Very strange loss of internet

Got a really strange issue here that even my ISP dont know what going on

Basically for the last 3 nights around 9:30pm my internet goes off and the internet light on my router turns red. Wont reconnect, but after 2 hours it suddenly comes back on. Last 3 nights its happened at exactly the same time give or take 10 mins. My ISP - ADSL24 - dont know what it could be but are investigating it, no outages reported at all when they check. They suggested its something in my house thats faulty and interfering with the signal, but i cant think what is on for just those 2 hours? Beating/boiling is on way before 9:30 as they suggested that, same with lights. Ive heard of interference cutting out your connection, but mine refuses to reconnect at all during those few hours. I even turned everything in the house off (heating, tv, all lights) and it still wouldnt connect.

My line has recently be enabled for 21CN (ive not been put on it yet tho), could this have an effect?

Here are my connection logs

15 Jan 2012 23:25 16 Jan 2012 21:21 21 hrs 56 mins

14 Jan 2012 23:23 15 Jan 2012 21:26 22 hrs 3 mins

12 Jan 2012 19:33 14 Jan 2012 21:49 2 days 2 hrs 16 mins

Any help would be appreciated. Even if my ISP send out BT what can they do unless they come out at 9:30pm? Rest of the time my connection is solid

Thanks

Edited by bobble_bob (Tue 17-Jan-12 16:46:41)

A neighbour using an arc-welder, or a generator in a garden next to the BT pole ... interference can be outside your property.

Nothing that i know of. I live quite close to the exchange so would hear something like that. I might have a wonder to the exchange tonight tho and see if i can see anything.

Cant see many people using stuff like that tho at 9:30pm to nearly midnight

ISP said my connection attempted arent even hitting the BT server

Edited by bobble_bob (Tue 17-Jan-12 16:56:02)

If it is "not hitting the BT server" - that says it is not even getting to the exchange - if the problem was past there then there would be a lot more complaints!


Can you download Router Stats Lite and run that from now until after it goes off ... it will show if any noise problem is instantaneous or builds up slowly. Set it up for 30 second updates and grab a screen shot a little while after it fails.

Yea ive used that before, will set it running now.

So could REIN problems effect my signal getting to the exchange? Also to completely knock my signal off and not allow my to reconnect at all, would it have to be something transmitting a fairly significant electrical noise? So tree lights couldnt cause a total loss for example

More likely to be something external, have a chat with the neighbours and see if they have recently brought something new, just put the heating on or changed the timer on something etc

When you say neighbours, are we talking just the neighbours next to me where my phone line comes into the house? Or could anyone living near the line between me and the exchange be causing issues?

Gonna try the radio thing that Kitz recommend by setting a radio to MW see if it picks anything up

Edited by bobble_bob (Tue 17-Jan-12 17:26:55)

Tree lights certainly can, and do.

Certainly those next door and the next few, but if it is a really noisy generator for example then it could be well down te street.


I had one example a couple of years back. A "burger van" owner would go out in the evening and one day his broadband was hit, either dead or just hanging on and his neighbours were the same. It would come back at around 1:00 AM. He parked his van in a lay-by every evening, put the generator outside and worked for the night. Then, the council asked him to move to the other end of the lay-by and that is when it started. Unbeknown to him, the other side of a fence was the BT cabinet and he was hitting it with a large level of RFI. Moved the generator about 10meteres and everything improved - not perfect but way better, and a longer cable finally sorted it.

wow, didnt know it could have such an effect.

Im assuming REIN could be the only answer here? I cant see any exchange or other line issues being the cause when the times are very similar

Almost certainly an area for investigation ... but also check with your immediate neighbours to see if they are suffering too as it may point to a source.

In another post , you mention tree lights - have some appeared recently?

Edited by MHC (Tue 17-Jan-12 17:49:38)

No not seen any, was just using that as an example as i didnt think something as small as treelights could totally knock out a connection.

If it goes down again tonight, try changing the username to bt_test_user@startup_domain (no password required). If this gets an IP address (you won't be able to do anything with it,) then the issue is with ADSL24.

Seems my router keeps sync with the exchange during the disconnect too, as:

Modem Status Connected
DownStream Connection Speed 7616 kbps
UpStream Connection Speed 448 kbps

Remains like that during the downtime

Are you connecting wired or wireless to the router?

Has a radio ham recently moved in somewhere near and installed a mast?

Wired to PC and 360, wireless to PS3

Not that i know of, but its a 5-10 mins walk to the exchange so would need to have a look one day. How can you tell them apart from normal TV antenna's if i went looking for one?

Internet not died tonight....yet

They are definitely mini-masts, noticeably tall aerials, usually with a few bracing wires to hold them steady when it's windy. Not like mobile network masts though.

Odd that you hold sync!

Well my router reports my sync speed as i posted above when ive lost connection, whether that means i still have sync or it just hasnt realised i dont, i dunno.

Power it off and on. Soon find out if it re-sync's! Or even reconnects.

Ah ive done that before. Sync still shows so guessing it does even tho it wont connect to the internet. Doesnt get an IP address or dns either

Edited by bobble_bob (Tue 17-Jan-12 22:20:09)

Someone on Zen forum seems to be having a very similar problem: thread entitled 'Strange Problem' in Boadband section.

http://forum.zensupport.co.uk/forums/thread/41193.aspx

Thats the post for anyone wanting to compare

I live in West Yorkshire, the guy there lives in East Yorkshire. Alot of coincidences

Edited by bobble_bob (Tue 17-Jan-12 22:31:20)

To add the dls light remains on and green

Obviously not gone tonight, but please bear in mind what I mentioned earlier. Sync, but no PPP, isn't as unusual a fault as you might think.

Yea will do thanks. This is taken from the Zen forum by a user who is having the exact same problem as me, even down to the times

A Third possibility is that your connection became stale i.e. a stale ADSL connection session. A stale session will be quite obvious because the router will appear on and all LED's as normal but no data can travel in any direction inbound or outbound. A stale session can easily be cleared down by simply physically disconnecting the router from the master socket and leave it disconnected for atleast 30mins. This forces the line card within the BT exchange rack to be reset and once you reconnect you should have a fresh session without any problems (things go back to normal operation).

I unplugged my router today for the first time in along time from the mains and adsl cable. (i turn it off but not unplug normally). Since then no lose of internet. Would unplugging rather than turning off make a difference?

Edited by bobble_bob (Tue 17-Jan-12 22:29:32)

what router are you using?

Netgear DG834Gv5

Possibly. FWIW I power down both router and modem about once a week for a few minutes. Used to stop my dodgy old router from wandering off the sync speed, and keep the 7150 profile up, I see no reason not too now I'm on FTTC either.

A little odd if the poster on the thread you linked to was having the outages at the same times as you also, their not on the same exchange are they ????

No East and West Yorkshire are close but not close enough to be on the same exchange. He said Zen told him others had reported similar issues that weekend.

I've posted a link to this thread in his on the Zen forum - who knows, perhaps someone will find out what it is if they know there's more people with a similar problem.

Yea i just joined and sent the guy a private message

I am the chap in Easy Yorkshire... just be sent the link to this...

Zen are unable to explain this either... the BT login gave the same result for me, no access..

I use a Speedtouch 780 all lights on as usual, internet light off... last 3 nights 9.20-9.30pm until around midnight...

So far tonight it is working OK...

Now, as we have both had the same issue, at the exact same times, on different ISP's it MUST be a BT issue.. things in my house would not effect West Yorkshire.. lol

Interesting issue.. Zen did say that BT are prone to doing things and not telling anyone..

Hi

Has your exchange recently been enabled for 21CN? It appears my issues started not long after it was enabled for 21CN

Also what exchange you on?

Edited by bobble_bob (Tue 17-Jan-12 22:59:21)

No such luck..Well.... as far as I am aware.... I live in a village, we are lucky to get telephone and electricity at times let alone anything better .. lol

I had the same conversation with Zen... you need to test this, change that etc etc.. I made the same comment, unless they are going to arrive at 9pm and wait the will find nothing wrong...

You on any of these exchanges

Naith,
Knottingley,
Bridlington,
Hornsea,
Whitby,
Selby,
South Milford,
Scarborough,
West Ayton,
Cayton Bay,
Filey,
Driffield,
Middlesbrough,
Eston Grange,
Linthorpe,
Marton,
Ingleby Barwick,
Redcar,
Guisborough,
Great Ayton,
Stokesley,
North Cave,
Pocklington,
Market Weighton,
Gilberdyke,
Keyingham,
Withernsea,
Levin.

My ISP reported BT were working on cabling for these exchanges, a few days before our problems. Mine isnt on that list tho

No.. I am on the Huggate exchange

Strange then, too many coincidences for me all this. BT work on some cabling in Yorkshire then a few days later we have problems. Both of us exact same issue but different ISP again in Yorkshire.

Maybe because its quite late at night and only for a few hours people arent noticing the drop in connection, thus no one else reporting it?

Mine is (Ingleby) but had no problems ....yet!

Loss of Broadband on 13th, 14th and 15th Jan

I am a member of technical support at zen internet and i managed to trace the issue to at least 20 lines we had dotted around the country. we queried BT wholesale and it was an issue with a RAS server in Leeds. the issue was IMT1426/12 and in theory should be resolved

Thank you for the update.... both here and on the telephone


Stuart

Thanks for that. Is there any reason only a handful of lines would be effected and not all in the same area?

They can look at data on the WOOSH system which show PPP logins.