Help: BT Exchange Problems

ally2607

Hi, I've been having such a frustrating time with my broadband recently. My ISP is Virgin national broadband and my phone line it with BT. Speeds tend to be ok (bandwidth 768kbps) for about 4-5 days then they take a sudden dip to having a bandwidth of only 28.8kbps and a max of 56kbps. There is also a lot of noise on the line and I tend to lose connection frequently.

I've contacted virgin followed all their steps and even bought a new router that cost myself £100 for nothing. They now tell me they think the main problem is that my exchange is far away and that I am on a "long line" and to contact BT. I did this and they said it was up to Virgin to do it and not me. They just keep passing me from one to the other and I'm getting fed up with it.

I was just wondering if anyone has experienced a similar problem and if so how have they resolved it. Also, I have a very old style master socket and therefore I cannot access it easily.

Is there anything at all I can do to help solve this problem!

Thanks:)

Also apologies if someone saw this on the internet forum I was unsure of where to post this

macman

If you have noise on the line, then you need to contact BT and get them to escalate the fault. Don't mention the broadband issues, just say the line is noisy and you get crackles or whatever when making calls. They may run an automated check and say there is no detectable fault, if so you need to be persistent that they come out and check the line phyiscally.
This is a different issue to the line length, it does sound like you are only marginally getting broadband if your 'best' speed is only 0.75MBps. What theoretical speed does the ADSL checker indicate for you? Post all the results.
http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/adslchecker.welcome

Also make sure you are conecting via ethernet and not via wireless at least while you are testing the line speed. It could be a problem with your internal wiring, are you testing it using the extension nearest to the master socket, assuming you have an old style master that does not have a test socket inside it?

ally2607

Thanks for replying:)

I have only one extension from the master socket and you are correct in saying it does not have a test socket (it looks to be at least 20 years old).
I checked on the website you provided and it coincides with what virgin told me today. The test said that my line could support a speed of 500kbps or greater.

BT ran that check when I phoned earlier and told me the tests were reporting no faults and also that my broadband usage was not being capped (virgin told me to ask bt this because it is them who controls the capping)

If a bt engineer does come out to check the line am I likely to incur a charge?

This is a copy of the test results:

Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial test on your line indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a fixed line rate up to 512Kbps. However, due to the length of your line, an engineer visit may be required, who will, where possible, supply the broadband service.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a potential ADSL Max broadband line rate of 500Kbps or greater.
If you decide to place an order, a further test will be performed to confirm if your line is suitable for the service you wish to purchase.

Thanks again!!

macman

OK, your linespeed is marginal for broadband, so you are never going to get much more than 0.5MBps due to the distance from the exchange.Your issue is noise on the line which is slowing your speed down even more and causing disconnections. This is a a BT problem, not a Virgin one, you need to address it direct with BT as already stated. Don't discuss your broadband problems with them as that is not relevant, they will just refer you back to your ISP if you do. Just say that the problem is noise and crackling on the line (correct?) which is making it impossible to use the phone. If they say there is no fault detectable then you just have to keep insisting that they escalate the fault and do an engineer inspection.
Only if the fault is on your internal wiring downstream of the master socket or on the equipment (check the noise on the line using another handset) would you be charged £125 minimum call out.
PS: also swap out the ADSL filter as these can fail and cause the same symptoms.

ally2607

Ok thanks again for your help. The maximum I can receive seems to change on a daily basis as it was 1MBPS yesterday. I have sent bt an email regarding upgrading my master socket and phone line. Do you think this would be of any help?

macman

What you are looking for is a consistent speed, the best you can hope for is around 0.5MBps. That's pretty low, but it's still 10 time faster than dial up. The reason it's dropping is that your line is sporadically bad and the service is rate-adaptive, so it keeps dropping the speed to try and cope with the poor line.
No, sending an email is frankly a waste of time. If there is a fault on the master socket or the line upstream, then BT have to fix it for free. If the master were faulty then they would change it anyway. They will happily come out and fit a modern NTE5 master socket, but you will be billed the full £125 for this unless there is a fault on it.
It's not possible to 'upgrade' your line, but it is possible to fix the source of the noise, which is probably just a fault on the pole or the local street box, maybe water getting in (is the noise worse when it rains?).
You just need to get on the phone, confirm you have done all the internal tests, and repeat to them 'please escalate the fault'. Once it gets beyond first level call centre support you will be fine.

macman

PS: have you tried running a BT Quiet Line Test?
Dial 17070, select option 2, lisen for noise/crackles on the line.

ally2607

Yeah the noise does seem to be worse when it rains but particularly if it is windy. There are a lot of trees near the phone line wire so could that or the rain be causing the problem?

macman

Yes, could be either or both. It's BT's problem-unless they're your trees, in which case get them pruned yourselves rather than let BT do it and charge you an arm and a leg.
If the cables have worn through abrasion it's up to BT to fix it.
Quiet Line Test result?

ally2607

There was a kind of buzzing noise in the background not so much of a crackle as there was before. I also find I have to angle the connector so it's not fully in the socket otherwise I sometimes don't get a dial tone. This problem remains regardless of the phone I am using.

macman

Try it again when the wind gets up! So if you have a dodgy extension socket, why don't you change that before you chase BT? It's a 10 minute job, will cost you a tenner. I still think your problem is an external line fault though, but best to eliminate all the other possibilities first.