How do you know you have ADSL2+ if you have no internet?

Are your speeds just slow or zero connectivity?

Did Zen supply a modem/router combo device, all major ISP supplied devices now produce line stats even the budget ones supplied by the likes of TalkTalk. We need to see some stats to get a better idea of what is happening.

Based on what the engineer has stated "connected to the wrong cabinet" it sounds as if your line does not go to the closest fibre cabinet (across your road) but possibly one much further away. This would reduce your fibre speeds massively... Hence it is very important to see stats and assess if you are syncing on ADSL2+ or VDSL. Often times, where a further cabinet is utilised the speeds end up worse than ADSL, as the fibre only begins at the cabinet, and speeds drop very very quickly over copper on VDSL2+. Using a cabinet further way would create a lot of excess copper and you'd likely be getting one of the slowest speeds on that cabinet.

FYI BT have zero obligation to do a network rearrangement & connect you to a closer cabinet. Anyways, stats would be great even if that's via using the ISP supplied device for 10 mins.

Edited by ukhardy07 (Tue 13-Jun-17 14:03:23)

In reply to a post by ukhardy07:

How do you know you have ADSL2+ if you have no internet?

Because when I plug in the modem, the web interface "DSL sync status" (at the same time as the DSL light flashing) says 'Initializing', then changes to 'EstablishingLink', then finally "mode: ADSL2+", "Traffic type: ATM", and "DSL link status: up". I've also tried this with a Technicolor modem that syncs with ADSL2+ mode too.

Are your speeds just slow or zero connectivity?

Zero, because I'm not even sure how to configure it, since I am meant to have a FTTC connection with PTM traffic. What it syncs as is completely different, as if it were connecting to a different ISP's modem or something. At my last place, I connected the modem up to my Linux box and ran pppd. This time I tried it but get the error "timeout waiting for PADO packets", which isn't surprising because the DSL modem isn't even synced in PTM traffic mode.

Did Zen supply a modem/router combo device, all major ISP supplied devices now produce line stats even the budget ones supplied by the likes of TalkTalk. We need to see some stats to get a better idea of what is happening.

Yes, a Technicolor TG588v v2. But are you saying I can't get stats with my HG612? As I understand it, the Technicolor is locked into bridge mode (as I told them I would be bridging to my Linux box which is my main router). Incidentally, I don't even know why the Technicolor syncs because as I understand it you can't bridge an ADSL2+ w/ ATM connection, only a PTM one.

Based on what the engineer has stated "connected to the wrong cabinet" it sounds as if your line does not go to the closest fibre cabinet (across your road) but possibly one much further away. This would reduce your fibre speeds massively... Hence it is very important to see stats and assess if you are syncing on ADSL2+ or VDSL. Often times, where a further cabinet is utilised the speeds end up worse than ADSL, as the fibre only begins at the cabinet, and speeds drop very very quickly over copper on VDSL2+. Using a cabinet further way would create a lot of excess copper and you'd likely be getting one of the slowest speeds on that cabinet.

FYI BT have zero obligation to do a network rearrangement & connect you to a closer cabinet. Anyways, stats would be great even if that's via using the ISP supplied device for 10 mins.

Yeah, well I have the two modems I mentioned above. What's the best way to get these stats? I can use either one.

So am I right in thinking that this is the topology (where === is copper and --- is fibre):

House === Cabinet XX29I-26 --- Cabinet 29 ---------- Exchange

And are you saying that the filtering takes place at Cabinet 29 above (the "VDSL2 cabinet" in between small cabinet and exchange)?

Can you post a link to a screenshot of the cabinet for your phone number please, using this checker. Blank out the phone number of course.

Stats from the HG612 will be fine as long as they are using telnet from a Command Line prompt.

How FTTC is delivered. Combining and splitting of the phone and FTTC signals is done in the FTTC cabinet, as well as the filtering out of any ADSLx signals from the phone exchange.

If you mean the screen of data from the BT site, here:

http://game-point.net/misc/cabinet.png

In reply to a post by jez9999:

So am I right in thinking that this is the topology (where === is copper and --- is fibre):

House === Cabinet XX29I-26 --- Cabinet 29 ---------- Exchange

And are you saying that the filtering takes place at Cabinet 29 above (the "VDSL2 cabinet" in between small cabinet and exchange)?

It will go House - Cabinet - Fibre Head End (not necessarily your local exchange, the fibre cabinets route back to a sort of master head-end exchange which may serve the area of multiple traditional exchanges).

Copper between house and cabinet only. There is not two cabinets involved.

My first thought pattern given everything just mentioned is that the previous owners had ADSL2+ and Zen have not migrated you over correctly (hence still seeing previous owners ADSL2+ sync). All speculation at this stage... Probably needs BT openreach to come back out and get your line connected properly. What are Zen saying in relation to this? The migration is far from ideal at this stage and I would be raising some serious questions with them.

Edited by ukhardy07 (Tue 13-Jun-17 16:50:09)

I just had an update from Zen who told me more info from the Openreach engineer's notes:

BT's information on which cabinet my line ran to was wrong (god knows how). Even though their info shows my line going to what apparently is my closest cabinet, it actually goes to a different one. Hence they activated the wrong phone line. Zen have submitted the issue to BT and it will take "a few days" to get it sorted... apparently.

My modem was syncing with ADSL2+ because it was still connecting to a modem back in the exchange.

Sounds like it's really going to suck because presumably my cabinet is further away for historical reasons so my VDSL speed will suck.

Edited by jez9999 (Tue 13-Jun-17 16:54:58)

It's worth noting that the OP substantially edited the opening post at 14:34, without mentioning it .

Cabinet 42 is at https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.2819131,-0.856011,...

Cabinet 29 is at https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.2766044,-0.8555879...

As to which one you are connected the best bet at this time, is the house number and postcode i.e. address search. Why? Because telephone numbers are virtual and it could be anywhere.

You mentioned lots of writing on cabinets, should not be anything prominent beyond the 29 and smaller yellow 42 sticker on the other cabinet. The fibre runs to the cabinet that is not numbered and has the vents on it, then there are copper link cables to the existing street cabinet.

NOTE: Don't confuse the grey cabinets in the area with the Openreach ones, the grey ones will be Virgin Media cable, then the usual scattering of boxes for crossings/traffic lights.