Re: Advice about Broadband Problems


<gaz_5_m@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1132826796.424220.97000@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Dont understand overly but I think I could just about manage to set it
> up.
>
> Where should I be setting them though? I know there is an option on my
> router for MTU size. Should it be there, or on the machines, or both?
>
> I will try tonight when I get home from work.
>

What router are you using?

Have you tried disconnecting everything except the ADSL and testing then?

What happens if using the BT supplied modem?

Have you got any electrical equipment nearby which may be interfering?

This is the official info from BT on this

There are many factors that can influence the quality of your connection,
such as the modem, telephone line and the performance of the servers you are
connecting to. We continually monitor the maximum number of concurrent users
on our network and always aim to maintain stability by ensuring that our
servers are able to handle the load required. Our servers have already been
upgraded several times and we will continue to provide a fast, efficient
network for our customers.

The BT Yahoo! Broadband service is designed in such a way that it can be
left on mostly without interruption. If you find that you are frequently
being disconnected unintentionally then there are a series of potential
causes. For your convenience, I have provided a list of the most common
causes and their solutions.

Broadband connections use high frequency electrical signals as opposed to
the low frequency ones used by voice calls. For this reason, a lot of
telephone extension leads aren't suitable for extending a broadband ADSL
signal across particularly long distances. It is therefore advised that,
where possible, extension cables are not used between the broadband modem
and the telephone entry point and that you make sure your ADSL equipment is
plugged directly into a microfilter that is then also plugged directly into
the main BT telephone wall socket.

Quite often it is logistically difficult to arrange this and you find that
you need some kind of extension lead to be present. If you go to your local
shop and purchase an RJ11 extension lead and make sure it is rated to be
suitable for broadband ADSL use then this should be sufficient.

You should have an ADSL filter (microfilter) in every hardwired telephone
socket. Microfilters do not just serve to permit you to connect both
telephone and ADSL equipment to the same socket; they also act as a
'terminator' that prevents signal reflections. A terminator absorbs any
'un-used' signal and prevents it returning back up the telephone line and
interfering with any equipment such as the equipment at the telephone
exchange or even plugged into another telephone socket.

It is therefore important that you have a microfilter for every hardwired
telephone socket you have in your house. If the socket is an externally
attached socket (where you plug a splitter externally to a hardwired socket
to give you additional sockets) then all you need to do is plug the
microfilter before the splitter and then you should be able to use these as
normal. On rare occasions, it is possible for a microfilter to be faulty on
arrival or to become faulty over time. The best way to confirm whether this
is the case or not would be to disconnect all of your phone equipment and
filters from the phone line except for a single filter and your broadband
modem. Try to connect these directly into the phone line where possible,
bypassing any extension leads. If this resolves your problem then you may
wish to run tests on your equipment, swapping it around and changing filters
as necessary to locate the cause of the fault.

If you report a fault and have a USB modem we very much encourage you to
test the equipment elsewhere on another ADSL line with the same computer
(and another computer) to see if the problem is with the line, your
equipment or your computer. An alternative would be to borrow equipment that
is known to be working from a friend and see if that also has reliability
issues on your ADSL line.

If you find your connection is fine only if you are doing something, such as
running a download/upload in the background or streaming internet radio,
then its very likely that your equipment is configured to drop the Internet
connection if it has been idle for a particular amount of time. You can
check this in your Internet Explorer settings by going to the Control Panel
and selecting 'Internet Options'. From here, go to the 'Connections' tab,
select your BT Yahoo! Broadband connection and click 'Settings'. From here,
click 'Advanced' and make sure that 'Disconnect if idle for' is not ticked.

Connection issues are sometimes caused by other computer problems such as
Spyware and Viruses. These can slow the computer down and cause your
connection to drop out. There are various viruses designed to utilise your
connection for a range of purposes including launching attacks directly on
other computers and sending large amounts of emails to random users of the
Internet. Spyware and Adware are types of software designed to monitor your
usage of the internet and either report back to central servers or alter the
behaviour of your Internet programs in an adverse manner like making random
pop-ups appear and redirecting URL's to random search sites. These can cause
your connection to flood and consequently reset.

There are also other types of viruses and spyware known as 'diallers' that
are designed to drop your existing connection to the Internet and attempt to
dial a premium rate number. Diallers can be generally thwarted by installing
anti-spyware software that can detect and remove them.

We advise all of our customers to run Antivirus and Firewall software at all
times which can protect you from viruses and make you aware of programs
trying to access the internet which you haven't authorised or installed
intentionally. It is also advised that you run Spyware/Adware checks on your
system on a regular basis.

You can find out more about available antivirus and firewall software
available on BT Yahoo! Broadband by going to
http://www.btyahoo.com/pcsecurity.

There are a variety of anti-spyware programs available on the Internet,
which you can download by searching for things such as "Adware removal tool"
or "Spyware removal tool" in a search engine.

If you are still experiencing frequent disconnections then I would advise
that you contact the technical helpdesk on 0845 600 7030 they would be able
to go through more extensive troubleshooting steps and, if necessary, book
the problem as a potential line fault.


.

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