If you turn off your ADSL Modem router overnight, on a regular basis, is it true that the exchange may assume the connection is unstable and reduce the line speed to try to provide a more stable connection?

That is exactly what my ISP helpdesk has just told me, when I rang to report slow speeds and dropouts over the last few weeks.

Not quite. The line is considered unstable if it loses sync more than a certain number of times. That number might vary, but it's going to be more than once a day. If you talk to the right person, they should be able to tell you if your line is flagged as unstable and tell you your connection history.

If the line is unstable then the sync speed may be lowered, which you should be able to see by checking your router's status page. They also enable interlacing, which you may or may not be able to see.

Check the line attenuation and noise margins. Check several times each day. What are they and do they vary? Do you lose sync occasionally?

If you're losing sync and have poor or variable SNR, then that indicates interference. This can be due to a fault on the line, poor internal cabling, faulty micro filter or EMI from equipment such as baby alarms, Sky box, microwave oven or home-plug adapter. It's a process of elimination, but the first thing to do is to remove the cover from the master socket and test with the router connected directly at the test socket. If this reduces the attenuation and increases the noise margin, then your internal wiring definitely needs sorting out. Test like this for as long as needed to establish if there's an improvement. An AM radio is good for tracking EMI.

If you test thoroughly and still believe there is a fault on the line, then you should persist with reporting it as a fault. They should send out an SFI engineer, but you'll need accept the possibility of charges if he finds the problem is with your internal wiring or equipment. You'll also need to be there when he comes; appointments are AM or PM with AM being 0800-1300. It's usually £150, and in my experience it's the end user's internal wiring more than half the time.

Thanks JJ.

I have swapped out the microfilters tonight, although I am told it can take a while to see a difference?

The line to my PC is wired into the socket downstairs, no plug-in extensions.

I plan to try the router in the test socket over the weekend, should I disconnect any phones from the main socket during the test?

Cheers

Spreadie

Interestingly last time I had a problem with bb ( touch's wood ) the engineer that came out suggested that you would create problems if you switched off your router each night and that you may well end up with slower speeds.

It's preferable to leave it connected 24/7 because it takes two weeks or more for the speed to go back up after errors have forced it to drop down. However, turning it off every night should not in itself cause the speed to drop. Many people use modems, so leaving them on 24/7 is not appropriate.

Spreadie is complaining of "dropouts" so it needs investigating. There is probably a fault somewhere, and this needs to be resolved before optimum performance can be resumed.



You should not expect to see an immediate improvement in speedtest, but if you fix a problem then you may see an immediate increase in your noise margin and possibly a lower attenuation. Most importantly, you should see fewer drop-outs.

When you plug into the test socket, any extensions should be disconnected. If they're cordless, then you may as well power them off because it's one less source of RFI. The point of the test is to completely disconnect any internal wiring.

One thing in particular which is an absolute NO is using a long flat telephone extension lead to run from the router to the socket. Flat cable is unbalanced and totally unsuited to carrying ADSL.

What router do you have? The info you want to look for on a Netgear looks like this:



If yours doesn't stay up all weekend, then you can check the logs to see how often it reconnected. Be sure to note the readings before and after you move to the test socket.

Netgear DGN2000



Ignore WLAN up time, I have just enabled it. But the router hasn't been switched off for approx 22 hrs.
I haven't tried the test socket yet.

Spreadie, your line looks a bit noisy .. you could try removing your bell ringer wire if you haven't already done so. Alternatively an iplate may help you.

Didge.

When you do, note the dB levels - another screen shot would be good.

For attenuation, lower is better. For noise margin, higher is better. Despite having 6dB higher attenuation than me, your noise margin is 4dB better. That's excellent, as represented by your 8128 kbps connection speed - the maximum possible on an 8Meg profile. If your exchange is ADSL2 enabled, then you could probably get a lot more with a 24Meg profile. Check several times each day. Do they vary? Do you lose sync occasionally?

However, it shows you've only been on-line for 1:45 on both the LAN (internal network) and WAN (ADSL) ports. Is there a reason your LAN connection would have dropped at the same time as the WAN, given that you say it's been on for 22 hours? Is the ADSL set to stay connected all the time? If not, then change it so it is.

Have a look in the log. Every reconnection is in there, so you can see exactly when the router last reset and when the ADSL dropped. If the router is randomly rebooting, then it is not a line fault.

I have just changed to a different package with my ISP, which was activated on Tuesday, I think.

4.50pm on the 16th Dec.


9.40am this morning


7.37pm this evening


I have decided to replace the telephone wire from the master socket to my computer room, and I have a good few metres of the cable pictured below. I take it, this is a better bet than the flat stuff?

The router stats look absolutely perfect. Have you had any trouble over the last 10 days?

I'm guessing the cable is normal 3-pair telephone wire? If so, it should be fine. Connect the blue pair only on the middle connections (2 & 5); the orange and green are for legacy reasons (bell and earth-recall) and these days cause more trouble than they're worth.

The important thing about phone cable or cat-5 is that the pairs are twisted together into a balanced line. Flat cable is unbalanced and attracts interference.