DSL Connection Problems - Help!

I have a problem connecting to my ISP DSL account which started recently. I have spoken with my ISP who were as helpful as they could be, considering that they did not supply the router or the telephone line.

Up until 3-4 days ago there was no problem. I've only ever had a few short periods of no service over a 4-5 year period with my ISP Demon. Now I cannot get connected at all.

The phone line works fine. Demon have checked that there is no problem with the network, line, exchange and equipment.

I have a Belking wireless router feeding 2 directly connected PCs and a couple of laptops. I've tried another (Speedtouch 716WL) router on the line also but that doesn't connect me either.

I've tried connecting with the other PCs and laptops - these don't work either; which also rules out any software / virus issues that might have been affecting any of the PCs.

I've tried connecting to the test account as per my ISP's instructions - still no joy.

I've tried using another microfilter and cabling into a different phone socket - still no connection.

Normally the common suggestions like checking wiring, etc in the house would be looked at but as it has all be working for so long I can't imagine there is a problem there.

The only remaining possibility I can think of (cluthcing at straws!) is that I did move my phone line provider from BT to Talk Talk last month but the line / services remained the same and this change happenned 3 weeks ago so I can't see a reason why it would work fine until now.

I would really appreciate any suggestions / past experiences from anyone that might help here.

Regards
Ken

Some line statistics from your router would be a starting point to see if you have any connection at all.

Talk Talk are well known for slamming (moving connections without consent) so it could well be possible that they've moved you to their BB kit aswell as the phone. If so it is well documented that it's a royal pain to get back and will cost you money.

It could well be that they(talktalk) have put your line on their LLU which means that you cannot have broadband services from any other isp, so if you want talktalk for your calls & line rental you will have to also have their dire bb service if you want bb,unless you ring bt and ask for return to donor if this is the case your are now Fully unbundled FMPF full metallic path ,one of the joy's of being with talk talk, if you wanted there line rental rather than bt's then this would give them the nod to llu it

Edited by tommy45 (Tue 22-Jun-10 18:18:20)

Thanks Tommy45.
I spent a long time on the phone to my ISP (Demon) who carried out tests and they say there is no problem with the path through the network and BT exchange equipment.
If Talk Talk had moved it over to their own equipment would this not have shown up when Demon did the tests. Also I know that my local BT exchange has not yet been unbundled, I doubt if I would be able to get the full BB package. Would Talk Talk not have needed a MAC code from Demon to transfer the service?

Just spoke to Talk Talk and no surprise they of course say that there is no fault on their service.

Dave

What kind of statistics do you mean and how do you get these?

When I spoke with my ISP (Demon) they say the tests they carried out showed that there was no problem with the DSl path across the network and through the BT exchange and equipment and that the line was still capable of a DSL connection.

Ken

See http://www.dslzoneuk.net/adsl_line_stats.php

Ok, The attenuation figures are as follows

Upstream Downstream
Noise Margin 27db 10db
Ouput Power 12dbm 20dbm
Attenuation 6.5db 13db

Does this mean anything to anyone?
KenF

It means you are connected, you have a short line, and your sync speed could be a lot better. It doesn't really confirm whether you are connected to Demon or Talktalk however.

any ideas on how I can find out?

I think you need to check the router logs to see if and how the connection is set up.

Thing is though that the connection was working fine for a couple of weeks after the phone line was transferred. The problem only started 3-4 days ago

KenF

In reply to a post by KenFarquhar:

Thing is though that the connection was working fine for a couple of weeks after the phone line was transferred. The problem only started 3-4 days ago

KenF

Well, while that's true, you are here now with no connection. If you want to get it sorted out, you could try and determine the problem yourself with advice from this forum, or you could wait for your ISP to sort it out.

Can you see the downstream/upstream sync rates? They might show if you have been LLU'd or not.

Edited by deleted (Tue 22-Jun-10 22:22:08)

Post deleted by Apprentice

Sorry I appreciate all the help / advice so far - I was just trying to provide you guys with as much background as possible.

KenF

What the Belkin ADSL status page says is:

Interleaved Channel Data rate = 416Kbps (Upstream) / 8032Kbps (Down)
Fast Channel Data Rate 0Kbps / 0Kbps

Are these the figures?

KenF

Yes, those are the figures. You seem to be on standard ADSL and so probably haven't been LLU'd. The fact that you have achieved sync shows that you have established a link with the exchange.

Have you checked your login name and password? Perhaps they have become corrupted and so you aren't logging in to your ISP's network.

See if you can find some logs in your Belkin, they may indicate what is failing.

In reply to a post by john2007:

Yes, those are the figures. You seem to be on standard ADSL and so probably haven't been LLU'd.

I was just about to post the exact opposite. I would expect 8192 and 448 for BT ADSL.

Edited by deleted (Tue 22-Jun-10 22:40:25)

Well either way at least that gives me something to go back to Demon with and ask them to check out.
Thanks John2007 & BatBoy

Did confirm the correct user name & password with Demon when going through the checks with them.

The only link to "logs" on the Belkin admin page are "Security Logs".

PS: in checking that I see the Time is set at Jan 1, 2003. Of course it won't update automatically from a time server cos I can't get connected to the internet.

8128 rather than 8192? The OP's stats are multiples of 32 and less than the standard ADSL maximums which is why I assume standard ADSL.

Edited by deleted (Tue 22-Jun-10 23:01:01)

What happens if you ping bbc.co.uk from a Windows command prompt?

Ping doesn't find it.

Error message is "Ping request could not find host bbc.co.uk"

In reply to a post by john2007:

What happens if you ping bbc.co.uk from a Windows command prompt?

Impossible if he's not connected. If he were he would be able to stick his phone # in http://speedtester.bt.com/ and see what it says.

Try ping 212.58.224.138

I'm wondering about DNS issues.

No! The msg he got is the one PING gives with no connection.

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

No! The msg he got is the one PING gives with no connection.

It also means a DNS failure. If you ping an IP address, that doesn't involve a DNS lookup.

Batboy - not at my PC just now, will try tonight and confirm.
Cheers

It might also be worth doing an ipconfig /all from a Windows command prompt as well. That may show if the underlying networking is working or not.

John2007 - yes did that, certainly the router is allocating IP addresses etc. I haven't check if I can still see the other PCs on the network - although the wireless printer was still working last time I checked

Cheers
KenF

Happy to say that after lengthy calls to Demon the problem has eventually been solved - just not sure how!

I am sure there was a problem on their systems with authenticating my user name / password. Problem was fixed just after yet another router reset - which I have done countless times in the last 5 days - but they did go off and do something else and my connection magically starting working again.

Thanks to all you guys who spent time responding over the last few days.

Cheers

I'd guess you are right and there was a misconfiguration. Just hope it doesn't happen again!