Slow connection

Rabbir1

Hi
I am having problems with my internet connection (sometimes very slow untill I reboot the router) and my router stats show a strange figure for the noise margin.

Is this likely to be a problem with the phone line or the exchange, or could it be the router playing up.

Here are the stats from the router (phillips sna 6500)

Operation Data Upstream Downstream
Noise Margin 6 dB 2147483647 dB
Attenuation 20 dB 38 dB
Indicator Name Near End Indicator Far End Indicator
Fast Path FEC Correction 0 0
Interleaved Path FEC Correction 0 282418
Fast Path CRC Error 0 0
Interleaved Path CRC Error 0 16
Loss of Signal Defect 0 ---
Fast Path HEC Error 0 0
Interleaved Path HEC Error 0 0


Thanks

HTML200

Are these stats from a combined cable modem/router, or from a separate router you've added on top of the modem?

If the former, I'd suspect a hardware problem with the modem/router. If the latter, I'd suspect a problem with the modem.

In either case, I'd also suspect a problem with the wiring or exchange that you're connected to, so probably worth reporting the problem to your ISP.

I'm guessing this is BT, or an ISP that uses BT's infrastructure, am I right?

Rabbir1

Yes it is an Adsl modem/router.
ISP is Demon using BT line

Thanks

HTML200

The fact that a reboot tends to fix it suggests it's the modem/router, but I can't be 100% sure of that. Could still be the exchange or wiring. Either way, (assuming the modem/router comes as part of the deal) it's your ISP's problem and you should report it to them and expect them to fix it. The more techie details you give, the better!

If you hunt around the internet for the specific messages thrown out by your modem/router, that might also give you a clearer picture of what the problem is.

I would expect to see CRC errors if line noise was a problem, but a lot depends on exactly what's being hashed in that reported CRC, hence my suggestion to look online for hardware-specific details.

Short version: Report it to your ISP with as much detail as possible and expect a fix.

Rabbir1

I had reset the router just before those readings.
CRC error now showing
Interleaved Path CRC Error 0 3420

I will report it, although the router was not supplied by them.
The phone line was cut and joined some years ago so it may be that its started breaking down. I guess BT will charge me for a new phone line.

Thanks

HTML200

Based on that info, I'd start to suspect the wiring.

If the cut/join in the wiring was DIY, then I suggest you investigate the cut/join and see if that fixes it, and only then call in BT.

I'm not familiar with your modem, so I could be talking nonsense - the figure reported is obviously broken into two segments - the overall figure could be a simple counter, or each segment could have a different purpose, e.g. one could be a count of errors and the other the time since the last error, or an error code. The most likely explanation is that it is a simple count of the number of errors. Again, you should really search for details of your modem/router modem to find these things out.

A general piece of advice: you might like to try watching/refreshing the CRC reading for a while to see how quickly it goes up per minute on average, then spend a minute * very gently* wiggling the joined portion of wire, then re-checking the CRC rate. If there's an increase in that minute, and it's significantly above average, you've almost certainly found the problem.