Should I complain to BT?

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Nick Harvey
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moo wrote:I doubt there are a great deal of houses left with a "master socket"
Roughly 70%, according to internal BT statistics, generated from the old Routing and Records Departments.

Only about 20% have fifth generation termination equipment, NTE5 and the like.

Around 10% still have hardwired (probably dial) telephones, or similar terminations such as the original Plug 420 and Jack (Socket) 95a.
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Fireboy
Posts: 294
Joined: Tue 10 Feb, 2004 18.35
Location: Tyneside

Since we're on with telephones still our line has recently taken a turn for the worse. It 'should' be capable of 8mb Broadband (we're on 2mb at the moment) but an old hardwired ringer downstairs which can't be filtered puts our line stats as 'capable of 512kbps' :? . Anyway I've made a hoo-har because we're moving suppliers soon (from PlusNet's appalling connection) and I want a faster connection, not a regrade to 512. Would anyone know how much line interference a ringer could cause (I assume it's buggering up something because now it pings whenever someone picks up the phone)?
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shaun
Posts: 65
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 15.04
Location: Mid Cornwall

What is your loop attenuation and SNR?

And what supplier? (Zen naturally offer 20/50GB maxdsl packages with no traffic shaping, £24.99 and £34.99 / mo respectively - excellent support, excellent reliability, excellent speeds)
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Fireboy
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Joined: Tue 10 Feb, 2004 18.35
Location: Tyneside

moo wrote:What is your loop attenuation and SNR?

And what supplier? (Zen naturally offer 20/50GB maxdsl packages with no traffic shaping, £24.99 and £34.99 / mo respectively - excellent support, excellent reliability, excellent speeds)
DSL Status
Connection Status Connected
Upstream Rate (Kbps) 288
Downstream Rate (Kbps) 2272
US Margin 30
DS Margin 13
Modulation MMODE
LOS Errors 0
DS Line Attenuation 45
US Line Attenuation 44
Path Mode Fast Path
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Jamez
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Joined: Sun 30 May, 2004 23.02
Location: Bristol

Update:

On closer inspection of the thick-ish black/grey cable I found going into the screwbox in my loft (which is labelled G.P.O.), I found a rusted join in it about 3 metres under the loft insulation.

I took away the join, and followed the black cable from where it came. I followed up the wall of the end of the loft, through a hole and straight across to the telegraph pole on the edge of my front lawn.

This black cable has four internal wires. Black, Green, Orange & White.

Seeing as Orange and White were the only ones connected to the black/grey cable, I bypassed it and connected it straight to a surplus master socket I had. I also connected up the earth wire, and cut the black one.

I got my BT corded phone and plugged it in. A dial tone, but still crackley and with the buzz. I dialed 1471 to test it, and the buzz only occurs when there is 'voice' coming down the line. eg: "You were called *Louder Buzz* Today, *Buzz* at *Buzz* 14:25. *Buzz* The caller witheld their number. *Buzz*...

If you're still with me, great. If not, I shall do another diagram if you so wish.

My reckoning is though, that BT has done a botched job of the connecting of my ADSL - that's if they've actually connected it at all because none of my three modems (one is a DSL router) or either of computers (Laptop & Desktop) have picked up any sort of DSL signal.

Tiscali's customer services are about as useful as a chocolate teapot, promising that they'll get BT to investigate. yeah right...
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shaun
Posts: 65
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 15.04
Location: Mid Cornwall

Fireboy wrote:
moo wrote:What is your loop attenuation and SNR?

And what supplier? (Zen naturally offer 20/50GB maxdsl packages with no traffic shaping, £24.99 and £34.99 / mo respectively - excellent support, excellent reliability, excellent speeds)
DSL Status
Connection Status Connected
Upstream Rate (Kbps) 288
Downstream Rate (Kbps) 2272
US Margin 30
DS Margin 13
Modulation MMODE
LOS Errors 0
DS Line Attenuation 45
US Line Attenuation 44
Path Mode Fast Path
That DS margin is awful compared to the US margin. How close are you to the exchange?
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Fireboy
Posts: 294
Joined: Tue 10 Feb, 2004 18.35
Location: Tyneside

moo wrote:
Fireboy wrote:
moo wrote:What is your loop attenuation and SNR?

And what supplier? (Zen naturally offer 20/50GB maxdsl packages with no traffic shaping, £24.99 and £34.99 / mo respectively - excellent support, excellent reliability, excellent speeds)
DSL Status
Connection Status Connected
Upstream Rate (Kbps) 288
Downstream Rate (Kbps) 2272
US Margin 30
DS Margin 13
Modulation MMODE
LOS Errors 0
DS Line Attenuation 45
US Line Attenuation 44
Path Mode Fast Path
That DS margin is awful compared to the US margin. How close are you to the exchange?
1km
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Nick Harvey
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Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 22.26
Location: Deepest Wiltshire
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Jamez wrote:the buzz only occurs when there is 'voice' coming down the line. eg: "You were called *Louder Buzz* Today, *Buzz* at *Buzz* 14:25. *Buzz* The caller witheld their number. *Buzz*...
Not saying this is gospel, but crackles and buzzes, associated with speech being received are OFTEN to do with capacitance problems at the line card in the exchange.

Either dirty contacts on the line card itself, or a capacitor on the card starting to die.

If you can convince them, get BT to change your line card. That will, at least, eliminate that area of problems.

The four wire overhead cable coming in from the pole is a standard cable. Pair one on orange and white, pair two (in case you ask for a second line) on green and black. Green doesn't mean earth.
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shaun
Posts: 65
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 15.04
Location: Mid Cornwall

Fireboy wrote:
moo wrote:
Fireboy wrote: DSL Status
Connection Status Connected
Upstream Rate (Kbps) 288
Downstream Rate (Kbps) 2272
US Margin 30
DS Margin 13
Modulation MMODE
LOS Errors 0
DS Line Attenuation 45
US Line Attenuation 44
Path Mode Fast Path
That DS margin is awful compared to the US margin. How close are you to the exchange?
1km
I am 0.91km from the exchange, straight line distance (so the line at most is 1km, you can see the path it takes) and my results are far better:
2600g> adsl status
--------------------------- ATU-R Info (annex A) ----------------------------
Running Mode : G.DMT State : SHOWTIME
DS Actual Rate : 2272000 bps US Actual Rate : 288000 bps
DS maximum Rate : 11200000 bps US maximum Rate : 1120000 bps
DS Path Mode : Fast US Path Mode : Fast
NE Current Attenuation : 20.5 dB Cur SNR Margin : 31.5 dB
DS actual PSDM(C) : 00000007 US actual PSDM(R) : 00003e77
ADSL Firmware Version : 41e2be2c
-------------------------------- ATU-C Info ---------------------------------
Far Current Attenuation : 10.0 dB Far SNR Margin : 30.0 dB
CO ITU Version[0] : 00b55453 CO ITU Version[1] : 54430000
DSLAM CHIPSET VENDOR : < TI >
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTL, DSTREAM bytes/depth= 1, symbols/codewords = 0, latency= 0*0.25ms.
, USTREAM bytes/depth= 1, symbols/codewords = 0, latency= 0*0.25ms.
CODE, DSTREAM fast parity bytes= 0, fast codeword= 72.
DSTREAM intl parity bytes= 0, intl codeword= 0.
CODE, USTREAM fast parity bytes= 0, fast codeword= 10.
USTREAM intl parity bytes= 0, intl codeword= 0.
Setting>>
FDQ : Enable, TCM : Enable, EC : Disable, Framing Mode : 3.
Running>>
FDQ : In Use, TCM : In Use, EC : Off.
DS : Framing Mode 3, US : Framing Mode 3.
ADI ADSL Firmware Version: 41e2be2c
2600g>
The SNR fluctuates between 31.5 and 34dB.
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