IP Address conflicts and crackling sound

[cactusj]

Hello everyone,

I have been a happy ADSL24 customer for a year now. This morning, when I tried to access the Internet, I was unable to do so. I restarted my router and the connection would return. After 5 mins or so, the connection would drop again. There is also a crackling sound on my phone line. When I dial out to ring someone, the crackling noise can be heard.

I rang BT, who said that I should unscrew the front off the phone socket and plug a phone into the test socket.

I tried this but still received the crackling noise. I removed the ADSL filter, and just plugged the phone in. The crackling noise was gone. I screwed the front back on and tried with the filter, the noise was back. I plugged the phone in on its own again without the filter and the noise was gone. So this appears to be an ADSL issue?? - I have tried two different brands of filter and the issue remains.

On a positive note, I think I have just resolved my IP Address conflict problem by turning off the router and restarting each device on the network individually. So at least I have broadband access now :-) (well as of the last 10 mins - lets see what happens).

However, the crackling noise problem still remains - we have not had this before to my knowledge. It just appeared this morning. The BT person I talked to said she could hear it too. She advised I try and connect the phone to the test socket and see what happens and to then ring back. If that didn't resolve the issue, she would send out an engineer. However, upon viewing the BT website, it says the engineer will charge the customer, if the fault could have been fixed by the customer.

So I thought I would ask you guys for help first to see if you have experienced this before.

I would be grateful for any advice or assistance you can provide.

Thank you.

[JamesL]

So without the router connected the line is very and normal? Sounds like a duff splitter card or bad router. Can you nick a router from somewhere and test that on your line and see if the same thing happens?

[cactusj]

So without the router connected the line is very and normal? Sounds like a duff splitter card or bad router. Can you nick a router from somewhere and test that on your line and see if the same thing happens?

Hi James,

My internet connection problems have returned :-(

I can only connect when rebooting the router. I will have a look - I should have another router somewhere.

I will post after retrying with a new router.

Thanks

[cactusj]

I tried my old speedtouch router - i couldnt get a connection. The @ light kept flashing amber - I believe that is the DSL connection light.

I have just put my Netgear Router back in, and a connection is working. Although like earlier, I reckon it will disappear after a bit...

[cactusj]

I tried my old speedtouch router - i couldnt get a connection. The @ light kept flashing amber - I believe that is the DSL connection light.

I have just put my Netgear Router back in, and a connection is working. Although like earlier, I reckon it will disappear after a bit...

Came back 30 mins later and the connection is down again... Powered off router and got connection back.

I looked at the router status page. It says the downstream connection speed is 5888 kbps. Earlier I am sure it was 6k... Should this speed flucuate if the line is stable?

[cactusj]

New update:

Problem persists - internet connection cuts out and there is crackling on the phone line.

Talked to BT again, they say to contact my broadband provider...

I unscrewed the phone socket cover and used the test socket again this evening. Here are the results:

a) Plug phone in on its own: Line is clear (no crackling)

b) Plug ADSL filter in with phone line: Line is clear (no crackling)

c) Plug ADSL filer in with router connection and phone line: no crackling....

This is the first time i have tried plugging the filter into the test socket with both the phone line and the router connection.

So it appears connecting directly to the test socket cuts out the crackling.



However my broadband connection cut out again... The last time I restarted the router, the connection gave out after 1 minute. BT have indicated therefore that given the test socket cut out the crackling, their phone line is ok and it must be the broadband connection.


James, is there anything that you can reset on your end?

[smartybones]

i would try another router.... if you try the speedtouch again, double check that you have the correct settings for connection to adsl24

[cactusj]

I tried the speedtouch again - thanks smartybones - worked after checking settings.

Getting the same speeds as with the netgear router.

The crackling on the phone line has stopped now and I did a BT quiet line test, which was successful. However, my broadband speeds have reduced a lot since yesterday.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/318401574.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

I have looked at my max reports:

sept 07: 8128

3/9/08 (when the issues started): 4544 at the end of the day (dropped from 6816 in the morning)

My current IP profile is 4000 kbps (it was 6000 before the issues from yesterday).


Over yesterday, my speeds have dropped dramatically. And I have tried more than 1 router and more than 1 filter.

This is the first time I have encountered something like this - since September 07 I have had no previous issues and have achieved much better speeds. James is there anything you can spot from your end?

[roseway]

I would bet that the problem is nothing directly to do with the router at all. I had exactly the same symptoms at one time, and it turned out to be an intermittent high resistance line fault. The fact that the crackling was present only when the router was connected was presumably just a function of the loading on the line.

If it is a HR fault, you may find that you can temporarily repair it by jiggling the telephone rest, or by dialling 17070 followed by 1 for a ringback.

[dlloyd]

I have had problems like this myself. When the router was plugged in I could hear crackles and noises on the line (it was a bit like listening to an old telephone modem, but much quieter).

Even more strangely, the issue would come and go. I would end up with an IP Profile of 135 kbps with a very bad line. It would then get a bit better on its own, before getting worse again.

I eventually fiddled with the master socket and it cleared up completely for 2 months, before suddenly coming back.

I tried new routers, cables, splitters and 'phones and nothing improved it.

Eventually I decided to completely change the master socket myself (I know...you are expressly NOT supposed to do this, but I got fed up). My old master socket was not one of these modern ones with a test socket, so I just bought one off ebay and bypassed my own.

Everything got better instantly, and was fine for about 5 months.... until last week! My line got crackly again, so I dismantled all my handiwork and found that the wires in the connection block between BT's lines and my mini extension to the new socket were loose. I tightened them back up again and hey presto, no crackles. (though this did result in a 135 IP profile again :-( )

So, one potential answer is: it could be your master socket wiring that is dodgy. I suggest you take it off the wall and check that the cables are securely attached.

One other warning - if you leave it too long like this you might never get a full connection back again. Even when my line was behaving for five months I could only get a SNR target at 9 dB, not 6 dB. From what I understand, once BT's systems have decided that your line is bad, they may never reset it back to the 6 dB target.

Good luck,
Daryl

[JayBird]

I have had this exact smae intermittent crackling issue since the end of January and i think I have just had it fixed. Had a couple of engineers out over the last few months who, when they arrived, the noise wasn't there, so there was nothing they could do.

Anyway, had another engineer out on Friday, and he seemed way more helpful than the others that have been.

He actually listened to my problems and tried changing some stuff. He rewired some of my exchange and replaced some parts, and also he changed my master socket.

Since then, everything has been solid. Im still not through it though as it has only been 6 days, and i did have long periods where it worked before, but i never synced as high as i am doing now.

[cactusj]

I have had this exact smae intermittent crackling issue since the end of January and i think I have just had it fixed. Had a couple of engineers out over the last few months who, when they arrived, the noise wasn't there, so there was nothing they could do.

Anyway, had another engineer out on Friday, and he seemed way more helpful than the others that have been.

He actually listened to my problems and tried changing some stuff. He rewired some of my exchange and replaced some parts, and also he changed my master socket.

Since then, everything has been solid. Im still not through it though as it has only been 6 days, and i did have long periods where it worked before, but i never synced as high as i am doing now.

Thanks for the reply - the problem seems to have disappeared for now... although I have removed the front plate and I am plugged into the test socket... So it works ok for now.