SmartHub6 dropping connection frequently, and repeatedly for each occurrence..

[bathsheba]

I am experiencing sub-optimal speeds, and multiple recurring connection drops, and nothing appears to be able to be done that fixes it.     Instead of dropping once, the connection can be up and down and unusable for 2-3-5 hours, in 2-5 minute chunks.   There is no internal wiring, just the one socket, phone and hub.

I am coming up to two years on current contract with 'new' SmartHub6.    (Also, the hub was replaced about a month ago in BT search for a solution.)

Around one year ago the initial problem (BT engineer wiring) had been fixed, the router log showed a noise margin around 3db/3db and the service was pretty good - fastest connection I ever experienced (55ish.)

Since then there have been a succession of problems - mainly the repeated disconnects - but the speed has also dropped to 35ish.

In the past 8 months I cut down all surrounding trees, then paid Openreach to install a brand new dropline.     Engineers have visited and replaced the 400m section of twisted pair from the fibre cabinet to the cabinet at the end of our road.    (The remaining 200m section along our road was apparently ok.)    When this pair was replaced, the attenuation dropped from 20.1 to 19.8.     All connections along with the socket box have been renewed at least once in April 2017, and then some again since.      (Whenever I have phoned the helpdesk, the tests that are run show no problems at all - including the 400m that needed replacing)

Product name:BT Hub 6A

Serial number:+084319+NQ84636607

Firmware version:SG4B1000B540

Firmware updated:18-Jan-2019

Board version:1.0

Gui version:1.64.0

DSL uptime:0 Days, 0 Hours 43 Minutes 9 Seconds

Data rate:8.92 Mbps / 47.23 Mbps

Maximum data rate:8923 / 48375

Noise margin:6 dB / 6.1 dB

Line attenuation:19.9 dB       (I see the attenuation has crept up again recently)

We get the normal green-orange-blue sequence, although yesterday there was a lot of additional flashing purple.

Occasionally the connection restarts, but the DNS servers are not accessible.

For a while I would ask the helpdesk to monitor the line for a few days after each problem.    When I followed up once on this, I was told that the exchange had registered a single disconnect over a 2-3 day period.     In the same time we had seen around 15 -20 disconnects in the house.    Not sure if this is representative, but not a large sample.

I am stuck, trying to escalate the complaint  and get some refund.     Any suggestions ?

Thanks & regards

Barry

(All quiet line test sockets, etc, are good.    Replacing the dropline cured this some months ago)

[bathsheba]

ah, forgot to say...
Problem can occur with only two main PCs connected via ethernet cable.
There can also be wifi sessions for phones etc. The wifi has been split into two main sections 2.4/5, and someone talked us thru changing the channels used in case that was contributing. No difference.

[gg30340]

The first thing I would try given all that has been done so far and what you have already spent I would replace the Smarthub with a third party VDSL modem/router.

You can get the TP Link  N300 VDSL Modem/router for just under £40 from Amazon or Argos. If this doesn't help you can always send it back for a refund but if nothing else it will have ruled in or out that the Smarthub is your problem.

[NeilO]

Hi @bathsheba I'm really sorry to see you're having problems with your broadband connection. I think we would be best if the mod team take a look at this for you based on the previous fault history of your line. I'll send you a private message in a few moments explaining how to send over your details.

[NeilO]

Hi @bathsheba thanks for sending in your details, I called there but missed you. I just wanted to let you know that I am taking over management of the complaint and fault. I've found no faults when I ran diagnostics but I can clearly see the connection is dropping way too much so I've raised this with our suppliers (BT Wholesale) and I'll get back to you tomorrow with an update.

[bathsheba]

Hi @NeilO 

Sorry I missed your calls.   Thanks for your help and advice with this.    I agree the line appears a lot more stable than before following your changing of the stability setting.     It now appears to drop about once per week only, probably overnight.

From our conversations I guess two points remain.   The router gives the following:

DSL uptime:8 Days, 3 Hours 28 Minutes 32 Seconds

Data rate:8.82 Mbps  47.60 Mbps

Maximum data rate:8816  48604

Noise margin:6 dB  6.1 dB

Line attenuation:20 dB

1)

We discussed the fact that thinkbroadband now consistently gives a much lower download speed (38ish) compared with the 47 shown by the router - and this was not always the case in the past.    If I  understand correctly from our conversation, the explanation for this is that there must be a number of line errors which in the past caused all the dropouts.    The new stability setting is helping the connection to not fail, but the errors remain and appear as loss of speed.

So, is there any way of determining the source of these errors - this must be down to some aspect of the line?

2)

A point mentioned in my previous posts (but not discussed specifically by us) is the fact that a previous engineer determined there to be a problem in the 400m section of wire between the fibre cabinet and end-of-my-road cabinet.   He replaced this with another section, and the line improved, and attenuation dropped by 0.3db.

How concerned should I be that this attenuation figure is creeping up again?

Thanks & regards

Barry

[bathsheba]

To be explicit, the attenuation started at 20.1 with the problems of the last several months, dropped to 19.8 after the line swap, but is now back up to 20 again.

[imjolly]

that minor change in attenuation is normal and probably caused by your weather conditions  mine also fluctuates by about 0.2/0.3db but does not affect my connection 

[bathsheba]

How do I turn off BT Wifi openzone?

I am now focussed of the difference between the connection speed (47) and the download speed (38).   I just removed all LAN cables apart from a single PC, and switched off the Wi-Fi.      Rebooted the hub6, and ran another test.      Still 38.

Tried the MyBT speed test, and this also came in at 40. and spoke of an undiagnosed problem.

I notice that the BT Wifi openzone appears to be active, and was looking for some instructions on how to shut this down.

https://btbusiness.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9787/~/how-can-i-turn-my-bt-wi-fi-%28bt-open...

The only instructions i found were in relation to btbusinesshub, and i get an error accessing the url provided.   When I look at Status page, the entry that tells me BT Wifi is active does not have a 'Not Active' or any other dropdown available.

[imjolly]

you will not get the same download speed as you can see in you conencted speed due to 'overheads' which is shown by the ip profile when you run btspeedtester diagnostic test

run the test and post results  http://www.speedtest.btwholesale.com/