Just joined up to O2 broadband

[ranman]

Hello all,

A new joiner here, been browsing through the forums a bit before I joined and have found it really helpful. Hoping someone could help me a bit here.

So today is my activation date and I havent gotten a text from O2 yet but i thought I would change my router settings on my netgear DG834G anyway while waiting. After changing the settings on my router I was suprised to see it connected and using O2 broadband.

I didnt change the MAC address of my router so I thought it would take up to 40 mins to authenticate my netgear but it connected as soon as I had changed the settings?

Also my router is not connected to my master BT socket as that is on the ground floor and my PC is on the 2nd floor. Will this have an effect on my internet speed?

Thanks in advance!

[Saturday]

O2 allows two or three routers to be connected (not at the same time of course!) before adding further will cause a delay before authenticating - hence your Netgear connecting fine.

Yes, it's very likely that connecting via an extension socket will give a lower connection speed. Easy to test though by doing a comparison between it and the master socket assuming either that the wireless signal will stretch from the router downstairs to two floor up. or you have a laptop. It's the router connection sync you need to compare (in the router admin pages) not a speedtest comparison. Whilst you're at it post your router connection stats and someone will be able to offer an opinion.

[ranman]

Thanks Saturday

OK I tried connecting via master socket and and extension and the master had a faster downstream connection but only by 100 or so kbps. I have connected it to the master router for now as the wireless signal is still coming strong.

My router stats are below:

ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 5660 kbps 1071 kbps
Line Attenuation 46 db 14.5 db
Noise Margin 6 db 5 db

I have a few noobish questions please!

1) My downstream connection speed varies... It was first 5300, then it went down to 5000 and now its 5600 and I havent done anything to it. Is this normal? What causes this? Also I am on O2 standard (8 meg) so is this speed normal?

2) I read about changing the sockets so only wires 2 and 5 are connected. My master has 1,2,4,5 connected and the 2 socet extensions only have 2 and 5, but there is a different coloured wire on each pin for each socket. Im not too comfortable with messing with these, my sockets are quite old and I'll prob need to replace the entire socket - but how much difference does it actually make?

3) I am forced to use my Netgear router as my O2 wireless is really bad. It loses wifi connection frequently even when in the same position as my netgear. Are the O2 routers wifi connection that poor or have I got a dodgy box?

4) Ive also read about routing issues when using netgear routers and I am experiencing the same. Ill be connected to the internet and then suddenly Internet Exlorer cannot display this page for any website I try. But under router status it shows I am still connected to the Internet. Ive read huge thread on another forum but there was no resolution. Any updates on this?

Sorry for the mega post...thanks for your time!

[Saturday]

Your stats show a sync speed of 5660kbps which is rather low for your attenuation of 46db. This means there's some line noise somewhere. To see if the line noise is arising from your home phone wiring (probable) try a comparison using your test socket which is hidden inside your master socket (assuming you have an NTE5). Removing the front plate of the master will reveal the test socket. As you have extensions these should be wired to the front place so ease it off gently. Your extensions should be dead while the front plate is off - check to be sure.

Find the source of the noise and remove it and you should get ~7500kbps and this is hopefully what your test socket will deliver. If not then the problem probably lies with your BT line.

In answer to your questions:

1. Yes, if you mean it varies each time you reboot the router then it is entirely normal. Sync speed will change depending on current noise levels which vary through the day. If the sync is changing without you rebooting or disconnecting the phone line then that suggests a problem.
2. The colour of the wires used is immaterial so don't worry. Your master has more connections as the ring wire (3) is connected - 4 is usually dead and just connected for neatness. If your extensions only use 2 and 5 then they don't have the ringwire. As I said above, if you have a relatively modern NTE5 master (last 10-20 years) then the extensions should be wired to the faceplate. There's unlikely to be a need to replace the NTE5 though a new filtered faceplate might be beneficial depending on your answers to the above
3. Wireless performance varies from router to router. O2 routers are usually no better or worse than other standard routers though YMMV. Channel choice can make a big difference.
4. I use a Netgear router and have not experienced any routing problems. The reports I've seen seem to be inconsistent but I may be out of date as I've not read up on the issue recently.

[ranman]

My master socket is pretty old and when I opened it up I could not see a test socket. How can I check if it is my internal wiring causing the issue without a test socket? Also, when you say find the source of the noise and remove it - can you give examples of what could be causing the noise?

If the issue is to do with the BT line do I then call BT to ask them to sort out?

I found the following test to check whether it is the BT line or internal wiring causing noise - does this seem like a good test to run?

BT Line Tests (quiet line/distance from exchange etc) - The Scream!

Sorry for all the nooby questions Im just a beginner!
Thank you very much.. greatly appreciated!

[Saturday]

Shame - doesn't look like you have an NTE5 socket.

You're rather limited then in what you can do to reduce noise and can't easily even determine where the noise is coming from.

My suggestion would be to disconnect the ring wire in your master. That usually is an orange wire with white bands (though may not be) but will always be connected to the terminal marked 3. The ring wire is a common source of noise, though from your earlier description your extensions don't have a connection to the ring wire. Worth a try to see however. Some people get a big improvement.

Note: in case you're wondering, the ring wire isn't needed with modern telephones. It was used for old bell type phones and provided the signal to the bell. New phones should ring fine without it connected, In any event, a phone fitted with a ADSL microfilter (which I trust all your are as well as any digiboxes etc) doesn't need the ring wire either.

BT won't be interested in helping you solve line noise problems unless it is causing problems in making/receiving voice or fax calls. Yes you could try a quiet line test though don't tell BT you've done that. Just pressing a number on the phone will get rid of the dial tone and let you hear any crackles/hissing, but they'll have to be bad before BT will take any action.