Can Sunspot interference degrade ADSL performance

I ask the question because it can cause radio interference and so can REIN sources.

I was looking at a note on an amateur radio site.

http://www.arrl.org/dsl-interference

So which is the greater threat, REIN or Sunspots? Can this be the reason why your ADSL connection is under performing and just how do you test for this.

Any radio frequency based device could be affected by sun spots, depends on the intensity of the activity.

Testing, either use of an AM radio to hunt down sources of noise from your own electrical hardware, or the diagnostics built into devices showing how they are utilising the radio spectrum available to them.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Testing, either use of an AM radio to hunt down sources of noise from your own electrical hardware, or the diagnostics built into devices showing how they are utilising the radio spectrum available to them.

Yes, a convenient answer but just how do I know that the buzz on my radio is slowing down my ADSL. Spectrum analyzers don't come cheap surely someone must make an affordable device for doing just this type of testing.

I get the news letter from http://www.spaceweather.com/ and there has been over the last week an unusually high amount of CME activity around the poles. Can this have been degrading ADSL worldwide? Should BT Wholesale be taking alerts from a site such as this and what could they do to alleviate problems? Do you think that the forum should have a section on how to deal with REIN or SHINE interference.

Most ADSL modems have a spectrum analyser of sorts built in and you can monitor the SNR dynamically using software like http://www.vwlowen.co.uk/internet/files.htm

I happened upon this - no experience of it.

http://www.sillanumsoft.org/

Edited by deleted (Mon 14-Sep-15 19:59:26)

So if you get the equipment to prove that your ADSL service is being affected by sunspots ....

this being done up to and including switching off everything else in our galaxy to rule this out, if your can't find the switch for the sun that is ....

what next, report the issue to Openreach ? A tin foil hat for your router, and maybe one for yourself whilst you're at it ?

Yes, SNR can be measured but come REIN or SHINE how do you know its not simply a copper problem?

In terms of a copper to copper joint issue or cracked wire then you are relying on Openreach and their diagnostic hardware.

Ok, so we get the instrumentation and attach it to the master socket. There appears to be a lot of REIN coming in from the outside overhead wiring strung between poles. But is it coming from Sunspots or is it because somebody bought a cheapo psu from China with a bogus CE accreditation. Its radiating like hell and the Openreach guys know its there. But what if its coming from more than one source?

Have they visiting engineers raised a REIN task ?

Ok, so we get the instrumentation and attach it to the master socket.

What equipment ? Are you sure the source isn't in your property ? If your property is fed by overhead D-side cables to the DP then any noise picked up on a radio for instance can be radiating a long way from the source.