In reply to a post by shtu:

All that means is that there was at least one error in each of those 116 seconds.

It doesn't mean 116 seconds of errors...

I don't think that is entirely correct.

It seems partly to depend on the router firmware what it means, but errors occurr much more frequently than error second counts go up. I'm fairly sure you can have errors without the error second count incrementing.

Some routers also split the overall error seconds into Error Seconds and Severe Error Seconds, the latter being where a serious throughput effect could be occurring.

116 in 6 minutes is heading down to the you have a problem, but you MUST eliminate anything of your own doing first, unless you want an Openreach engineer to charge you for sorting out the issue when it could take yourself just some time and making sure your wiring is not the issue.

I've followed BT's advice on improving the speed. Removed everything from the line I could Sky and additional phones/extensions. I moved the router (HUB2) away from everything electrical and fitted a filtered faceplate (XTE-2005) to the BT box. Used a 1m ADSL cable to link the router and a CAT5e run across the room to the computer.

The existing phone is of the cordless type and is double filtered with an XF-1e plugged into the faceplate. However it is on the end of an ordinary telephone extension cable. I've considered fitting a socket across the room for the phone and using CW1308 to connect it to the filtered faceplate. Not sure if that would improve things.

I ran the BT test again...
BT Speed Test at 17:48pm, Test1=1278Kbps, IP Profile 4500, Sync 5728

I've not had any of the sub 600K results I got the other week and I'm a bit worried that if I ask them to investigate they will say it is operating with in the so called acceptable limits 600K-7150K. Will BT do anything about it or do I have to coax them out with milk and cookies?

The thing is that tracking down a random noise source is possible but would take many man hours - try tuning an AM radio to around 300Khz and searching out a random noise source.

Now consider that devices 100's of metres away may be the source, and when its dark it can be because of overseas AM radio stations.

If the problem is noise, then generally it is better during the day, and the solution would in the first instance be to raise the target noise margin to 15dB.

It may be the problem is simply congestion.

quote 'I also have some line noise '

can you elaborate on this for me..remove all equipment and insert phone alone with no filter. you will get a wooshing noise but disregard this until it stops.

dial 17070 or 147017070 if ex D and select option 2 'quiet line' test. let the test run, just over 5 mins and if you hear any crackling report your line as noisy to your CP and insist on a engineer visit.

likely the line may have an HR dis somewhere.


you said you mentioned you were 2000 or so metres from the exchange so that may explain what i think is an unusually high for length downstream Att

ps ensure you do this at the nte5 test socket

OK I'll run that test today when I get the chance.
EDIT: See this post.

Edited by deleted (Tue 02-Nov-10 12:20:32)

I have an AM radio with a digital tuner it does not go as low as 300 only goes to 522. Kitz site has a bit about using a radio at 612 and at that frequency you can hear the router (and other things). Sounds like an old 8-bit loading sequence, brings back memories of my old ZX Spectrum.

Test done 11:30am.

I clearly heard pops and clicks for a while at the start of the test it settled down to just the odd click now and then, about 2 mins in a got a bit more of what I had at the start and then it was mostly quiet after that.

I did not hear the wooshing sound you said I would. Not sure if it is relevant but it is raining and very windy at the moment.

The noise I have experienced in normal usage has been the usual back ground hiss being loud enough to distort the dial tone, you don't really notice it when people talk to you. Sometimes you don't really notice it but it is there.

Also on the odd occasion people have said they can not hear us, unable to confirm at the time if it was equipment or the line. Although on one occasion it was definately someone elses faulty phone, they have since replaced it.

I've already reported it last week as a noisy line and had it tested through the BT website but it has come back as not faulty and no further steps have been taken.

According to SamKnows I'm 1.1km from the exchange in a straight line, but there is a park and playing fields between me and the exchange by road going around these to my house via the box at the end of the road it is at least 2km, so the line is probably a bit longer than that.

Thanks for all the help and advice. (includes everyone)

Edited by deleted (Tue 02-Nov-10 12:18:10)

you say you here a hiss in the background. some cordless phones give a constant pitch hiss, not much can be done except buy a new phone.

if you have a cheap corded phone stick that in and do the testing again. it should be pretty much silent. sometimes if this shows nothing try ringing it with your mob then lay down the mob and answer the phone as normal and have a listen, sometimes HR and rectified loops are brought on by the ringing current.

when people are talking about 612mw they are referring to rein faults. the radio trick may highlight an issue but trying to pinpoint and rectify these faults are a complete nightmare. whether it originates from the EU or a third party and so on. A strong rein fault will devastate adsl services and take a considerable amount of time to rectify. Its not been unknown to have the power board onsite to shut down large chunks of power network as a kind of elimination when trying to narrow it down, THANKFULLY THESE ARE MEGA RARE.



Are you in a newish house or an older one. are you fed by a pole or underground, or maybe even a wall box?