Dropouts and line speed

[#1]

Yup, thought as much, thanks.
I'll get it sent back to BT.

[#2]

This all gets more and more confusing. Jameseh reckons that my slow speeds are not due to any restriction, but today CS tell me that the exchange have intentionally lowered the speed to keep me online whilst the connection continues to drop out.  They go on to say:-  'Please make sure that you focus your attention to the stability of the line and in turn the speed fault will fix itself when we fix the intermittent connection.' Hmmm! The 'intermittent connection' was the subject of the original ticket I raised nearly 2 months ago, and still appears to be unresolved, and I am 'fixing my attention' on trying to get a resumption of normal service which was stable and at the speed I could reasonably expect at my location, before I die of old age.
I have now lost faith and must look at alternatives. Any suggestions anyone?

[#3]

CSC are probably right (and did speak to me about it earlier).
Whilst your problem *is* a speed one, it *is also* a dropping connection one, which is causing your speeds to drop.  If your connection is still dropping (which is was earlier), with a changed router and filter, wired into the master socket, we'll arrange for another engineer.

[#4]

Jameseh - the router that has been connected all day today is the dLink one that you suggested I tried a few days ago. Do you want me to change back to my usual Belkin router and one of 3 microfilters that I have been swapping about? The routers have been connected to the BT master socket via microfilter ever since I was asked to do so several weeks ago, and the BT engineer left it plugged into that.

[#5]

Actually - The router you're currently using looks better.  You've been connected for about 36 hours straight.
Could you just try rebooting your router for me please?

[#6]

Have just rebooted router as requested.

[#7]

OK, after a further visit from BT engineer, the line tested OK but with some 'errors'. It also tested OK at the street pole. An SSFP socket was fitted but there were still intermittent errors. The line passed the pair quality test. His equipment connected at 1.7Mb. After 2 hours he had to go and said he would need an appointment to come back for further investigations. He said if BT phoned me to check after his visit they should be asked to adjust the BRAS profile, but they didn't call and I presume this has not been done as a speed test carried-out by me this morning shows no improvement (132Kbps). Connection to internet was lost all morning which I assumed to be due to engineering - after 4 hours I thought I must have been mistaken, so had to reboot the router to reconnect as I needed to go online.
So, no improvement, but at least I feel that something is now being done. The saga continues.......

[#8]

I should have known better than to write what I did in as a final line in reply no.21 above.
Has BT adjusted the BRAS profile as required by BT engineer? Have they contacted PN to arrange a further visit? Is there any sense of urgency? Who knows - no-one has contacted me 48 hrs after visit. All I know is that there has been no improvement. Today's big MS update download exacerbated the slooooooooooow speed problem.
The BT speedtester reports as follows:-

Quote

Download speed achieved during the test was - 101 Kbps For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 50-250 Kbps. Additional Information: Your DSL Connection Rate :160 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 Kbps(UP-STREAM) IP Profile for your line is - 135 Kbps

Suggest PN add a smiley for 'yawning'.

[#9]

Hiya,
It looks like BT forgot to follow their own recommendations.
I'll give them a ring now.

[#10]

Thans for your time.
As I mentioned on the phone, I'll try and get another engineer booked for tomorrow afternoon and call back to confirm.

[#11]

Hi Jameseh
Following this afternoon's visit by a third BT engineer, I have reported back on the CSC questions dialogue to which you will probably wish to refer. What hapens now?

[#12]

Now running for one week on a broadband speed of 120kbps. Reported several times with the last reply asking 17 questions. Just spend 28 minutes on the phone again to be told that 'we're still investigating the cause'. I'm self employed and work from home 24/7 so 120kbps is useless and I'm in a bad reception area for a dongle to work. MAC code will be with me on Tuesday and I've had to cancel my debit card with my bank and get a new one just to stop any more payments - NEVER ever use a debit/credit card to pay a monthly bill as you cannot stop it unlike a direct debit mandate. Plusnet - rubbish.

[#13]

Hi TheFreelander
Can wholeheartedly empathise with your problem. I can only get 500kbps where I live due to distance from exchange,so I have to live with that, but for the last month the speed has been capped at the exchange to remedy the line instability, so only getting 25% of the line's capability. I too would migrate to another ISP if I thought it would improve things, but as it appears to be a line problem I think it would migrate with me. I've had visits from three BT engineers who all scratch their heads as the dropouts are intermittent and the cause can't be found - they need more time than the two hour slot they are allowed. It's become a bit like the Chinese water torture, drip, drip, drip...... The 3G coverage where I live is at the best patchy, but might still be better.
Now that you have put your 'rant' on this forum, maybe you'll get lucky and Jameseh will pick it up and run with it; I was getting nowhere until he intervened. Alright, I'm still getting this painfully slow download speed, but at least someone is doing something about it, I just wish it wasn't in instalments.
Good luck.

[#14]

My speed has been for the past two years 3 megs so I know that Plusnet have a fault as BT have been with me twice and have guaranteed that the line is perfect. I have asked for my MAC code (which I will have on Tuesday more hassle as they refuse to give it to you with an email request and you must ring them - another 20 minutes on the phone) as a matter of principle as Plusnet have TOTALLY ignored my requests for service. I telephoned them again today and had to wait almost 20 minutes for someone to more or less tell me that they didn't care as I had applied for my MAC code. I will go to a new provider next week and even the problem comes with me I think that the new provider will look into the problem quicker - may go with BT this time. NEVER EVER will I recommend Plusnet to anyone as the back-up is rubbish.

[#15]

Three days after the BT engineer said that if his efforts to get the speed up were going to have any effect it would take 3 days for the improvement to show, there is still no improvement - today's My Broadband Speed check measured 129 Kbps Down and 373 Kbps Up - so I guess his efforts haven't had any effect (he wasn't very confident that they would). So, still no further forward.
Jameseh - have you seen my reply #25 and my ticket update? - I would like to think that you are still on the case.
Has anyone adusted the BRAS profile as two engineers have requested? They said sometimes speed doesn't improve automatically as it should, as 'it can get stuck and need adjusting manually'.
I had a reply yesterday morning from CSC saying 'i will now escalate the ticket back to the faults team for further investigation.' From that I conclude that the faults team have not been investigating the fault recently. Another thing for me to puzzle over.
For approx. the last month, I have only experienced one connection drop whilst online or by observing the router display, so I am puzzled as to why I am still getting such lousy performance.