Can anyone translate BT speak?

[Lila]

We have had another week of the internet dropping out. As instructed, we text the bot who tells us there's a network fault in our area and it will take up to 4 hours to fix. We then click to track the fault and it says there are no known faults in the area. We then go on to the BT site to see problems in our area and it tells us this: 

which seems about right for BT - about 9 months to fix a fault...

My neighbour sent a text to say her BT wifi had gone down too and sent a text to say when it had come back on again. Unsurprisingly, it matched our times. 

I called BT when it was up again and they told me there were absolutely no network problems in my area and had been no outages. I told her my neighbour's down times matched ours but she repeated it was an issue in my home (yawn).

I am with Halo so tried to get the mini hub working but no go as the mobile signal is too weak. I asked why I had been paying for unbreakable wifi and when I couldn't receive the service and was told, 'I don't know.' That makes 2 of us.

Instead an expert was dispatched who changed the hub and changed the plug. He told me there had been an outage earlier. 

Fast forward 12 hours and the wifi went down again, and every day since. 

Can anyone translate please? Why are we being told we have an issue when clearly the area does? Why can't we trace a fault once reported? Why has there been a fault for 9 months?! Why have we paid top whack for Halo when they should have told us we could not get a mobile signal for the hub?

Thank you for any answers and any pointers who we can escalate this to. 

[Crimliar]

There comes a point when you might need to use a site such as CEO Email, and contact someone who will get things done.

In the mean time, if you do have to contact someone, it's better to say your "broadband" or "internet" is down/playing-up, because techs, being pedantic will try to fix your Wi-Fi (which is probably fine) rather than the underlying problem (broadband/internet).

[Lila]

Yes - I think you are right.

I am in the process of switching so much at the moment - BB, energy, mobile - I keep forgetting what I am posting where, but you are right of course - the BB is down so we have no wifi connection at home. Except we do this morning but I suspect it won't last long! 

[iniltous]

If you are switching provider , aren’t your posts here somewhat redundant…what’s the point in giving you advice, or chasing problems if you are soon to be a customer of a different company.

[Lila]

No, I am looking at it. Providers ultimately usew the same Openreach cabling so trying to actually understand who is right and wrong in the network outage and how I can see thes mystery outages, if they exist or not. 

[WSH]

“Providers ultimately use the same Openreach cabling …”

Not necessarily so today.  For example, Sky now has a marked preference for using CityFibre where available.

Anyway, this site here might provide a bit more information as to the nature of the fault, if it is down to Openreach:

https://status.zen.co.uk/broadband/

[Lila]

Thank you. That comes up as no recent faults so is the bot and BT website wrong then? Is this down to BT's new router or new socket?

[imjolly]

@Lila 

are you currently a BT broadband customer?  if so what broadband package do you have and are you on FTTP - fibre to home or FTTC fibre to street cab and copper to your home?  what type of new socket have you got?  do you have a home phone and if so is it digital voice (connected to socket on hub) or normal phone connected to wall socket?

some clarity on what you have will help get better replies

[WSH]

Unfortunately, it could be a wide range of things, which makes these things so difficult to diagnose remotely.

Usually best to start with the simplest things first, so have you restarted to router recently?  I would assume the answer, under the circumstances, is yes.  So, the next thing to try is unplugging the cable to the master socket or ONT and plugging it back in again, (both ends).  Often expansion and contraction can cause a contact to become intermittent.  Periodically reseating the cables will fix that.  Replacing the cable may also help.  (Cables do develop faults occasionally).

As imjolly says, you haven’t clarified if you are on ADSL/FTTC (copper) or FTTP (Full Fibre)?    If it is still FTTC, with a removable socket lower faceplate, unplugging and re-plugging that may help.  You can also use the test socket behind the faceplate to connect to the router.  (Sometimes the faceplate itself develops a fault).  This would also eliminate a fault in any internal extensions you have.  (Incidentally, if there is a fault with internal extension wiring, that is not within BT/Openreach’s responsibility anyway).

As I said, unfortunately the list of suspects goes on.  If the fault is outside, you will just need to persist with contacting support, of course.   And, as people have indicated, that needs to be with you own provider as, if not BT, then there is nothing BT can do about it.  (And also, while I think about it, while BT and Openreach are both part of BT Group they are separate companies, so this forum has no direct relationship with Openreach, if it is an Openreach problem).

[Lila]

Thanks all.

The BT 'expert' was here and checked everything, putting in a new socket and replacing the current router and cable. It is fibre to the cabinet only. 

We always turn off the router once it goes down. 

But we have had enough now - the fact this forum exists with volunteers telling paying customers what to do sums up BT's values. I am saying £25 a month on a new deal elsewhere.