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FTTC Speed Decline

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 12:14:27 GMT

Hi, just to be upfront I am outside the contract period, have been since February 2020. When I last signed a contract with BT they said an engineer would visit the property and fix the speed issues, they were then at a measly 49mbps, the engineer never bothered to show up.

That propels me forward to today and my growing concerns regarding the broadband speeds. I will post some screenshots below.

If this is the wrong section please move it, thanks.

Telephone Checker (landline number input)

Postal Code Checker

I was originally on BT Infinity 2. All the packages have changed in the past few years. I think I was assigned to some BT Halo + package.

Which contact number is the best to get in touch with the support team? In the past I always end up in discussion with somebody abroad who are less than helpful. They may say the right things after the introduction but they never follow through with any of it. I really need a line reset as well as the engineer checking the stability of the line because these speed drops have been a gradual process over the years. They stabilise for a while then they drop some more. They never recover some, they just continue to drop over time.

I'm not willing to sign a contract extension unless they correct the speed issues. I also need whatever the latest BT Hub is because the BT HUB 5 I have is running into issues with the 5ghz wifi. Since that HUB update arrived in February 2019 the 5ghz wireless sometimes disappears and refuses to connect upon a automatic HUB reset.

Also, what is the process of faceplate and corded phone? If I do get an engineer out I don't want to be charged if the fault lays in the property. As is always the case I expect the problem to be external but best to be sure.

It would be nice if a moderator could pick this up, but I expect they won't, let's hope.

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

garybs29 — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 12:50:33 GMT

TBH you're going to end up in a quandry if you want a new hub. I've had experience where if you're out of contract they won't replace the hub as essentialy it has no warranty & the only way to get a new one was to sign up to a new contract, just FYI

The number is 0800 800 150 btw & all calls are now answered in uk/ireland as well

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

imjolly — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 13:01:24 GMT

try quiet line test from test socket by dialling 17070 option 2 should be silent and best with corded phone

your connection time is very short are you having problems with your connection dropping or are you resetting trying to improve connection speed or maybe combination of both? your noise margin is high at 10db as normal about 6db suggesting connection problems

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

pippincp — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 13:10:35 GMT

Exchange and cab number?

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 14:21:53 GMT

Not sure how to quote multiple messages so I will reply to them all in this message.

Thanks for the number Gary. I will contact them sometime next week once I have tried the phone and broadband in the test socket.

imjolly - No, 99% of the resets are done automatically by the cabinet. The connection did drop again and rebooted shortly after posting the screenshots though. I have reset the connection manually about 3 times in the past year when the 5ghz disappeared and refused to work after an automatic reboot of the HUB.

Pippin - Exchange Oldham Cabinet 49

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

imjolly — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 14:42:34 GMT

if you go to the hub logs and filter using WAN you should see the number of drops in connection as the high noise margin does suggest connection problems

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

pippincp — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 14:43:28 GMT

Quiet line test?

BTW you are on a Huawei cab so a possibility of G.INP once you get that noise margin down to 6.0dB.

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 15:05:12 GMT

PPP LCP send termination request (user request)

14th February 12:27:30 - Downrate 42mbps, Uprate 15.1mbps, Margin Down 10.2dB, Margin Up 6.0dB

13th February 21:39:42 - Downrate 42mbps, Uprate 15mbps, Margin Down 10.0dB, Margin Up 6.0dB

02nd February 02:48:46- Downrate 42mbps, Uprate 14.7mbps, Margin Down 10.1dB, Margin Up 6.0dB

28th January 03:41:55 - Downrate 47mbps, Uprate 15mbps, Margin Down 8.3dB, Margin Up 6.0dB

14th January 02:34:39 - Downrate 48.9mbps, Uprate 15.1mbps, Margin Down 8.4dB, Margin Up 6.0dB

I can only go back to December 11th. Either way the above speeds are pretty poor considering the post code checker believes we should be close to 80mb. Individual line / telephone checker 67mbps on a none impacted line yet here I am at 39mbps. I think the bare minimum when I first signed up to BT in 2015-2016 was 54mbps with a none impacted line standing at around 74mbps.

I will do the quiet line test later on today or tomorrow. Should I be testing the test socket with the phone only or plugging in the filter to the test socket and trying both broadband and phone?

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 02:04:16 GMT

A really late update but I'm gonna get the ball moving. The uptime was 18 days, restarted a few days ago and a slight decrease again. I finally got around to testing the test socket earlier. The corded phone sounds fine in the quiet line test via the test socket but I have spent the past 3 hours without internet when I then attempted the microfilter with the phone and dsl connected. The connection wouldn't re-establish. HUB couldn't get a dsl reading each and everytime I tried reconnecting it. Unplugged the HUB, inserted the cables again, made sure I actually plugged everything in correctly and the dsl still wouldn't work in the test socket via the microfilter. I must have done this about 5 times and no connection could be reached. It's really late now so I took out the microfilter and put the dsl wire back into the top slot (mk3 faceplate) and the connection was back within a minute. Back to a similar data rate as mentioned a few weeks ago 42051.

I wanted to get this posted before bed. I will have to phone BT regardless regarding the broadband speeds, noise margin and the connection issues, but is it uncommon for the test socket to work for the phone but not the dsl? Never had that issue when I did the same thing in the past.

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 12:24:36 GMT

A further update.

I bought a Broadcom router with lots of stats. Ran some tests, 0 CRC and 0 ES errors on the line yet the router still resynced with the cabinet after only 8 days. Sync speed was the exact same upon return but the throughput increased by 2Mbps. I have access to the router stats and I have also downloaded a live monitoring application called dslstats, very handy tool to have.

I requested a dlm reset earlier this week, when pressed they said they couldn't initiate a remote line reset and I would need an engineer, problem is engineers never get to the bottom of whatever the problem is on my line. I understand full well that crosstalk has negatively impacted my line and I will probably never be able to achieve 70-75Mbps again but this resyncing with the cab and the data sync dropping over time vs a much higher max attainable is clearly a fault somewhere.

An engineer is expected next week (if they turn up) and the person I wrote to on live chat said they have wrote a note about the dlm reset, but even if an engineer does show up, does something then decides to reset the line, whose to say that problem will not repeat itself in a month, two, three? It's been an on-going issue for years. Slight losses to speed over a period of time. I just hope whoever turns up next week is competent and resets the dlm. If not though can a moderator please chime in and help. The last time I requested a dlm reset years ago, an engineer turned up, replaced the faceplate, did something briefly at the pole, went to the cab and also set up his kit at the house and said that's the best I'm going to get. Even though the HUB at the time had a max sync rate 20Mbps higher than my current sync. Same thing now., but with even lower speeds.

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

imjolly — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 13:20:06 GMT

you are in a banded profile probably due to the disconnections whether caused by line noise or manual and the DLM taking action to try and stabilise your line. A DLM reset is only done after engineer has found and fixed the cause of your dropping connection otherwise it would be pointless if your line continued to drop connection the DLM would again take action and round you go again

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 13:54:23 GMT

I remember reading a ISP Preview article from last year about Openreach giving ISP's the ability to do a dlm reset upon request. I get why they may want to send out an engineer, but if they are unwilling to locate and fix the cause, why can't I get a dlm reset so I can see what's happening for myself? The 10-11db noise margin, the random untimely resyncs to the cab and the data sync vs max attainable isn't normal so there is definitely a fault somewhere.

I get that I'm banded and I also understand that a dlm reset may only be a temporary solution, but if the engineers continue to ignore the issue and nobody will authorise a dlm reset I will probably have to leave BT and go elsewhere. A cheaper option with a dlm reset as part of my new service which I can then monitor myself. It's not a threat. it's a simple request, either way I will wait for the engineer first. but if they don't issue a dlm reset, I think the only other way I can get one is by a moderator on this forum.

I'm spending £39.99 per month (out of contract) for 41Mbps throughput currently. When my max attainable through both the HUB stats and this current router are considerably higher. The HUB 42051 vs router at 44000 sync rate so it did improve a little since switching and after the second round of dsl uptime resets the throughput switched from 39Mbps to 41Mbps through broadband speed checkers.

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

pippincp — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 13:52:38 GMT

After the engineers finished ask him to request a DLM reset, it only takes him a phone call.

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 14:20:00 GMT

I will make sure to do that, but the last time I was fobbed off with the "This is the max speed you can achieve on your line" at a time when my noise margin was between 8-8.5 and my max data rate was between 65-67Mbps per sync, so it as dropped off a little since then.

This is why I am here ahead of time just incase they try pulling the same shenanigans again. Fingers crossed a competent engineer turns up, finally fixes whatever keeps causing the problem and does a dlm reset, will make my life easier. If not though can you please forward this to a moderator.

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

imjolly — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 14:43:05 GMT

just read a previous post on 10/3 and concerned that you cannot get your hub/router to connect to internet when you use a filter in the test socket. assuming filter is ok the one place you should get a connection is in test socket. even more confusing is by replacing the faceplate you get an internet connection. are there any connections in use on back of faceplate?

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 15:29:06 GMT

The corded phone worked both in the test socket and via the filter. There are no extensions behind the faceplate.

dsl works in the master socket (mk3 faceplate) but wouldn't work when connected to the filter via the test socket. The MK3 faceplate has two entry inputs for phone and dsl so I only had to unscrew the lower half to access the test socket. I never replaced the faceplate though. The MK3 was fitted when the last engineer turned up in 2018.

When I bought the new router I was given another microfilter. Tried the test socket with the filter to begin with but I couldn't establish a connection. So I put the dsl back into the top layer of the faceplate. It was only then I realised I needed to update the PPPOE username and password on the new router to get a connection. So the first microfilter was probably dodgy. As for the second one I haven't tried it in the test socket since.

The line problems has nothing to do with internal wiring. When I tried the test socket in the past I had the exact same problem as the mastersocket with the old faceplate (2016-2018) and the new one since 2018. Test socket never made a difference. Engineers have done bits and pieces but the one thing they have never done is a dlm reset.

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

imjolly — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 16:16:05 GMT

If your master is the one with the dsl and phone socket one above the other then removing just the faceplate does not reveal the test socket hence why no Internet, you need to remove the middle section which then shows test socket as shown here by black arrow

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 16:40:05 GMT

The test socket behind the panels in the lower right as displayed in the image above is what I tried. It was probably just a dodgy microfilter. When I was troubleshooting in the past and had to use the test socket with a microfilter it always worked, just didn't during my most recent attempt. The second filter that I received as part of my new router will most likely work if I tried the test socket again now I have the router setup.

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 21:10:46 GMT

Engineer turned up today. Initially had no idea what the problem was. Tried his devices in the test socket and I think it was then he discovered a fault near the telepole. About 30 minutes later he returned saying my wire was corroded somewhere near the telepole. So he fixed that, did a dlm reset, replaced the MK3 faceplate with the MK4 one. Did a few more tests with the speed on his device and it was syncing at 52Mbps (Up from 44Mbps) still isn't close to the max attainable of 62Mbps. G.Inp is also disabled for now. He said that he could not see any errors on the line. I think this corroded line issue is more of a recent problem. I have had sync speed issues ever since I switched to BT. Sync speeds dropping, noise margins increasing and the max attainable staying steady for a while then dropping bits at a time. I still think issue is in someway related to the cabinet itself and also crosstalk. I'm not very social though so I never really go chatting to the neighbours about which broadband provider they are with so I can't tell if this is an isolated issue or what. The problems I have on my line seems to be difficult to fault find. Crosstalk is clearly an issue, but there must be more to it.

Can a lift and switch to another port cause further problems to a line? I don't think this helped back in late 2017 early 2018. That switch seemed to make my line perform even worse. This was the second to last Openreach engineer visit. The last one before todays arrival as said already changed the faceplate, spent a bit of time at the telepole, said this is the best I'm going to get, didn't do a dlm reset and left.

I think I'll finally have to accept that I'm not going to get back to 60-70Mbps. I have been checking my stats over the past 7 hours dsl uptime and my CRC's are already at 25, 4 ES and 78089 FEC's on the downstream so it's not looking good. The engineer did say if the noise margin starts increasing again ring him and let him know, but even if he didn't mind me doing that, I wouldn't want to be a bother.

Re: FTTC Speed Decline

imjolly — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 21:11:38 GMT

The FEC errors are not a problem and showing that interleaving is working as expected