BB connection issues

[Samurai]

I've been having problems with my BT broadband connection for the past 2 and a half weeks, and I figured after a bit of research and a couple of futile attempts at getting any sense out of BTs helpline, maybe here would be the best place to get some help.

So we've had our internet with BT for the last 7 or so months without too much of a problem, however a couple of weeks ago, our connection kept dropping, and occasionally wouldnt reconnect for hours at a time - the broadband light would constantly flash orange.  The hub (BT homehub 2.0 Type A) would also occasionally restart itself.  Recently, the disconnections havent been as frequent, and we have been able to stay connected for up to 24 hours before it drops again, however there is obviously still a problem somewhere.

This has also of course greatly  affected our broadband speeds.  Where we would normally get speeds of about 2.9mbps, we are now getting anywhere between 0.11mbps and 0.76mbps - usually the former. I understand that this is because our IP profile has dropped due to the constant disconnections, however we obviously cant stay connected long enough for the profile to rise again.

I have also noticed that our dsl connection rate seems to be changing almost daily.  Our dsl connection rate (downstream) used to be about 3500kbps, whereas now its down to about 1000kbps.

Any ideas what could be the problem here?

I have tried the quiet line test a few times. At the weekend I couldnt hear anything at all; earlier today there was a sort of muffled hissing noise, and just now its all quite again... 

Here are my hubs adsl stats:

ADSL line status

Connection information

Line state	Connected
Connection time	0 days, 5:09:20
Downstream	1,056 Kbps
Upstream	448 Kbps

ADSL settings

VPI/VCI	0/38
Type	PPPoA
Modulation	ITU-T G.992.1
Latency type	Interleaved
Noise margin (Down/Up)	20.9 dB / 12.0 dB
Line attenuation (Down/Up)	57.0 dB / 31.5 dB
Output power (Down/Up)	17.0 dBm / 12.3 dBm
Loss of Framing (Local)	288
Loss of Signal (Local)	117
Loss of Power (Local)	0
FEC Errors (Down/Up)	1569 / 0
CRC Errors (Down/Up)	15 / 2147480000
HEC Errors (Down/Up)	nil / 0
Error Seconds (Local)	1761

and the latest results from bt speedtester:

Download speedachieved during the test was - 83 Kbps
 For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 50-250 Kbps.
 Additional Information:
 Your DSL Connection Rate :1056 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
 IP Profile for your line is - 135 Kbps

Any help or advice would be hugely appreciated as this has been driving me up the wall and I have got nowhere with BT on the phone.  Thanks 🙂

[imjolly]

are you connected to the master socket   or have you tried the test socket which is behind the bottom half?

[Samurai]

Im not sure if we actually have a master socket/test socket. We live in a block of flats that was built 3/4 years ago. Would each individual flat definitely have its own master socket? If so how would I go about finding it as I dont have one where I can remove the bottom half... Cheers

[imjolly]

I would have thought each flat would have there own socket.  If you check my picture with your sockets and none match then you don't have the ability to try the test socket.  if there is only one socket in your flat then it must be the master and forget about the test socket 

[Samurai]

Just got home and found the master socket.  My mistake, it was hidden in a cupboard.

So what now then? Plug the hub into the master socket?

[imjolly]

if you have other sockets then removing the bottom half of the master and connecting to the test socket now visible is your direct connection to the exchange and will eliminate any noise caused by your extension wiring

[Samurai]

Ok, after plugging it into the test socket, here are the latest hub stats:

ADSL line status

Connection information

Line state	Connected
Connection time	0 days, 1:28:00
Downstream	1,952 Kbps
Upstream	448 Kbps

ADSL settings

VPI/VCI	0/38
Type	PPPoA
Modulation	ITU-T G.992.1
Latency type	Interleaved
Noise margin (Down/Up)	7.4 dB / 17.0 dB
Line attenuation (Down/Up)	58.0 dB / 31.5 dB
Output power (Down/Up)	18.4 dBm / 12.2 dBm
Loss of Framing (Local)	15
Loss of Signal (Local)	1
Loss of Power (Local)	0
FEC Errors (Down/Up)	113508 / 0
CRC Errors (Down/Up)	30 / 2147480000
HEC Errors (Down/Up)	nil / 0
Error Seconds (Local)	11

and BT speedtester:

 Download speedachieved during the test was - 92 Kbps
 For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 50-250 Kbps.
 Additional Information:
 Your DSL Connection Rate :1952 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
 IP Profile for your line is - 135 Kbps

[PaperBag]

Can I ask Sumurai, as a total non-genius;

You're Test Socket, all you done was remove the screws from the Master Socket, and plugged the line into the Test Socket thats there? ¬_¬ I think I need to try it, however I'm probs going to muck something up; if I have a Test Socket.

[DrWilliams]

Those are not bad stats.  The only issue is your IP profile set to 135 kbps

You'll need to wait anything up to 3 days of stable connection for it to reset itself to the right (much higher) level for your sync speed.  Boring, as I know from personal experience...

[Samurai]

I understand the IP profile is low, due to the disconnections I've been experiencing. What I'm trying to find out is what is causing these disconnections.  I will leave the hub in the test socket for the next few days and see if its more stable then.

The other issue though, is that my DSL connection rate is now 1952Kbps (Down-stream) whereas it was always around 3500Kbps before these problems started... Any clues as to whats causing that to change?