Kitz Forum
Broadband Related => ADSL Issues => Topic started by: julie on August 22, 2006, 03:20:33 PM
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hi, since Friday I have had no access to my plusnet service so no internet (I am having to come to the library every day). I sent a message to plusnet on Saturday, and they replied yesterday. My question was given a number, and their reply was "See Question *" (* being the number of my question)! As this was not exactly helpful I am wondering if I can get some help here? (I have just tried to access their site to see if there is anything further but cannot get on). Right, so far I have reset the router, tried ipconfig /release and /renew, and today went back to the router's home page to find the line stats, as follows:
Line Attenuation Downstream 39 db, upstream 10.5 db
Noise Margin " 5 db, " 24 db.
I wanted to add this to my Question in PN. Now, I think the noise margin (downstream) (is that the SNR?) is very low and that this means PN should ask BT to send an engineer, is this right? And if it is very low can I do anything, eg could I contact BT and ask them to send someone or should I only go via PN.
IP Config /all provides:
Ethernet:
Phys Address 00 12 3F DO 57 4B
DHCP enabled: Yes
Autoconfig enabled: Yes
IP addy: 192 etc .2
subnet: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192 etc .1
DHCP server: 212.159.13.49 and .50
Wireless:
Phys Address 00 12 FO 6F 07 AF
DHCP Yes
Autoconfig Yes
IP add: 192 etc 0.3
Subnet as above
Gateway 192 etc.1
DHCP 192 etc.1
DNS Server: 192 etc .1
Does anyone thing resetting winsock or TCP/IP protocol would help me?
I can't be without a home internet connection as I am looking for a job and so many companies now only want applications on line.
As an aside, what do people think of PNs service? I have tried phoning but you are left on hold such a long time. I went thro' the menus and tried leaving a message but I really don't think that worked. All that remains is leaving a message via the website and that resulted in me being told to look at my question again. On their forum others tell a similar sad story.
Sorry this is so long winded but I really would appreciate some help on how to get some service from them, and advice re the snr. Many thanks,
Julie
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Yes Margin is SNR Margin.
5dB is low indeed. What speed service are you using? (different speeds use different signal strengths).
Is the equipment you use "syncing"? If your not sure what that means does the DSL light flash when your plug into the line and does it stay on (it should do if the service is working properly).
Your connection to the router from your computer seems to be fine if you got into the CP, and your computer is automatically receiving the right network settings from the router (that should always be the case since you have the DHCP server function turned on).
Best place to start the support process is to see if your router "syncs". If the light flashes it means it is receiving broadband signal and is adjusting to it. When the light stays on solidly, it means it is "synced" and ready for use.
Depending on what the sync light does is a good place to start. After that the good folk here will definitely have some more suggestions :)
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Hi Julie
What speed are you syncing at please.
If you can give us your sync speed this would help with diagnostics.
You are looking for something like
Statistics Downstream Upstream
Line Rate 8128 448
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Can you also check that your router has got the following information in it.
Protocol :- PPPoA (PPP over ATM)
Multiplexing method: VC-BASED or VC-Mux
(On some routers the above 2 settings may be combined as "PPPoA VC-Mux".)
VPI = 0
VCI = 38
DSL Standard: G.dmt
Security Protocol: CHAP
Check the VCMux and PPPoA settings carefully.
Some routers have been known to default to PPPoE
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When I was with PlusNet I had two instances when I couldn't log on for several hours. The router synced with the exchange in the normal way, but I couldn't establish a PPP session with PlusNet. Eventually it came back to life each time, and I never got a satisfactory explanation from PlusNet.
If your router is syncing with the exchange then the problem can only be resolved by PlusNet (although it may come back of its own accord).
Eric
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Hi all, thanks so much for your replies.
The router is "sync-ing", and I remember seeing the following in router set up pages: CHAP, VC based,
VPI and VCI as above, and PPPoA. I will look tonight for G.dmt., and the sync speed.
I did get a reply from PN yesterday, consisting of about 8 questions all but one of which I could answer yesterday - I answered the other today. They said I should try another ADSL line, router and cabling, but people I know with internet are on dial up, and I do not have another router/cabling. (I can't be the only one, do we all really need to keep spare routers tucked away only to be used when there are problems with the line?) I myself believe it is the line and SNR level. Any idea what the likelihood is of PN getting a BT engineer out? How long should I have to wait?
I will hopefully be able to book the computer here again tomorrow, once again many thanks for help and interest.
Julie
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Try plugging in at the Master socket test socket if you have an NTE5 type master socket.
Removing the front panel and doing this puts your equipment right onto the line as good as it can get and prevents anything on your internal extension wiring causing problems.
I know this is a new problem, but sometimes damp, appliances or conditions on the internal wiring can cause problems.
Rather than trying your equip on another line, it would be more productive to try someone elses on your line, as the problem isn't so likely to be the equipment itself. No doubt the other folks here will also have some more suggestions at this stage :wink:
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thanks for reply Soms, like I say I can't try anyone else's equipment. Hey ho. I'm not sure what type of master socket I have, not v.technical, but I guess I could take the front cover off and see what is behind it. If I see another socket do I plug the filter in with both broadband and phone plug in, or do I take broadband plug out of filter and in to master socket?
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Its best to use a micro-filter. Whilst not strictly required if only using the router, decent microfilters cause little signal loss and do allow you to use a phone which could be sueful for calling PN ;)
An NTE5 looks like this:
(https://forum.kitz.co.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soms.me.uk%2Fimages%2Fnte5regwiring.gif&hash=8567cd9e6b8190523c7117b4fba57d4c830d852f)
And the test socket is the BT socket located behing the front panel. (see below)
(https://forum.kitz.co.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soms.me.uk%2Fimages%2Finsidente5.gif&hash=de41b08747c5e3d1a254717b505ca533bb8fd42a)
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With all due respect to the suggestions above, if your router is syncing with the exchange then the problem is NOT with your telephone connection. It's either with your router configuration (make sure all the details are in accordance with PlusNet's instructions) or it's a PlusNet problem or a problem in the link from BT to PlusNet. Only PlusNet can help you with the last two items. Make sure that you tell them clearly that you are syncing with the exchange, so you don't waste your time doing unnecessary fiddling around at home.
By the way, concerning your router configuration, if you're syncing then most of the configuration must be right anyway (or it wouldn't sync). The only things you should need to check are that your username and password are entered correctly. Remember that the username is in the form 'user@plusdsl.net'.
Eric
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I had a router which synced but wouldnt get a connection. Constant PPP failures, withn only that router. So it wasnt the ISP and the router settings were correct.I the end I just replaced it.
I only suggested running at master socket so that you were getting the very best out of your low SNR margin. Seems some routers also have varying reliability with low SNRMs.
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Ok, sorry, maybe I overstated the case when I said that it's definitely not the telephone connection. I think it's unlikely, but checking it out in the ways you suggested might help (and can certainly improve the stability).
There's a recent history of authentication failures at PlusNet, a number of people complaining at being offline for several days even though they had sync with the exchange. At one stage PN claimed to have fixed it, but some people (including me) experienced the problem after it was supposed to be fixed. I think this is the more likely explanation for Julie's problem.
Eric
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hallo, and thanks to all for your help (and the pics). I am typing this from home. A lovely lady from PlusNet called Mandy rang this am and went through some tests. I discovered that it is very difficult to type with my left hand only, mistakes galore. Anyway we went to the set up page, then tried to log in to BT test logins, then she tested the line - and I was back. I'm not sure still what the problem was, but I'm really pleased that she rang.
(Soms - the BT socket looks like your pic, except it sits on the carpet at the bottom and I think the engineer then ran a bit of wire to an old socket next to it, there are no wires coming out of the base of the socket.)
My router config must have been o.k because I had not touched the router or gone to the set up page, between having a connection to the internet Thursday and not having one Friday. (in fact i hadn't needed to go in there for ages).
Incidentally Kitz, I checked sync speed yesterday and found:
DS 7200 kbps; US 448 kbps. I couldn't find any reference to DSL Standard G.dmt. It's all a learning curve really, and I'm finding out what is important info and what is not. Mandy asked me to check the snr number say once a day, which I will do. I didn't even know I was now on max dsl, I can remember getting an e mail to say they were suspending the roll out but she said I had been on it since April!
It was murder using the computer at the Library, such a very slow connection. I'm not sure if they are on dial up or whether the number of users was throttling the bandwidth. Still at least the service is there at the moment.
Once again, many thanks for everyone's kindness. I'm going to print out all of this info and keep it in a safe place.
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That's good news, Julie.
Eric
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Thanks for providing the sync speed Julie.. I was after those figures to see if you had recently been maxed or LLU'd.
Anyhow Im glad Mand rang you and you were able to get it sorted ;)
From what I can gather it seems to have been a config problem somewhere (possibly in your router?) as you werent reaching the RADIUS server to authenticate properly. Logging into the BT test site and then back to PN seemed to clear things.
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hi, just a quick update.
I had a few probs yesterday staying on the internet, I would lose the connection, power everything down, wait and then switch on again and I had a connection. This happened 2 or 3 times. At the moment I'm just keeping an eye on the situation.
Incidentally, there's an interesting article on broadband in today's Sunday Times (on line in the Doors section), interesting reading.
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If it was late last night, it was a fault on BT network. I managed to raise a ticket & that was the reply. Seems to be OK now.
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You shouldn't need to switch the router off when the connection drops. With most routers it will just reconnect automatically. Some routers (e.g. Belkin) re-sync but don't reconnect with the ISP, so you have to go into the web interface and click the Connect button. What model is yours?
Your connection may settle down after a few days. If it's unstable the exchange equipment may set your target noise margin a notch higher to give you a slightly lower connection speed with better stability. If this doesn't happen after a few days, it might be worth asking PlusNet to initiate this manually.
And don't forget soms' suggestions for connecting directly to the master socket.
Eric
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no it wasn't late last night Astral, (I was dreaming of perfect connections) and Roseway my router is Netgear 834G. re connecting to the master socket, do I use the normal plug (the one I run from the router to the filter?
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The easiest way to connect to the master socket is to plug an ADSL filter into it, and the router lead into that, just like you do with a normal socket.
Eric