Intermittent problems?

I've been having intermittent problems with my ADSL line.

First thing I've noticed is that if I set my Netgear modem to ADSL2+ it actually syncs at a lower speed and the connection can sometimes be very unstable.

The only way for a more stable connection is to set the modem to G.MDT, stat is this mode are:

Connection Speed 7328 Kbps 832 Kbps
Line Attenuation 39.5 dB 21.5 dB
Noise Margin 4.8 dB 7.0 dB

But I've get intermittent problems in that the connection sometimes just pauses, nothing seems to happen to sync speed when this happens, it's difficult to explain but I just get a consistent internet which pauses/hangs for a few seconds then returns to normal.

Things I've tried so far are changing the MTU size, the Netgear modem defaults to 1458 but I set it to 1432 and that made the internet completely un-usable, I've tried 1400, 1492 and currently have it set to 1500.

Looking on the internet, 1432 is suggested but it looks like that was before exchange LLU, my exchange has been LLU'ed (is that the term ) and the suggestions for this 1500.

I can 't really talk to TT as their suggestion always seems to be to drop the line speed which they've have done in the past, down all the way to 3mb but that didn't help.

So the question is, is the above just normal TT service, was with BT before and the internet connection was rock solid.

I've just noticed thanks to another thread here that my router is set to auto DNS and uses these DNS servers:

62.60.123.225
194.176.201.193

but the second address doesn't respond, I know it's a backup but could that cause a problem, why would the connection be set to use a server that doesn't respond?

Doesnt respond to what? If you mean pings then the server may still actually be there and working properly, ping responses are considered optional.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Doesnt respond to what? If you mean pings then the server may still actually be there and working properly, ping responses are considered optional.

Yes, sorry meant that the 2nd server doesn't respond to pings.

In reply to a post by IAmATeaf:

The only way for a more stable connection is to set the modem to G.MDT, stat is this mode are:

Connection Speed 7328 Kbps 832 Kbps
Line Attenuation 39.5 dB 21.5 dB
Noise Margin 4.8 dB 7.0 dB

It may be coincidence, but 832 upload speed is the max upload of a ADSLMax product, not an ADSL2+ product.

I've used g.dmt for the last three houses on LLU (Be and TalkTalk) and upload has always been about 1000, with 4000 ish download (attenuations between 45 and 60).
The SNRM of 7.0 also could suggest an artificial limit of 832 being reached due to an ADSLMax product. I dont know, however, if you would get any kind of connection with the router set to ADSL2+ if the exchange equipment was only expecting g.dmt

In reply to a post by Myth:

In reply to a post by IAmATeaf:

The only way for a more stable connection is to set the modem to G.MDT, stat is this mode are:

Connection Speed 7328 Kbps 832 Kbps
Line Attenuation 39.5 dB 21.5 dB
Noise Margin 4.8 dB 7.0 dB

It may be coincidence, but 832 upload speed is the max upload of a ADSLMax product, not an ADSL2+ product.

I've used g.dmt for the last three houses on LLU (Be and TalkTalk) and upload has always been about 1000, with 4000 ish download (attenuations between 45 and 60).
The SNRM of 7.0 also could suggest an artificial limit of 832 being reached due to an ADSLMax product. I dont know, however, if you would get any kind of connection with the router set to ADSL2+ if the exchange equipment was only expecting g.dmt

I do get a connection if I set the modem to either auto or adsl2+ but it both the up and down connect at a lower speed, so up will be around 600ish and down at around 6600ish.

what i was suggesting is that maybe something is wrong with the LLU connection in the exchange.

Maybe someone can suggest an easy check (tracert?) to see if your particular connection has been LLU'ed or not.

My reasoning is that your upload looks artificially limited to 832kbps, which is a feature of ADSLMax, and not something you would find on LLU.

Can you check stats again and see if the 832 has changed, or if it stays at 832 and the SNRM (7.0 presently) changes?

Sorry for stating the obvious but have you tried a different router? If not, then i strongly suggest you try an alternative router.. If you don't have a spare router or one you can borrow from somebody then just go for one of these as they are the dogs-you-know-what
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thomsom-SpeedTouch-ST585-v...