PDA

View Full Version : Poor BB connection/trouble


Tartan Giant
8th Dec 2005, 19:20
Hi Guys,

I've got a 2.2 Mbps BB connection which over the past month or so has been dropping the connection with increasing regularity.

There is no pattern to the dropped-connections. The PC can be idle (I'm away for a cuppa) and when I come back it's off line.

The provider is PIPEX whom I've been with for years - no problem. The upgrade to BB was April 2005, and only in the last month or so these drop-outs have been daily.

I've done all the micro filter changes/swops PIPEX have suggested via email help - to see if its a faulty micro filter (I've three serving the phones in the house), but even flying on one "good" filter it drops the line at some stage of the game.

I've done the BT "underscore" test page - still drops off after about 6 minutes, sometimes it hangs on for a while longer. Today, I had about 5.5 hours connect time (after a normal start-up) and downloads were normal high speed as one would expect (PDF files and pages) before the line fell off the perch again. After the reconnect it was if I had a lousy dial-up modem working for me.

I've now had two failed download attempts and an error message saying something about Windows Internet Explorer has experienced an error and will be shutting down!

My gut feeling is the telephone has degraded somehow and that's where the fault lies - however I don't like the IE error message. The Modem Alcatel SpeedTouch 330 has never given any trouble thus far.

The page downloads when visiting a website load are so slow now; takes me back to when I had a dial-up modem, download times are rubbish.
Even getting this PPruNe page up and running was really slow!

Do you think I have damaged the OE6 files somehow, and when the BB connection tries to load a page, it somehow cannot construct the page due to damaged files, and of course a very slow connection, despite the icon saying 2.2Gbps?

If I re-downloaded OE6 will it overwrite the old set-up files (leaving my folders/email addresses) and fix any corrupt files, or will it overwrite the damn lot, and I'm worse off?

My set up is Win XP Home Pentium 4 at 3.4 GHz 1Gb RAM. OE6.0 MS Service Pack 2.

PIPEX are slow and seem to give out the bob-standard page "this is what to do", eg
I would like to confirm what checks have been made so that I can confirm that the necessary checks for a dropped connection fault have been completed and I can then pass this matter to BT if necessary. Have you: Plugged the speedtouch and a single telephone to one filter and then plug the filter into the master socket in the house, with all other devices removed from the telephone line? [yes] As this test will eliminate other devices placing load on the line and any internal extension leads. Swapped the microfilter over, thus eliminating any individual filter.[yes] Test the Modem, although this is usually the hardest check as I do not know if you have a friend or neighbour that has broadband who could either try your modem on their line you lend you a modem to try on this line? [no!!]
I can see that you have swapped the filter, reinstalled the modem and completed the bt_test@startup_domain check for us. I have completed a line test and they indicate that you have reconnected a couple of times. [that was an understatement!] If you could confirm how you get on with the above checks and complete the bt_test so that it reconnects another 2 more times, I will call you and we can raise this matter to BT to investigate for us.

Any pointers/help would be much appreciated.

Cheers
TG

timmcat
8th Dec 2005, 19:31
Disconnections are a scourge of UK ADSL services.

A few pointers - the 2.2Mbps you are referring to is the line speed - ie the potential maximum throughput you can get. That's the maximum you will get in the UK on a standard BT line (I won't go into LLU (local loop unbundling) here, but it's coming to most of us soon, meaning potentially much higher speeds).

My guess it's an issue out of your control, and with BT or your ISP. You've done most of the diagnostic stuff I would recommend. For a general health check on your connection, download Dan Elwell's program here. (http://www.broadbandspeedtest.net/) It will give a good indication if there are any other issues with your connection, and a bit of armoury to go back to Pipex with if all is not well.

The error messages you are getting in your browser are unlikely to be related to this problem. Try to copy to your clipboard the exact error message and google it - usually works for me! A re-install of IE / OE6 won't remove any of your personal stuff. I'm not sure, but you might get an option to 'repair' your current installation anyway.

Hope this helps.

frostbite
8th Dec 2005, 20:14
Doesn't help with any hardware problems which may be there, but why not download and run Firefox as your browser or alternate browser to see if it outperforms the current setup?

Your visible problems with IE might be just part of a deeper rooted problem.

Maxflyer
9th Dec 2005, 09:03
I have the 2.0 Mbps service from AOL. Up until this past couple of weeks I have never had any connection problems. Now it loses the connection four or five times a day! I am of the opinion that it is something to do with BT, but I can't prove it.

Tartan Giant
9th Dec 2005, 12:22
timmcat
Many thanks for your pointers and help. I downloaded Dan's tester, and was quiet shocked at the lously perf of my BB.

(a) Test 5 UK servers; Par = 2048Kb/s mine = 375 Kb/s
(b) Test European servers; Par = 2048 Kb/s mine = 169 Kb/s
(c) USA East coast servers; Par = 2048 Kb/s mine = 114 Kb/s

I've contacted PIPEX and they are saying, we can now contact BT with the gen OR send you a new modem, but if the modem proves to be serviceable, then there is £20 re-stocking fee.

Would you think it's the modem or the BT line?

I'll deal with the OE6 snag later - thanks for the help there too.

-----------

Cheerio

Thanks for the gen on your snag ref gateway changes - how do I go about finding if my DNS gateway has been changed please?
Is the procedure safe to tinker with settings when/if I have to do things?

------------

frostbite

I did that ( download and run Firefox as your browser ) as advised, and although faster to load pages, the line connection still failed. Looks increasingly likely that the BT line is a bummer.

-------------


Maxflyer

In the same boat egh!
----------------------------

Thanks very much chaps for your help and advice, it all helps try and solve this very irritating snag.
As I write, I have been lucky enough to have been BB connected for 2.5 hrs. Nothing to write home about but something!


Cheers

TG

roach
9th Dec 2005, 14:21
May not help but here is what happened to me.....been with Pipex for a number of years and had a 1 meg connection for the last yr. All was fine until about 6 weeks ago when the speed went slower than a 512mb connection....went round and round the calling/holding at pipex....have you done this/that etc....did the bt speedtester and proved that the problem was not the line and pipex insisted connection to bt speedtester left on so bt could diagnose....5 days passed and I was called by bt engineer who said he had just done a remote test to the PC and could I check if any change....no I could not as the PC had just crashed (win xp sp2 and never given a problem before...coincidence?!!)
After much work from my end PC up and running and speed stable at 1mb.
Called pipex again to say not best pleased and tongue in cheek talked about migrating....."if we reduce your bill by £5 per month and double speed to 2mb will you stay for another yr?" I was asked.
So still with pipex and speed consistantly high at 2mb.
Good luck!

timmcat
9th Dec 2005, 16:53
Would you think it's the modem or the BT line?

My guess is that your modem is OK (I've never known poor speeds be a symptom of a duff modem, they usually overheat or pack up altogether).

Get them to involve BT.

Tartan Giant
9th Dec 2005, 19:42
Roach
Called pipex again to say not best pleased and tongue in cheek talked about migrating....."if we reduce your bill by £5 per month and double speed to 2mb will you stay for another yr?" I was asked.

Thanks for that. I shall keep that card available!

The bu**er is I was so pleased way back in April and how the BB was performing I changed over my phone provider from BT to Pipex not too long ago - now this happens.

timmcat
Get them to involve BT.

I'll do just that. Many thanks again.

Cheers

TG

Devlin Carnet
11th Dec 2005, 15:00
I'd be a little wary of that
Dan Elwell download, it contains ebatesmomoneymaker, which is a spyware program. and can be a bitch to get rid of.

BOAC
11th Dec 2005, 15:29
Devlin - you have me worried now as 'Spybot' has not found it!

timmcat
11th Dec 2005, 17:05
Devlin Carnet I really do challenge you on that. I've used the program for a number of months and Trend, Spybot, Microsoft Anti-Spyware and others haven't picked up a thing. Also, don't forget it's not freeware, they do encourage you to pay for the full version. That's not normally a trait of a spyware infested program. In any case ebatesmomoneymaker installs as a fully fledged program in it's own right from what I can gather. If you have'nt got it in your list of installed programs, then you ain't got it at all!

Devlin Carnet
12th Dec 2005, 07:53
Timmcat,
All I am trying to say is that after I tried to install that program, popup blocker tried to block Ebatesmomoneymaker, which caused me to abort the install,
However, after this, there it was sat in program files.
A quick run of spybot search and destroy picked it up but couldnt delete until after a re boot.
Coincidence? maybe, But I know I didnt install it voluntarily, and it wasnt on there before.
Regards