Wi-Fi connections:    Enable(802.11 b/g/n(up to 144 Mb/s))20 MHz WPS disabled

23 - Wi-Fi security:    WPA2

24 - Wi-Fi channel:    10

25 - Firewall:    Default

26 - MAC Address:    f4:6b:ef:8d:e7:4b

27 - Software variant    Version 1.0

28 - Boot loader:    7.275.6

[#11]

In the absence of any further information, and providing you haven't turned the router off in the past three days, you have a DSL connection issue which - whatever Plusnet say - requires investigation.

[#12]

@KitKite - looking into this, the MTBE (Mean Time Between Errors) is 1 which means within the last 24 hours, the line has been producing errors every second, and currently at this moment, there are 132 errored seconds.

This would very likely be causing the banded profile of 'WBC 3M - 6M Medium delay (INP 2) 6dB Downstream\, UC Low delay (INP 0) 6dB Upstream (ADSL2+)', highlighted the significant part of the profile.

I would say that removing the banding without first addressing the underlying issue won't be wise, as a higher speed would likely mean more errors produced more frequently then the connection suffers.  

Errors are often caused by routers which are starting to fail, but microfilters or internal wiring could also play a part, so might be worth troubleshooting: Broadband problems and how to fix them (Fibre with phone) | Help | Plusnet

[#13]

@Gandalf - This is an ADSL connection. 😉

[#14]

Good spot, but it looks like ADSL and FTTC troubleshooting are compressed into one support article, with the URL showing it as fibre when in reality it can be used for ADSL as well. More specifically, the above link was from Broadband problems and how to fix them | Help | Plusnet selecting the 'Packages with a home phone line' option.

[#15]

OK. Not splitting hairs here, and appreciate your support, @Gandalf , but a couple of things in that Help Desk shot stand out to me and suggest it is a OR network issue (1) the 'Uptime' figure and (2) the horrendous D/S noise margin. It's a long while since I've been on ADSL, but if those figures showed up in my Help Desk, I'd be screaming blue murder.