Broadband and phone line help

[Batch]

It might train down. Even if it doesn't it may  take up to 3 days to get throughput near to synch speed. Also, you had do have filters on every  in use socket don't you?

[Barry Scott]

I only use the router and just one socket, because the phone fucks everything up. But yeah, i do have a microfilter on the socket my router goes into.

[land_of_bo]

do you have a filter on all sockets in the house?

[Batch]

I only use the router and just one socket, because the phone fucks everything up. But yeah, i do have a microfilter on the socket my router goes into.

And also the one he phone goes into, unless you are saying they are one and the same. If not it explains why the phone knackers the ADSL.

Probably have and I'm teaching you how to suck eggs mind.

[Barry Scott]

The phone isn't plugged in at all. If it goes in another socket, even with a microfilter, it crashes the connection. If it's in the same Microfilter as the router it seems ok, but then goes pear shaped.

There's nothing plugged in anywhere, apart from the router, just to clarify!

And Bo, i think what i said clears up the microfilter issue, unless of course you mean putting microfilters into unused sockets?

[leefer]

http://www.cable.co.uk/news/swindon-announces-free-broadband-project-19465497/

Interesting...

[Batch]

I conclude your phone wiring is gay. I realised you don't normally have the phone in, just wanted to check that when you did you had the filter on. Which you do.

One last question. How do the "extension sockets" run from the main socket. Can they easily be disconnected or are they plumbed in?

[Barry Scott]

They're kinda plumbed in. I can't see much cable kicking about. Certainly no evidence of cabling leaving the master and can only see cable going into/leaving one of my extensions.

[Barry Scott]

Barry's Adventures in Broadband continue....

Lost line totally in December, engineer came out and got it back within about 2 weeks. Once fixed the BB is shockingly unstable. It remained online for a few minutes every few days at shocking speeds, not that it mattered because you couldn't do anything with it for just those few minutes anyway!

Had another engineer, again a "talk" Openreach engineer, despite me explaining the first "talk" engineer said i needed a BB engineer. (The use of the phone crashed connection bigtime. Sometimes dialing 1471, allowed the router to find adsl again!)

Anyway,he came out said i needed a BB engineer. TT eventually get a BB engineer, he fiddles with equipment, finds a problem, BB seems fine. Within a hour, no BB.

TT have now pretty much stopped dealing with me. They explain that there is no problem with my line... All that does is make me want to kill them, because clearly there is a problem.

TalkTalk "support" have changed my BB profile, again, and it does at last seem stable and online. However, the max i get is about 700kbps, and using the phone fucks everything up. Even when unplugged if i get called (i believe).

So TEF, here's my issue, i can only get ADSL where i live, and personally believe that changing provdiers will change nothing as it's all the same cable innit?

Anyway, do i pay to have my flat recabled, which apparently isn't needed?

Pay for a completely brand new line on a new number and get BB through that?

Move provider, signing a 18 month contract with whoever and hope my BB rights itself with a new ISP?

Commit various terrorist atrocities against Charles Dunstone and TalkTalk?

EDIT: I've several routers, cables, microfilters and what not. Also gone to the trouble of testing everything on another line. Equipment is all sound as a pound. I do now have one of those NTE5 or whatever they're called and run the router through the test socket 24/7.

[stfcinbmth]

Barry, my ISP is good at sorting problems like this. If you want his direct line to talk directly to the boss drop me a pm, beware tho he's not cheap cheap

[Saxondale]

Barry.

Kill talk talk.  They're cunts.  I've had similar problems which have resulted in me buying new routers etc etc.  They also told me Id have to get a engineer for £160 in.  I kind of solved it myself but it isn't stable at all.  I don't have the spare cash to get the wiring checked so Im just putting up with it.

I was moved from person to person with talk talk and nearly went round and firebombed there offices when someone concluded it was a problem with my computer.  Despite the fact Id used the computer on the previous 3 days in 3 different offices both wired and unwired.

[[email protected]]

I've had the same problem.  Moved to TalkTalk in the middle of December and only had broadband connection for about 25% of the time despite telling them it was vital to have a reliable service 'cos I work from home.
The telephone line from was even worse - it NEVER rang out, and I only ever recieved 3 incoming calls (and 2 of them were calling someone else and were connected through to me), so over the Christmas/New Year period, I had to use my mobile for everything and it cost me a fortune.

Thier customer service is shit, the technical team never called me back despite several times promising they would, so I am now in the process of taking them to small claims court to reclaim all costs back from them (I was only with them for a month and with thier setup and cancellation charges are over £150 alone.

My advice, drop TalkTalk and move back to BT.  They aren't the cheapest, but I would take reliability over a couple of quid saving anytime!

[Peter Venkman]

I was with AOL then Talk Talk and I too can confirm the quality of service and speeds with them were crap, the customer service too is appalling.

I switched to BT and have had no problems since with a steady 6.5MB connection all day every day compaired to 500k to 1.5MB variable with the other two....but with exactly the same line, no extra work has been done on the line since BT took over the broadband yet the speed had mulitplied by 6x to 8x.

BT are expensive but they own the lines and seem to have a monopoly on getting the best possible speed from that line, my brother in law is a BT broadband installation engineer and has stated that some suppliers have their speeds capped by BT.... and..... if the draw of BT customers is high then the BT customers get the priority of higher line speed compaired to the leased out lines to AOL/Talk Talk/Orange etc etc.

It is denied at BT but it does happen.

[Samdy Gray]

I can't seem to get on SamKnows at the moment, but IIRC Barry you're on the Blunsdon exchange? I think TalkTalk have LLU at that exchange [EDIT: Just checked, yes they do] so you'll be going through their own hardware rather than BT's. If you switch ISP to someone who uses BT's IPStream rather than their own LLU it could cure your problems (assuming the problem is with TalkTalk's hardware).

I had similar problems to you in the past with Tiscali. Line kept dropping out and using the phone made it worse. In the end they arranged for an Openreach engineer to come out and test the line. He checked all my internal wiring and found nothing, then started tracing the line back to the exchange. Turned out it was a faulty connection in a junction box at the end of my street. The engineer said he'd seen nothing like it before. If that's the same case with you then changing ISP won't help. Have the engineer's that have been out to you done the same test?

Another problem with LLU is that Openreach engineers can only test so much of your line (i.e. between your house and the exchange) and TalkTalk's engineers will have to test the rest (the actual connection at the exchange hardware). So getting your problem resolved relies a lot on the two companies talking to each other properly.

[Barry Scott]

Thanks for all of your wonderful replies. To back up others comments on TalkTalk, i'd love to firebomb the cunts and their customer service. I actually use their web forums now because you don't have to constantly plugin and unplug your router (on almost every fucking phone call) to confirm which lights are on and off...

I've had the same problem.  Moved to TalkTalk in the middle of December and only had broadband connection for about 25% of the time despite telling them it was vital to have a reliable service 'cos I work from home.

My advice, drop TalkTalk and move back to BT.  They aren't the cheapest, but I would take reliability over a couple of quid saving anytime!

Same, i've been periodically using a BT network thing, which costs an arm and a leg, as well as having to use other peoples constantly. It's fucking ridiculous. I was thinking about going back with BT, but i have to pay them for the privilege and they're still using that fucking hideous practice of having 18 month rolling contracts i believe. That alone makes me want to avoid them.

I can't seem to get on SamKnows at the moment, but IIRC Barry you're on the Blunsdon exchange? I think TalkTalk have LLU at that exchange [EDIT: Just checked, yes they do] so you'll be going through their own hardware rather than BT's. If you switch ISP to someone who uses BT's IPStream rather than their own LLU it could cure your problems (assuming the problem is with TalkTalk's hardware).

I had similar problems to you in the past with Tiscali. Line kept dropping out and using the phone made it worse. In the end they arranged for an Openreach engineer to come out and test the line. He checked all my internal wiring and found nothing, then started tracing the line back to the exchange. Turned out it was a faulty connection in a junction box at the end of my street. The engineer said he'd seen nothing like it before. If that's the same case with you then changing ISP won't help. Have the engineer's that have been out to you done the same test?

Another problem with LLU is that Openreach engineers can only test so much of your line (i.e. between your house and the exchange) and TalkTalk's engineers will have to test the rest (the actual connection at the exchange hardware). So getting your problem resolved relies a lot on the two companies talking to each other properly.

Yeah Blunsdon exchange, that's right. Thanks Sam. The engineers have been out 3 times (as sent by TT) and twice from sweet talking a couple off the street, so 5 times in all. The line, as far as all are concerned is sweet. There was originally an error between my flat and the box where the line comes in, but he swapped pairs a few times and all was them well on according to his equipment.

It's weird. Just after they leave, i get over 3mb. It then drops within 5 minutes and settles back down to 200-600kbps. That happens everytime an engineer comes round!?!

According to TT, everything is well between them and the exchange. And according to BT everything's well between me and the exchange. The other thing is router stats are al over the place in a big way. Margins of between 0 and 4,000,000,000db. Yes, you read that right.

I think i may have to speak to BT and bite the bullet. But i suppose it's better than being in a constant state of internet cold turkey.