Internet Freezes

[#1]

Why is it that whenever I have a problem with the internet freezing, it's never PlusNet's fault? My router shows steady green lights and the wired computer reports a connection. The WI-Fi laptop reports a good 100% signal as does my wife's laptop. Yet I get sudden freezes of internet connection, for periods lasting a minute to twenty minutes sometimes longer, changing to my spare router makes no difference either, but If I switch over to my alternative dialup connection, it's all working fine.
Accessing the PN portal...well, let's just say if I sent a carrier pidgeon with a message on it's foot and it would beat my internet!
Seriously though I have had just about enough. I was with AOL on this same line/exchange from 2002 and never had a problem other than with their accounts department ( my reason for leaving them for a UK based call centre), I had a slightly slower speed with them but it was unlimited acess and constant.
I have raised a report tickets in the past and have to switched off my router over night as requested so a check can be made, of course, as this is the time when all runs smoothly so no problem there.
Sorry PlusNet, I cannot recommend your service to my friends, I don't consider you to be value for money.  I am a monthly customer, whilst waiting for the cancellation fee to be out of scope I will be searching for anotherbroadband/ telephone  provider.

[#2]

I suggest you try posting some of the relevant stats from your router in these forums...
Try that manky BT speedtest - the information it shows is a basic minimum (but ignore what it says about data rate).

[#3]

Hi Diamond,
I can see that you raised a fault back at the start of July which you closed after being advised that your issue may have been related to the DNS problem that we had open at the time.
As the issue has continued after the problem was closed I'd recommend raising another fault so we can investigate this for you - I'm sorry for the hassle you've had but we won't know that the fault is still present if you don't let us know.
If you raise it to us at http://faults.plus.net I'll take a look at it for you and see what I can do.

[#4]

Quote from: orbrey

Hi Diamond, I can see that you raised a fault back at the start of July which you closed after being advised that your issue may have been related to the DNS problem that we had open at the time.It was reported prior to that and all tests were undecisive, there was a lapse before it started again. As the issue has continued after the problem was closed I'd recommend raising another fault so we can investigate this for you - I'm sorry for the hassle you've had but we won't know that the fault is still present if you don't let us know.I quite agree, however, see next quote. If you raise it to us at http://faults.plus.net I'll take a look at it for you and see what I can do. Ticket raised, however same old tests, checking for speed or connection problems, I have the speed I am capable of 1.6mbps (except for PN website) and I have a constant connection..... it remains connected, it just hangs for indeterminate legnths of time

This message just received  I have had before.

Quote

Broadband Fault Checker - Connection checks [ Completed ] The Connection checks could not be completed Test result summary: Inconclusive We have not been able to complete the checks of your broadband service. This may be the result of a fault in the testing system rather than your service.

Attempted to telephone to discuss the problem but advised due to numbers of support calls, a 10 minute wait. " flogging a dead horse" comes to mind

[#5]

Ideally it needed to be raised as an intermittent fault rather than a speed fault, as the BT tests for each type test for different issues. I'll pass it through to the correct pool for you and get it tested again.

[#6]

I received a moderater PM stating I was in breach of forum rules for removing a moderators comment, well just in case my reply did not get through, I did no such thing, as far as I am aware!.
It is quite likely that whilst editing my own post, my trusty internet connection froze yet again ,during which time the aforementioned moderator message may have been posted, a post I would not have been able to see.
Once my connection became live again, I sent my own edited post,  which of course would overwrite any other.
Please feel free to re post your forum moderators message.

[#7]

I have received your reply Diamond and have responded.

[#8]

Received thank you Strat...
What a difference a day makes, from 2030 until midnight last night the internet did not freeze, (it became sluggish at one point probably due to it going into the "free zone" but no dead stops as I had been getting.
Today, seems to be better too.
In my own non professional anyalitacal mind, this definately points the problem way way away from my own routers, my three computers, their installed software, and my own BT sockets and lines.
Nothing reported yet from PN but it should give them an indication where to start looking  :D. (On hols from sat so I won't know till I get back)

[#9]

It doesn't rule out "intermittent problems" - if you haven't tried an alternate router, PN would lend you one (or replace it, if it's one of there supplied ones).
It also doesn't rule out interference caused by something local:-
such as any electrical device causing interference, including wired telephones, street lights coming on etc etc...
It would be worth keeping a diary of freezes, so that you can see if there is a pattern to it.

[#10]

I have only just come across this tool myself but would running a tracert (trace route) help?  When things are frozen, open up a cmd window and enter, for example, 'tracert www.goole.com'. ; If there is something broken or stuck between your computer and the Google website, this will give an indication of where the problem lies.  You would have to post the result here for 'the wise' to interpret.
Edit:  Here's the result I get from my computer.  Step 1 is my router, step 2 is the Plusnet gateway I'm connected to.  Steps 3, 4 & 5 are identifiably other Plusnet computers and I presume the fact that first line shows the Google URL resolved into an IP address indicates that DNS is working.
C:\Users\Reed>tracert www.google.com
Tracing route to www.l.google.com [209.85.227.103]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.0.1
  2    26 ms    26 ms    34 ms  lo0-plusnet.pcl-ag03.plus.net [195.166.128.109]
  3    26 ms    25 ms    26 ms  gi1-6-703.pcl-gw01.plus.net [84.92.0.181]
  4    24 ms    25 ms    26 ms  te2-2.pte-gw1.plus.net [212.159.0.186]
  5    26 ms    26 ms    25 ms  te2-4.pte-gw2.plus.net [212.159.1.102]
  6    25 ms    25 ms    25 ms  195.66.224.125
  7    27 ms    26 ms    25 ms  64.233.175.25
  8    31 ms    31 ms    31 ms  72.14.232.134
  9    31 ms    32 ms    31 ms  209.85.252.83
10    35 ms    37 ms    32 ms  209.85.243.89
11    32 ms    32 ms    31 ms  wy-in-f103.google.com [209.85.227.103]
Trace complete.

[#11]

I did say in my original post that using my alternative router made no difference at all, (I have my own rather than PN's in order to avoid contractual ties), but If PN wishes to loan me a test router to prove the point, I have no problem with that at all.
Street lights...a luxury, not seen those for a few years,  here in the countryside we don't need them.
If it were something local, then my neighbours would be suffering the same problems, same exchange, same antiquated phone lines, the only difference between us is the ISP. AOL,  BT and then myself on PN.
Running the speedtouch connectivity gives a positive result.

Already followed the CMD route whist on the telephone to PN when the last support ticket was in progress.. but thanks anyway

[#12]

Quote from: Diamond

....Running the speedtouch connectivity gives a positive result. Already followed the CMD route whist on the telephone to PN when the last support ticket was in progress.. but thanks anyway

Well, the connectivity test gives a positive result as far as it goes, which is as far as some computers belonging to Plusnet but it doesn't test your ability to get out into the internet proper.  If you try to go to www.bbc.co.uk ; and you cannot load the web page then running 'tracert www.bbc.co.uk ' will prove (I think) that this is Plusnet's fault and not something wrong with your computer/router.  On the other hand, it's fairly common for web browsers to 'freeze' but that would be your problem and not Plusnet's.  I think this is a good test to run if you want to get to the bottom of where the problem lies but, as I said originally, I'm new to this diagnostic tool so I could be wrong.

[#13]

I've also had problems with the web suddenly becoming unavailable and being unable to connect (ie I get a timed out message) , or outlook being unable to connect to a server (I get a cannot connect error).  Sometime outlook is able to connect and the web is non functional, sometimes the other way round and sometimes both.
when I try later -as in a few hours it is OK
I don't reboot computer or the router - it just starts working when I try again
There is no problem with the router which shows a constant uninterputed connection.
I'm connecting at around 7700 to 8000 sync speed with a margin of around 6, I'm 2km from the exchange
This has just started to become a problem in the last few weeks
This evening I got another web failed to connect and quickly ran a tracert on the site
see below:
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.
C:\Documents and Settings\David>tracert dslzoneuk.net
Tracing route to dslzoneuk.net [80.77.246.42]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  voyager.home [192.168.1.1]
  2    47 ms    37 ms    39 ms  lo0-plusnet.pte-ag2.plus.net [195.166.128.72]
  3    *        *        *    Request timed out.
  4  1012 ms    35 ms    34 ms  ae0-1234.rt2.the.uk.goscomb.net [195.66.224.226]
  5    32 ms    36 ms    36 ms  213.230.194.161
  6  122 ms  194 ms  209 ms  xifos-gw.customer.lchost.net [213.230.194.102]
  7    32 ms    36 ms    33 ms  www.dslzoneuk.net [80.77.246.42]
Trace complete.
C:\Documents and Settings\David>tracert dslzoneuk.net
Tracing route to dslzoneuk.net [80.77.246.42]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  voyager.home [192.168.1.1]
  2    34 ms    33 ms    35 ms  lo0-plusnet.pte-ag2.plus.net [195.166.128.72]
  3    71 ms    75 ms    96 ms  ge0-0-0-504.pte-gw2.plus.net [84.92.4.90]
  4    35 ms    34 ms    40 ms  ae0-1234.rt2.the.uk.goscomb.net [195.66.224.226]
  5    33 ms    36 ms    32 ms  213.230.194.161
  6    34 ms    34 ms    35 ms  xifos-gw.customer.lchost.net [213.230.194.102]
  7    32 ms    34 ms    35 ms  www.dslzoneuk.net [80.77.246.42]
Trace complete.
So that looks to me as if the time out on the first trace is happening between two of plus net servers....................
on the second the max delay is also at plus net....
Over to those more expert in all of this than me.

[#14]

I gave it a go and here we are.
C:\Documents and Settings\bobby>tracert www.ebay.co.uk
Tracing route to hp-intl-uk.ebay.com [66.135.200.28]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
  1    16 ms    99 ms    99 ms  dsldevice.lan [192.168.1.254]
  2    40 ms    45 ms    41 ms  lo0-plusnet.pcl-ag03.plus.net [195.166.128.109]
  3    38 ms    41 ms    37 ms  gi1-6-703.pcl-gw01.plus.net [84.92.0.181]
  4    36 ms    55 ms    42 ms  xe-1-2-0-0.lon20.ip4.tinet.net [213.200.79.233]
  5    41 ms    41 ms  145 ms  xe-8-0-0.ams20.ip4.tinet.net [89.149.185.90]
  6    43 ms    49 ms    53 ms  ge2-0.1000M.asd9nxg1.ip.tele.dk [213.200.75.110]
  7    *        *        *    Request timed out.
  8    *        *        *    Request timed out.
  9    *        *        *    Request timed out.
10    *        *        *    Request timed out.
11    *        *        *    Request timed out.
12    *        *        *    Request timed out.
13    *        *        *    Request timed out.
14    *        *        *    Request timed out.
15    *        *        *    Request timed out.
16    *        *        *    Request timed out.
17    *        *        *    Request timed out.
18    *        *        *    Request timed out.
19    *        *        *    Request timed out.
20    *        *        *    Request timed out.
21    *        *        *    Request timed out.
22    *        *        *    Request timed out.
23    *        *        *    Request timed out.
24    *        *        *    Request timed out.
25    *

[#15]

Unfortunately, traceroute is not a reliable proof of things going wrong...

Quote

This program attempts to trace the route an IP packet would follow to some internet host by launching probe packets with a small ttl (time to live) then listening for an ICMP "time exceeded" reply from a gateway. We start our probes with a ttl of one and increase by one until we get an ICMP "port unreachable" (or TCP reset), which means we got to the "host", or hit a max...

Sending lots of packets which get rejected may cause firewalls to treat your traceroute traffic as very low priority...
Trying a simple ping command (provided the site accepts it - many do, is much quicker.