INTERMITTENT BROADBAND PROBLEMS (TalkTalk)

Hi there, I joined this forum today. I have a Broadband problem. My connection comes and goes. If I make a telephone call it will sometimes come on, but will go off as soon as I end the call! Also if I re-site the router it will come on (which is what I have done in order to put this post up)

I have changed the micro filter and the RJ11 cable, but I have the same results whether I use the old or new micro filter or cables. I have phoned TalkTalk who asked me to plug the micro filter into the test socket for 48 hours so they could monitor it. They called me back and said that 'there is too much voltage on the line, and I should change my micro filter'. I don't understand what this means, but I did that and I'm still experiencing problems. They said I could have a visit from an engineer, but I will have to pay £50 if the problem is with my equipment!

I'm worried in case the broadband is working fine when he calls, charges me £50 and it goes off as soon as he's left. Anybody else had this problem? I am a middle aged blonde woman with no technical knowhow I'm afraid!

Intermittent issues are always a pain.

The phrase you repeated from support, sounds like when a garage tech takes a sharp intake of breathe, i.e. making it look like they've done a lot for the price they are charging.

Your issue sounds like a high resistance (in BT speak HR) fault, i.e. the act of picking up the phone results in a better electrical connection for a while.

Try visiting http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/frogstats.php and find your modem and copy and paste the attenuation, line sync (connection speed) and noise margin figures. If you have several phone sockets, take the figures from all of them, and also the test socket.

Changing microfilter is always worth checking, as these can fail in an intermittent manner, but is fairly rare.

Also you often get better help from posting on TalkTalk's own member forums, as the more tech aware staff monitor it.

My broadband was on yesterday afternoon, and early this morning until the TalkTalk engineer called. I had cancelled his visit but TalkTalk hadn't told him! He is a nice chap and said he would check my line anyway free of charge as I had cancelled. He did some line checks and found nothing wrong! He thought it must be my router. He had not gone more than 500 yards down the road and my Broadband connection went down and hasn't come on since. My neighbour has lent me an oldish router that they don't use anymore and no joy with that either. I guess there is a possibility that I have 2 duff routers!

Because the connection has gone down completely at the moment, I only had chance to do one of the tests suggested. This data was taken with the router plugged in to the main socket.

Rate (Kbps): 2206 kbps 719 kbps

SNR Margin (dB): 8.5 8.3
Attenuation (dB): 56.0 33.0
Output Power (dBm): 0.0 12.3

Do you think I will be banished forever to Dongle Land?

Intermittent faults are only ever really found if the person testing is on site when it goes wrong.

Like taking your car to a garage saying it mis-fires, but runs perfectly in the garage.

In reply to a post by meganne2:

This data was taken with the router plugged in to the main socket.

Rate (Kbps): 2206 kbps 719 kbps

SNR Margin (dB): 8.5 8.3
Attenuation (dB): 56.0 33.0
Output Power (dBm): 0.0 12.3

main socket or test socket ?

If it isn't working now then it should be easier for them to fix. Report the fault again.

It was the main socket not the test socket. I could not test it in the test socket as my telephone is located in an extension and I need to be using the phone to get a broadband connection. As soon as I hang up my broadband connection goes down! Strange yes?

I have ordered a new router which I will try and if there is the same result I will go back to support and tell them that I have checked my broadband equipment.

Thanks for the comments I have received from people on here. It is much appreciated.

OK, you really need to use the test socket, you can then plug the phone into the microfilter you have used at the test socket *if* still required to gain sync. If it still won't sync unless the phone is used in the test socket, then it's time to insist that TalkTalk arrange for a broadband trained Openreach engineer to attend site, as it is highly likely, as Mr.S said that you have an HR fault on the line. Try it, TalkTalk's 'cube' engineers don't impress me much !

I could not test it in the test socket as my telephone is located in an extension

so move it ?

Hi, and thanks to the people who have commented on my post, it is much appreciated. I contacted TalkTalk again as the problem is now no longer an intermittent problem. My broadband does not work unless the phone is in use..full stop. A TalkTalk engineer called this morning and confirmed it is not my equipment, so he has spoken to the technical department who are getting BT to investigate the matter.

I will let you know what happens as soon as I know anything.

Hi all, The Open Reach engineer called today. Unfortunately he was not very talkative, but he did say that he thought the fault was an underground fault. He also managed to get me a quicker speed also. I am delighted. All I have to do now is to see if I can get a little compensation from TalkTalk. I must say that I was not terribly impressed with the technical department at TalkTalk. Every time I called I had to tell them what had been tried, replaced etc etc. They didn't seem to keep good records. The Open Reach engineer telephoned me before he called to see what problem I had, as TalkTalk did not give him any information on my fault!

The Open Reach engineer telephoned me before he called to see what problem I had, as TalkTalk did not give him any information on my fault!

This is, sadly, very often the case, not just with TalkTalk.

Glad it is all fixed now.

HI meganne2,


If you join the TalkTalk Members Forum we can assist you with any queries into compensation or good will credits on your account. Im sorry to hear of the problem you ahd in resolving this and rest assured if you ahve any other queries we can handle these via the TalkTalk Members Forum.

Regards

Mark
TalkTalk Online Community Executive

I am on the TalkTalk members forum, but I did telephone the billing section of TalkTalk yesterday about a credit for lack of broadband service for 2 weeks. At first I was told I would get £8.05, but after checking I was told that I would get nothing as the broadband element was 'free'.

Hi meganne

There is a set compensation policy for a loss of service and this applies to both phone and BB services if you suffer a total loss.

If you post in the forum thread this can be adressed as part of the final resolution of your issue.

Regards

Mark
TalkTalk Online Community Executive

In reply to a post by meganne2:

Hi there, I joined this forum today. I have a Broadband problem. My connection comes and goes. If I make a telephone call it will sometimes come on, but will go off as soon as I end the call! Also if I re-site the router it will come on (which is what I have done in order to put this post up)

I have changed the micro filter and the RJ11 cable, but I have the same results whether I use the old or new micro filter or cables. I have phoned TalkTalk who asked me to plug the micro filter into the test socket for 48 hours so they could monitor it. They called me back and said that 'there is too much voltage on the line, and I should change my micro filter'. I don't understand what this means, but I did that and I'm still experiencing problems. They said I could have a visit from an engineer, but I will have to pay £50 if the problem is with my equipment!
H
I'm worried in case the broadband is working fine when he calls, charges me £50 and it goes off as soon as he's left. Anybody else had this problem? I am a middle aged blonde woman with no technical knowhow I'm afraid!

Hi i am a talktalk customer, i have broadband and house phone, i have had no internet for 3 weeks now, i have spent over 4 hours in The phone to them and continue to be laughed at and passed about to everyone, its like the know exactly what their doing and realise that they will still get
money out of mr via my bills and to cancel my contract would still cost me 6£ for every month left on my contract. They've had me in floods of tears as i feel so angry and anctiouse their service is driving me insane, every time i phonr them my internet mysteriously starts working and they keep sending engineers out which hasnt solved anything, i asked to cancel my account with them and got past to 3 different people who all tried their hardest to sell me even more talktalk services like tv pacages and that lot.. Instead of cancelling it, it was like they were trying to make me jump off my balcony they make me so so so angry, i work nights as a care assistant for people with dementia for 12 hours a night and am currently doing my nvq level 3 and my partner it doing an nvq level 3 in personal training we only got the internet to do our courses which have cost us a hell of alot of money trying to help others and better our lives as we are a young couple planning our wedding and future, we can not do our coursework atal and have fallen behind almost to the point of failure. I hate them they are completely ruining our lives and putting alot of strain on our relationship. Please please can you help us

If they are failing to supply you with a working service then that alone could constitute a breech of contract, You need to get talktalk's ADR involved ,but you will be expected to of taken reasonable steps with your isp to get this resolved before they can help you, So keep all e-mails from them, make a record of time date name of person at tt you spoke to ,log all coms to/from talk talk, send them a formal letter of complaint to their head office adressed to their CEO ,and send it to sign for, (you can then prove they recieved it) If they still don't resolve it to you liking and comphensate you for loss of service (where aplicable) then the ADR will take on your case and will either get it resolved or you will probably be able to leave without penalty, but you would still possibly have to pay BT to be re connected to their network as TT is FMPF LLU

I suggest you post a new thread rather than jumping into this one, for clarity.

Explain what the problem is - which lights are on your router, what error messages you get etc. Describe your house phone wiring, what's plugged in and what is filtered.