Please help :(

Hi all, first post here though I've used this site a lot in the past for help and advice, I am at the end of my tether with my broadband problems.

I am with XILO my exchange is not unbundled or at least I can't get LLU, I am a little out in the sticks but not far enough to warrent these problems.

Basically I cannot get a reliable broadband conenction at ANY speed. My line should easily be stable at 3mbs (as told by bt engineer who came out) but I cannot get a stable connection even at 0.1mbs! My sync rate is at the time of writing :

ADSL Information ( SDSLADSL Firmware Version: 232201_A)
ATM Statistics TX Cells RX Cells TX CRC errs RX CRC errs
32117 130112 0 1
SDSL StatusADSL Status Mode State Up Speed Down Speed SNR Margin Loop Att.
G.DMT SHOWTIME 768000 1600000 15 58

but the sync rate is one nminute around 2mb down and 800kb up and the next minute it could be 200kb down and still around 800kb up....the upload speed i obtain is usually around 0.7mbs and my ping is as low as 16ms, geeat for gaming when its not disconnecting!

I get HUGE amounts of disconnects and bt continually lower my ip profile until i get speeds like 0.1mbs down. However i know for a fact it can be stable at 3mbs, and was so for 4 days no problems after i re-trained the line...and then the problems start again. I get huge amounts of crc errors. I have tried EVERYTHING, test socket, 4 different routers, huge number of filters, wired, wireless, sfi callout at a cost of £200 and he felt terrible as he knew i had a big problem but apparently the line tested fine?!

He also told me he knows for a fact people much further down the road from the exhcnage get perfectly stable 3mbs connections.

My neighbour is on talk talk and his problems are identical to mine, however being 82 and a rare net user he doesnt really notice, or care.

I cant understand what is causing these errors, or why it sometimes is fine for hours, or days at a time, then other times im getting 100's of crc errors a second and connection drops over and over.

I really don't know where else to try. Xilos support is VERY good but I think they are out of ideas to try and BT are not being much help at all.

They have taken me off DLM and im meant to be on a fixed 15db snr margin however i am yet to see it stable at 15db once...its 14 one minute then 16 the next.

When I wasnt on a fixed snr it could sometimes hold a stable snr at 6db for hours or days, but other times it would be all over the place on the router stats graphs.

I dont suppose anyone here coiuld help more than the support I've already received but I do wonder if changing ISP could change anything at all, or if anyone whos had similar problems have any other ideas that I can try?

I've tried unplugging all sources of electrical interference in my house from microwaves to cordless phones.

My phone line from my house is brand new as of 3 months ago, though I am getting attentuation of 59db as I am a fair distance from the exchange. As far as I can tell voice on the line seems ok, though sometimes even that can be noisey, and then again perfect at other times. And annoyingly there is no pattern AT ALL to when the problems happen, sometimes its mornings sometimes afternoons sometimes night and sometimes not at all!!

If anyone can offer any advice I'd really appreciate it as I cant stand the stupidly slow speed I am up with with no increase in stability whatsoever.

James

ps my line DID have interleaving on for the first couple of months but I was so sick of the problems I got zilo to turn it off just so I could at least enjoy gaming more...it made no noticeable difference to stabilisation its as bad now but not any worse than with interleaving on.

OH! Another slightly odd thing is my sync speeds change all the time, even when the connection doesnt drop , i was online for nearly 60 hours the last few days with about 10 different sync speeds ...xilo told me this shouldn't even be possible to change sync without losing connection but it seems to be happening...

Edited by betterthanpele (Sat 12-Jun-10 14:35:52)

Hi James,

I think this is still in the hands of BT; we've not given up yet.

As far as I know, you've not been charged for the SFI yet as we've disputed this on your behalf as even though the line was RWT (right when tested), you've then had further issues.

Rest assured, we still have your ticket open and are still working on it with you (and BT).

As I believe you spoke with Tom on the phone about, your neighbour(s?) is having the same problem which could be due to REIN (Repetitive Electrical Impulse Noise) that is affecting you both. Escalating this to a REIN engineer is often a long process and something that BT are often reluctant to do without sheer persistence.

Edit: Just to add.. small fluctuations in SNR from 15 to 14 or 16, are quite normal. It is clear you have possible noise problems on your line so you'd not expect that to sit nailed at 15. Some routers go in to decimal places, so that could be 14.4 or 16.1 - which are tiny fluctuations. If it was going from 15 > 9 or 15 > 20 - that is more of a problem.

Matt

Edited by uno (Sat 12-Jun-10 14:40:13)

what is the upstream speed and SNR margin ? what router are you using ?

Based on his stats in the post, looks like a Vigor (from the router modem code number).

He mentions the speed is around 700k up.

Matt

In a similar position in that my line is affected by a REIN type of problem, and i have identified the location and at least one type of object that is contributing to the issue, but im unable to get it sorted out, as my isp won't get bt to get the rein engineer involved, but there again even if this where to happen, apart from asking the person responsible to stop using things so that the interference stops there's nothing that they can do, a sad state of affairs really that the telephony network is not protected by law from such interference being inducted from outside sources

HI thanks for the replies. Matt as I've always said I have no issue with Xilo, you are by far the best ISP i've ever used, its horrible that that has coincided with having the worst possible connection I've ever had. I wouldn't hestitate to recommend xilo to anyone.
The problem is looking more and more like rein but it certainly doesnt seem to be me or anything in my house causing it. There are no businesses near by and as I say no pattern to the times or length or interference.
Ive tried a netgear dg834gt, speedtouch 845 v6, us robotics, vigor 2080, and as i say countless variations of filter, and connections. Everything I try is getting me nowhere but when Im not even home and all power is off and it's still happening I guess its time for me to give up trying to find the problem in my house and accept its either the line or someone else causing interference to it.
I could call bt out another 10 times and they might not be here at a time that coincides with the problem.
I've even tried mobile broadband with very limited luck, so don't know where else to turn.

James

so the upstream is marginal and rate adapting - suggest try it on a Home profile (448k upstream) as there's no DLM on the upstream and I have seen bad instability when the upstream won't hold its sync at full speed.

I wouldn't give up just yet.

REIN faults can take time to diagnose and find. Once BT agree to get a REIN engineer on the case, it often involves them visiting the surrounding areas, often for hours, to find the source of the problem.

I know you've asked one neighbour who has the problem but do you speak with any others? It may be worth just asking them if they have the issue too.

Do you have a spare portable MW radio? You might be able to start your own investigations by looking at http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/rein.htm

Matt

I'll have to look at the ticket when I get back as I seem to recall that BT came back to us with the suggestion of a fixed rate 2Mb product. That would naturally limit the upstream but to a much greater extent.

Matt

apart from asking the person responsible to stop using things so that the interference stops

what sort of thing is causing the problem ?