From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

Hi all
slightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek Vigor 2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet is
plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

In general the Draytek has been flawless, and for any line problems (of
which we have had a few) I have been able to point the finger elsewhere.

However we have recently been getting constant disconnections (things
are fine for a few hours/days, and then intermittent connection). I can
see the router attempting to train, sometimes succeeding, etc.

Plusnet sometimes reset the line and then it might be OK for a while ...
but they say they cannot see any problem with the actual line.

Last time this occurred (last week), I fished out an alternative router
- an old BT Smart Hub - and set it up with the same settings. I wanted
to be able to demonstrate to Plusnet that this also failed, ie. the
problem was not inside the premises.

At that time, I did see the BT router fail a few times ... but later, it settled down. I later moved back to the Draytek, and we have been fine
for a few days.

This morning, however, back to disconnect time. And I have now put the
BT router back into service ... and it seems to be working fine.
So I am back to at least considering that the Draytek router is at
fault. I am wondering about possible causes for an intermittent connection.

The Router has been updated to latest firmware (there were some security issues earlier in the year). The PSU seems OK. I have taken a brief look inside and can see no visual evidence of bad caps. So why might the
Draytek have started to have trouble, and the BT router seemingly be OK?

Any thoughts? (*)


Thanks for any thoughts
J^n

(*) Yes, I know it is worth considering moving to fibre but I don't want
to do that right now.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

jkn <jkn+nin@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
slightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek Vigor 2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet is
plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

In general the Draytek has been flawless, and for any line problems (of which we have had a few) I have been able to point the finger elsewhere.

However we have recently been getting constant disconnections (things
are fine for a few hours/days, and then intermittent connection). I can
see the router attempting to train, sometimes succeeding, etc.

Plusnet sometimes reset the line and then it might be OK for a while ...
but they say they cannot see any problem with the actual line.

Last time this occurred (last week), I fished out an alternative router
- an old BT Smart Hub - and set it up with the same settings. I wanted
to be able to demonstrate to Plusnet that this also failed, ie. the
problem was not inside the premises.

At that time, I did see the BT router fail a few times ... but later, it settled down. I later moved back to the Draytek, and we have been fine
for a few days.

This morning, however, back to disconnect time. And I have now put the
BT router back into service ... and it seems to be working fine.
So I am back to at least considering that the Draytek router is at
fault. I am wondering about possible causes for an intermittent connection.

The Router has been updated to latest firmware (there were some security issues earlier in the year). The PSU seems OK. I have taken a brief look inside and can see no visual evidence of bad caps. So why might the
Draytek have started to have trouble, and the BT router seemingly be OK?

Any thoughts? (*)

Thanks for any thoughts
J^n

(*) Yes, I know it is worth considering moving to fibre but I don't want
to do that right now.

Many moons ago we started to have trouble with line drops on our ADSL
service. BT discovered a fault on the line some 60 metres away, which meant
it was under the reinforced concrete road outside. I was offered a service
via a pole that was to be set up.

I refused this, and instead bought a second-hand modem by 2-wire, otherwise badged as a BT 2700HGV, and which had been reflashed to stop BT
interrogating it.

The 2-wire had been designed for use in the US on long lines, and was
supposed to have superior software when it came to handling noise. It
totally ended the interminable dropouts that werCOd been having.

It could be that your two routers differ in their capability of handling
noisy lines.

ThererCOs a 2700HGV modem on eBay for not very much, if you fancied a punt, other sources are doubtless available.
--
Spike
Sign the rCYNo to IDrCY petition here:
<https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/730194?v=2>
BlackBeltBarrister opinion here:
<https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0BvfT2ed7X0&pp=ygUSSWQgY2FyZHMgYmxhY2tiZWx0> --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

In uk.d-i-y jkn <jkn+nin@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
slightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek Vigor 2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet is
plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

Is that actually <24Mbps ADSL, or VDSL (FTTC)?

In general the Draytek has been flawless, and for any line problems (of which we have had a few) I have been able to point the finger elsewhere.

However we have recently been getting constant disconnections (things
are fine for a few hours/days, and then intermittent connection). I can
see the router attempting to train, sometimes succeeding, etc.

Plusnet sometimes reset the line and then it might be OK for a while ...
but they say they cannot see any problem with the actual line.

Last time this occurred (last week), I fished out an alternative router
- an old BT Smart Hub - and set it up with the same settings. I wanted
to be able to demonstrate to Plusnet that this also failed, ie. the
problem was not inside the premises.

At that time, I did see the BT router fail a few times ... but later, it settled down. I later moved back to the Draytek, and we have been fine
for a few days.

This morning, however, back to disconnect time. And I have now put the
BT router back into service ... and it seems to be working fine.
So I am back to at least considering that the Draytek router is at
fault. I am wondering about possible causes for an intermittent connection.

On a BT Homehub 5a (Lantiq VRX200 series chipset) I've found connection stability can vary quite a bit based on VDSL modem firmware. Some of them support vectoring, others don't, and stability seems to be a bit of a mixed
bag - some are 'good', newer can be worse than older. It also seems to vary based on the match of the modem to the cabinet (eg Broadcom modem with
Huawei cabinets which contain Broadcom chipsets). I'm using OpenWRT for
which the firmware download is a separate file:

https://xdarklight.github.io/lantiq-xdsl-firmware-info/

The 2860ac also uses a Lantiq VRX200 series so perhaps the same problems
apply.

The Router has been updated to latest firmware (there were some security issues earlier in the year). The PSU seems OK. I have taken a brief look inside and can see no visual evidence of bad caps. So why might the
Draytek have started to have trouble, and the BT router seemingly be OK?

Any thoughts? (*)

I would expect that BT/PN have deployed the most compatible/stable modem firmware for your connection (they can remotely update their routers).
Draytek probably haven't done updates like that so it could be less stable, however it's worth installing any updates that are available.

I would not expect this to be a hardware fault.

I just use the ISP routers to get the best VDSL performance, and put my
stuff behind them.

Theo
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

On 21/10/2025 09:58, jkn wrote:

Hi all
-a-a-a-aslightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek Vigor 2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet is
plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

In general the Draytek has been flawless, and for any line problems (of which we have had a few) I have been able to point the finger elsewhere.

However we have recently been getting constant disconnections (things
are fine for a few hours/days, and then intermittent connection). I can
see the router attempting to train, sometimes succeeding, etc.

Plusnet sometimes reset the line and then it might be OK for a while ...
but they say they cannot see any problem with the actual line.

Last time this occurred (last week), I fished out an alternative router
- an old BT Smart Hub - and set it up with the same settings. I wanted
to be able to demonstrate to Plusnet that this also failed, ie. the
problem was not inside the premises.

At that time, I did see the BT router fail a few times ... but later, it settled down. I later moved back to the Draytek, and we have been fine
for a few days.

This morning, however, back to disconnect time. And I have now put the
BT router back into service ... and it seems to be working fine.
So I am back to at least considering that the Draytek router is at
fault. I am wondering about possible causes for an intermittent connection.

The Router has been updated to latest firmware (there were some security issues earlier in the year). The PSU seems OK. I have taken a brief look inside and can see no visual evidence of bad caps. So why might the
Draytek have started to have trouble, and the BT router seemingly be OK?

Any thoughts? (*)

-a-a-a Thanks for any thoughts
-a-a-a J^n

(*) Yes, I know it is worth considering moving to fibre but I don't want
to do that right now.

Have you still got a phone connected to that line and if so have you
checked the line for noise (no crackles etc. when listening on the
phone). When I had ADSL line drops it was always a noisy line that
could be determined by listening to it on my phone

I don't know if the BT quiet line test still works (or works with
another supplier) but...
Dial 17070, and select option 2 for the quiet line test. There should be complete silence on the line. Try the phone in the master socket perhaps
with everything else disconnected.

Google AI summarises what I was going to write
"
On a noisy ADSL line, the synchronisation ("sync") speed during training
is reduced to create a larger signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) margin,
ensuring a more stable, albeit slower, connection.
"

Are you sure that synchronisation is not masking the problem in that
after so many disconnects the BT router you have now plugged in is just
sync'd at a lower speed.
.
--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

On 21/10/2025 09:58, jkn wrote:

Hi all
-a-a-a-aslightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek Vigor 2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet is
plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

In general the Draytek has been flawless, and for any line problems (of which we have had a few) I have been able to point the finger elsewhere.

However we have recently been getting constant disconnections (things
are fine for a few hours/days, and then intermittent connection). I can
see the router attempting to train, sometimes succeeding, etc.

Plusnet sometimes reset the line and then it might be OK for a while ...
but they say they cannot see any problem with the actual line.

Last time this occurred (last week), I fished out an alternative router
- an old BT Smart Hub - and set it up with the same settings. I wanted
to be able to demonstrate to Plusnet that this also failed, ie. the
problem was not inside the premises.

At that time, I did see the BT router fail a few times ... but later, it settled down. I later moved back to the Draytek, and we have been fine
for a few days.

This morning, however, back to disconnect time. And I have now put the
BT router back into service ... and it seems to be working fine.
So I am back to at least considering that the Draytek router is at
fault. I am wondering about possible causes for an intermittent connection.

The Router has been updated to latest firmware (there were some security issues earlier in the year). The PSU seems OK. I have taken a brief look inside and can see no visual evidence of bad caps. So why might the
Draytek have started to have trouble, and the BT router seemingly be OK?

Any thoughts? (*)

Yes, this seems a common issue with Draytek routers on BT lines. There
is a thread about it admitedly on VDSL here :-

https://community.plus.net/t5/Full-Fibre/Draytek-Vigor-2860-new-Firmware-amp-modem-codes/td-p/1454167

I note there are multiple versions of firmware for this on the Draytek
site with different modem codes. Perhaps try these?

-a-a-a Thanks for any thoughts
-a-a-a J^n

(*) Yes, I know it is worth considering moving to fibre but I don't want
to do that right now.

Dave
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

On 21/10/2025 09:58, jkn wrote:

The Router has been updated to latest firmware (there were some security issues earlier in the year). The PSU seems OK. I have taken a brief look inside and can see no visual evidence of bad caps. So why might the
Draytek have started to have trouble, and the BT router seemingly be OK?

Any thoughts? (*)

One thing I have noted is that ADSL front ends can go screwy after a
big thunderstorm.

Another thing I have notes is that it took IDNET and Openreach 4 goes to finally get me a good ADSL line .

And then I moved to FTTP.

I think you may be blaming Draytek for something else. Maybe someone
nearby has a strong ham radio. Maybe the line runs past a welding shop.

My Draytek has DSL status in its diagnostic section. You probably need
to start there and also look at SNR on upload/download. If Plusnet are resetting the line its because the DSLAM at the far end has noted high
noise levels and reduced DSL speeds accordingly.

Also if where you are is anything like here, there have been several
episodes of major rainfall, and any undergrounds may well be getting
flooded.
--
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as
foolish, and by the rulers as useful.

(Seneca the Younger, 65 AD)


--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

On Tue, 10/21/2025 4:58 AM, jkn wrote:

Hi all
-a-a-a-aslightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek Vigor 2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet is plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

In general the Draytek has been flawless, and for any line problems (of which we have had a few) I have been able to point the finger elsewhere.

However we have recently been getting constant disconnections (things are fine for a few hours/days, and then intermittent connection). I can see the router attempting to train, sometimes succeeding, etc.

Plusnet sometimes reset the line and then it might be OK for a while ... but they say they cannot see any problem with the actual line.

Last time this occurred (last week), I fished out an alternative router - an old BT Smart Hub - and set it up with the same settings. I wanted to be able to demonstrate to Plusnet that this also failed, ie. the problem was not inside the premises.

At that time, I did see the BT router fail a few times ... but later, it settled down. I later moved back to the Draytek, and we have been fine for a few days.

This morning, however, back to disconnect time. And I have now put the BT router back into service ... and it seems to be working fine.
So I am back to at least considering that the Draytek router is at fault. I am wondering about possible causes for an intermittent connection.

The Router has been updated to latest firmware (there were some security issues earlier in the year). The PSU seems OK. I have taken a brief look inside and can see no visual evidence of bad caps. So why might the Draytek have started to have trouble, and the BT router seemingly be OK?

Any thoughts? (*)

-a-a-a Thanks for any thoughts
-a-a-a J^n

(*) Yes, I know it is worth considering moving to fibre but I don't want to do that right now.

I've had an ADSL2 failure here.

Around 9PM every evening, the ADSL2 modem would drop sync.

Now, I happened to have an analog TV set at the time, in
the room, and there was a "herringbone pattern" on the screen.
I went around the room, and turned off PCs, until turning
off one specific PC, made the herringbone pattern in the background
of the picture, go away.

So I knew which PC was emitting electrical noise on the mains wire.
I used the TV as a collector of evidence.

Turning off that PC, also allowed the ADSL2 modem to operate
properly at 9PM without any issues.

I changed out the defective PSU, bought another and installed it, and
no more problems. No herringbone pattern on the TV set.
No modem LEDs flashing a failure in the evening. It has
operated for years since then, never dropping sync.

You know there is a problem with the modem design, when the
design is attempting to "double-filter" the DC fed through
the barrel jack. This suggests the designer knew the noise
floor wasn't very good, and so they threw as many solutions
at it, as they could.

If you look at the PCB layout, there are some electrical
connections on the PCB that are very carefully laid out.
Implying again, the designer knows there is a noise issue,
and so everything they can think of, is included in the design.

The ADSL 1 modem before it, as it does not have the same
ambitious datarate in the design, the noise floor isn't
as perilous on that one. That thing was like a rock... even
though the datarate the telco allowed was a shit rate :-)
We were promised "up to 5Mbit/sec" at the time, and the
ADSL1 modem was policed on the telco end to not go past 3 Mbit/sec.
The ADSL2 device is running 15Mbit/sec.

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

jkn wrote:

Hi all
-a-a-a-aslightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek Vigor 2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet is
plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

[snip]

Are you sure it is ADSL and not VDSL?

Where are you? I could lend you other Draytek routers, either older or
newer, or spare PSUs. I'm near Thetford in Norfolk.
--
Graham J
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

On 21/10/2025 10:20, Spike wrote:

jkn <jkn+nin@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
slightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek Vigor
2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet is
plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

In general the Draytek has been flawless, and for any line problems (of
which we have had a few) I have been able to point the finger elsewhere.

However we have recently been getting constant disconnections (things
are fine for a few hours/days, and then intermittent connection). I can
see the router attempting to train, sometimes succeeding, etc.

Plusnet sometimes reset the line and then it might be OK for a while ...
but they say they cannot see any problem with the actual line.

Last time this occurred (last week), I fished out an alternative router
- an old BT Smart Hub - and set it up with the same settings. I wanted
to be able to demonstrate to Plusnet that this also failed, ie. the
problem was not inside the premises.

At that time, I did see the BT router fail a few times ... but later, it
settled down. I later moved back to the Draytek, and we have been fine
for a few days.

This morning, however, back to disconnect time. And I have now put the
BT router back into service ... and it seems to be working fine.
So I am back to at least considering that the Draytek router is at
fault. I am wondering about possible causes for an intermittent connection. >>
The Router has been updated to latest firmware (there were some security
issues earlier in the year). The PSU seems OK. I have taken a brief look
inside and can see no visual evidence of bad caps. So why might the
Draytek have started to have trouble, and the BT router seemingly be OK?

Any thoughts? (*)


Thanks for any thoughts
J^n

(*) Yes, I know it is worth considering moving to fibre but I don't want
to do that right now.

Many moons ago we started to have trouble with line drops on our ADSL service. BT discovered a fault on the line some 60 metres away, which meant it was under the reinforced concrete road outside. I was offered a service via a pole that was to be set up.

I refused this, and instead bought a second-hand modem by 2-wire, otherwise badged as a BT 2700HGV, and which had been reflashed to stop BT
interrogating it.

The 2-wire had been designed for use in the US on long lines, and was supposed to have superior software when it came to handling noise. It
totally ended the interminable dropouts that werCOd been having.

It could be that your two routers differ in their capability of handling noisy lines.

ThererCOs a 2700HGV modem on eBay for not very much, if you fancied a punt, other sources are doubtless available.

Many of the 2-wire/2700 modems have an interesting intermittent failure
mode. At some point the manufacturers started using a larger sized
flash memory than had originally been used. The only problem was that
they left the most significant bit of the address floating. The address
would be randomly high or low depending on the relative leakage currents
of the input transistors. At manufacture this would determine whether
the software got programmed into the high or low half of the memory.
So long as the leakage currents did not vary too much all was good.
Sometimes, a nearby static charge or random variation in leakage
currents perhaps due to humidity changes could cause the floating
address input to change state, depriving the modem of its software.

John

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

On 21/10/2025 10:40, David Wade wrote:

On 21/10/2025 09:58, jkn wrote:

Hi all
-a-a-a-a-aslightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek
Vigor 2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet
is plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

In general the Draytek has been flawless, and for any line problems
(of which we have had a few) I have been able to point the finger
elsewhere.

However we have recently been getting constant disconnections (things
are fine for a few hours/days, and then intermittent connection). I
can see the router attempting to train, sometimes succeeding, etc.

Yes, this seems a common issue with Draytek routers on BT lines. There
is a thread about it admitedly on VDSL here :-

https://community.plus.net/t5/Full-Fibre/Draytek-Vigor-2860-new- Firmware-amp-modem-codes/td-p/1454167

I note there are multiple versions of firmware for this on the Draytek
site with different modem codes. Perhaps try these?

Yes there are versions of firmware designed for lines that need a more conservative speed optimisation to remain stable for long durations. So
it can be worth checking what you are running.
--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \=================================================================/
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

John R Walliker <jrwalliker@gmail.com> wrote:

On 21/10/2025 10:20, Spike wrote:

jkn <jkn+nin@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
slightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek Vigor
2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet is
plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

In general the Draytek has been flawless, and for any line problems (of
which we have had a few) I have been able to point the finger elsewhere. >>>
However we have recently been getting constant disconnections (things
are fine for a few hours/days, and then intermittent connection). I can
see the router attempting to train, sometimes succeeding, etc.

Plusnet sometimes reset the line and then it might be OK for a while ... >>> but they say they cannot see any problem with the actual line.

Last time this occurred (last week), I fished out an alternative router
- an old BT Smart Hub - and set it up with the same settings. I wanted
to be able to demonstrate to Plusnet that this also failed, ie. the
problem was not inside the premises.

At that time, I did see the BT router fail a few times ... but later, it >>> settled down. I later moved back to the Draytek, and we have been fine
for a few days.

This morning, however, back to disconnect time. And I have now put the
BT router back into service ... and it seems to be working fine.
So I am back to at least considering that the Draytek router is at
fault. I am wondering about possible causes for an intermittent connection. >>>
The Router has been updated to latest firmware (there were some security >>> issues earlier in the year). The PSU seems OK. I have taken a brief look >>> inside and can see no visual evidence of bad caps. So why might the
Draytek have started to have trouble, and the BT router seemingly be OK? >>>
Any thoughts? (*)


Thanks for any thoughts
J^n

(*) Yes, I know it is worth considering moving to fibre but I don't want >>> to do that right now.

Many moons ago we started to have trouble with line drops on our ADSL
service. BT discovered a fault on the line some 60 metres away, which meant >> it was under the reinforced concrete road outside. I was offered a service >> via a pole that was to be set up.

I refused this, and instead bought a second-hand modem by 2-wire, otherwise >> badged as a BT 2700HGV, and which had been reflashed to stop BT
interrogating it.

The 2-wire had been designed for use in the US on long lines, and was
supposed to have superior software when it came to handling noise. It
totally ended the interminable dropouts that werCOd been having.

It could be that your two routers differ in their capability of handling
noisy lines.

ThererCOs a 2700HGV modem on eBay for not very much, if you fancied a punt, >> other sources are doubtless available.

Many of the 2-wire/2700 modems have an interesting intermittent failure
mode. At some point the manufacturers started using a larger sized
flash memory than had originally been used. The only problem was that
they left the most significant bit of the address floating. The address would be randomly high or low depending on the relative leakage currents
of the input transistors. At manufacture this would determine whether
the software got programmed into the high or low half of the memory.
So long as the leakage currents did not vary too much all was good. Sometimes, a nearby static charge or random variation in leakage
currents perhaps due to humidity changes could cause the floating
address input to change state, depriving the modem of its software.

Fascinating! All I can say is that ours worked splendidly for the time we
had it, and its performance on our noisy line was exemplary. The 2-wires
were very popular at the time for those with noise issues.
--
Spike
Sign the rCYNo to IDrCY petition here:
<https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/730194?v=2>
BlackBeltBarrister opinion here:
<https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0BvfT2ed7X0&pp=ygUSSWQgY2FyZHMgYmxhY2tiZWx0> --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

On 21/10/2025 14:11, Spike wrote:

John R Walliker <jrwalliker@gmail.com> wrote:

On 21/10/2025 10:20, Spike wrote:

jkn <jkn+nin@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
slightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek Vigor
2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet is
plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

In general the Draytek has been flawless, and for any line problems (of >>>> which we have had a few) I have been able to point the finger elsewhere. >>>>
However we have recently been getting constant disconnections (things
are fine for a few hours/days, and then intermittent connection). I can >>>> see the router attempting to train, sometimes succeeding, etc.

Plusnet sometimes reset the line and then it might be OK for a while ... >>>> but they say they cannot see any problem with the actual line.

Last time this occurred (last week), I fished out an alternative router >>>> - an old BT Smart Hub - and set it up with the same settings. I wanted >>>> to be able to demonstrate to Plusnet that this also failed, ie. the
problem was not inside the premises.

At that time, I did see the BT router fail a few times ... but later, it >>>> settled down. I later moved back to the Draytek, and we have been fine >>>> for a few days.

This morning, however, back to disconnect time. And I have now put the >>>> BT router back into service ... and it seems to be working fine.
So I am back to at least considering that the Draytek router is at
fault. I am wondering about possible causes for an intermittent connection.

The Router has been updated to latest firmware (there were some security >>>> issues earlier in the year). The PSU seems OK. I have taken a brief look >>>> inside and can see no visual evidence of bad caps. So why might the
Draytek have started to have trouble, and the BT router seemingly be OK? >>>>
Any thoughts? (*)


Thanks for any thoughts
J^n

(*) Yes, I know it is worth considering moving to fibre but I don't want >>>> to do that right now.

Many moons ago we started to have trouble with line drops on our ADSL
service. BT discovered a fault on the line some 60 metres away, which meant >>> it was under the reinforced concrete road outside. I was offered a service >>> via a pole that was to be set up.

I refused this, and instead bought a second-hand modem by 2-wire, otherwise >>> badged as a BT 2700HGV, and which had been reflashed to stop BT
interrogating it.

The 2-wire had been designed for use in the US on long lines, and was
supposed to have superior software when it came to handling noise. It
totally ended the interminable dropouts that werCOd been having.

It could be that your two routers differ in their capability of handling >>> noisy lines.

ThererCOs a 2700HGV modem on eBay for not very much, if you fancied a punt, >>> other sources are doubtless available.

Many of the 2-wire/2700 modems have an interesting intermittent failure
mode. At some point the manufacturers started using a larger sized
flash memory than had originally been used. The only problem was that
they left the most significant bit of the address floating. The address
would be randomly high or low depending on the relative leakage currents
of the input transistors. At manufacture this would determine whether
the software got programmed into the high or low half of the memory.
So long as the leakage currents did not vary too much all was good.
Sometimes, a nearby static charge or random variation in leakage
currents perhaps due to humidity changes could cause the floating
address input to change state, depriving the modem of its software.

Fascinating! All I can say is that ours worked splendidly for the time we
had it, and its performance on our noisy line was exemplary. The 2-wires
were very popular at the time for those with noise issues.

Yes, they were generally very good. I had a few (*) in various places.
I tripped over the floating address bit problem when reflashing the
firmware. Probably only a small proportion of the units had
sufficiently symmetric leakage currents to cause a problem.

* Thinking back - I may have mis-identified the problematic modem.
I am sure it was made by 2-wire, but it might have been branded
as Speedtouch or similar. They were supplied by BT and I got mine
from eBay.
John

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

On 21/10/2025 12:31, Graham J wrote:

jkn wrote:

Hi all
-a-a-a-a-aslightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek
Vigor 2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet
is plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

[snip]

Are you sure it is ADSL and not VDSL?

Where are you?-a I could lend you other Draytek routers, either older or newer, or spare PSUs.-a I'm near Thetford in Norfolk.

Come to think of it I could GIVE you a Cisco SOHO router that was, in
its day, excellent
--
I would rather have questions that cannot be answered...
...than to have answers that cannot be questioned

Richard Feynman



--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.comp.homebuilt

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 09:58:47 +0100, jkn wrote:

Hi all
slightly long-winded report: I am running ye anciente Dtaytek Vigor 2860ac router on an ADSL line (phone line is TalkTalk, Internet is
plusnet - actually f9, the account goes back a long way...).

In general the Draytek has been flawless, and for any line problems (of
which we have had a few) I have been able to point the finger elsewhere.

However we have recently been getting constant disconnections (things
are fine for a few hours/days, and then intermittent connection). I can
see the router attempting to train, sometimes succeeding, etc.

Plusnet sometimes reset the line and then it might be OK for a while ...
but they say they cannot see any problem with the actual line.

Last time this occurred (last week), I fished out an alternative router
- an old BT Smart Hub - and set it up with the same settings. I wanted
to be able to demonstrate to Plusnet that this also failed, ie. the
problem was not inside the premises.

At that time, I did see the BT router fail a few times ... but later, it settled down. I later moved back to the Draytek, and we have been fine
for a few days.

This morning, however, back to disconnect time. And I have now put the
BT router back into service ... and it seems to be working fine.
So I am back to at least considering that the Draytek router is at
fault. I am wondering about possible causes for an intermittent
connection.

The Router has been updated to latest firmware (there were some security issues earlier in the year). The PSU seems OK. I have taken a brief look inside and can see no visual evidence of bad caps. So why might the
Draytek have started to have trouble, and the BT router seemingly be OK?

Any thoughts? (*)

Thanks for any thoughts J^n

(*) Yes, I know it is worth considering moving to fibre but I don't want
to do that right now.

Can you get into the router to read error logs?

Long ago in pre-history I had line problems with BT and could look at the error log and tweak some of the modem settings.
Then again we wore animal skins and hunted with clubs.

Cheers



Dave R
--
AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 10 x64

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