Help with my BT Infinity Service

Hello, I've been having problems with my BT Infinity service for a few months now. Finally today thought I would ask for some advice. I first had it installed back in Feb 2011 and I was the first customer on the cabinet. Openreach engineer said my line was capable of reaching "The Full VDSL speed". Up until March the connection was reaching 40Mbps. Since then the speed has lingered around 15Mbps. I upgraded to the unlimited package recently as I was using more data and I hoped this would reset my IP Profile but no such luck. I just unlocked firmware on the VDSL modem but cant make much sense of the stats.

Connection Status
Help
Mode VDSL2
Traffic type PTM
DSL synchronization status Up
DSL up time 4360

Line Status
Help
Downstream Upstream
Attainable rate (kbit/s) 81156 30753
SNR margin (dB) 26.4 19.4
Line attenuation (dB) 0 0
Output power (dBmV) 13.2 -4.3

Downstream Upstream
Line rate (kbit/s) 17999 14999



I expect my cabinet to have many connections as you're lucky for ADSL speeds to go above 1Mbps.
Any help or advice is appreciated.

Thanks, Chris.

Edited by deleted (Thu 01-Nov-12 19:07:00)

Modem is saying it can do 80/20 easily, but is synced at a lot lower speed.

Tried restarting the modem and grabbing stats as soon as they are available.

Thanks, will do that shortly. Shall I post same results or results from Telnet?

Same is fine

Took a screen print straight after restart.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee197/chrislyon07...

Is SNR margin still zero?

The lines rates at 17999/14999 in your original and latest posts look a little suspicious.

Do a few more reboots - spaced out by an hour or so and see what they say. If it comes back as 17999/14999 then you are certainly being capped.

SNR has gone back to 26.4 / 19.4 I'm not sure if this is good or bad?

I shall get back to you tomorrow regarding the restarts and keep an eye on it. Thanks for your help!

You should check out your ip profile before reporting the line fault.

Lots of spare noise margin points to it being capped most likely

Which should be around the 17 Meg mark as it follows the sync, or are you thinking the modem is not reporting the sync speeds correctly?

It will be on a banded profile rather than being "capped", to prevent it from syncing too low.

capped or banded - the effect is pretty similar as far as this user is concerned, as the top of the band appears to be 17999 when modem will sync at 80 if let to train on its own

I think a lot of instability will have been responsible for DLM limiting the sync speeds, and an engineer visit will be needed to resolve the issue.

IP Profile for your line is - 17.42 Mbps
How should I go about contacting BT? Don't want to let on that I've unlocked the modem as I don't think I'm supposed to.

Don't worry about unlocking the modem - it's your modem after all. If you are worried, you can either do a long reset or just put the locked firmware on instead.

With any "luck" you may hear crackles on your phone and you can report a voice fault, or you can use the online web test to test your line which may also show an error.

Alternatively, just ring the help desk and report a fault and they should send an engineer out.

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

Don't worry about unlocking the modem - it's your modem after all.

Ownership of the modem remains with BT.

In reply to a post by Chris12:

SNR has gone back to 26.4 / 19.4 I'm not sure if this is good or bad?

It's good as it proves your connection is capable of much higher speeds.
SNRM on an uncapped connection tends to hover around 6dB for both DS & US.

It's also good as it proves the connection has been capped.

What is uncertain though, is why the connection was capped in the first place.

It suggests the line has/had a serious fault or a batch of faults, or that you had regularly rebooted/switched the modem on & off for a while.

Quite often, even when "faults" have been repaired, a manual DLM reset is required as it doesn't always automatically restore previous higher speeds.
This type of manual DLM reset can currently only be requested via an engineer's visit & even then, BT's remote fibre centre has been known to refuse such a request.

In reply to a post by MHC:

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

Don't worry about unlocking the modem - it's your modem after all.

Ownership of the modem remains with BT.

No it doesn't. I asked Openreach for confirmation, rather than rely on some unknown posters on a forum.

indeed i have 3 modems now lol

With any "luck" you may hear crackles on your phone and you can report a voice fault, or you can use the online web test to test your line which may also show an error.

Yes, but an engineer visiting to fix a reported noisy fault WON'T be able to have the sync/profile recalculated ...... So that would rather be shooting oneself in the foot.

Best bet, ring BT Broadband and report as slow, maybe even no sync (unplug from the filter to achieve, childish, but appears common practice.)





p.s. If the VDSL modem doesn't belong to Openreach, then why don't they raise a charge when they swap them out ? If the visited site, and it was your phone that was faulty, they would charge for the visit AND still not replace it ........

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

p.s. If the VDSL modem doesn't belong to Openreach, then why don't they raise a charge when they swap them out ? If the visited site, and it was your phone that was faulty, they would charge for the visit AND still not replace it ........

As I said, I asked Openreach for confirmation. It has been confirmed that I own the modem and I can do as I please with it although unlocking it will invalidate the warranty.

Edited by deleted (Tue 06-Nov-12 22:49:31)

As I said, I asked Openreach for confirmation. It has been confirmed that I own the modem and I can do as I please with it and unlocking it will invalidate the warranty.

Then we must agree to differ.

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

p.s. If the VDSL modem doesn't belong to Openreach, then why don't they raise a charge when they swap them out ? If the visited site, and it was your phone that was faulty, they would charge for the visit AND still not replace it ........

As I said, I asked Openreach for confirmation. It has been confirmed that I own the modem and I can do as I please with it although unlocking it will invalidate the warranty.

But was the person you contacted right, or talking the frequent rhubarb we encounter from many people associated with BT Group?

As it's in writing, I'm happy with it.

Fair enough!

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

p.s. If the VDSL modem doesn't belong to Openreach, then why don't they raise a charge when they swap them out ? If the visited site, and it was your phone that was faulty, they would charge for the visit AND still not replace it ........

and my contract with BT specifies that the modem remains BT property. And as you say, they are swapped out free of charge - I know of one which was a very early FTTC install where it failed and was swapped recently so well outside any warranty period.

In reply to a post by MHC:

and my contract with BT specifies that the modem remains BT property. And as you say, they are swapped out free of charge - I know of one which was a very early FTTC install where it failed and was swapped recently so well outside any warranty period.

That's one of the many differences between the Business and Residential contracts.

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

In reply to a post by MHC:

and my contract with BT specifies that the modem remains BT property. And as you say, they are swapped out free of charge - I know of one which was a very early FTTC install where it failed and was swapped recently so well outside any warranty period.

That's one of the many differences between the Business and Residential contracts.

What is?

In reply to a post by MHC:

What is?

In reply to a post by MHC:

and my contract with BT specifies that the modem remains BT property.

http://www.aa.net.uk/broadband-FC.html

down the bottom.

I don't have a contract with AAISP

You know when you have been told off for being obtuse and difficult - you are doing it again.

I don't have a contract with AAISP, or BT Business, or Zen even as I see they have a similar condition in theirs.

My contract is with BT Residential, and I have been informed that the modem is mine to keep.

If you want, you can look in the BT Residential contract but I don't think you will find the modem mentioned.

In reference to www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayTopic.do?top...:

You'll need two pieces of equipment. You'll get your new BT Home Hub two days before your installation date and your engineer will bring your BT Infinity modem and install both for you.

Read the manual that comes with te Home Hub for example. That states, in many places, "Your Hub and Openreach Modem" which is quite clear.

Unfortunately, that's packed away in the box with the useless Homehub. The Huawei HG612 Home Gateway is a far more interesting device.

In reply to a post by MHC:

Read the manual that comes with te Home Hub for example. That states, in many places, "Your Hub and Openreach Modem" which is quite clear.

Interesting. Except to people without access to said manual - which I can't fine online. The question of modem ownership is of general interest, and in any case I don't expect the contents of a user manual for a different piece of kit form part of the T & Cs or contract.

I thought the Home Hub was the residential user's property? Does it have to be returned on migration away, like O2/Be? If so, is a pre-paid jiffy-bag supplied?

For BT Residential Infinity, both the hub and modem are yours to keep.

In reply to a post by MHC:

Read the manual that comes with te Home Hub for example. That states, in many places, "Your Hub and Openreach Modem" which is quite clear.

Oops!

Re my previous reply, did I misunderstand you?

That quote seems to confirm BatBoy's view that the modem belongs to him.

However, even if that is what you meant, I still don't imagine that has any legal weight.

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

For BT Residential Infinity, both the hub and modem are yours to keep.

The modem does not belong to you. read what you should do if you move


http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/13737...

Yeah, hysterical

You should take your Hub with you, but leave the Openreach fibre modem for the people who move in

...for them to ebay.

The actual T&Cs that you will have had to agree to are BT Infinity fibre broadband service terms which includes:

In reference to www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerOrders/control/termsandcondi...:

2. The equipment we agree to give you includes a:
a. BT Infinity Home Hub; and
b. Data Extension Kit (required only if there is no double power socket near your telephone master socket). If required, the engineer will ask for your agreement to install during his installation visit.

They have not agreed to give you the Openreach Modem.

Yes they have:

The service we agree to give you includes:

installation of network equipment required to enable you to use the service.

Edited by deleted (Wed 07-Nov-12 14:36:01)

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

Yes they have:

The service we agree to give you includes:

installation of network equipment required to enable you to use the service.

Openreach may also need to replace the master socket for a nte5, but like the modem this is also not your property

Edited by deleted (Wed 07-Nov-12 14:35:55)

That depends on if they agree to give it to you or not. That's why I asked them and that's what they answered.

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

installation of network equipment required to enable you to use the service

Now you are being deliberately obtuse and obstructive.

"Installation" is not property or ownership.

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

installation of network equipment required to enable you to use the service

Now you are being deliberately obtuse and obstructive.

"Installation" is not property or ownership.

On the contrary, I asked Openreach and was told I owned the modem. I did this because of the impossibility of getting reliable information from a forum - as this thread demonstrates.

Could not just post a link to the Openreach reply?

@Chris12

If you need any help please do start a new thread.

Thread was closed because some people are going down a path where two sides cannot arrive at a conclusion that pleases all.