Slow broadband that keeps dropping out

[Jupiter01]

Thanks. I've understood the role of the microfilters based on the above.

The solution is to separate the ADSL and the phone signals as soon as the cable enters the house and run them on totally separate cables,

This is best achieved by a single filter in the Master NTE box which prevents any of the ADSL signal getting to the telephone extension wiring.

The Master allows the ADSL signal to go only to the socket assigned for the modem/router.

Can I please clarify, do you mean separate cables on the above or separate wire pairs? Assuming separate wire pairs would suffice, that's what I intend to do by having a pair servicing the RJ11 in the garage and a separate pair for all the telephone lines.

 

[bernardgreen]

Separate cables would be the better option but using two pairs in the same cable does work well enough.

 

[Jupiter01]

A simple question just to make sure that I've not missed anything:
When my master socket has the extension wires (A&B) disconnected and I plug the router into the Master, I get the full 24MB (up to 32 MB on occasions). As soon as I insert A&B, even at the Master socket I only get 8MB and same at the extension. Is this the inevitable impact or wiring an extension or should this not be happening?
Perhaps it will be fixed by separating the wires and using the RJ11 in the garage? This is the plan set out above.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

As soon as I insert A&B, even at the Master socket I only get 8MB and same at the extension. Is this the inevitable impact or wiring an extension or should this not be happening?

It should not be happening, you have something amiss. As Bernard suggests, the best place to split phone from broadband, is as the phone cable enters your home, at the Master Socket. Running phone cables around the house and using slave sockets for broadband will decrease to some extent, the speed and reliability of you broadband. Basically you co-locate the router at the Master, then run CAT6 to where the broadband is needed or use wifi.

My own installation has the Master and (a wifi) router in the loft where the phone enters my home, I then have around seven slave extension sockets scattered around the house - a hangover from when there were no decent wireless phones. From that main router, I have run CAT6 cables to all my regular items on the network, including one to a second wifi router on the ground floor.

I get a rock steady and consistent 40Mb from FTTC (fibre with the final leg copper).

 

[Jupiter01]

It should not be happening, you have something amiss. As Bernard suggests, the best place to split phone from broadband, is as the phone cable enters your home, at the Master Socket.

Note that when I stated that the speed drops to 8MB as soon as I connect A&B, these cables are connected to all the extensions downstream. Perhaps that is why I am seeing the degradation as part of this test.

To get this straight in my head, I will get a small bit of new telephone cable and wire A&B to my new RJ11 socket (whilst sat next to the Master socket). I would expect this test to provide the full speed when the router is wired into the RJ11. If this works, I will replicate this with one of the twisted pairs and see what I get by way of speed in the garage when using my RJ11. Once I am content with this, I will connect the extensions using the other wires and the jelly crimps.

This seems a logical approach and help troubleshoot any issues along the way.

Another thought, if it helped, I could relocate my Master socket to the garage by jelly crimping the cables coming into the house and connecting them to a new master socket in the garage? I can then blank off the current master socket. Not sure that helps but thought I'd put that out there.

 

[bernardgreen]

Is your modem/router in the garage ?

If it is then take a pair from the un-filtered terminals in the master socket straight to the modem/router in the garage. Nothing else connects to this cable.

Connect all your telephone sockets to the filtered terminals in the master socket.

If you want a telephone socket in the garage then run a pair to a phone socket in the garage from the filtered terminals in the master socket.

Telephone wiring can be daisy chained socket to socket, star wired ( all wired to a common point ) or any combination of those methods.

The ADSL wiring must be point to point from master socket to one socket for the modem/router without any spur wires.

 

[rsgaz]

does it matter whether A connects to 2 or 5 on the RJ11 socket?

A and B go to the centre pins on an RJ11 socket, which should be labelled 1 to 6, or, if it only has four pins, 2 to 5.

A = 3
B = 4

 

[Jupiter01]

UPDATE: Open Reach made some changes in response to the low speed issue. None of the changes were made within my property. Apparently, it takes a few days for these to flow through...

When testing today, I get a maximum of 13MB at the master socket with all extension wires disconnected. This was previously generating up to 35MB in this setting! I suppose I am going to have to wait to see what changes have been made and the effect of these.

My plan was to install the RJ11 tonight and verify the speed but I've put a break on this due to this latest reduction in speed. Frustrating.

Will keep you posted and thanks.

 

[Jupiter01]

It's also curious that I now get 13MB at the master with all wires disconnected and almost the same when I connect the extension wires. This last step previously halved the speed.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

It's also curious that I now get 13MB at the master with all wires disconnected and almost the same when I connect the extension wires. This last step previously halved the speed.

It's important that you just leave the router plugged in and powered for several days, to allow the system to settle to a reliable speed. Basically, turning it on and off, moving it will see your line speed downgraded from the exchange - just leave it alone for now.

 

[Jupiter01]

UPDATE: Open Reach were in contact as I still had a fault on my line. They came around yesterday and after spending approximately 3 hours and rerouting my connection from a different telegraph post, I was receiving 32MB at the Master socket when all extension wires were disconnected. After connecting A&B for my RJ11 socket and plugging the router into the RJ11 socket in the garage, I get 30MB. I also get 30MB when connected in my office via ethernet (connects into my Switch). Speed tests do fluctuate slightly but I would say that this is approximately 2MB slower than what I had at the Master socket. However, its a huge improvement over the 8MB I was receiving!

I then connected the wires for my telephone extensions and jelly crimped these behind the RJ11 socket. I have now dispensed with the microfilter on my landline (and assume this is no longer required anywhere in my new setup?). The phones work and have not affected broadband speed. It also doesn't drop my connection as was the case previously without the use of a microfilter.

In conclusion very happy and immensely grateful for all your advice. I've learnt a whole load by going through this too!

Just a couple of questions please:
- due to old wiring connections, my telephone extension sockets still have the orange wire punched into terminal 3. This is not connected behind the RJ11 in the jelly crimps. Will this be affecting anything?
- is there any further benefit in using an NTE5 master socket?

Thanks again.

 

[Diver Fred]

As I've previously reported you need T3 connecting if any 'phone in an extension socket doesn't ring.

Apart from that it does seem that you are now receiving a good BB signal. I was going to suggest that you had the master socket replaced as it could have been that the filter stack was damaged.

And a last thought is that BB will work, to a degree, if one leg of the un-filtered wiring is disconnected.

 

[Jupiter01]

I was going to suggest that you had the master socket replaced as it could have been that the filter stack was damaged.

Would you still advise this based on my current results?

As I've previously reported you need T3 connecting if any 'phone in an extension socket doesn't ring.

My landline now rings and in the Jelly Crimps I've only crimped two wires. However, lingering from before, all downstream extension sockets have an organise wire connected to T3 too. I assume this is having no impact?

 

[Diver Fred]

Would you still advise this based on my current results?

No - The Openreach chap should have done that if it was necessary. As part of the test facilities he has access to should show up any problems with the filter stack.

My landline now rings and in the Jelly Crimps I've only crimped two wires. However, lingering from before, all downstream extension sockets have an orange wire connected to T3 too. I assume this is having no impact?

On extension socket all that T3 does provide the bell wire connection to the phones. It has no other connection. On the main socket it connects to the junction between the 'ring' (bell) capacitor and test resistor.

Have a look at and scroll down to 'wiring a NTE5' - hopefully that will explain all.

 

[Jupiter01]

Sorry to rake this up again...
Broadband is working well, as is the landline. But...my Texecom alarm dialler has stopped working. It no longer makes outbound calls upon alarm activation. The only discernible difference is the 3rd orange wire. As you know this is no longer active. I could wire this in again but understood that it was only required for ringing.

Any suggestions on what may be causing this please?