BT TV not connecting (using wired connection)

[oldhasbeen]

Our BT TV worked fine last night but isn't working today.

Our Broadband and WIFI are working fine for all other purposes, but our  YouTube box can't connect to internet.  We've done all the usual tests, turned the You View box on and off and restarted the router, all to no avail.

We use a powerline adaptor to connect from  our router to the TC, as  the former is upstairs and the latter downstairs, when we tried using a wireless connection it was very unreliable.

I've called BT but have been on hold for an eternity, being subjected to horrible tinny Xmas music to rub slat intothe wound..

Could anyone help?

[imjolly]

have you tried resetting the powerline adapters and ensuring they are not the cause of your connection problems

[oldhasbeen]

Yes we've tried this

I eventually got through to BT, where a support lady tried to be helpful but just went through everything I'd tried already,  then suggested resetting the YouView box to factory settings,  which I don't want to do as it'd mean losing all our recordings   which is the main reason we have the box.

A BT engineer will visit us on Tuesday morning. It's last-chance saloon time for BT TV. If they can't find a permanent solution to my issues, it's time to boot them out. I'm reluctant to go to Virgin as their customer service is poor, but I'm not sure there is any other choice.

[rbz5416]

Do you have a laptop you can connect to the powerline adapter near the Pro box & run some speed tests? If not I'd suggest buying a long ethernet cable for a few pounds to see if that works. If it does then likely the powerline adapters have failed.

[oldhasbeen]

Thanks rbz5416 but I'll wait for the engineer to come Tues AM.

[gomezz]

You say you are using a wired connection but powerline adaptors are not a wired connection in the true sense.  For me the most likely culprit are the powerline adaptors.

Assumng you have tried resetting the adaptors then also consider your home electrical wiring.  Any chance you can make sure that both adaptors are plugged into the same ring or do you have separate rings for upstairs and downstairs?

 Also, plug the adaptors directly into the wall sockets without anything else plugged into the same socket.  BTW you haven't just plugged some Christmas lights in have you?  They are renowned for having dodgy power bricks pumping out interference.  While you are at it unplug anything else new you may have added recently as a test.

Consider replacing the adaptors with newer ones of a reliable make.

But the best solution of all is an ethernet cable.  At least give it a try which would at least confirm that the powerline adaptors are the guilty party.

[Midnight_Voice]

@oldhasbeen 

Another alternative, if you have a laptop, is to turn off its WiFi, unplug the Ethernet connection from the YouView box, and plug it into the laptop.

If you can get on the internet on the laptop, then the PLAs are working fine. If you can’t, then the PLAs are your issue.

[David_H]

Thanks for sage advice @gomezz and @Midnight_Voice  it's very likely the issue is due to the power line adapters not been able to connect properly, unfortunately they don't do well when switching power supplies like Christmas lights are involved and we do see increases in YVM102 and other connection errors around this time of year. 

@oldhasbeen as you have an engineer booked, it will be best to let them check but power lines are notorious for interference - hopefully you are using the later Mini-Connector or TP-Link models with your TV Box but the engineer should be able to confirm that and potentially replace if either end is faulty. They can also advise on improving Wi-Fi connectivity using a disc to extend the range if that's some thing that would help.

Please keep us posted on progress.

David

[oldhasbeen]

Thanks David

[oldhasbeen]

A helpful engineer visited us last week. He suggested the box could be the problem, so he replaced it.

Sadly, this hasn't helped. We had some minor problems Tuesday/Wednesday, then last night the picture on the TV kept breaking up and losing sound, and broadband was so slow I might as well have been using dial up.

Today my wife is watching a film on the TV, I'm trying to watch football on Now on the PC upstairs, but Now won't even load up.  I've logged onto BT and kicked off a "This will take about 1 minute" broadband test 5-10 minutes ago but it's still hanging.

Time to see what Sky / Virgin can offer?