Broadband dropping yet again.

[#1]

Yet again my hub one keeps dropping connection. I had an engineer out last month who changed my master socket but this continues to happen a few times everyday. I never had any issues like this with sky but plusnets reliability is absolutely ridiculous. Looking at other posts this seems to a common thing, what else can be done?

here is a snippet of event log around the time connection last dropped. Does this explain anything?

:00:48, 04 Mar.	(1679283.260000) CWMP: session closed due to error: Could not resolve host
21:00:48, 04 Mar.	(1679283.230000) CWMP: Server URL: https://pbthdm.bt.mo; Connecting as user: ACS username
21:00:48, 04 Mar.	(1679283.230000) CWMP: Session start now. Event code(s): '4 VALUE CHANGE'
21:00:19, 04 Mar.	ath00: STA 18:55:e3:9d:b6:2b IEEE 802.11: Client disassociated
21:00:18, 04 Mar.	(1679252.950000) CWMP: session closed due to error: Could not resolve host
21:00:18, 04 Mar.	(1679252.870000) CWMP: Server URL: https://pbthdm.bt.mo; Connecting as user: ACS username
21:00:18, 04 Mar.	(1679252.870000) CWMP: Session start now. Event code(s): '4 VALUE CHANGE'
21:00:17, 04 Mar.	(1679252.590000) CWMP: Initializing transaction for event code 4 VALUE CHANGE
21:00:15, 04 Mar.	(1679250.450000) PTM over DSL is down after 37 minutes uptime
21:00:15, 04 Mar.	(1679250.450000) PPPoE is down after 36 minutes uptime [Waiting for Underlying Connection (WAN Ethernet 7 -​ Down)]
21:00:13, 04 Mar.	ath00: STA 18:55:e3:9d:b6:2b IEEE 802.11: Client associated
21:00:12, 04 Mar.	(1679247.060000) PPP LCP Send Termination Request [User request]
20:59:17, 04 Mar.	ath00: STA 18:55:e3:9d:b6:2b IEEE 802.11: Client disassociated
20:59:16, 04 Mar.	ath00: STA 18:55:e3:9d:b6:2b IEEE 802.11: Client associated
20:58:19, 04 Mar.	(1679133.860000) Host Unknown-​e6-​c9-​c9-​55-​57-​94 (MAC e6:c9:c9:55:57:94) using IP 192.168.1.64 detected on interface ath10, port -​1
20:58:18, 04 Mar.	ath00: STA 18:55:e3:9d:b6:2b IEEE 802.11: Client disassociated
20:58:17, 04 Mar.	ath10: STA e6:c9:c9:55:57:94 IEEE 802.11: Client associated
20:58:17, 04 Mar.	ath10: STA e6:c9:c9:55:57:94 IEEE 802.11: Client disassociated
20:58:12, 04 Mar.	ath00: STA 18:55:e3:9d:b6:2b IEEE 802.11: Client associated
20:58:07, 04 Mar.	ath00: STA 18:55:e3:9d:b6:2b IEEE 802.11: Client disassociated
20:58:01, 04 Mar.	ath00: STA 18:55:e3:9d:b6:2b IEEE 802.11: Client associated
20:57:59, 04 Mar.	(1679113.860000) Host Unknown-​e6-​c9-​c9-​55-​57-​94 (MAC e6:c9:c9:55:57:94)

[#2]

@m7ck 

Have you trid a factory reset of the hub by pushing a paperclip or similar into the reset hole, keeping the switch closed for about 30 secongds?

[#3]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I have reset hub several times over the past couple weeks.

[#4]

@m7ck 

I suspect that changing the Master socket is the Openreach way of showing the customer that they have at least done the first logical thing so that they can get off site. Having said that intermttent drops are a nightmare to find and demonstrate that have been fixed.

Hopefully a Plusnet staffer will come along and show us a RADIUS chart, which should show these drops. With that evidence I suspect that it will need another Openreach technician visit.

Out of interest, have you tried a quiet line test when you get these drops. Preferably with a wired phone first check that you have a dial tone, then ring 17070 then option 2 to see if there's any noise. If so the cause, and needs to be reported as,  a phone rather than broadband fault.

[#5]

Hiya @m7ck,

I'm really sorry to hear that you are experiencing an issue with your connection and for the inconvenience this is causing.

I can see that the connection has been dropping and our tests are not locating the cause of the issue.

Please can you run through the steps here and let me know if the issue persists. 

[#6]

Have tried all steps and it continues to keep disconnecting, if this isn’t fixed I will have to switch isps again. There hasn’t been a single day since I have been with plusnet that the connection hasn’t went down.

[#7]

Hi there,

Just to confirm, does your connection drop more often than suggested by the picture below?

Your router logs only show a few drops around at 9pm on 04.03.22. If you can provide the logs from a bigger date range, this may shed some light on the issue.

Could you also describe which troubleshooting steps you've done in particular? Have you tried a quiet line test as suggested above by dialling 17070 from a phone handset?

Finally does the light on your router change colour each time your connection drops for you?

[#8]

Hi Gandalf. I haven’t done a quiet line test as I do not own a landline phone. And the router does change colour when connection drops, goes from red to orange and after a couple of minutes back to blue.

[#9]

Hi @m7ck, thanks for getting back to me.

As line tests aren't the cause for the drops, we've already sent out an engineer and I can see that what's known as the SNRM target is set at 3dB, which is an artificial setting on the line controlled by the automated dynamic line management (DLM) software at the cabinet (the green box in the road), I suspect this software is in effect trying to push too much speed down your line and it may be falling over itself causing the drops.

I can't change the settings manually however I've arranged for the stability setting of your connection to be increased to Super Stable, which should influence DLM in its decision making to give you a better balance of speed & stability. This change should take effect from 14.03.22 but it can take a week or so before it fully settles in. 

Could you keep an eye on things over the course of next week and let me know how it goes?

[#10]

Thanks Gandalf

I have no idea what any of that means but I will monitor it until the 21st to see if changes.

[#11]

No problem @m7ck and apologies for the confusion.

Keep me posted on how you get on