I’m a local, independent telephone and broadband engineer, based in the Stockton on Tees and Middlesbrough area. So, my slow broadband speed causes come from working on “the front line”, rather than from theory.
And I’m looking at wired broadband here, not wireless. And not the broadband from cable operators, just that which runs over traditional phone lines, and into the existing telephone wiring in your house..
It’s a bit long, but here goes:-
1/ Your extension cabling is picking up interference.
Broadband and phone extensions only need the bare minimum of telephone wiring, just two wires, to work around your house. Years ago, in the days of dial phones, a third wire was required for extensions to ring. We often find this wire is still connected, and often several others, too. All excess telephone wiring does is collect interference like long radio aerials, which is one of the most common slow broadband speed causes. Get someone competent to disconnect them. Also, if you have some of the cheap and nasty flat “under-carpet” extension cable, throw it away. It slows broadband down. I once saw a dramatic speed increase when this was binned. In fact, most extension cables and socket adapters are likely suspects. Try and eliminate them. To see if this or your extension cabling is the problem, plug your router direct into the socket behind the master socket, (hence without extensions connected), leave for a couple of days, and see if this improves matters. If it does, then your house cabling is slowing things down.
2/ Your speed is “capped” by your internet service provider (ISP) .
Your provider has stopped your broadband from being faster at their end, because they don’t have the capacity on their equipment to cope with lots of fast users. Check the small print, and/or ring their customer services. If you have a near neighbour using the same provider, see if they get a faster speed than you. How do you check your speed? See www.speedtest.net . They are safe and reliable to use. We use them all the time. Slow broadband speed causes might be nothing to do with your end at all…
3/ Your provider (ISP) has a problem at their end.
Some now have their own equipment in local BT exchanges, and this can be less reliable than BT equipment. Yes, it does break down and/or occasionally do strange things which are difficult to prove. Hopefully, the provider’s web site may tell you about on-going problems. But this is not much use of you can’t get on-line…
4/ Your broadband filter is faulty/breaking down.
The plug-in dangling filters are notorious for slowing things down. I swapped one for another for one customer and got an instant leap in speed. The latest type of master socket is even better. We can install these, and they always make the customer happy!
5/ You are a long way from the exchange.
The further you are away, the slower your broadband speed will be. Fact. This excellent site may help you to find out the speed you can expect. If BT have started putting posters saying “fibre broadband is here” on their street cabinets, then this may improve matters, as there’s a high-speed link between the exchange and that cabinet. But, if you are miles away from even that cabinet, you are, in effect, still miles away from the vital equipment, and your broadband won’t be fast. Slow broadband speed causes are often down to where you live. Sorry.
6/ There is a cable fault between the exchange and you.
Your broadband flows over two copper wires half a millimetre thick, which may run through ancient water-filled manholes, up poles, through huge and damp junction boxes, etc., etc. I’m amazed that it ever works at all. If you get a cracking noise on your phone, particularly when it’s been raining, there may be a problem with your line. This may not be provable to your provider, even if they say they’ve tested the line from their end. And intermittent faults are the hardest to prove. If you’ve got a distinct noise, then it’s time to carry out a test like this, then call out the provider’s engineer, as it’s their problem.
7/ You’ve been turning your router on and off!
Don’t turn it off, as it needs to stay in touch with the provider’s equipment all the time to “develop it’s electronic friendship”. In staying on, it builds it’s own “profile” of speed, gradually increasing until it reaches it’s maximum possible, almost as if it is “learning” the best speed for the connection. The difference can be significant the longer it stays on. If you turn it off, it has to start all over again. (Think film – “Fifty First Dates” about girlfriend with amnesia.)
8/ You have a faulty/old router.
Some routers have known “issues”. Finding this out sorted a long-term problem at one premises right away. Do a search on-line using your router type and version as the search terms, and see if others have had similar problems. Your ISP should provide another one if it’s known to be unreliable. They know that, and usually there’s no quibble. Or you could buy another one yourself that is know to perform well!
9/ The issue is actually with your machine, not your broadband connection.
Your PC may simply be slow for multiple reasons. Not dealt with in depth here. Try another known reliable device like a lap-top or smart phone
10/ You have electrical equipment interfering with your router/cables/both.
Don’t put your router next to a washing machine/microwave/television/Christmas lights/neon lighting, etc, etc. Try plugging it directly into the master socket. Much more, with useful links, here.
So, some trade tips we’ve learnt from dealing with the mysteries of slow broadband speed causes. I’m actually amazed it ever works at all.
And here comes the “sponsor’s message”:- if you’re in the Teesside/North Yorkshire Area, we’re local, independent, and here to help. And might even improve your broadband speed…
If you are outside my area, I might be able to find you a local engineer from my extensive network, but I’d need to do a swap with you for some social media feedback via the links below. I try to keep this blog ad-free, and I do need to get something in return for time spent answering queries. Thanks for your understanding.
https://goo.gl/maps/p1n9wxi5T6p
www.facebook.com/telecomgreen
twitter.com/phone_engineers
HI I live in Cornwall and down the end of the telephone line that serves our little village. I have very intermittent broadband which is going off several times a day, speaking to my next door neighbour he has the same problem and BT can’t fix his!
Could this be a case where we are at the end of the line so to speak and when other people nearer the green box are online there is no bandwidth left for us?
Thanks for your comment. On/off broadband indicates a fault, not simply slow service. See the following website for an impartial and accurate estimate of predicted speed:_
https://availability.samknows.com/broadband/
We have been battling with our provider for months as our broadband constantly drops in and out. They say there is nothing wrong and that a faster fibre connection should sort it out. I have 12 devices that use it but rarely use more than 2 or 3 at once. It used to be ok but not any longer and I am getting more and more frustrated as to how to sort it out. I do know that the phone line in has been there for about 45 years. Could that be the problem?
Hello,
Have you tested your line using the test socket on your master socket? What does your provider guarantee as a speed? If, using the test socket, they don’t provide what they promise, you will simply need to persist with them to put it right and deliver the service you are paying for. It’s as simple as that.
If you do need an independent engineer’s second opinion, please let me have your postcode, and I’ll see if I have any local contacts. Some have advanced test equipment that can identify problems on the Openreach network.
I hope that this helps.
Rob
My broadband speed has dropped from
50mps to 27 will openreach fix this bt
Engineer did not have a clue could it be
The smart hub
There may be a line issue. Use the test socket of your master socket, plug in the router, and if the problem persists, then contact BT. It is up to them to sort this out, and provide a hub if necessary. Have they guaranteed a speed for your service? If so, use this as a negotiation point.
Too often, ISPs throw the problem back at the customer. Providing your house cabling isn’t the issue, they need to be pressed to sort things out. You are paying for a service. They need to provide it.
At last a web page that doesnt treat me like an idiot. Great free advise, well done
Thank-you!
No it’s not the case ex BT 32 years Thanks .
Yes. I know that broadband is like water in a pipe, and can slow down, but it shouldn’t really stop dead unless there is a fault.
Hi I have my drop cable from the exchange is really old the grey type with no internal sheathing just the grey outer stuff , I used to be with virgin so have never used the line will this cable be fine for the broadband that sky are going to provide me ?
Thanks
Thanks for the question. Short answer – “who knows until you try it”?
Is this the drop wire with two parallel conductors, “figure of eight” in section? This has the immediate design disadvantage of no twist in the pair, so is not ADSL-friendly.
Having said that, I’ve seen reasonable speeds when using this, providing the cabinet/exchange is close enough.
Now…. I have heard of this cable mysteriously failing and having to be replaced with modern stuff. Somehow, it developed a break and fell to the ground, almost as if it had been cut….(or was it just age that made it fail close to where it entered the house, above a bedroom window?) Not that we’d ever suggest that someone cut the cable… 😉
Thank you very much for the informative info on broadband speed. It has answered many points that I had intuitive thought could be the cause of slower speeds, but I didn’t appreciate powering off the router a culprit. Also I have often wondered why the extra pair which comes into most people’s house if via under ground cable couldn’t be double up with the working pair to improve signal levels. Those spare pairs sit there for years never used.
Thanks for your kind words.
Sadly, no matter how much copper the ADSL signal is allowed to use, it will still diminish with distance.
Meanwhile, from an engineering perspective, those spare pairs are a life-saver if the first pair is damaged or faulty.
does having 2 landlines in an any way slow down your internet on the one landline with broadband on it ?
It shouldn’t do, if both lines are healthy, and you can’t hear noise. Speed can be affected by many things, but this is one that I’ve never encountered. From the exchange or street cabinet,the pair of wires serving your house may be part of a cable with 5, 10, 20, 50 or 100 other pairs with no ill effect.
Hi.
I today found out that when are broadband is plugged into the test socket we get 5mps more. This is exactly what is needed to secure 4K and UltraHD streaming. If I disconnect the wiring which facilitates the other sockets in the house will this produce the same higher speed without having to have it plugged in with the faceplate off full time. We do not need these sockets and do not use a landline. Also would this be the Blue wire into A and white / Blue into B
Thanks for the visit. If you have experienced a speed gain by disconnecting the sockets, it appears that they are slowing your broadband down, possibly by picking up interference. You will only determine your speed drop by re-connecting the sockets one-by-one. If you don’t need them, don’t connect them. The blue/white pair are the ones usually connected to pins 2 and 5 on the master (or the secondary A and B on later sockets). An independent engineer would be able to advise if he visited. Rob.
Hi, “Oh breath of fresh air”. I’m up to my ears with TalkTlak. Here’s the facts….. With an ethernet cable from the laptop to the router and a cable from the router into the TEST socket (plate off) on the primary box ( thereby eliminating all extension wiring) I get 0.6 Mbps download and 0.3 upload speeds with a 38 ping ( with speeds like that I don’t need to tell you what the consequences are, do I ? ) My location is SO30 4DF. The distance to the Botley exchange is 1.6 miles and to the local cabinet is 270 yards. This speed is massively below what I should be getting for my area over the normal telephone copper wire network. I have suspicions that my pair of wires are not all they should be as sometimes the ring voltage is insufficient to trigger the phones. and consequently the answering machine, so the only way we know that a call has been missed is when we find it on the VOICE MAIL RETRIEVER SERVICE. That’s if the caller has decided to use it. Of course the line has been tested and there’s nothing wrong, is there ?
I wrote to TalkTalk 13 days ago ( I don’t hear well and just can’t face trying to decode some intelligence from the Asian accent I know I will be confronted with ) giving them all these facts and to date have had no feedback. My guess is, on the information I’ve given them, they have deduced that they may well have to get Open Reach out – at THEIR expense ( I suppose that’s how the system works ) and would rather see me go elsewhere.
Any ideas ?
Ed.
This certainly sounds like a network-side issue, possibly high resistance. A competent Openreach person would be able to diagnose this quickly by use of a specialist meter.
It really is up to TalkTalk to mobilise Openreach. To speed the process up, I’d suggest getting someone to call on your behalf with you alongside them to argue the case. TalkTalk will need to speak to you in order to allow the other party to act on your behalf. I do this regularly on behalf of customers with similar problems, taking the tone of a prosecuting lawyer.
Be prepared for them to threaten you with Openreach engineering charges. Their default position is that your equipment is to blame, and if Openreach find no fault on their side of things, you will incur a £130.00 charge.
Their line tests are not reliable. I have had providers insist that the line is fine when there is no dial tone or any sign of life at the premises.
Alternatively, you could use the services of an independent telephone engineer who would carry out tests, and argue on your behalf. This would cost around £50.00 or so, but may bring rapid results. I do have contacts across the UK, and may have one somewhere near to you.
Your experience is not uncommon. Many providers have atrocious customer service standards. I hope you get this resolved. Rob.
hi eddie are you sorted with it now ?
I have fibre broadband. The street cabinet is 150 metres. My provider got Openreach to call. He tested on the input to my property and got 40mb. When he tested on the master socket he got 16mb. However this does not seem to be stable and sometimes it drops to 6mb. The engineer stated it was due to my internal wiring. This was done in 1995 and we have 3 telephone extensions sockets plus the master socket and my alarm is connected to a control centre. He recommended removing the telephone extensions and using a master phone and wireless extensions. Would this make any difference?
It seems that something on your internal wiring is indeed slowing things down. A decent DECT triple set (one master phone with hand piece wired to your master socket, two “slave” handsets around the property) would give you the telephone functionality without the broadband-slowing cabling. I’m not sure about your alarm line, though. In the worst case, it could be something on this cabling that is dragging speed down. All difficult to tell without an engineer doing some systematic testing. If you need a local independent engineer, please let me have your postcode, as I have contacts across the UK.
Thanks postcode WD3 7PE
Hi Rob,
Thank you for all the info. I’ve had an engineer (called by TalkTalk) around twice to check why I’m only getting 15Mb instead of the 38Mb / 76Mb (I tried both just to be sure) I paid for.
It’s now down to 12Mb in fact, but hey – who’s checking.
They said that the speed at the cabinet (which is only some 300m away from the house is >70Mb (YEY!), but at my service socket it is as above (BOO!). And that is that. He suggested it’s likely the old copper (the house was built around 1980) between cabinet and my house. And that there’s nothing I can do.
Isn’t there? Am I really stuck with those speeds like it’s 1998??? Is there any company, institution I can complain to? It’s just driving me nuts that in this day and age I get those ridiculous speeds (yes, I know some have it worse) and that I have to pay full price for 25% of the service.
Like someone said – it’s like ordering a pint in a pub and getting a shot glass of beer.
Would it make sense to have someone independent check the line? Can you recommend someone in the Southampton/Eastleigh area?
Thanks for your thoughts.
Thanks for your post. Sorry about the problems. This is utterly and totally the responsibility of Talktalk and Openreach. You should not have to live with this. You can either persist with Talktalk (Openreach won’t do anything on their own for you), or get an independent engineer to come and do an assessment and contact Talktalk on your behalf. An engineer may be able to run diagnostic tests and present hard evidence to TalkTalk. There are other “alternative solutions” that an engineer could also discuss, based on your set-up. Let me know if you need further help. Good look in dealing with TalkTalk. Dealing with them builds character…
Hi Rob,
Firstly I’d like to thank you for taking time to read & respond to so many people’s posts & queries. I’ve found your insight both interesting & informative. My issue seems to different from all of those I’ve read on here so I have a few questions of my own (sorry). First of all my broadband connection is now with the dreaded TalkTalk having originally been with a company called Nildram who were bought out several times over. I recognise your “character building” comment when it comes to dealing with TT but I have mostly found their service to be OK. Recently though I’m experiencing problems with my speed dropping with time. If I log on to my router & reconnect my DSL then normally my speed will go straight back up to about 25Mbps but over the next 2-3 days it will drop to around 1Mbps (although upload speed is still often around 6-7) I intend to run an ISDL cable to the master socket Test socket to see if internal wiring is having an influence but find it hard to imagine it could have this sort of effect.
Is it as simple as TalkTalk being short on capacity & prioritising the most recent connection?
I’ve just set a scheduled test to run using “testmy.net” to see how the speed drops with time. Are you aware of this facility & is it safe to use? If not do you know of any better alternatives?
We do have quite a number of new build houses in our local area. Am I right to assume that these may affect local capacity depending on what extra infrastructure is put in place?
Is there anywhere I can find out what improvements top local infrastructure might be in the pipeline?
Thanks again for your advice
Thanks for your kind words. You are wise to connect directly onto the master socket test socket,as TalkTalk and other providers will always try and apportion blame to your premises wiring. If you still get the same problem, I would persist with TalkTalk and get them to send an engineer who can test for interference and/or degradation of the line.
Although capacity issues (called “contention”) do slow down service (think flow from a tap in a shared building when everyone is running a bath), this sounds more like a fault-related issue. It could be than some issue is causing the exchange equipment to turn down the speed due to interference or some other signal degradation problem.
I’m not aware of “testmy.net”, but if it produces decent speed statistics, then it will be useful. TalkTalk and other providers may not recognise it,though.
> Is there anywhere I can find out what improvements top local infrastructure might be in the pipeline?
Yes, but it’s information only supplied to wholesalers, that is, suppliers using the BT Openreach infrastructure via BT Wholesale.
Meanwhile, if this advice is helpful, could I scrounge some social media feedback, please? It helps me to continue to give replies for free on an ad-free site. 🙂
https://goo.gl/maps/p1n9wxi5T6p
http://www.facebook.com/telecomgreen
twitter.com/phone_engineers
Rob
Hi Rob,
Thank you for a really informative site!
I’ve just upgraded to FTTC. I’ve got two Openreach engineers here right now trying to figure out why their test equipment shows a 20mbps broadband link at the test socket, but the BT router (and we’ve tried three new ones so far) only manages 6 – 7 mbps. They’ve eliminated all the possible faults you described and believe the line is clean. Ironically, I have a second line into the house that shares all the same infrastructure and it runs faultlessly at 31 mbps!!
Any ideas?
Hello,
Oh bother! Did you also swap the lead to the router, and the filtered faceplate? You often get this kind of drop when one of the legs of the wire to the device is disconnected or a connector in the socket faulty. Amazingly, ADSL can run on one wire, but at around 30% of the speed.
I hope you get it sorted. Block their van in so they can’t get away until the fault is cleared!
Hi, I get speeds of 1.5mb – 1.8mb. My direct neigbour gets 2.5mb. I have done speed tests with BT and they correspond with what im getting. Why will my neigbour get better speeds? I am in a small village of 30 houses. I know the speed i get is rubbish but 100m away a friend has speed tested 5.5mb. We are on the same exchange and he is closer to the exchange which is a few miles away surely 100 meters wont matter although his is not through overhead telephone wires which mine is. Keep complaining but they say it is either distance from exchange or a different exchange(Which it is not) Any advice is appreciated.
Hello,
I can only guess that there is some issue with the infrastructure to your property on the Openreach side. However, getting them to not only come and prove it but admit to it will be hard.
You might want to try a broadband quality test such as the one found at http://speedtest.btwholesale.com/ or elsewhere, and compare results. This could be used in evidence for your case. It would only take a bit of corrosion on a connection in the box at the top of the pole to slow things down. I have seen speeds increase instantly when I’ve re-terminated an internal joint in a damp house. Another vague (but unlikely) possibility is that your speed is capped by your provider. I’ve also had some recent success with a startlingly friendly and helpful UK-based BT person who adjusted some of the parameters at their end (called “the profile”) with some good results, but this would really depend on who answered the call at their end, and what kind of day they were having! I hope that this helps…. Rob
Hi Rob
I have found your page very helpful albeit some of the speeds people are experiencing (even though they are having problems) make me very envious!! We live in the wilds of rural Scotland and our copper line is 6 miles from the exchange (should only be 2 miles as the crow flies but the cabling seems to enjoy detours). We have two lines and routers in our house as the speed from one was so poor (3.5MB download speed – took 12 engineer visits to get this). The second line connected recently still doesn’t get any where near this (slow) speed and appears to drop out at regular points. 6 visits by Open Reach have still failed to identify the problem. Having just walked the line (all 6 miIes there are a myriad of trees in contact with the lines) would be tempted to see if we can get a new line installed that provides a much shorter route from the exchange (nearest pole for this line is around a mile away). Any idea how I go about this as both ISP’s will just tinker away and tell me they can’t find any fault on the lines? I would also be keen to use an independent engineer to assess our options as I have no faith in Open Reach. Any guidance would be much appreciated.
Thanks for this interesting story. Commiserations.
I’m not sure how on earth you’d get around this problem, but I will run it past a forum of telecomms wise old men, many of them ex-BT. How is your EE mobile signal,by the way? Mobile, boosted by an aerial, might be an option. Please advise your postcode.
Hello,
Having asked my forum, two proposals came to the fore:-
1./ Locate your master socket nearer the exchange (in a cooperative neighbour’s outbuilding, for example), then run a fibre optic cable from there to your premises. This all depends on having access to required land and building! However, one forum member has done this, albeit for a rural location owned by a construction company (!)
2./ Several forum members have had outstanding results from using 4G mobile with an external aerial. Even weak signals can be used to good effect. You may even be able to get a grant for this via this site. I have no idea about numbers, but may have a conversation later today to confirm these.
I hope that this helps. Meanwhile, please see “the sponsor’s message” regarding feedback below!
Rob
—
If this is helpful to you, would you be able to leave some feedback on the following social media pages, please?
This helps me to continue giving free advice.
https://goo.gl/maps/p1n9wxi5T6p
http://www.facebook.com/telecomgreen
twitter.com/phone_engineers
Thanks!
Rob
Hi Rob,
can you advise please on the possible reason for low estimated broadband connection speed for a new build house that is only just under half a mile away from a main telephone exchange ?
Hello,
Sadly, no super powers available today… 🙂
Time to push this one back firmly towards your provider. I’m very binary about these issues – you are paying for a service that you are not receiving. If you have tested from your master socket directly onto the line, then it really is time to persist with That Customer Service Department. Meanwhile,one thought – do you have a dial tone? Broadband will often work at 30% of predicted speed if one of the pair of wires is severed. However, your phone will not, and there will be no dial tone.
I hope you find a fix!
Hello,
What a grand fellow you are to give up your time to help us bewildered and frustrated internet users! (I have just found this site). Thank you very much.
My problem is a little different since I have a satellite connection provided by Solway Comms. Having previously spent several years in an agonisingly frustrating relationship with TalkTalk with download speeds of less than 2Mbph, I was pleased to get a Government sponsored grant for a satellite connection. For nearly two years I have enjoyed speeds of between 8-10 Mbph……bliss…….until…..
About a month ago the speeds became much, much lower and erratic with drop outs. I have been in contact several times with Solway Comms and someone is coming out in two days time to look at what could be causing the problems internally. They say everything is fine up to the house and they suspect the HP Wireless printer may be causing problems. The printer does come up as a possible ‘network’ to join on our devices.
As a 70 year old non-techie female, what I don’t understand is that when the printer is turned off and unplugged, the speed tests don’t look very much different than when it is on! I am a 24/7 carer for my disabled Husband and we really need a good reliable connection for family contact, shopping, research work and entertainment. Is there any information I can be armed with before the engineer comes so I don’t look daft for thinking the connection should improve vastly when the printer is off, if it is indeed the culprit?
Thank you so much again if you can read this and respond.
Thanks for your kind words – if you are able to share these via social media, this would help me keep dispensing free advice.
It’s hard to diagnose problems like this without actually being on-site. I have a good,independent engineering contact in Cumbria, assuming that this is where you are.
The time-honoured procedure is to disconnect everything peripheral to your broadband, check the speed at this stage, then add devices until the speed suddenly drops. Having said that, I would be surprised if a specific device caused the problem, unless all your devices are connected wirelessly, and a couple of them keep fighting each other. Re-reading, I see that you have already done that with the printer.
Could it possibly be another device that is causing disruption? Having said that, how do Solway know that all is well in the supply to your house? Putting their engineer on-site may reveal something that remote diagnosis did not.
Sorry for not coming up with something more specific!
Meanwhile, those social media links…
—
If this is helpful to you, would you be able to leave some feedback on the following social media pages, please?
This helps me to continue giving free advice.
https://goo.gl/maps/p1n9wxi5T6p
http://www.facebook.com/telecomgreen
twitter.com/phone_engineers
Thanks!
Rob
—-
Hi, you sir are a legend! 🙂
Ok so my pickle; 2 years ago i had plusnet giving me an 80/20 connection. Gradually it kept dropping until when it levelled at around 55/18 less than a year later i sacked them off and went to Vodafone (frying pan and fire anybody?). I had terrible issues with them and after testing eeeeeeverything, they eventually reduced my tariff to 40/20 just to get it stable as disconnections on the previous speeds were rife.
The engineer tested 80/20 from the exchange to the cab but 40/10 from cab to the DP (about 270m). He said that the line tested fine but there were no more pairs free to use and he suspected that as an old mining village they may have used aluminium instead of copper(?) I now work more from home and really miss having 80/20. I work in IT and know the BS that the providers…..err provide.
VF won’t contact OpenReach on my behalf, saying they can’t do it for just one line. I don’t think it unreasonable of me to ask “why do i only get half the bandwidth i use to get”. Fair enough i pay for 40/10 and that’s what i get, but i’d be willing pay the extra £5 a month again for double that.
Everyone buries their head and simply don’t want to know. Openreach obviously won’t talk to me, saying contact your provider. However, what if i didn’t have a provider and was making enquiries as to the degradation?
I used Samknows to see if they have accurate list of LLU providers at my exchange, only 2 are listed, VF are not one of them. But it does seem like the copper from cab to DP is what’s killing it for me. Prior to living here i’d been spoilt by VM’s fibre. Sadly VM are as rare as rocking horse doo-daa in our village.
In my situation do you think there is anything i can do? I’ve not yet approached neighbours to see what speeds they get with their relevant providers, that’s my next step.
Thanks for any advice offered, you’re a star!
Thanks for your kind words. First thoughts:-
>I’ve not yet approached neighbours to see what speeds they get with their relevant providers, that’s my next step.
This is going to help plead your case with the provider, but I don’t hold out much hope, sadly. Ultimately, what are they contacted to provide? Do you have any recourse via OFTEL?
One further thought was that there was now significant “contention” for VDSL form your exchange/cabinet. If lots of other subscribers have cut over to the same service as you, there may be a bottleneck somewhere now that more service is being required.
Another point:- aluminium cable is now around 40+ years old, and I know from personal bitter experience that it is generally disintegrating where exposed to the elements (such as a draughty DP).
“Clutching at Straws Point”:- have you tried swapping out your current NTE5 for a later NTE5C?
I will cut and paste your query to a forum of wise old men and see what they say.
If you are able to leave some social media feedback via Facebook and/or Google, this will help me to continue to provide free advice. Rob.
Thanks for your kind words on Facebook. As promised, I asked my panel of sages, and one had experience of exactly the same issue:-
” I think that the FTTC is running on a Aluminium pr. I have had personal experience of this when I was suffering from a HR dis (trans:- “high resistance on the line causing a disconnection”). The Op engineer attending swopped my Dside (trans: “over the cable from the DP to your premises” HR was fixed but my broadband drop by half speed wise. A year of complaints missed appointments a lad I trained up came round (the writer is an ex-BT Engineer) . I said I think I am on a Ali (trans:- “aluminium cable”) Dside. He checked RR said yes you are, he swoped over the only copper pr feeding the village payphone . Speed doubles.”
It sounds like you are stuck with it until the cable is replaced. Openreach won’t have any justification for swapping it out unless it fails completely.
Similar issues on overhead cables have resulted in spans of wires mysteriously falling down on still nights, supposedly due to the wind…
I would simply persist with the ISP, quoting them their promised speeds. I hope that you make some progress!
Hi Rob,
Love in rural Oxfordshire – 4 houses all attach to the same telegraph pole by about 30 metres each and the BT site says the maximum speed to the houses for 3 of them is 6 meg and ours is is 3.5meg. It is not an internal house issue. What do you suggest? I rang BT who say this is open reach issue not theirs. Many thanks.
Hello,
Have you removed the front of the master socket and tested to the line,independent of anything in the house? If you have, and the problem remains, your only course of action is to persist with BT
Your contract is with BT as a provider, and they sub-contract Openreach to deal with infrastructure issues. Therefore, “it’s an Openreach issue” is not really a valid response. It’s up to them as the ISP to sort it out.
There is a very minor possibility that there is an issue with your master socket (corrosion on wire terminals,etc),but this is unlikely. On the other hand, an independent engineer might be able to spot something that is the problem (damaged external wiring, etc). If you need further help in finding one, please let me have your postcode.
Had a wiring problem externally that open reach fixed, the engineer said that we have 36mb into the master socket but only 18mb coming out, is that a faulty master socket?
waiting to see if talk talk will do anything about it now
Very strange. The engineer could have addressed that. Latest-model master sockets are now under £10.00 on eBay. I doubt if TalkTalk will be bothered.
I have been with Vodafone Fibre 76 for a year and constantly receive slow download speeds. Engineer visits and a new router, nothing changes. I have a sync speed of 62.9 but no more than 21.54 download speed is pushing out to my PC. I do speed test with Ethernet and nothing else running. The green telephone box is also right outside my house. Vodafone are driving me MAD. Thanks
Nothing surprises me with service providers. I have written to the CEO of OFCOM this week about a total loss of service to a customer which lasted almost three weeks.
One daft thought:- have you tried a different ethernet cable? ADSL and VDSL will run on a single wire (not a circuit), giving around 30% of the speed of a pair. Patch leads do fail.
Otherwise, time to trawl the ‘net looking for ideas. Here’s a start:-
https://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Broadband-Home-Phone/Upgraded-to-fibre-76-slower-speeds-from-fibre-38/td-p/2563189
Hi,
My BT supertest broadband has been disconnecting quite frequently. I’ve tried my landline phone in the master test socket and the line is clear. I’ve had my router plugged into the master test socket for 5 days ago disconnecting at all. Does this mean that its something at my end rather than at BT end. If it is at my end would you recommend me getting a local engineer to take a look rather than going through BT as they will charge me much more if I call them out? I live in Sheffield, could you recommend someone in my area please? Any help would be helpful, thank you.
If it has run without problem plugged into the test socket on the master socket (the one behind the small cover), then this does point to either a fault on your internal cabling or some interference (“noise”). Let me have your postcode to info@telecomgreen.co.uk, and I’ll see if I can find someone.
Thank you so much, you’ve been most helpful.
No problem – I have emailed a colleague whohas acontacton Sheffield. Meanwhile, in return, would you be able to leave some feedback on the following social media pages, please?
This helps me to continue giving free advice.
https://goo.gl/maps/p1n9wxi5T6p
http://www.facebook.com/telecomgreen
twitter.com/phone_engineers
Thanks!
Rob
Hi Rob,
You are amazing and I will definitely give you some feedback via the links you have left above, just because of your previous responses to others, whether or not you have time to answer this one (I can appreciate how busy someone like you must be!)
I thought I’d describe my situation because it seems unusual and you may be interested and/or able to offer advice.
Please excuse my totally non-technical description:
For the last 3 or 4 weeks, starting suddenly, when the phone rings or we hang up, the router disconnects. We’ve had no problem at all previously for 4 years.
This may be around the same time I replaced the batteries in the phones with rechargeable batteries from Tesco of exactly the same spec. (These are Panasonic handsets that you can carry around the house).
The phone plugs into what must be the master socket (BT Openreach) at the bottom of the stairs, with a Sky Microfilter which has an unused router socket as well.
The router plugs into an old extension upstairs with a Sky Microfilter on as well.
I phoned Sky and the lady did some tests with the phone unplugged, asked if there was an extension, and then said because there is an extension there is nothing they can offer except to disconnect the extension.
I’m reluctant to do that long term as I’m afraid of Wi-Fi – have you seen that video of those bean sprouts all dying near a router? 🙂
I’m going to move the router downstairs for a few days just to test things. The lady said it wouldn’t help because of the extension interfering anyway but I don’t understand how the phone ringing/hanging up could do that. I might even plug it directly into the socket behind the faceplate and do without a landline… but the fact plate looks like one piece, different from your photo…
But Virgin recently installed fibre-optic in the area and I’m thinking, what if I switched and got them to re-set me up? They might detect and relieve the problem in the process.
FYI The house has some electrical wiring problems – switches have stopped working and sputter and spark till fixed. I also use a BT plug thingy which takes a cable from the router to the electirc plug, and again another in a 2nd room which does the same in reverse to a 2nd PC.
Sky installed a dish for TV and router for broadband but apparently BT Openreach services the broadband wiring. When I phoned Sky support this evening the lady said the current broadband speed is 47 (what I don’t know) and should be minimum 50.
How I wish you were here down in the South! 🙂 We’re in New Milton, or I’d ask you to have a look!
Do you have any ideas or thoughts? Either way I’ll make another post once it’s resolved if you’d like to know.
Thanks for your kind and generous words.
It’s a bit past my bedtime, so the quick suggestions, based on responses from my industry contacts tonight (obviously not much on telly!!) are as follows:-
1/ Faulty microfilter. Replace it (will Sky send you a spare? If not, they are cheap on eBay)
2/ High resistance (“HR”) on your extension wiring – simply a fault on your internal wiring.
3/ HR on the wiring on the Openreach network side (outside your premises)
I would suggest disconnecting your extension if at all possible and plugging the microfilter, router and land-line straight onto the line. Your master socket should have a detachable faceplate.
See the photo here:-
https://telecomgreen.co.uk/home-phone-repair/how-to-find-a-local-phone-and-broadband-engineer-near-me/
Failing this, let me have your postcode and I’ll see if there is an independent engineer near you. He could prove HR to the network or in your internal wiring.
I hope that this helps.
Rob
I’m definitely going to try that, and will contact you for a name if I get stuck. (I need some time as I am also a carer and full time employee.) I will also leave that feedback soon as promised! 🙂 Thanks!
No problem. More replies have come in from ex-BT engineers on the forum, and they are all suggesting a problem with the filter. It may not be the “fix” but much of this work depends on patient, logical, sequential elimination, and it’s a good place to start.
Thank you for an extremely informative article.
Just recently I have noticed a drop in broadband speed. Bringing it below the speed guaranteed by the provider (Plusnet). We are having work done on our house and one of the electricians had removed the faceplate off an extension socket. I checked the socket with a ‘phone and couldn’t get a dial tone. As part of the remodelling will make access to the socket impossible I decided to cut the cables. (There were two cables which made me think socket was also acting as an extender). I only did this today and so I don’t if it has any affect.
I have a number of redundant extension sockets in the house. Should I go round cutting all the cables? Wouldn’t have any affect on the broadband speed?
Thanks for your kind words.
Quite simply, the less wiring connected, the less chance of interference and slower broadband. If you don’t need it, disconnect it from the master socket. If you need a landline, connect at the master socket via a filter or filtered faceplate, and choose a good-quality cordless like a Panasonic to provide voice service.
hello, the master socket is in the loft, with a long run before and after it to the socket in the hall where I plug in the router. There are also other extensions running off the main socket.
This is impractical and appears to cause low speeds of nothing up to 7Mbs. I am very near the end of a broadband contract. Would you recommend asking for a new line with a new contract or do you have a better idea please and thank you and yes of course I will leave positive feedback. As someone said, this is so good for us confused and bewildered.
Hello,
Thanks for the kind words.
It is unlikely that your new provider will be agree to a “new line” or re-siting the master socket for free as part of the new contract.
I would recommend that you engage an independent engineer to take a look at your set-up, make suggestions, and changes as necessary before you switch suppliers. Please be aware that they will using the same copper pair of wires to reach your house, and changing supplier won’t move you any nearer to the exchange… 🙂 They may, however, change you over to a “fibre to the cabinet” arrangement if you are not on it already, and this might improve speeds.
Let me have your postcode and I’ll see if I have any contacts.
I hope that this helps. Feedback is valued, as I keep ads. to a minimum and don’t receive anything when I pass work on to other independent engineers. Yes, I do this for free.
Rob
Dear Rob
My problem is severe drop-off in the evenings and after midnight: download falling from 5.5 MBPS down to 0.8 MBPS or less (sometimes no measurement possible) using the BTw speedtest. Upload remains at 0.2 MBPS
I’m at the end of a valley a mile and a half or perhaps two miles from the exchange with copper supply mostly overhead but some replaced by an armoured cable by the road. (There are no plans to offer a fibre supply).
The exchange is ADSL, but my ISP tells me I’m still on a contract they took over using i-stream.
I have a modern master socket put in by Openreach, but it is wired to an old GPO box by the door and not directly to the overhead supply to my house.
My problem is severe drop-off in the evenings: download falling from an acceptable 5.5 MBPS down to 0.8 MBPS or less using the BTw speedtest. In the day I get what BT offer but not in the evenings.
Is this slow-down partly an engineering issue (GPO box?, i-stream versus ADSL?)
My assumption is that this a matter of the contention ratio and people nearer the exchange watching films and TV on the internet, as terrestrial TV does not reach the valley?
If so, should BTw/Openreach put more equipment in the exchange to give everyone a better share? Is that something they ever do, as my ISP told me they won’t?
I’ve changed the filter, tried another router, used ethenet connection to the test socket and run checks with my ISP.
Now I’m booking an Openreach visit, but they will come in the daytime when speeds are acceptable, and I fear they will just say their wiring and equipment are OK and ignore the slowdown in the evenings.
Finally, the worst case recently was for about 18 hours following a thunderstorm–Is that just to be expected and ignored. Do they have an obligation to provide the advertised minimum speeds at all times even if that means more equipment at their end?
Thanks for any advice!
Rob
Hello,
What prediction does your ISP make for speed at your location? It may also be worth checking the site https://samknows.com/
Of course, your supply will be contended, but such a drop in speed seems highly unusual. Sadly, there needs to be a very strong business case for Openreach to invest in some fibre cabinets.
Your citing of problems after a thunderstorm may point to contamination and degradation of some part of the cabling infrastructure. Openreach should conduct a “pair quality test” which may identify this. Is there ever noise on the line? Try dialling 17070 when your service has slowed down, choose the “quiet line test” option and listen for noise.
Sadly, these problems can take time to resolve, but my suggestion is that you persist with your ISP in order to get the speed that they promise.
Rob
Hi Rob
I’ve been with talktalk for years and not really thought much about download speed etc. However until last sept I started to watch films online etc and quickly discovered it’s a no goer, so then the research started I was paying for fibre at 60mb download and couldn’t get much more than 5mb, after complaining to my isp they resolved things by fitting a new socket courtesy of open reach engineer. This helped things dramatically I was getting various readings all the time anything from 15 up to 50mb, then after a couple of weeks things went pair shaped again so I received a new router which worked for a few weeks then disconnection probs again; also bear in mind through all this I could d a down load test and get 10mb then 1 min later get 30mb or 5mb.
So a day or 2 ago I opened up the socket and there are 2 wires which are connected in to the socket from the cable coming into the house; also there are two wires orange & white connected at a different terminal on the box, this goes through my house basically an extension to feed sockets in other rooms son my wisdom I decided to disconnect this diy extension and in the last 24 hours I’ve had consistent readings of around 50mb and it’s not disconnected once; could something as simple as this cure the issue, fingers crossed.
Cheers Keith
>could something as simple as this cure the issue, fingers crossed.
Short answer – yes!
The extension cabling through the house may have faults,may be picking up interference, or both! When diagnosing these kind of problems, I always start by disconnecting the “customer side” of the cabling at the master socket.
Thanks for sharing this “good news” story. Hopefully, you will now have a stable and fast service.
Hi Rob
You’ve been an exceptional help as someone who doesn’t have a particularly clear understanding of how this all works. My issue feels like one that must have a straight-forward answer. We live in a reasonably newly built detached house (approx 12 years). To our knowledge the house to our left was the original plot of land, and then ours and the house to the right of us was built on their additional space.
We’re looking at options for better broadband as we are at the end of our contract with Sky. The broadband isn’t entirely terrible, but connection upstairs is mixed. Having looked at the BT Wholesale Broadband Checker at surrounding properties, it seems all other houses except ourselves and the house to the right have available speeds in the 60-80 mbp/s range, whereas we are limited at 20-22 mbp/s (and in reality not often achieving that). None of our neighbours are particularly techy so conversations about WiFi aren’t always things they’re particularly willing to dicuss!
It makes no mention of a waiting list and confirms we are available for FTTC (I’ve been able to confirm the cabinet we’re on and it says that they is availability) so really we’re just trying to suss out what the potential reason/s might be why we are limited while our neighbours to the left and opposite aren’t (both are physically further from the cabinet although i know that’s no guarantee)?
Thanks for any advice, and all of what you have done for others above giving a bit more confidence that there are people out there who understand the answers to these questions!
Andy
Hello,
Thanks for your kind words, which are appreciated. Reasons for slow speed can be many, including a speed restriction from your supplier. I did, indeed, carry out the same exercise with a business customer, namely banging on the door on an industrial estate and fining out average speeds for the area. It transpired that the supplier was restricting speed based on the tariff.
There may be problems in your house, or on Openreach’s cable to your individual property. An independent engineer would be able to check. You may find that your neighbours are connected to the fibre in the street cabinet, whereas your circuit runs on copper all the way back to the exchange.
My recommendation would be to find out what is on offer from various suppliers, then query if it does not come up to spec.
I hope that this helps.
Rob
any ideas how to fix severed cables? My broadband speeds have dropped and the telephone line isn’t working.
This points to one of your two pairs being damaged – broadband struggles on slowly, (70% slower), no dial tone.
I have blogged elsewhere about jointing cables. Have you checked that it’s your sid eof the master socket, and not an Openreach network-side issue?
Rob,
I am at my wits end with constant broadband dropouts. I have had a complete house renovation, with a lot of cat 6 cabling, and a new BT (copper) feed into the house.
The first month back in, everything ran perfectly, with speeds just under 50mbps (BT have been out and say we are just over 50mbps at the master socket and that there are no faults on the line – but they can see up to over 80 drop outs on some days).
I have switched routers. Same problem. I thought it may be a REIN or SHINE issue. Someone else may thought BT may have limited capacity to the village at the exchange (if that’s the case, I’m guessing that must have happened a month after we moved back in, which was about 6 weeks after lockdown). Another thinks it may be the wifi setup.
I have the wifi switched off at the router, and the router wired to an Orbi (small commercial setup due to the unusual and large footprint of the house). I have a Cat 6 patch running TVs etc through the data sockets. CCTV is hard wired back to a dvr. And the heating system has an Ethernet straight to the router.
All of this sits within a single cabinet along with the fuse board.
I’ve tried taking everything out of the router, and it still drops out. I’ve switched off various electric circuits, and the same. I haven’t yet tried a full shut down of the house and bringing it back online one by one (partly as the problem sometime seems fine but takes a while to manifest itself).
The latest BT person I spoke to on the phone told me to put filters into the non master sockets, which didn’t have any in. That seemed to resolve things for a day, with the signal fine throughout the whole 24hr period, but then over the following 24hrs it started dropping the signal again, and is now near unusable.
The problem does seem to be worse between 8:30am or so through to bedtime, and is generally ok from when I wake up at six until 8:30. But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes it’s bad at night. Sometimes it’s relatively ok during the day.
But now I’m having to work from home, it’s just impossible.
Do you have any thoughts as to what it might be, and what I can do?
Thank you,
Richard
This sounds like a truly horrible intermittent fault on the Openreach network side.
Meanwhile, don’t expect a BT customer service person to be able to diagnose the issue remotely -their training and knowledge is very limited.
My initial recommendations are as follows:-
1/- Run your provider-supplied router plugged into the test jack of the master socket for 24 hours, and monitor speed and stability. If you have any problems at this point,it’s totally up to the provider to mobilise Openreach and sort the issue out, or send a replacement router. This way, you have firm evidence that there is no issue with your premises equipment.
2/- You mention “drop outs” being seen by BT. This should have been more thoroughly investigated. Was this brushed off as being “possibly to do with something in your house”? If they are monitoring the service and seeing the same when in the configuration described in “1/-” above, the issue is well and truly theirs.
3/- Some independent engineers possess the same testing equipment as used by Openreach, namely a “JDSU” tester. This will spot broadband and/or line problems straight away. Let me have your postcode,and I’ll see if I have any contacts nearby.
4/- An odd thought:- have you tried dialling 17070 and choosing the “quiet line test” option? Your line should be truly quiet. Also, does the problem get worse in damp weather?
I hope that this helps.
Rob
Hi Rob. A quick question if I may. Doing the postcode and phone line check on the BT website it says it say I can only get 12 to 16 Mbps download speed but Talk Talk say that they can guarantee 58 Mbps to my property. Both use the same line. How can this be?
Talktalk may have their own hardware installed in a local exchange, along with fibre links to a local cabinet (possibly). Alternatively, they may justbe plain wrong!
A quick fish around the Samknows website may help, as it has detailed information about exchanges and who might have their kit located in them (other than Openreach) https://availability.samknows.com/broadband/exchange_search
I live a long way from the green box which has fibre to it. There are not many houses in the village. Why can’t the engineers double up the cabling using spare wires between me and the green box that would halve the resistance and improve reliability?
There is a solution called “bonded broadband” which works exactly like this, but it is generally rarely-used. Engineers and ISPs tend to dislike it,as it’s fairly tricky to set up and maintain.
I will ask my forum of engineering sages for their opinion.
Some of my contacts have replied as follows:-
“Rob, I may be wrong here, but bunched pairs ( as we used to call them ) were more susceptible to interference and now with broadband , rein etc, I suspect even more so , but as I said, I may be wrong .”
“I seem to remember bunching pairs do cause more problems than they resolve”
“Bunched pairs on broadband will slow speeds rather than increase them, its all about the capacitance provided by the twisted pair and inducted noise rather than impedance.”
i have a problem and would welcome some advice, if possible,
i am a Plusnet customer and live in Harwich, essex. after a fault was repaired for someone else, by Openreach, in late Dec 2020, and after having issues with speed fluctuations for a long time, my FTTC speed was over 30mbps for 111 days, no drop outs, no router reboots, no error messages, no line crackiling, nothing. from 23rd April, for whatever reason, i have had several reboots and speed drops. Openreach were at my home yesterday and insist there are no found problems, also insisting that the speed drop could be for any number of reasons. when they left, my speed was 27.7mbps and, according to the engineer, shouldn’t change. today, it’s down to 25mbps. how can there be no errors when this keeps happening? could it be plusnet capping my speed for some reason? if so, why? i really dont understand what’s going on but need answers but with Openreach insisting nothing is wrong, what hope have i got of getting my speed back? there’s no alternative in my town but to use Openreach equipmenr, no Virgin Media, for example and mobile wireless connection is pretty grusome as well. i have been told to change ISP but all that would do is take the fault to someone else while changing the company i pay money to. any answers/suggestions would be welcome
Hello,
Some obvious questions:-
– Are you plugging straight into the master socket with a filter (thereby ruling anything out any internal wiring issues)?
– What are you predicted to get as speeds (up and down) at your location?
– Have you tried swapping the micro-filter or filtered faceplate? Also the router cable lead?
Plusnet are generally one of the better ISPs I deal with in terms of responsiveness. There will always be slight variations in speed of broadband, as it is a “contended” service, rather like mains water in a house – more users equals less pressure and flow.
I hope that this helps.
Hi been reading the comments with interest. To be honest I have a slightly different scenario.
I have been with 3 Broadband suppliers, BT, Sky and Vodafone all connected via a BT phone line.
When BT Infinity was installed about 7 years ago the BT engineer connected my data extension via an external cable (cat 5) ran by me and everything was fine enabling me to put the Router in an upstairs bedroom.
When Sky installed they fitted a new Master Socket 5C Mk4, again with the Data extension cable to an upstairs position for the Router.
I have now for 18months been with Vodafone and when my router is connected to to bedroom data extension the speed drops from 57.5Mbps to 34.5Mbps,
With the router connected directly to the master socket via the router connection point and the data extension cable disconnected my speed is 57.54Mbps.
So I thought there must be a problem with the external cable, purchased new Cat 6 cable connected to A-B terminals as required and the speed automatically drops.
The drop wires that are connected are blue and white blue to A-B terminals at the rear of the master socket.
It would appear that whenever I connect extension cables to the A-B terminal as per your explanation the speed automatically drops, disconnect and speed is back to 57.5Mbps.
I am completely baffled any guidance would be mostly appreciated.
Thanks
Welcome to the world of advanced fault-tracing! It’s frustrating living here, but character-building.
I would try and substitute components (master, and other socket) in sequence to see if the problem disappears. High resistance on the data cable might cause this problem. Even the latest master sockets are cheap now, so it may be worth buying one. They do occasionally leave the manufacturers with faults.
Also, there may be radio interference within your property which is affecting the transmission down the extension cable. Google “REIN ADSL”. This page is useful: https://kitz.co.uk/adsl/rein.htm
Finally, a good old physical continuity test might help. ADSL/VDSL will work on a single core of a cable – it does not need a pair. However, it’s speed drops to around 75% of optimum.
Don’t despair – there is enough on-line help to see you through to the other side of this problem. Please let us all know what the fix was.
hi my internet is very bad i have tried multiple things such as new routers and devices like ethernet cabels but nothing works im still getting every single day around 100-300ms all day untill around midnight im on a wirless signal no telephone cable have been trying to fix this problem for about 1 year for my son. can it just be the area and am i stuck with this terrible internet my son does gaming proffessionally and it has ruined his career he literally cannot play anymore and he use to make a few hundred every week in our old house
Can you clarify, please? Does your broadband arrive via a copper cable to the house, or via a mobile signal?
Hi Rob,
Thank you for taking the time to read this. In a nut shell, I have recently changed over from ADSL/copper to fibre optic. We have a network inside our house with some 40 “up to date” devices connected with switch and access points. Every device in my house was running absolutely fine with internet access and good speeds until we changed over to fibre. Now, all our devices are really slow with internet, with the hanging sign constantly coming up on the most common pages..
Spoke to BT about this (our ISP), and surprise surprise they are blaming the internet house equipment/network, despite explaining that prior to the changeover, everything was working absolutely fine.
A BT engineer has come over to test the router and is able to achieve good speeds, however as soon as we hook up our network, everything goes slow… Internal network is running at good speeds (e.g. printer server etc).
Finding this very strange! Hard to believe that the issue is within the internal network when this network was absolutely fine up to the changeover. We switch some 4 weeks ago..
Your thoughts?
Many thanks,
Hello,
I can’t really dispute what your ISP has said already. The symptoms all point to something on your side.
I would recommend buying some long patch leads and connecting each device one by one, set up in front of your router and plugged directly in to it, to try and eliminate a piece of equipment that may be causing problems.
If all seems well with all your devices (particularly a switch, if you have one), I would try a systematic test of each of your cable runs from router to data point with a known “good” device.
This is the kind of systematic elimination work that I have to carry our regularly at customers’ commercial premises.
There are test devices what will give a performance report on cable runs, but these are the preserve of professional engineers.
Has any work taken place at your premises that might have caused an intermittent fault/partial degradation of your data cables?
Has any electrical/electronic device been introduced that might cause interference?
Have you substituted the patch lead between the ONT, router, and switch? Yopu may have introduced a new one (which might have come with the new devices) which is of poor quality.
I hope you manage to track the problem down!
If you need the assistance of an independent engineer, please let me know, along with your postcode.
Rob