Need Help Finding Broadband Problem!

[DoctorGore]

Sup guys. I need some help finding out why my download speed varies so much and why I sometimes loose connection all together. I'll try to provide as much info as I can.

So here's my set up,

1. Junction box comes into house. This was broken by my dog and then fixed non-professionally. I took a picture so you can see the damage.
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

2. NET-5 Master Socket. This seemingly has an extension lead wired into the unit. The lead then goes into my neighbours house (literally on the other side of the wall) where they have a plusnet broadband router and I'm assuming a landline. I took a picture of the Master socket.
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

3. On my end of the Master Socket, I've had a dangly microfilter plugged directly into the test socket for months. From the microfilter I have a 10m adsl cable (low quality) going to my router upstairs. And also another low quality lead going into one of my cordless phones. The other 2 cordless phones are connected by what seems to be a homeplug sort've thing? I took a picture.
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

Could anyone recommend what I should fix on that line? I can move the router next to the Master Socket, get the boxes fixed proffesionally etc.

I know my line attenuation is bad. It ranges from 63-72db down, and 30db or more for up. my down noise ranges between 7-9db atm. When I rang Sky, the max speed the woman got from my line was 1.8MB. I've managed to get 1.4MB before.

I'm currently on day 4 of DLM and my speeds have plummeted to a new low of 0.1MB. This happened gradually over the passed four days. When the Sky woman worked her magic, I had 1.4MB down. The next day, around 0.5 - 0.7MB. And for the last two days I've bin on a measly 0.1MB. I've taken pictures of my router statistics each day at around 6pm if anyone wants to see the stats.

Sorry for such a long post, but I've bin reading up on this so much I've bin bogged down with ideas on how to fix this and I'm not sure what would work.

Thanks for any help!


Edit: I also get crackling on my landline, if that indicates to anything.

[bbtech]

First and foremost, you will want to reduce the amount of cabling from your socket to the router as this only adds to your attenuation and reduces speed, the further the signal travels; the greater the speed diminishes.

I would, if possible, pay for it all to be repaired, and inspected to best increase performance.

Summary:

1. Fix Cabling
2. Reduce ADSL cable length
3. Move router closer to socket
4. Call Sky and inform them of changes to internal wiring and request DLM is restarted

Hope this helps.

[DoctorGore]

Thanks for the quick reply. I think it's worth the investment to call a professional. Who would I ask though? Sky or BT? We recently switched our line rental to sky.

Do you know of a site that sells good cables? Maybe ones that are 0.5m long?

Also, would the problem have anything to do with our wireless phones? Such as them causing interference with the connection?

One last thing would our neighbours internet have anything to do with it? Since we seem to be sharing the same master socket.

[Scubbie]

You would have been supplied a short grey ADSL lead with the Sky router. This is more than adequate for connecting it to the telephone line.

Never use an extension lead to connect a router to the telephone line, unless it is a good quality ADSL Extension, although personally I am not in favour of these.

As for the wiring mess, you may wish to get someone in to look at it. Whether you get a local person to look at it or contact whom ever your line provider is, is your choice. Technically your Line provider is responsible for the wiring from the telephone exchange to your test socket. You are responsible for the wiring after the test socket.

If you want to clean it up yourself, then get a BT 80A Junction Box and an IDC Tool and protect those wires.

I would also highly recommend that you consider purchasing a Filtered Faceplate. This would tidy up your NTE5 socket and they are a little better that the microfilters that Sky supply.

[AndyJG]

Crackle on your landline is never good.

Do you live in flats or a converted house or something as you seem to have a very strange arrangement there?

In your first picture can you confirm that the cable coming into what was the junction box has cores which are white,orange,black and green.
It's not clear from the pic.
Is the junction box fitted to the bottom of a door frame?
Is your incoming cable underground or overhead?

It would seem that your neighbour's line may come in via that cable and is then routed through your property and wall to his property.
Usually it would be done externally.

If that is the case you need to be very careful what you are doing otherwise you could cut off his phone service without realising it.

Andy

[Isitme]

Can you remove the inner plate and post a picture of what you find? You appear to have an extension connected directly to the A-B terminals of the master socket, which is incorrect.

One last thing would our neighbours internet have anything to do with it? Since we seem to be sharing the same master socket.

You will not be sharing the master socket or the broadband would not work at all. They may be using your junction box, with a spare pair looped from the rear of the master socket. A photo will make this clearer.

[DoctorGore]

Wow, cheers for all the interest, I'm a little overwhelmed

@Scubbie Thanks for the links, although I'd feel a lot better getting a professional to fix the box. I'll definitely invest in a filtered faceplate though, even if it ends up just cleaning up the Master Socket area.

@AndyJG Yes sort of, part of our house was once a pig shed, and then the rest was built onto it. The house is now split it two. Although, the only thing separating both sides is a door. Hence why the cable only has to travel through one wall (correction; I found out that the cable goes through the door). I'm not sure what cores are, sorry. I took another picture of the junction box. I also took pictures so everyone can see how my line is set up;

ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

@Isitme Is that last picture of the Master Socket good enough? I don't want to unplug anything atm because I'm currently on DLM.


So, what can I do? Would it be worth rewiring my line (just from the house) and get my neighbours to get a separate line? Could anyone give me an estimate on how much that would cost?

[Scubbie]

Having seen those pictures (nice background by the way ) I would definitely get some in to look at that junction box rather than use the junction box I mentioned earlier.

You have two lines coming in and the junction box I mentioned is only suitable for one.

I'm not sure how your neighbour or Openreach would react if you messed things up or asked to have their telephone line moved.

One thing to note though, if their line was physically separated from your, it could help both of you to get better connection speeds. I am thinking about cross-interference between the two lines combined into the one cable.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will confirm or deny my suspicion though.

[Exdee]

The connection from the cabinet back to the exchange is multi-paired with sometimes up to a hundred pairs on one line so I don't think crosstalk is an issue when using multiple pairs on a single line. However in this scenario the line may have deteriorated significantly since it's out in the open.

For a start I would recommend having a fault logged with the company that the line rental is paid to with regards to the crackling on the line. A BTO engineer will be booked who should make improvements to the wiring both inside and outside the house. While he's around you could ask him about the prospect of not having your neighbours line going through your house. He might add an external junction box and split your connections outside the house or he might go the extra mile and install different cabling for both of you. You should not be charged for this since there is crackling on the line.

Alternatively since you are in relatively non-urban area you could look for a telephone engineer in the local papers and have him improve/replace your cabling. Officially you (or anybody else apart from a BTO engineer) are not meant to touch anything before the master socket but you might be able to get away with it because of being in a remote area.

[DoctorGore]

@Scubbie Haha thanks, want to trade it for your connection?

I think we may have a simple solution. Here's the plan; Get Sky to install a new phone line to my side of the house, switch our landline to it, and then continue with our current package. This would mean we would have a brand new line (to a place which would require less cables!) and our neighbours can then stay on the old one. Is that feasible? Does anyone know how much it would cost to have the new line put in by Sky?

Edit: @Exdee Thanks for the info. Would you recommend just going with the new line? It would go from that pole, into my bedroom (the wire would be a lot shorter, maybe I could ask to have it put internally?), and the router/main phone would be in my room, on short cables.