Around Wednesday last week I started having problems with my BT Broadband connection and BT phone line. When I make/receive a phone call it causes the internet connection to drop out and it can't reconnected until the call ends. When it does reconnect it syncs at a much lower speed than normal (I usually get 6000kbps but after a long call the speed has been as low as 512kbps).
Since Wednesday I've also been experiencing loud interference when making voice calls (hissing and cracking sounds). The interference will stop if I disconnect my router from the line.
The first thing I thought was that the microfilter had failed. I tried using three other microfilters, but with all of them the problem continued to occur. It therefore seems that the microfilter is not the issue.
Next I thought the problem might be with the router (a Netgear DGN2200). I bought another router (a TP-LINK TD-881) and tried that. The exact same problem occurs with TP-Link and does with the Netgear, so it appears that the router is not the problem either.
The only other piece of equipment connected to the line is the telephone (a Panasonic KX-TG8561E), so I thought that might be the cause. I had an older Panasonic KX-TG8321E stored in cupboard so I plugged that in. Using the old phone the problem still continues to occur, so it seems that the phone is not the problem either.
I only have one telephone socket in the house (the master socket) and no extensions. Both my telephone and router are connected to the master socket via a microfilter. The only equipment in the house is the router, phone and microfilter and none of those things appear to be the cause of the problem.
The only remaining thing I can think is that there is a problem with the line, but BT's automated line check says there are no problems. I still think the problem might be with the line, but BT's £130 call out fee leaves me unenthusiastic to call out an engineer.
I've tried everything I can think of, so I was wondering if anyone here might have any idea what the problem is?
I'd be grateful for any suggestions you might have.