Router help please

AuntyCat

I have my broadband with TalkTalk & like many others am having connection problems. My phone crackles a lot & the wireless broadband drops off when the phone rings.

As usual TT have tested the line & told me it's not the line & must be somthing in the house. I've tested the wall socket & the splitter - it seems the problem may be the router, they've told me to get hold of another router to check it. I've got hold of one from Freecycle. Now this is where I get thick - it's a sky router, brand new with instructions & all the bits & pieces. If I follow the instructions won't I be trying to connect to Sky?

Any help greatfully received. Thanks

espresso

The Sky router that you have is no good to you as it is pre-programmed to connect to Sky. Talk Talk should send you a new router if it is suspected faulty. If they won't request your MAC.

AuntyCat

Thanks, that's what I thought.

They won't send me a new one as they say I'm out of contract - I wasn't when this all started.
What is MAC?

espresso

AuntyCat wrote: »

Thanks, that's what I thought.

They won't send me a new one as they say I'm out of contract - I wasn't when this all started.
What is MAC?

Even better if you are out of contract, request your MAC (Migration Authorisation Code) and give it to another ISP - one that actually give a damn!

However you should not have cracking on your line, so report that as a telephony fault to your provider - hope that it's not TalkTalk as they obviously don't care.

AuntyCat

Everyting is with TT, so the whole package i have needs to be changed.
Why do I need to give the MAC to a new ISP?
I worry about changing providers, because I don't know enough about it, it seems like a lot of hassle. I'd have to change my E-mail address as that's with TT.

macman

Plugged into the BT test socket, dial 17070, press option 2 for Quiet Line Test. If you hear noise/crackling, then you have a line fault. Report it your your line rental provider as such. Do not report it as a broadband fault.
If this is the problem, and your line rental provider is not TT, then it's not a TT problem.
Edit: since you now say that you have your line rental with TT, you should start again with TT and report a line fault-do not mention broadband, as that will put you back into the same loop.
PS: if you are not willing to ever change email addresses, then you will have to suffer TT for ever. Setting up a Gmail account takes about 10 minutes, and once you do that your email is ISP-independent.
Dealing with TT is infinitely more hassle than changing providers, which is typically a 30 minute process.
PPS: have you changed the ADSL filter? These can and do go bad, especially the cheap and nasty ones supplied by TT.
I doubt that your router is faulty, but even if it is a decent Netgear can be had for a tenner on eBay.

grimsalve

Have you tried isolating the internal wiring from the master socket?

The Sky router you obtained from Freecycle - is it a Netgear? It is possible to flash these back to the Netgear OS so you can use them on other ISPs.

AuntyCat

Thanks all - I can't see any mention of Netgear on the router.

My complaint started off as a telephone line fault which they have tested a few times & say there's no fault. I am willing to change provider, I just need to decide who has the best option at the moment. how do i set up my email address so that its independant? At the moment it's a TT.net address.

macman

If you have a line fault, switching ISP will make not the slightest difference. So do what I suggested and run the Quiet Line test from the test socket, using a corded handset. If noise is present, you need to force the issue with TT. They will alwys resist because they get charged by Openreach if no fault is found and if so they'll want to pass that charge back to you.
But if you have done the proper internal test then you can be confident that the fault is not on your internal wiring or equipment, and so not your responsibility.
You've ready been advised how to set up an independent email address-just set up a Gmail account. You can't keep your TT one if you switch.

grimsalve

macman wrote: »

If you have a line fault, switching ISP will make not the slightest difference. So do what I suggested and run the Quiet Line test from the test socket, using a corded handset.

Agreed. This is the first thing an Openreach engineer will do and then charge you about £150 if there's nothing wrong with the line, so it works out much cheaper to test this yourself first.

AuntyCat

Ok, thanks, i'll have to get hold of a corded phone & do that test.