ADSL/VDSL/Fibre

[Kimeshen]

Hi all

I started having issues with my ADSL internet from about a month ago. I used to have multiple devices connected and everything was still perfect.

From a month ago, the DSL and Internet light goes off for a minute or two and reconnects. While this happens it interupts my gaming sessions , steaming , internet searching or what ever im doing.

I'm not sure what could have caused this.

I logged a fault with telkom and they sent a technician 3 times so far and I've been alerted that the problem has been attended to but the problem persists.

I want to make sure everything is alright on my side so I know its not my hardware or something.
Are there any tests fault finding, a way to get a log from my router to tell me what's going on? Would really like yo know what the real issue is and tackle it.

[Kathy1]

Hi @Kimeshen

I recall Telkom told you a cable issue delayed your adsl installation in Feb, did they mention what the initial problem was ?

Please post some details re what you may have checked already so that someone can help.  First try rebooting your router , then run a couple of speed tests at different times of day to ensure your line syncs at the correct speed - do you hear any noise or crackling on your phone ? 

Connectivity problems on ADSL services can be caused by many different factors, often making it difficult to pinpoint where the fault lies.

Some other things you could check on your home network  :-

When your line is synchronising at lower speeds than it should, or if you’re experiencing intermittent drops in connectivity, one place to start is your DSL connection statistics - you can find them by logging into your ADSL router (look for wording such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and line attenuation - sometimes referred to as resistance).

The higher the SNR the better, and the lower the attenuation the better. 

• SNR should be at least 6dB, but preferably higher than 9 or 10dB.

• Attenuation/resistance should be below 55dB, but preferably lower than 45dB

While little can be done if your line attenuation is too high due to distance from the exchange or old copper line quality, there are a few things you can try to improve your SNR.

The first step is to eliminate any potentially faulty equipment between your ADSL router or modem and the telephone jack.

This includes POTS filters (often the cause of issues with DSL connections) and telephone line extensions. Such equipment is often first to get damaged when lightning hits your phone line, and to ensure they are not causing noise on your line they should be disconnected temporarily.

Other equipment connected to the same jack as your ADSL router or modem, such as telephones, should also be removed while testing. 

If the source of noise on your line still not found : -

is your router or modem faulty? Try connecting another modem to see if you get similar SNR readings from it.

Electric fences. A faulty security fence can cause impulse noise on an ADSL link. This will cause the line to run errors and drop intermittently. In severe cases the ASDL line will not sync at all. Check for any arcing from the fence due to cracked or faulty isolators, as well as for plants or any foreign objects touching the fence.

Hope there’s something useful here , if not you may have to report another line fault .

Good luck - please keep us posted re what happens .

[Kimeshen]

Hi Kathy

Thanks for your reply. My line was installed towards the end of Feb , the
fault and installation was quite a quick proccess. No i wasnt really
notified by the technician , the call centre mentioned a V side fault.

Before i start let me mention that my internet was perfect , about
2.5-3+mbps line speed (I am paying for a 4mbps) this problem only started
+/- a month ago. When the twchnicians came to comnect my line they did not
sort out the Telephone line cause 1) there was some problem with the lines
they had and 2) I dont have a desired telephone to put in place so we
decided that its okay if they dont connect it as i only need the internet
access.

Regarding the few tests you suggested i get
Speed test : ping - 22ms Download - 2.62Mbps upload - 0.29Mbps and is
usually the same through out the day but doesnt drop below 2Mbps.

Downstream
SNR. - 6.5db
Attenuation - 45.0db
Data rate - 3520 kbps
Forward error connection seconds - 0
CRC - 4417

Upstream
SNR - 8.0db
Attenuation - 31.5db
Data rate - 480kbps
Forward error connection seconds - 2
CRC - 731

Also -
ADSL status
ADSL Synchronization - up
Ping to DHCP primary or secondary DNS - pass

LAN status
Lan connection - up
Ping to DHCP primary DNS - down

Theres also a statistics page with alot of errors for ADSL statistics in
both the TX and RX sides.

For the hardware tests, i tried it once but i will try again and with
another router this time. I also am going to be taking my router to telkom
on monday to see if something is actually wrong with the router.

I hope im able to sort my issue out , also let me know if theres any
further info needed.

Thanks
Kimeshen

[Kathy1]

Hi @Kimeshen

You’re welcome ! We’re also customers in the forum and can’t help much re service ( no Telkom support agents here) .

Sorry I don’t know much about the technical side,  but I think  ‘ V side’ issue relates to the line connections between you and the exchange . Your SNR is low which seems to confirm this.

SNR levels :- 

6dB or below is very bad and will experience no synch or intermittent synch problems

7dB-10dB is fair but does not leave much room for variances in conditions

11dB-20dB is good with little or no sync problems

20dB-28dB is excellent

29dB or above is outstanding

Hope the router checks out OK at the store , but you may have to report another fault to get a technician to attend . 

[Kimeshen]

Hi Kathy

Apologies for the late reply. I wanted to give my routers some time to see
how it operates. So far this is what I've noticed:

Original router : problem persists where the DSL+internet light goes off
and connection gets lost and the light comes back on after +/- 2 min ,
problem is through out the whole day.

Router 2 : (which is an older router than the original router that i was
using) surprisingly the problem seemed to be fixed for about a week, solid
strong internet connection without it dropping, but then I realized that it
would happen only once or twice a day , which was okay for me since it was
better than before.

Recently I noticed that it is happening through out the day on both
routers. Bearing in mind the older router is about 5 years old and the
original router is about 3 years old , I did some research and read abit
from peoples experiences that sometimes a router drop connections when
they're old. So thats my 1st assumption to the problem.

Also i realized, the problem started as the winter wind and rain and
generally bad weather began. Could the weather effect my comnection?

So overall the 3 things that could be the problem is :

1. Router;
2. Weather;
3. There still is a fault that telkom is missing or a faulty line.

Apologies again for the late reply. Your input is much appreciated


Regards

Kimeshen

[Kathy1]

HI @Kimeshen

Thanks for your update.  Sorry I don’t know much about the tech side, but it sounds like a line fault as you’ve tested / eliminated router problems. Presumably you have no POTS filter as you haven’t used a phone - is your router cable plugged directly  into the Telkom point on the wall ?

Yes bad weather causes static,  and / or moisture could be causing  your line to drop if Telkom cable joints or connections are faulty - I gather thIS would be a fairly easy fix unless the fault is underground cables  -  but you’ll need to report another fault for a technician to come and check it all out your side.

[MikeT2]

Hi Guys

I know this is an old post but for anyone who is still having this frustrating problem then this worked for me....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxHNaFMMkEw&t=66s

Basically, I have 4 laptops and a desktop running and , one of them would go into "Sleep" or "Hibernate" mode which would trigger the Power Saving function.... which by default (Windows 10) is set to switch off the Router..... so, it now makes sense why my internet kept on dropping...

Hope it works for you...

Mike