using my own TP-Link 2100 router

[#1]

hi all. i wonder if anyone is able to give either/both advise or suggestions, please?

i have used a plusnet hub 1 router for a long time. i'm not convinced the issue i keep getting is solely the fault of the router but believe it contributes. every so often, maybe after a few hours or maybe after as long as a few weeks, regardless of what the settings and speeds are and that no faults are indicated, the router auto reboots, resulting in the download speed dropping by 3.5mbps and the snr increasing. however, the problem is never resolved and despite plusnet saying 'there's nothing wrong' an openreach visit is always needed. this happened a few weeks ago and i decided to try my own router, purchasing a TP-Link 2100, which states on the box that it supports all the cable using companies, including Plusnet. once i received the router, i set it up using the info from my hub 1 and for 5 days it worked flawlessly. then it auto rebooted and the speed dropped the cutomary 3mbps. however, the router then only connected to the net for a few hours then stopped working. all indications on the router and my computer were that things were as they should be, but no internet page or email program could be started/opened. the day this started, i had to reboot the router twice over about8 hours and again the following day. after that, i put the hub1 back into the system. it connected without issue but lasted obly about 15 hours, then auto rebooted, losing the usual 3mbps but has been working fine since. i'm just waiting for the next auto reboot series to start.

anyway, having learned that there has been no change to plusnet policy and we can use our own, suitable routers, does anyone have any idea what went wrong to cause the TP-Link router to behave like this? no info used to set it up was changed and, as i said previously, all worked fine for 5 days. i have no idea where to look and would welcome any help/suggestions

MTIA

[#2]

This is probably not a router fault, but a line issue.

Broadband is not going to work well if the "phone" line is not working properly.

Please perform a quiet line test - dial 17070 select option 2 using a phone plugged into the test socket behind the face plate of the master socket (ideally this should be a corded phone). The line should be silent. A noisy phone line (or no dial tone) will have a marked adverse impact on the performance of broadband.

If the line is noisy or there is no dial tone, then a PHONE LINE fault needs to be raised with your phone provider. If this is PlusNet, you can report a fault via a mobile telephone using the button below.

• Phone Faults

[#3]

hi Townman. my apologies for the delayed response. i performed the test you indicated but had to use a cordless phone as i dont have a corded phone to use. there was no noise heard on the line and i get a dial tone. i am now guessing that the new router has developed a fault as there has been no issue apart from the one reboot on the hub1 to date. i appreciate that it's only been enabled/active for 2.5 days. the reboot will occur after about 4 days if it follows the usual pattern. ill report back if that happens

however, i am wondering what on earth could have happened to the TP-Link router to make it reboot in the first place and then to make it unable to maintain an internet connection? it seems rather weird to me that these issues happened although i must admit, regardless of the number of times openreach have had to be called to correct lines faults/replace cables at various points (and plusnet disputing the problems whenever i call to report it). the usual thing i get, apart from 'our equipment says there's nothing wrong' is that the speed is above what they said at contract start, that being above 24mbps. when i told plusnet that i have an email that says my line shouldn't fall below 31mbps, i get no repsonse. in all honesty, how can any company get a customer on- board using figures like 37mbps and expect the customer to be satisfied and say nothing when the speed drops to 24mbops? that's totally ludicrous but, certainly in my case, is used very often! i really would like to use the TP-Link router as it should give more stable and consistent performance. i'll wait a few days, see what happens, then try it back in the system. if it occurs again, i'll assume it is faulty and return it.

anyway. tnx for the helpful suggestion and i'll see what happens when and get back to you.

tnx,

prettygrim49

[#4]

hi again. i thought i'd give an update to this situation.

at 3am today, 21/06/2023, for no apparent reason, after being used in my system for the last10 days (strange how it spat out after the 10days settling period!) when it dropped from the previous 40mbps to 37mbps, it dropped again down to 34mbps. there were no problems showing and, as i stated previously, i had a dial tone and no noise on my line after following your instructions, Townman. i appreciate that my speed is still above the falsely used plusnet limit of 24mbps (it should be 27.4mbps but in actuality, should be 31mbps). however, it doesn't explain why the router rebooted in the first place. trying to get any reasonable explanation out of plusnet is all but impossible as it doesn't ever seem to want to accept that there is an issue still and that not all customers are idiots or liars, but dont have the availability to do the checks that they and openreach can perform. i just wish someone would actually sort things out once and for all. i'd appreciate any suggestions

on the'sorting out once and for all' topic, like just about everywhere else, FTTH is being installed around my estate. i have tried to find out when it will be actually enabled but cant. the problem i and i am sure thousands of other customers are facing is that all major ISPs are only offering renewal contracts of 18months. this means we will stuck on the very poor copper internet while others around us will be able to use FTTH. we wont be able to, as far as i am aware, until the 18month contract expires or a massive fine is paid to cancel the contract and swap over. that seems to be a rather harsh way of treating customers, particularly, as in my case, there will be multiple problems with the continued use of the copper cabling. any solution available? i rely on the internet for hospital contact but cant afford (i'm on a pension) to pay double the price for a month-to-month connection or throw away £200 plus to cancel the contract. trapped in all directions, so it seems.

MTIA

[#5]

It is dangerous to presume that the fault is the line (or the router) rather than the environment.  Phone line tests are "spot" tests and are only going to identify noise at the time it occurs.  If Plusnet tests are not detecting a fault, there is more than a fair chance that your experience is down to electrical interference.

Sight of your router stats would be helpful.

As far as FTTP availability is concerned, that is totally down to BT Openreach - look here - https://www.openreach.com/forms/fibre-broadband-availability---customer-form

As for contract durations, they are what they are, you makes your choice and pays your money - longer contracts are cheaper than shorter ones.  That said, if you were to decide to upgrade from FTTC to FTTP within the FTTC's minimum term with Plusnet, then Plusnet would not charge Early Termination Charges (ETCs) on the FTTC contract.  If you were though to go to another supplier, you would be breaking the contact with Plusnet and might be liable to pay ETCs.

[#6]

tnx for further reply, Townman.

 forgive me for being a little confused here. as FTTH isn't available here as yet but will be in the very near future, how can i sign up for a service that doesn't exist? there needs to be far better information available as to when different areas are going to have the service enabled. as it is atm no one seems to want to give customers much in the way of more accurate dates. with the increase in prices and contract duration, i have no idea whether upgrading as you suggest is going to be affordable. any figures available?

i tried the form you linked to, but it continuously failed to allow me to submit it.

the problem with the FTTH connection appears to be unavailable until December 2026, yet another company and BT/Openreach have been and are installing new cables in my local. i assume these would be fibre cables. some sort of detail would be welcome by all, i would have thought. as it is, no one seems to know which they hang

MTIA

[#7]

Use the link I provided.  That will tell you have is available from BT Openreach and thereby from Plusnet.

Of course you cannot sign-up for what is not there, but you could safely take a new FTTC contract with Plusnet and then seek an upgrade with Plusnet to FTTP(H) when that becomes available.

If there are alt-net providers in your geography who might have FTTP available sooner than BT Openreach, then the choice between continuing on FTTC at the out of contract rate, or taking whatever contract is available and facing ETCs if you break the contract with Plusnet is a decision for you to make.

If you envisage taking FTTP from a supplier other then BT Openreach via Plusnet, then you might ask COTS if you can get a FTTC deal for shorter than 18 months...

Contact Customer Options Team (aka COTS)

COTs is the place to go to if you want to find out anything to do with your contract in respect of leaving, renewing or simply enquiring about early termination charges (ETCs). They have their own number and tend to answer quicker than the general customer service number.

Direct dial numbers

• 0800 013 2632 or 0800 079 1133(from within the UK)
• +44 330 123 9197 (from abroad)
• Available...
  • 8am - 8pm Monday to Friday
  • 9am - 7pm Saturday
  • 9am - 6pm Sunday

[#8]

just an update, Townman. i have spoken to plusnet about contract renewal and have been offered 12 month, 18 month or 24 month terms. i am considering which to take up. i was also told of a different contract, that i haven't heard of before called SOGEA. my question with that has to be how is it going to be any improvement, other than a lower cost, because the service is going to be running through the same copper cable as with the phone line and therefore just as bad, just as intermittent and just as prone to failing. if i'm wrong, please explain. apparently, this does away with the phoneline and reduces the monthly cost. the only downside being i would still be on the [-Censored-] copper line i have always been on.

a private company has installed fibre cables around the estate i live on, as has BT/Openreach. this was completed about a week ago. however, the private company hasn't had it's service checked/enabled yet and doesn't know when it will be and no one has been given any info as to the BT service either. it's a shame that people dont get updated. the other piece of info i received was, as you had indicated, Townman is that if a customer gets fibre connection available, the existing copper contract would be discontinued if the plusnet fibre contract was taken in it's place. one extra bit of info was that plusnet are offering a 74-80mbps service, no phoneline obviously for £22.99. i dont know what the higher (i suspect 1gbps) is or what it costs. any info on that would be helpful, as would contract lengths.

[#9]

SOGEA is essentially the same as you have now, but without the voice / PTSN service, hence the slight reduction in price.  As you note, the copper circuit between that cabinet and the house is still required.

If you think there is an issue with the copper circuit (beyond it is the length that it is - which alone does not make it whatever you called it) then you need to raise a fault report.

People do get updated when the services are commissioned.

Plusnet's FTTP offerings can be found on the user portal.

See FTTP | Full Fibre Broadband | Fibre to the Premises | Plusnet What Full Fibre packages does Plusnet offer?

[#10]

i appreciate what you say, Townman, but in all honesty, all plusnet and other ISPs have shown to be interested in is receiving regular monthly payments and doing as little as possible when it comes to dealing with reported faults. the usual comment is' your speed is above our guaranteed minimum to your address' or something very similar. as i've said before, why any provider would think for a second that a customer who has been given quoted speeds of between a-b would be content when that speed is suddenly reduced, for whatever reason, by 30+% is beyond me. the other option i've been quoted is 'you can move to another ISP' but dont like it when i say that there's no point in doing that when the only change will be the company name at the top of the bill! i have been with various ISPs over the years and found the only major difference between them is whether they believe what they're being told by the customer, particularly when documented proof is given and whether they are then prepared to/able to action on it.

i just checked the link you gave, Townman and when i eventually got through, the expected speed on my line is even slower than what the estimate was last year! as i cant get full FTTH as yet, i'm stuck with what i'm getting. i am assuming however that i am on full FTTC and therefore, given the info i just received, there's more chance of me being an astronaut than getting anywhere near the 'up to 80mbps'! even given the long way round, my connection is roughly 1.1k from the cabinet and to me shows how absolutely p..s poor my (and others near me) copper connection is! is it any wonder why customers like us complain? is it any wonder why we kick off when we're given the most pathetic of excuses and reasons? is it any wonder why we cant wait to get the FTTH implemented asap? no one asks for the world but we should all get the service we pay for our of hard earned incomes, dont you agree?

[#11]

You need to infer take a full and proper examination of your perceived speed issues.

Doing data speed tests and nothing else is not helpful. There are various scenarios where reduced speeds have nothing to do with the copper line … but rather malfunctioning electrical equipment in the vicinity of the circuit. That requires close examination of the detailed router stats.

You need to follow all of the basics - quiet line test, monitoring disconnections and ideally dynamic monitoring of the router using something like routerstats.

[#12]

i appreciate that it may not always be the copper cable that's at fault and you're not the first person to suggest it may be something electrical interfering. the downside of that is that it may be nigh on impossible to pinpoint and even harder to rectify. the point about routerstatslite is something that is running on my machine from the time i connect to the internet until the time i disconnect, and before anyone jumps at me, no i do not switch my router off and back on the next day. the other point is that, as said before, plusnet is only interested in doing as little as possible and not interested in the customer suddenly losing 6mbps or more of the connection but all ISPs are the same. read my previous posts as to what has happened to me when reporting a fault and the comments given. please remember, my constant logging via routerstatslite has never given any hints of problems which make the finding out so difficult.

[#13]

Sight of those RS logs may be interesting, @Townman ?

[#14]

Agreed!

Sight of something objective would be most helpful.

@prettygrim49 you past post suggests that you only run routerstats when you are using the internet.  That is not overly helpful.  Electrical interference can happen at anytime and it is the SNRM and the subsequent resync at the time of a disconnection that needs to be seen.

Indeed identifying REIN is a real challenge - it is only there when it is there and the rest of the time everything looks like roses and sunshine.  The service provider is only responsible for faults on the line.  REIN is not a line fault, it is an environmental issue - call it emf spectrum pollution it you will.

Dealing with this needs objectivity.

[#15]

i do only have routerstatslite running while i'm on the internet but when i'm not on the 'net, it is extremely unusual for my computer to be running anyway, ie, no internet no running computer. do you mean that routerstatslite should be left enabled 24/7, regardless of whether the machine is on and regardless of whether the machine is on the net? sorry, i'm a bit confused as to what you are asking me to do.

as you say, rein can be a problem, can be a massive problem to identify and an even more massive problem to get rid of. with plusnet and i assume other ISPs taking the same attitude that they are not responsible for that issue, only with line problems, how is a customer going to find out whether their issue is rein or not? the ISP could, by all accounts, just claim that an issue is caused by rein and wash it's hands, leaving the poor customer paying for a certain speed service but only getting much less because the rein issue is causing router reboots and a lowering of speed with absolutely no chance of getting it cleared up. that seems a bit naughty to me. the customer has more chance of winning the pools than finding out where the issue is being caused, let alone how to fix it and with ISPs washing their hands, the customer is getting a double wammy!