FTTC Problems

Have a ongoing problem with 300mtrs of aluminum cable in the High Street, which is the cause of all my problems, but BT/OR won't replace it, even engineers have requested the work to no avail.
In my case my neighbour barely 60' from me get 80Mb, I get 17Mb in the wet, 24Mb in the dry, we are on the same aluminum cable running up the High Street & same DP on pole.
I even have a deadlock letter, apologising for their speed estimate being so far out, & Ofcom can do nothing.

There are no spare pairs on the cable, engineer said neighbour's pair is in the centre, my pairis on the outside of the cable.

If the aluminum cable caused phone problems, then they would replace cable without any hassle.

I have heard & seen on several forums people getting this aluminum cable replace, but how do you go about it.

Edited by Nightglow (Tue 19-May-15 08:33:04)

So you are saying that the performance of Aluminium varies depending on the weather! No way.

It is NOT the fact that it is aluminium that is causing you to get just 24 Mbps when your neighbour gets 80Mbps but damage to the cable or a badly made joint. Perhaps you should suggest that they fully check all joints on te cable run.

I agree, there is something gone bad with this line..

I can't see it being just the Aluminium cable, something is wrong on the run somewhere... specially if rain causes issues...

What is your phone service like during wet weather...

You need to play on the phone service quality and not the broadband as for some reason the service guarantee seems to be with Phone service and Not Broadband

Getting the joints checked where aluminium cable is present is usually not possible because the joints between the copper and aluminium cables are usually encased in epoxy in an attempt to keep water and air out.

I'm in a similar situation, although not as bad. My neighbour gets around 68 Mbos and I'm getting 55 Mbps on my Sky fibre line and 28 Mbps on my work line. All the line are connected to the same DP.

Getting the joints checked where aluminium cable is present is usually not possible because the joints between the copper and aluminium cables are usually encased in epoxy in an attempt to keep water and air out.

This is simply not true.

The phone is perfect, done quiet line test, perfect.
Had the engineer here once when connection just dropped, was down for several hours, yet he could fine no line fault.
We had a new line from house to DP installed at Christmas,it has all been rechecked, & apparantly the problems starts where my cable joins the aluminum cable in the High Street & back to the cabinet other end of the High Street.
Have tried various VDSL boxes, Draytek,Fritzbox, HG612, & I still loose connection in the wet, yesterday it was raining, connection dropped about 6 or 7 times in about a hour, was a lot worst before G.INP was activated.
Aluminum cable must be at least 30 years old, & no spare pairs on it.

Edited by Nightglow (Tue 19-May-15 16:42:28)

You just have to keep on at your ISP. It might be worth moving to one with a better reputation for being helpful. If the actual speed is much less than the estimated speed, that should help your case.

Well,my persisent complaining has had a result, spotted yesterday the High St, has been marked up with BT/OR paint here & there along it's length.
Today engineers are clearing blocked ducts, & next week they are due to pull through a nice new length of cable.
Hopefully, I'll get the full 80Mb, instead of the present 24Mb.

Edited by Nightglow (Wed 20-May-15 19:54:47)

In reply to a post by MHC:

So you are saying that the performance of Aluminium varies depending on the weather! No way.

Intresting twist to your reply, the conduit has been completely broken when some drainage work was done in the High St, it was only found after the pavement was dugged up to clear a blocked duct.
Due to poor state of pavement, any rain just soak straight through & the cable gets a soaking, which has now solves why my connection looses speed or drops in the wet.

Edited by Nightglow (Thu 21-May-15 09:29:46)

That is definitely down to damage and you would have had similar problems with copper.

In reply to a post by MHC:

That is definitely down to damage and you would have had similar problems with copper.

True.

But I'm amazed that they couldn't find this fault,when I have had numerous engineers here.
They found plenty of others, but this one.
I have been losing connection for hours at a time, hopefully I will get the full 80Mb when the new cable is laid.

In reply to a post by Nightglow:

I have had numerous engineers here.
They found plenty of others, but this one.
I have been losing connection for hours at a time ...

When they do the test the ground and the cable is likely dry enough not to show up clearly enough on the TDR test, so it does not get found.

When they do the test the ground and the cable is likely dry enough not to show up clearly enough on the TDR test,

Wet impregnated cables usually show as battery or earth contacts, these cannot be located with a TDR.

However, even when dry low cap balance, A/C balance, and low insulation should be visible on a PQ test, and this could have been proved a specific length.

That section of cable could have been earmarked for replacement.

I'm not so lucky as I'm one of 6 fibre customers beyond the ally section and I'm the only one with a line with a speed below the minimum impacted estimated speed. Coupled with the fact the ally cable is in good condition even after 40 or so years and ADSL speeds being relatively high, the likelihood of the cable getting replaced is pretty much zero.

According the engineer that installed my work line, fibre take up in my area has been low, with only 54 connections in 3 years on a PCP that covers c.1400 addresses.

Band together, involve your MP.

I made myself very unpopular, wrote letters to Sir Michael Rake (BT CEO), plus OR CEO Joe Garner, plus Ofcom.
Within 3 weeks of first letter, two engineers turned up Christmas week last year & moved phone cable from front pole to the rear pole, which solved the phone issues, but not my fttc connection, other than knocking several hundred metres off the distance to my cabinet.

BT also sent me a dead lock letter, apologising for the speed being considerably less than orginally quoted.
Still have few other people on my list to contact if the cable wasn't replaced.

Edited by Nightglow (Fri 22-May-15 10:29:22)