Thanks for your post vimto_girl.

You are spot on with the switch from an LLU. Although my TV was causing some interference, but to stop the TV from fighting with the Brightbox, they have now been separated

I'm just wondering what I should be doing next as after chatting to an EE Fault Manager last night (due to a throughput speed of 0.03 while downloading an update for my sons PC game) I was told that after 48 hours of the SFI Engineer visiting my home, the fault is closed.

When I call back with further problems, EE open a new fault and start the whole diagnostic procedure from the start - hence the 3 Engineer visits to date.

I was advised to keep calling EE back regularly in order to keep the last fault open. Stupidity springs to mind when it comes to EE and although I love talking to them, I can hardly make up problems just to keep the fault open.

When you ring EE, you could ask to be put straight through to the Fault Management Team as they have been dealing with it previously. This team can then book an engineer to revisit the fault straight away. When EE refer to the fault being closed after 48 hours, they mean it has been classified as resolved in their own system (in this case seemingly because the last visit was reported as cause found - your telly). EE are keen to do this for all cases as soon as possible for obvious reasons, even though it can be too hasty. You can try requesting that they keep the ongoing fault open and do not close it before ringing you to check it has indeed been resolved following the visit (at 48h just say it is too early to tell and you will know better in a week or so). The fault being 'closed' has no practical bearing on booking another engineer visit - they won't be booked any later and the engineers will always pretty much come to your door and start from scratch with little to no knowledge of the fault even if it's the 4th, 5th, 6th visit.

EE are usually good at promptly booking engineers without fuss, some ISPs drag their feet or make it awkward to book visits. However if you are really not happy, you could take them up on their offer to exit the contract - and go to somewhere like AAISP on a monthly contract.

Hope this is of practical help.

PS The best form of separation is Divorce!

Absolutely spot on again. EE are very quick at sending an Engineer out and the Engineer that came out on the 3rd visit was the same one that came out on the 2nd visit (and as you rightfully mentioned) was given no details at all about the fault. Luckily he read from his notes on his previous visit, but still couldn't find anything wrong.

I called EE this evening to try and reopen the last fault, but they wouldn't. The advisor went ahead and started a line test. The first test "timed out" and the 2nd test showed a fault. I don't know if that because of an overlap with the timed out test or not?

Anyway, he has raised the fault further and someone is calling me back on Tuesday to discuss an Engineer visit to the Exchange. I will be double checking this tomorrow as according to EE, the 3rd engineer was supposed to be visiting the exchange and then coming to me, but he had not been instructed by anyone to visit the exchange.

Regarding the help in here, you have all been incredible. The advice has been constant and has given me a better understanding of the conversations I have had with EE's Fault Management Team. I must also say its great to know that there are people in this world that supply so much help and information to a "newie" like myself. It's been difficult to get some of the advice sorted out as quickly as we would like, but its been a massive help to me and I really do appreciate it

I wouldn't worry about EE's line tests - the engineer certainly won't. The frequent loss of sync on the line (with and despite elevated noise margin) is the main fault, and it needs to try to be resolved.

If I were you, I would first ring your landline from a mobile lots of times in succession (dont pick up so that there are no charges, you can even unplug the phone ) - see if you can reliably disconnect your broadband with this as a trigger. If it does, this information should be helpful to EE and engineers - they should think of a lift and shift to eliminate exchange equipment fault (although there are other causes too)

If you don't have this fault, then I would request another engineer visit to your house - I may be contradicting other's advice but I would recommend you do not request an exchange visit - almost invariably this will consist of some Lift N Shift request in EE's notes and end up with it not being authorised, nothing being done, the job signed off and another week wasted.

Instead, unplug the TV and put the mains cable in a drawer to show it has been unplugged in case this point gets raised again. Stress to the engineer the frequent disconnections, how it is making it unusable in the middle of eg Skype calls, gaming, and how it coincided exactly with the switch from Sky to EE. Say you know somebody who had a similar issue when they migrated and an engineer went to remake the connections in the exchange and it fixed it instantly, and could he please try that. Maybe also say if that doesn't work, you are thinking of putting a new line in to save the hassle because maybe it is the copper wire, and are wondering if an engineer can swap the cables to basically emulate this.

Best of luck

After a call to EE nearly 1 week ago, things were looking better after a fault was discovered during a "timed out" line test and the following one picking up a fault.

EE said it was showing as a fault at the Exchange and an Engineer would be calling me last Tuesday between 9am and 12pm.

About 9.30 last Monday I received a call Fromm EE to update me on the fault. The Fault Manager said that the fault has now been fixed, and I must not turn my router off. I did explain that EE testing my line as the fault closure process would force a re sync, so just close the fault without the line test.
The fault manager assured he would and hung up. Within 30 seconds of hanging up, he completed the line test anyway.

During the call I had logged into my router to see what was going on and all I could tell was that I had had a re-sync about 3.30 am. I asked if that was right and I was told "it was repaired remotely".

Anyway, once the line test had taken place, I logged into my router and his is what I was running on up until 4pm this afternoon.

Status
Configured Current
Line Status --- SHOWTIME
Link Type --- Fast Path
Operation Mode Automatic G992.1(G.DMT)
Data Rate Information
Stream Type Actual Data Rate
Upstream 1152 (Kbps.)
Downstream 7744 (Kbps.)
Defect/Failure Indication
Operation Data Upstream Downstream
Noise Margin 7.0 dB 14.1 dB
Line Attenuation 18.0 dB 30.0 dB
Indicator Name Near End Indicator Far End Indicator
Output Power 12.4 dBm 19.8 dBm
Fast Path FEC Correction 0 1
Interleaved Path FEC Correction NA NA
Fast Path CRC Error 785 197
Interleaved Path CRC Error NA NA
Loss of Signal Defect 3 0
Fast Path HEC Error STR 1118 155
Interleaved Path HEC Error NA NA
Error Seconds 3318 71
Statistics
Received Cells 23472196
Transmitted Cells 75829516

I hadn't been in all day today and while doing a speedtest (due to very laggy connection) I noticed that at 00:32 my throughput speed was 11.51 and another test a few minutes later it was showing a throughput speed of 1.08. I'm now on ADSL2+ as opposed to being on G.DMT as I was previously.

Does this suggest that I might still have a fault with my Broadband ?

Sometimes you are on ADSL2+ fast path, other times ADSL2+ interleaved and other times ADSL1 fast path - seems like a crazy mixed up connection that appears to be stuck in a never ending loop and can not settle on one particular modulation. Throughput also seems to be all over the place.

I certainly admire your enduring patience with EE!

Thanks for your reply 4M2

After the phone call from EE last week, all was stable and appeared to be good. I just don't know why I've had a random loss of signal, and I'm not sure why it has switched me to ADSL2+ with double the sync speed. This is just making no sense to me at all. I'm guessing that I'm now going to come across the same problems as I did previously and i suspect i am about to enter a similar battle with EE as I have had recently.

I can see one of us losing our temper fairly quickly.

In reply to a post by Vince730i:

I just don't know why I've had a random loss of signal, and I'm not sure why it has switched me to ADSL2+ with double the sync speed. This is just making no sense to me at all.

Hi, what are the full stats?

Here are the stats as of right now

I've got wildly fluctuating throughput speed and an ever changing Downstream Noise Margin. I was down to 6.8dB earlier, but currently claiming up again.

It does seem that your connection is more stable on fast path, G992.1(G.DMT) upstream sync 1152 Kbps, downstream sync 7744 Kbps, upstream noise margin 7.0dB and downstream noise margin 14.1dB (~15dB) on 18dB and 30dB attenuations.

When it changes to G.992.5 (ADSL2+) then you have all sorts of problems, then it reverts back to G992.1 (ADSL1) and this cycle seems to repeat almost as if it's stuck in a loop.

Possibly one solution, at this stage, might be to get the modulation anchored onto G992.1 (ADSL1) - this could be done by the ISP or with a router (but I'm not sure that's possible with your EE supplied router?)