Link problems

Hi all

Did anyone have issues on Plusnet yesterday afternoon/evening? My brother has a plusnet link and he emailed me yesterday afternoon to say the internet kept going up and down and was really slow. I logged into the router remotely and it had a 12dB noise margin and hadn't lost connection in 37 hours.

Stats this morning are:
Sync speed 4352 / 448
Aten 45 / 27
Noise margin 13.1 / 20
Up time - 52:32:03

The noise margin last night was 12dB. It has a high noise margin because it has had some instability in the past and it got to the point where it was better to leave it high and lose 1Mb than it was to try for the last ounce - the connection is enough for their needs and the exchange has no current plans for 21CN or fibre. The exchange is Sidlesham.

So, everything looked OK and I haven't been able to go over there yet. I had suspected it was something in the network but the TB BQM graph is what is making me thing it isn't :My Broadband Ping

Normally that sort of graph around late afternoon is seen if there is high usage. But I have checked the plusnet usage this morning and the total for yesterday was 52MB - that does not explain that graph.

Anyone else see any issues? It could well have just been a blip at the exchange but Plusnet user tools doesn't show any issues at the exchange.

Does he use wireless (someone nearby started using the same channel)?

Exchange status is OK: http://usertools.plus.net/exchanges/?exchange=Sidles...

Edited by jelv (Fri 01-Feb-13 08:35:14)

It is using powerline and got him to reboot those. As I say I would have expected internal barring the BQM which suggests there was a problem somewhere outside (it could be the router - going round tonight so will do some diags then but I still think it was most likely external to the property).

Wireless isn't an issue - they have one neighbour and their technical capability is at about the level of using chalk and slate...

In reply to a post by ian72:

Did anyone have issues on Plusnet yesterday afternoon/evening?

No issues here. My BQM graph (note the packet loss around 6pm was because I was upgrading the router firmware, so router was down for a short while: My Broadband Ping

Thanks for the comparison. I think it was something at the exchange but will have a check around tonight and see if anything else might have been the culprit.

Well, looks like they definitely have a problem now. Line sync when I looked 20 mins ago was down to 600Kbps - still same atten and noise margin. Remotely rebooted and it has gone up to 900Kbps - still way below where it should be.

Looks like I'll be swapping the router and trying the test socket tonight and then may well be on the phone to those lovely plusnet support people.

I do love doing these sorts of things on my evenings after work