This topic

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnecting

pidgeonpost — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 12:43:30 GMT

I’m about to pick up on a dialog with BT over a couple of Broadband problems. These problems show themselves as:

The line appears to go down – i.e. if using the PC (Microsoft Edge), a tab opens from the hub telling me it’s gone down. A trip into the next room usually shows me that the hub has come back up or is in the process of restarting. I’m then back on the air until the next time.

Lots of buffering while watching iPlayer. Sometimes it recovers, and sometimes it doesn’t and you have to drop back a level or two and then resume watching. The BBC website suggests checking broadband speed - done - download typically 4.0 to 4.4, upload typically 0.8. BBC also suggests lowering the picture quality to SD – done that too. It also suggests it might help to disconnect any devices not actively being used.

A few nights ago we noticed that if, while watching iPlayer, one or both of us started browsing on our phones it seemed to precipitate iPlayer buffering. Last night as soon as we experienced buffering we switched off Wi-Fi on our phones, and this did seem to have a beneficial effect. Not ideal though, as the mobile signal here isn’t great, and there's the risk of incurring charges for using mobile data.

I opened a ticket with BT some weeks ago, and they did some preliminary checks before reporting that ‘everything should be ok now’. It wasn’t, and further dialog with them resulted in them sending me a replacement hub. I connected it a couple of days ago, and I’m still getting buffering (with phones on), and although the hub has fallen over at least once since, it does seem more stable, though it’s too soon to say it’s resolved the disconnection problem.

In an effort to try to pinpoint the problem from my end I set up a Windows batch job to ‘ping’ www.bt.com every 15 seconds and write the output to a file. Later examination showed many instances of data loss – 25%-100% - plus various other regular failures of connectivity. This was with the old hub, but I’m still getting a degree of packet loss with the new one.

The setup we have in the house is:

Wireless– 2 x phones, 1 x HP printer, 1 x tablet

Wired (via Cisco netplugs) 1 x Humax satellite recorder, Panasonic TV, desktop PC.

Questions are:

Is it reasonable for the hub to reboot once or more every day? If so, why?
Should it be necessary to turn phones/tablets off to be able to just watch a film even if those devices are not actively in use?
What interaction might take place between phones/tablets when they are powered on, wifi-enabled, but not in active use? I guess there may be the occasional app update but not much else.

Getting extremely browned off with this, so any clues please?

Thanks.

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnecting

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 12:46:17 GMT

Is there any noise on your phone calls? Dial 17070 and select option 2, there should be no noise between the announcements.

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnecting

pidgeonpost — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 15:37:33 GMT

Thanks, and no, there's no noise.

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnecting

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 15:41:05 GMT

@pidgeonpost wrote:
Thanks, and no, there's no noise.

Do the lights on the BT home hub change colour when you get the disconnections?

What does your master phone socket look like?

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnecting

imjolly — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 15:48:05 GMT

in order for the forum members to help please can you post the stats from your router (if hub enter 192.168.1.254 in your browser) and if HH5 then go to troubleshooting then helpdesk and if HH6/SH2 then advanced settings then technical log information .

have you turned of smart setup

Turn Off smart setup

enter your phone number and post results remember to delete number https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

Someone may then be able to offer help/assistance/suggestions to your problem

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnecting

pidgeonpost — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 17:22:57 GMT

Number 7 - Smart socket 5C

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnecting

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 17:25:43 GMT

@pidgeonpost wrote:

Number 7 - Smart socket 5C

That master socket is known to give problems, and is most likely the cause of the problem

As mentioned https://community.bt.com/t5/Landline/2019-Master-Socket-kit-loose/m-p/1985566#M6775

You need to connect things up as shown below, and see if you still get disconnections. Leave it like that for a few days.

NTE 5C Test socket checkNTE 5C Test socket check

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnecting

pidgeonpost — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 17:37:39 GMT

Thanks - Smart Setup was ON - still is. I guess it's the default setting. Are you suggesting I should turn it off then?

I've run the broadbandchecker and pasted the output into a Word doc but seems no option to attach it to this message.

Duty calls - back later, but thanks all.

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

imjolly — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 17:41:12 GMT

Yes turn off smart setup. It can cause problems with devices connecting

to post image use the camera icon

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

pippincp — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:06:21 GMT

@imjolly A Word doc isn't a photo.

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

gg30340 — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:13:33 GMT

See link about how to post an image in a message in the forum.

Forum Help - BT Community

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

pippincp — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:20:37 GMT

@gg30340 A M/S Word document is not an image. The OP needs to screenshot the Word doc and upload that.

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

imjolly — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:30:05 GMT

@pippincp wrote:

@imjolly A Word doc isn't a photo.

Well aware of that but it was to post an image of the of the dslchecker results

obviously @gg30340 had same idea

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

pidgeonpost — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:31:14 GMT

Well here's half of the story. Let me know if you want the other half. 🙂

And this is what the socket looks like with faceplate removed.

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

pidgeonpost — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:41:27 GMT

Thanks - just a hiccup. Many forums these days just allow you to attach a file hence why I put it in a doc. 🐵
Also when I eventually saved it as an image it was rejected as too big so I had to resize it.

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

imjolly — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:51:36 GMT

As you have extension connected have you tried using the test socket which is no visible with a filter and see if that helps your stability

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

pidgeonpost — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 20:30:08 GMT

Sorry, don't understand. The faceplate just has 2 cables plugged in - hub on the left, phone on the right (a base-station) so I'm not sure how you determine there's an extension? There actually IS an extension socket in another room, but I'm interested to know how you can tell from the pic. 🙂 Where is the filter in this configuration please - is it within the faceplate?

BTW have switched off Smart Setup and restarted hub.

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 20:14:08 GMT

There is extension wiring shown on the left.

The filter is actually in the front section you have removed.

You need a separate microfilter like this.

That needs to plug into the test socket, ant your phone an home hub plug into that. That is described on my last picture.

Doing it that way, eliminated the possibility of a bad connection between the front and back sections. Leaving it like that for a few days, to see if you get the disconnections, will prove it.

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

imjolly — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 20:15:25 GMT

you can see the extension wires connected to the terminals inside the clear plastic on left of pic

the filter required is the one used probably with older adsl before filtered sockets were installed may have got filter with initial package from BT

Re: BT HUB keeps disconnzecting

pidgeonpost — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 20:32:53 GMT

Thanks both - now I understand. I may have one of these filters in my rainy day box - will have a look and get back in touch. 👍