BT Broadband Service

[Ammonite Audio]

I have BT Broadband in two houses, 160 miles apart, using Linksys and Netgear ADSL routers. In both houses, the internet connection drops out rather frequently, which is annoying. Irrespective of the house and the make of router, when the internet goes off the ADSL light on the router will remain illuminated, but the internet service light is off. Rebooting the router will usually restore the internet service.

I've checked that the ADSL settings on each router are correct for BT Broadband. The problem seems to have got worse since the recent service upgrades.

Has anyone else got issues with BT Broadband? Perhaps it's time to start reading the junk mail from Virgin Media.

[Mike]

Get a Virgin in... :)

[The Grand Wazoo]

Been with Virgin for a lot of years. Any problems I've had are no different with anyone else's problems dealing with any other large company in the 21st century - customer service phone lines.
..........apart from that it's been good enough not to make me want to change.

[Alex_UK]

I was with virgin, but couldn't migrate when I moved, so went with Orange. Had a problem earlier this year which nearly made me move after 6 years, but to their credit, they resolved it and been fine ever since. I've been paying way over the odds (£25 p.m.) since when I started with them (I wanted the quickest line possible and no download limits) and I was amazed when they rang me this week to tell me they are going to halve my monthly charge, and increase my line speed! How often does something like that happen! :stalks:

[spendorman]

I was with virgin, but couldn't migrate when I moved, so went with Orange. Had a problem earlier this year which nearly made me move after 6 years, but to their credit, they resolved it and been fine ever since. I've been paying way over the odds (£25 p.m.) since when I started with them (I wanted the quickest line possible and no download limits) and I was amazed when they rang me this week to tell me they are going to halve my monthly charge, and increase my line speed! How often does something like that happen! :stalks:

That seems like a good deal and probably is, but that most likely means a new contract and they retain you as a customer for another contract period, rather than loose you to a competitor.

I have not come across one ISP that is really good I'm with Talktalk at the moment and for the low price, cannot complain. They do try to help with problems and calls to them are free, unlike some other ISP's that charge premium rates.

I set up computers for many friends and neighbours. Recently a neighbour lost his internet through a lightning strike. The Talktalk D-Link router was blown and so was the network socket of the PC. Talktalk very promptly sent a free replacement router. I thought that good of them. The network socket problem was solved by using a Ethernet to USB adaptor (about £2 on ebay).

Forgot to mention, have been with Talktalk for about a year, deal was up to 8 Meg download speed and 40 GB per month. My monthly bill (internet, tel. calls and line rental) is usually around £20. And I get about 16 Meg download speed.

[REM]

Migrated from Orange (never ever again, awful service) to O2 about two years ago, great service, UK based customer support who don't just read off a script, 'up to' 20meg/£10 per month (I get 14), can't be bad.

Had loads of problems with drop outs about six months ago, turned out there were too many local routers all on the same channel (6), moved to channel 13, no problems since, fingers crossed.

Try a Wi-Fi scanner to see who else is around you and what channel they're using, chances are you are all crowding each other out.

http://metageek.net/products/inssider

[electric beach]

I have BT Broadband in two houses, 160 miles apart, using Linksys and Netgear ADSL routers. In both houses, the internet connection drops out rather frequently, which is annoying. Irrespective of the house and the make of router, when the internet goes off the ADSL light on the router will remain illuminated, but the internet service light is off. Rebooting the router will usually restore the internet service.

I've checked that the ADSL settings on each router are correct for BT Broadband. The problem seems to have got worse since the recent service upgrades.

Has anyone else got issues with BT Broadband? Perhaps it's time to start reading the junk mail from Virgin Media.

Just so you don't feel persecuted, I'm experiencing exactly the same. I've only the standard BT router and thought I might need to upgrade this, but now you've said you have the issue regardless of router ....

I've fairly recently set up a Laptop/Router/PS3/Dac arrangement, which I'm really, really happy with for sound quality, except the damn connection issue is making it a frustrating experience.

[Stratmangler]

Are the routers in question on the main incoming master socket, or are they connected on an extension socket ?

A BT iPlate can improve connection issues.

[Reid Malenfant]

I wouldn't be suprised if it was the routers in question ;) I'm also on BT & boy have i had problems with them in the past :doh: My first router (BT205) packed up in the first year if i remember correctly so i was supplied with a new 210 unit. This lasted quite a while & then like yourself all of a sudden for no reason what so ever it started to drop the internet connection :rolleyes:

What tended to happen was i got no page response on forums & then i looked at the router & a few seconds later the internet LED dropped out. This continued to get worse & worse until finally the darn thing didn't work at all :doh:

I got on a mates PC & went on ebay & brought a brand new 210 kit for £5 + delivery & haven't had the same problem for over a year ;) As soon as it starts messing ariound like before i know it's time to get a new one in future :eyebrows:

[John]

I must be lucky had mine for 3 years now...no issues so far

[Reid Malenfant]

I must be lucky had mine for 3 years now...no issues so far
I don't bother switching this one off any more, the things do run quite hot so i figured i'd leave it on to reduce thermal stresses on the components from heating up & cooling down :eyebrows: So far, so good ;)

[electric beach]

Are the routers in question on the main incoming master socket, or are they connected on an extension socket ?

A BT iPlate can improve connection issues.

Mine's on the master socket, spurs off to the phone and runs on an extension lead round the room, then CAT6 to the computer. Without the extension and running wireless, it still dropped out frequently.

Oooooh... Master socket wires don't look healthy :stalks:

[Ammonite Audio]

In both houses the router is plugged into the master socket. Routers used are Linksys WAG354G, Linksys WRT160N, Netgear (cannot remember the model but it's wireless N). Same problem on all three with the internet service dropping out. I'm happy as Larry to tinker with record players and tonearms until the cows come home, but I really can't be arrsed with computer stuff.

[Mark Grant]

The problem seems to have got worse since the recent service upgrades.


If the upgrades where faster speed than maybe the speed is too fast for the line.

We have the same problem, although not with BT.

Our line length is massive at about 6.5 km which causes huge attenuation.

Here are some figures from our Netgear router:

ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 1385 kbps 764 kbps
Line Attenuation 71.0 db 38.6 db
Noise Margin 6.6 db 7.4 db

The only way we can get a stable connection is to have the speed limited to about 1.5 meg maximum ( it is connected at 1.385 today)

If you log into your router and look for the line attenuation and noise figures and post them here someome may be able to offer advice.

In your netgear these are usually in 'Router Status' then ' show statistics' , copy and paste it into notepad tc.

There is a free utility here that might be useful to automaically log these figures. ( a bit tweaky though if you are not into computers...)
http://www.vwlowen.co.uk/internet/files.htm


Mark.

[Ammonite Audio]

I think I've sussed the problem, which may not after all be due to BT's service. The Netgear router does drop the internet service entireley, but the Linksys WAG160N hat I'm currently using in this house just drops the wireless connection to the computer(s) - the internet service does seem to stay on. I have changed the 'wide' wireless channel on the WAG160N to Channel 11 and all seems to be fine and dandy. Maybe the problem is just competition between neighbouring wireless routers and devices. There is a firmware update available for the WAG160N but I shall hold off applying that for the moment.

[Barry]

I must be lucky had mine for 3 years now...no issues so far

Me too. Been with BT from the start (but only had a PC since the start of 2007, when I retired). My service and router (is that the box that interfaces between the PC and the phone socket?) do everything I need.

I'm not sure that BT are the chapest, but I've stuck with them (probably through inertia) since to change would require a change of e-mail address and mine is nice and simple, and I doubt if it would be so with a different provider. Two people whose opinion I value: one being a bit of a computer expert (well a lot more knowledgable about these thing than I) and the other who always goes to great lengths to get the best bargain, be it insurance or whatever, have chosen BT and are still with them.

Regards