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[sparky]

Hi guys,

I know that the title of this post is likely to result in a big flame, but please bear with me and understand my problem.

I have had intermittent phone line problems for six months, since BT "fixed", supposedly at the exchange, a hard problem on my line last August. I've gone through all the usual channels and done all the usual things, which is quite easy as I have a 1980's style master socket with just the one phone jack. So I've tried different routers and splitters plugged in directly, etc etc. But when I get a crackly line I can plug nothing other than a wired BT phone directly into the master socket and I still get the crackling. BUT it's intermittent. Very bad some evenings and mornings, non existant at other times. I've tried switching everything off in the house as well. BT say there is nothing wrong with my line when they test it (i wonder how flippin good these tests that they run really are because they dont show a fault even when its crackling) and will only send an engineer out if I agree to pay them. No deal. My IP profile is currently set at 500kbps but has been as low as 135kbps. My connection (not IP Profile) today is 3616, but that will only stay until the router re-synchs and it will drop tonight. It will resynch as soon as the phone rings this evening. Prior to this problem starting I had a solid connection of 4640kbps and an ip profile of 4000 kbps.

So, an option that I have is to transfer to TalkTalk LLU. It might not (and most probably wont) fix my problem, but if I have to suffer a cr*p line, I might as well save myself what would amount to £200 per year. At this point let me say that I don't want to leave my current ISP, but I cannot justify paying £17.99 a month, plus BT line rental, for a premium internet connection that I am not getting.

Now I know that TT get slated in various areas, but DSL Zone have them resonably highly rated now. I've seen complaints in forums, like rubbish and So Slooooooow! etc, but no justification to these bad comments. If I could get 1000kbs, it would be better than I currently get.

Has anyone here any recent experience of TalkTalk LLU and can honestly justify their opinions. I am not an online gamer, just a middle aged guy who needs access to the internet for work, shopping  and email, the occasional file downloads, Skype and the occasional video link on some web sites.

Cheers, Sparky.

[UncleUB]

Hi Sparky,

Can you post your line stats,info how to do that here..

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/frogstats.php

Have you done a BT quiet line test.Dial 17070,option 2.

There is some good info here about master sockets..

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/socket.htm

but DSL Zone have them resonably highly rated now.

Tbh I wouldn't take much notice of those ratings

[sparky]

Yes, I have done all these things, a quiet line test, with a corded BT Phone plugged directly into the master socket, either through a splitter or directly, nothing else connected at all, still sounds crackly, WHEN the fault is evident.

Line stats today:-


Link Information
Uptime: 0 days, 7:27:36
Modulation: G.992.1 annex A
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 448 / 3,616
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [MB/MB]: 9.41 / 58.09
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 12.0 / 19.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 31.5 / 51.0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 21.0 / 10.5
Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / TSTC
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): 0
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 3 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 15,276
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 230
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 215

Up for 7hrs plus....probably because it's dry here and the sun is out!

Speedtest results today are good for me,

Download speedachieved during the test was - 2791 Kbps
 For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 600-7150 Kbps.
 Additional Information:
 Your DSL Connection Rate :3616 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
 IP Profile for your line is - 3000 Kbps

But the same test yesterday looked like this,

Download speedachieved during the test was - 471 Kbps
 For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 50-500 Kbps.
 Additional Information:
 Your DSL Connection Rate :2798 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
 IP Profile for your line is - 500 Kbps

I've started powering off the router after 6PM if I'm not using the internet as I think  it saves messing up my IP Profile when the router keeps re-synching. Or am I wrong to do this?

[orainsear]

If there is a problem with the voice service such as crackling, this is usually due to a fault along the length of the metallic patch between (and including) the master socket to exchange; changing ISP won't make much difference if the fault remains.

Ultimately, as it's manifesting itself as a voice fault, it needs to be treated as such, and the internet left aside for the moment.

An intermittent fault can be very difficult to pinpoint, however you mention that it is seen mostly in the morning and evening.  Have you noticed any correlation between it and the weather because for example water ingress can cause issues.  It may be something as simple as a poor joint somewhere.

As suggested perform the quiet line test without the filter.

If the fault remains audible during a telephone call you can use this to your advantage and contact BT while it is apparent, allowing them to hear the crackling for themselves.

[sparky]

Yes, it is very weather related.

Bad when its drizzley/foggy and after prolonged wet weather. Sometimes also during cold overnight conditions.

Have just had a call from a senior manager in BT Retail, I'm hoping I might get a little help now.

[broadstairs]

I agree with others comments, if your line is bad between you and the exchange the TalkTalk or anyone else will make no difference at all.

However that said, I have been with TalkTalk LLU now since August 2008 and I moved because of cost as well. I have had one major problem with my line which TT did get sorted via BTOR, it took a while 3 or 4 weeks not months. Like many other ISPs if you can work the system and know what you are doing with your own hardware then they are IMHO no better or worse than many others.  Apart from this one glitch I've had no problems of any sort since I transferred.  My deal I got is no longer available but I now pay £22 a month and that covers broadband (up to 8meg - I get 6) line rental and all my calls worldwide to geographic landlines (although we make very few international calls), compare that to the £30+ a month to BT and £25 a month to my old ISP and I'm quids in!

[stevie]

I`d go along with the majority (hopefully).

If you have crackles/noise on the line then its a line problem.

I`ve had a couple of problems with my ADSL, all related to the line & ALL had a direct relationship to the voice/line side....Do all the checks, record stuff & get on the phone to report it, Both OR Engineers that came out to me were really nice, I simply explained what I`d done, how I`d tested & they went OK, did a quick test of their own & went off & fixed the problem, one was a miss recorded pair number or something like that, the other was a dodgy joint on the drop wire.

IIRC TT are fully unbundled & if you want to change ISPs you`ll have to pay BT to transfer back?

Just remember Have plenty of Tea/Coffee & Biscuits for the OR Engineers, other things might work dependent on the weather.

[HPsauce]

Sparky, who is your current ISP?
Some are better than others at getting Openreach to fix faults affecting broadband.

One thing I wouldn't do is jump ship to an LLU provider at this stage. 

[StuBell85]

Well I can say that TalkTalk do have good communication with Openreach

[sparky]

Current ISP is Idnet who have been very good, but as my voice line is with BT and the primary problem is with intermittent audible noise on the line then they say I have to report it to BT as a voice problem.

The chap that rang me from BT yesterday mentioned something about an FSI check?  Anyone know what that is? Anyway, he's supposed to ring me back tommorrow with a progress report.

[HPsauce]

SFI?
Special Faults Investigator. See: http://www.aaisp.net.uk/kb-broadband-sfi.html

[sparky]

Ah, yep. That's probably what he said...Ta.

[sparky]

SFI?
Special Faults Investigator. See: http://www.aaisp.net.uk/kb-broadband-sfi.html

Scary or what!!  Seems like OpenReach can charge whatever and whoever they like and get away with it. 

[HPsauce]

A question that the TalkTalk person (StuBell85) may be able to answer is whether their systems are so brutal in response to intermittent noise?

I'm on Be and while an intermittent issue WILL break the service you can just revert to "normal service" once it's gone. There are advantages and disadvanages to this approach, and there is always the option of increasing the target SNRM anyway, but I wonder how TalkTalk do it?

[sparky]

Sorry guys, been away.

Well I had a phone call yesterday from an Escallations Engineer?  Anyway, he has just been. Great guy, easy to talk to. He took in all of the information that I had, but typically, this morning the phone line was clear.

Except, his hearing obviously being better than mine, he said he could hear a slight humm that definitely shouldn't be there. Anyways, he fitted me a nice new NTE5 faceplace, then tried the phone again..........BINGO!  It crackled!  He went off the the green box down the road, rang me back and said that there is definitely a fault between there and the house. He has now gone off to raise a job card with the underground team.

Hopefully we are getting somewhere.

Thanks for all of the comments.