4 months of dropouts and unusable upload speeds

[AJA66]

Does anyone have any idea what might be causing the following?

For the last 4 months, my Sky broadband connection has started regularly dropping. The internet light on the Sky Broadband Hub goes amber. When the connection comes back the upload speed particularly, obtained from the router stats [see below], is awful - 0.2Mbps is common and that's unusably slow). When working normally - and it can do for a 2 or 3 days at a time, I usually get 50Mbps download, 12 Mbps upload.

I've had 2 Sky engineers round. The router has been changed. The master socket has been changed. They say it must be a fault on the line. One Sky engineer fixed it temporarily by requesting a DLM reset.

I've had 2 helpful Openreach engineers round who have tested the line to death and can find no fault. They think it must be the router.

I'd be hugely interested if anyone else has such an issue? Or if anyone has any idea what might be causing this? It's driving me insane.

Thank you for any reply.

Port Status TxPkts RxPkts Collision Pkts Tx b/s Rx b/s Up Time
WAN MER 41682 46701 0 225080 33270 00:19:57
LAN Down 0 0 0 0 0 00:00:00
WLAN(2.4 GHz)Up 666675 425577 0 998 0 04:18:11
WLAN(5 GHz) Up 964010 487458 0 476574 239316 04:18:10

Broadband Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 41270 kbps 228 kbps
Line Attenuation D1(15.8 dB) , D2(36.4 dB) , D3(56.6 dB) U0(1.7 dB) , U1(22.0 dB) , U2(39.4 dB)
Noise Margin 6.4 dB 6.0 dB

[Chrisee]

@AJA66 it is always an issue where upload speed under performs as Sky dont guarantee that as Openreach dont but yours is really low. It looks like you are only really using one of the  upstream bands (U2) whicj is odd as usuallu U0 and U1 which are lower frequencies provide most of the bandwidth.

It is worth asking Sky if they will switch the hub but I am not sure if thst will help. One other thing to check is the phone wiring in your home if yhe dnginerrs have not allready done so Are you using a prefiltered master phone socket with a connection for a landline and a second connection for the broadband? If not there could be an issue with the extention wiring in your home acting as an aerial. If you feel confident carefully unscrew the face plate on the socket and connect the hub to the test socket behind the faceplate..

[JimM1]

@AJA66 Going with @Chrisee On this U0 / U1, if you do have a OR Master socket, would be looking to pop it of and hang a ADSL filter on the test socket for a couple off day's to see how that goes, and do be sure that you are in a Master socket connection!!!! As you do not say if connected Digital Landline to the back off the hub! 

[AJA66]

Thank you for your reply.  I am using a prefiltered master socket and I have asked Sky for a replacement hub.  Can I ask how you can determine that I'm only using one upstream band? Is there anything I can personally do to change that or is it just a case of waiting for a new hub? 

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

[JimM1]

@AJA66 Nothing you can do to change that fact, the values that you see in the posting are worked out by the hub/line/dlm cabinet equipment. It can be upset by poor line connection or equipment that is why it was asked what do you have connected to the line direct and if extension socket's etc are spurred off the connection!

When you remove the master socket you disconnect ALL the internal wiring, test socket allows you to connect the ADSL Filter normally comes with a Hub in the box, reconnect the hub to the filter now you are DIRECT cable to the Green cabinet! in your case will be some 800M away walking distance!

[AJA66]

Thanks. I will try the test socket as you suggest. An Openreach engineer disconnected an extension spur to rule that out. 

[JimM1]

@AJA66 See pictures once they clear.

1. To remove press here. And pull forward.2. What you see the test socket middle top above the rectangle hole!3. The ADSL Filter4. Plug it in and connect up the hub, Grey cable!

[AJA66]

Thank you very much I will try that.

[Chrisee]

@AJA66 thst a DLM reset restored the speed is interesting as the cause sounds to be intermittent interference being picked up on the line. If your home wiring has already been isolated then it is being picked up by the rough kilometre of copper line between your home and the cabinet. Finding the cause has always been difficult and required specialist engineers with no guarantee of success but these days with the limited life of copper Openreach dont even try as far as I know. However if the fault affects your neighbours then everyone complaing to their isps might work.

if a swap of hub doesnt work, and I am sceptical that it will, then ask Sky to release you from contract because until full fibre is run you are stuck as changing isps is pointless if they are using the same line. Options would be mobile broadband or Starlink the former being far cheaper if available.