Broadband Connection Problems - Any Cheap Way to Fix Them?

[bunkmedal]

Hi,

 

We've been having persistent drop outs of our internet connection for 4 or 5 months. We've tried phoning our ISP (Be Broadband) who took us through some troubleshooting steps which didn't solve the problem. The process broke down because we don't seem to have a "test socket" in our flat, or at least we couldn't find anything that looked like a "test socket".

 

Basically at the end they just told us that they can't do anything to fix it and if we want it fixed we should phone BT, who will charge us £130 (or so) for a call-out charge and if it's a problem with the internal wiring of the flat, and not the external phone line, then they won't fix it at all, but will still charge us for the call-out.

 

Anyway, before we actually do this we were wondering if there are any better options. What we'd really like is just to get someone round who knows what they're doing and who can check the connection and diagnose the problem. We're both middle aged types who don't have a clue what we're doing with this sort of thing, yet there doesn't seem to be anybody you can call (other than BT). Very frustrating.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[dx100uk]

how many phone sockets have you got?

 

dx

[bunkmedal]

We've got seven in the flat.

[nohope]

try pluging your router into the main socket with a filter and have nothing else on any of the other sockets you have. sounds like to many extensions running from the main socket and causing the line to drop due to noise...

[bunkmedal]

I should say that even though there are seven sockets, we don't have anything plugged into any of them. Just the broadband plugged in with a filter into one socket. Some of the sockets don't seem to work at all, some of them the broadband works when we plug it in. We've tried using different sockets for the broadband and one seems to work the best, but still drops out frequently. We're not sure which one is the main socket.

 

Is there anything we could do to cut down on noise on the line? The tech guy we phoned at Be mentioned that if you just put microfilters in each socket that's not being used it can cut down on noise, but I don't know if that's nonsense or not.

[dx100uk]

i would suspect that the issue is with the 'ring' around all the sockets

you say some work some dont, if wires are disconnected

then they'll introduce noise.

 

you 'should' be able to find you master socket, just look where the feed comes into your flat

trace the bt line into your property.

 

dx

[nohope]

The tech guy we phoned at Be mentioned that if you just put microfilters in each socket that's not being used it can cut down on noise, but I don't know if that's nonsense or not.

 

Utter rubbish. Your main socket should be differnt to the rest and most likely have a bt logo on the front of it.

[bunkmedal]

i would suspect that the issue is with the 'ring' around all the sockets

you say some work some dont, if wires are disconnected

then they'll introduce noise.

 

you 'should' be able to find you master socket, just look where the feed comes into your flat

trace the bt line into your property.

 

dx

 

Thanks for the help. That certainly seems like it could be the problem. We still can't find the master (or test) socket, though. We've had someone round who at least half knew what he was doing and he couldn't find it either. It's a flat in a big complex and there just isn't anything that looks like a master socket and nothing with a plate that can be removed. We can't really trace where the line enters the property either.

 

If it was a problem with the ring around all the sockets how would you go about getting that fixed? Would BT do that or would we be looking at someone else?

 

Thanks again.

[dx100uk]

its not set in stone that you have a socket that IS a master vesion

it might just be a normal one.

 

typically the line in from outside your flat will come from the internal structure central trunking

and wont be on an outside wall as you say its a flat? there are other flats in the 'block'?

 

by popping off each socket so you can see the routing of the wires in/out of the box you might well be able to workout

which it the incomer as the others will be a 'ring' going to all the others, if you get what i mean

bit like how xmas lights work.

 

dx