Unusable and unreliable connection

[SJTSJTSJT]

Hello,

I have an account (Fibre 35 plus TV) for my elderly mother's house and she is having real problems with it. The connection drops several times a day and the upload speed is rarely above 0.2mbps.

Is there anything that can be done to improve things as it's proving extremely distressing for her when her television stops working because the connection stalls.

Thank you.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

OK, could you switch the router off and leave it off for at least 30 minutes (this will force the start of a new session), then switch back on and monitor to see if there's any improvement

Chris

[SJTSJTSJT]

No, I've tried dialling out and receiving calls and the line is fine - maybe a very faint bit of static, but not noticeably bad 

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Are there any problems with the telephone service, any noise on the line?

Chris

[SJTSJTSJT]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for responding. No, the light remains the same, but the connection seems to "hang".

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi,

Line test is passing and upstream sync speed isn't capped. Connection looks to be pretty stable too, have you noticed if the light changes on the router when the connection drops?

Chris

[SJTSJTSJT]

Thank you for your reply, it's appreciated.

The guaranteed speed is 11mbps and I'm getting anything from 12 to 14 when I run a speed test. The upload is never above 0.7mbps, however, and usually caps out at 0.6.

I'm surprised it's so slow and presume there must be a problem with the line as I've tried two routers, two sets of cables, connecting/disconnecting phones and other devices etc etc.

 

 

[Gliwmaeden2]

These speeds would be good for a basic copper ADSL line, but not great for FTTC Fibre35, @SJTSJTSJT.

Have you checked your minimum guaranteed speed too?

It's indicated if you do a speed test in My Connection (from the Service Status Dashboard page).

It takes a little while to get past this stage:

 

....so you need to be patient. 

You may find that speeds below 1 for uploads show as 0 (mine reads as under 1mbps in 3rd party speed tests, not really 0, despite what this shows):

 

That's my good download speed on basic copper.

You should be able to find your download speed chart under history. You'll see a broken straight line that indicates your minimum guaranteed speed for YOUR particular line, like this:

 

14Mbps may be usual for your mum's line, but it seems poor for FTTC. So what is the minimum guaranteed speed for the line?

It looks to me like the whole thing needs more investigation. I'll re-escalate this thread for you, but bear in mind that there will be a skeleton staff and holidays over the festive period. 

[SJTSJTSJT]

Hello Michelle,

I'm sorry for taking a long time to reply but I have only just returned to my mum's house to install the new router.

I've done a dozen speed tests, and while the download speed is as expected, the upload speed seems to be capped at 0.7mbps (and is sometimes slower).

The connection is effectively unusable as any sort of load (sending an email with an attachment, sending a photo via WhatsApp etc) causes it to hang.

Please can you advise what else we can try? 

Thank you.

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Morning,

How are you getting on, has the replacement router arrived?

Thanks

Michelle

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi SJTSJTSJT,

I've ordered a router to test with, please let us know how you get on

Chris

[SJTSJTSJT]

I'm willing to try anything to get it working more reliably, so yes please. Thank you.

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Thanks for confirming @SJTSJTSJT 

Would you like me to send a replacement router for testing so we can rule this out?

[SJTSJTSJT]

Hello, yes it is - the landline number is the line for the account.

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi @SJTSJTSJT 

Is the telephone number in your Community Profile the number for the line in question?

[SJTSJTSJT]

Thank you for responding. I'm not sure when the router was last replaced. We had issues with the connection in the past and an Openreach engineer came out, but the problem has got steadily worse. 

Just to clarify, this is to all intents a purposes my account (it's in my name and I pay the bill, it's just at my mother's house).

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi @SJTSJTSJT 

I'm really sorry to hear this.

The line tests are clear - no faults detected.

When did you last receive a replacement router?

[Gliwmaeden2]

Staff will need you to have completed the Private Notes section of your profile area, @SJTSJTSJT, with full details for your mother.

Sometimes you need PoA or at least Nominated User status to speak on behalf of relatives. 

Forum staff will be back after the weekend. 

Meanwhile support is available as listed here:

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/How-to-contact-TalkTalk-Broadband/ta-p/2230529

To complete Private Notes, please go via your avatar; settings; drop down menu...Personal Information should contain YOUR details. Private Notes is in the area towards the end of that section. Fill it with your mother's name, address, Talktalk number,  fallback (mobile/contact) number,  account number. 

Scroll down to find the SAVE CHANGES button. 

[KeithFrench]

Hi @SJTSJTSJT 

I have asked one of TalkTalk's support to pick your thread up and investigate it for you.

They aim to respond within 48 hours (Monday - Friday) excluding Bank Holidays, but if more urgent you can always try the Service Centre on 0345 172 0088. The posts are responded to in time/date order, oldest first.