SNR issues for weeks, now upstream power levels bad. Internet unusable today.

[jontym]

I raised a formal complaint in July because my Hub was regularly cycling round and round as if it was just constantly rebooting.

Had an engineer round in September who confirmed there was no issue with the Hub, or any equipment in my apartment. He removed the 10dB Forward Path Attenuator and 6dB Wideband Attenuator that were previously connected between the incoming cable and the Hub. Told me there was an SNR issue on the network somewhere and asked for a network monitor for 3 days. Not heard anything since this visit.

The problem did not go away, and still hasn't. 

Today the connection has been totally unstable and unusable since at least 9am and ongoing currently. Am experiencing between 5% and 100% packet loss, and total loss of internet for a few seconds at a time, as well as wildly varying download speeds from the full 200mbps to 40-65mbps. Upload speed varying between the full 20mbps ish and zero.

Spent hours chatting to somebody on the Live Chat facility, to be told that my 'upstream power levels are bad' and that he could see my Hub regularly losing connection. Unfortunately he was unable to do anything at all apparently, and that I had to call somebody to explain this to them all over again right from the start. 

Suffice to say I didn't stay on hold waiting for longer than 15mins, don't really see why I should keep contacting you despite having 1) an open complaint that is over 3 months old and 2) you having confirmed there is an issue with your network. 

There is zero chance that I'm going to wait on hold for 1hr+ so thought I'd post here as a last resort. 

I wasn't going to bother referring my complaint to the ombudsman, but I probably will now given the debacle today which has seriously disrupted both my and my partner's ability to work from home. No doubt tomorrow will be the same given that nobody seems to be bothering to look into this.

EDITED to add that at least two of my neighbours in the same building confirmed to have the same issues at the same times that I do. 

[MikeRobbo]

Can you set up a Broadband Quality Monitor (BQM) at thinkbroadband.com - this will give you an insight into what is happening with the signal at the other side of the Hub, it will take a few hours to get any kind of trend showing although you should post the link straight away.

Post a link to your BQM on here.

Instructions for posting BQM Link

Under your BQM graph are two links in red.

Click the lower link (Share Live Graph) then click generate.

Copy the text in the Direct Link box, beware, there may be more text than you can see.

On here click the Link icon (2 links chain to the left of the camera icon)

In the URL box paste the link you copied and in the ‘text to display’ box write My BQM then click OK - you can post the link straight away.

Then

Can you please

Type 192.168.0.1 (192.168.100.1 in Modem mode) into your browser URL bar and press enter. 

Hub 2 & 3 When the page appears DO NOT LOG IN but click ‘Check Router Status’.

Hub 4 When the page appears LOG IN then click ‘Check Router Status’.

Copy and paste the contents of the Downstream, Upstream and Network Log tabs onto here, if you get a yellow warning click the Post button again. Use one post for each tab if you wish. Please do not use screen grabs.

A Guru will be along soon to decipher the info.

[jontym]

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality/share/19217b4eebfedf1fb47059fdb313a9c424...

Downstream

Channel Frequency (Hz) Power (dBmV) SNR (dB) Modulation Channel ID

1	402750000	3.7	40	256 qam	30
2	202750000	1.7	38	256 qam	9
3	210750000	1.5	38	256 qam	10
4	218750000	1.7	38	256 qam	11
5	226750000	1.9	38	256 qam	12
6	234750000	1.7	38	256 qam	13
7	242750000	1.7	38	256 qam	14
8	250750000	1.7	38	256 qam	15
9	258750000	1.5	38	256 qam	16
10	266750000	1.7	38	256 qam	17
11	274750000	1.9	38	256 qam	18
12	282750000	2.2	38	256 qam	19
13	290750000	2.4	38	256 qam	20
14	298750000	2.5	38	256 qam	21
15	306750000	2.5	40	256 qam	22
16	314750000	2.5	38	256 qam	23
17	322750000	2.7	38	256 qam	24
18	330750000	2.7	38	256 qam	25
19	370750000	3.5	40	256 qam	26
20	378750000	3.5	38	256 qam	27
21	386750000	3.5	40	256 qam	28
22	394750000	3.5	40	256 qam	29
23	410750000	3.5	40	256 qam	31
24	418750000	3.5	40	256 qam	32

Downstream bonded channels

Channel Locked Status RxMER (dB) Pre RS Errors Post RS Errors

1	Locked	40.3	7	0
2	Locked	38.9	6	0
3	Locked	38.6	9	0
4	Locked	38.9	6	0
5	Locked	38.6	5	0
6	Locked	38.9	5	0
7	Locked	38.6	6	0
8	Locked	38.6	5	0
9	Locked	38.9	6	0
10	Locked	38.6	5	0
11	Locked	38.9	2	0
12	Locked	38.9	5	0
13	Locked	38.9	5	0
14	Locked	38.9	5	0
15	Locked	40.3	5	0
16	Locked	38.9	5	0
17	Locked	38.9	6	0
18	Locked	38.9	3	0
19	Locked	40.9	6	0
20	Locked	38.9	6	0
21	Locked	40.3	15	0
22	Locked	40.9	7	0
23	Locked	40.3	5	0
24	Locked	40.3	8	0

[jontym]

Upstream

Upstream bonded channels

Channel	Frequency (Hz)	Power (dBmV)	Symbol Rate (ksps)	Modulation	Channel ID
1	39400000	5.1	5120	32 qam	2
2	25800000	5.1	5120	32 qam	4
3	32600000	5.1	5120	32 qam	3
4	46200000	5.1	5120	32 qam	1

Upstream bonded channels

Channel	Channel Type	T1 Timeouts	T2 Timeouts	T3 Timeouts	T4 Timeouts
1	ATDMA	0	0	0	0
2	ATDMA	0	0	0	0
3	ATDMA	0	0	0	0
4	ATDMA	0	0	0	0

Network log

Network Log

Time	Priority	Description
26/10/2020 17:31:39	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:31:38	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:27:39	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:27:39	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:26:19	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:26:19	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:24:59	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:24:59	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:22:19	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:22:19	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:13:0	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:13:0	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:07:41	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:07:41	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:05:1	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:05:1	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:03:41	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:03:41	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:02:21	critical	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
26/10/2020 17:02:21	critical	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;

[MikeRobbo]

Your >> BQM << needs a few more hours to give any kind of picture.

Your Upstream Power Levels are maxed out and they are running at 32 QAM, they should be 64 QAM.

Upstream bonded channels

Channel	Frequency (Hz)	Power (dBmV)	Symbol Rate (ksps)	Modulation	Channel ID
1	39400000	5.1	5120	32 qam	2
2	25800000	5.1	5120	32 qam	4
3	32600000	5.1	5120	32 qam	3
4	46200000	5.1	5120	32 qam	1

These will require an engineer to put right.

You can either phone in (08:00 is the best time) or wait on here for a few days (6 to 7 days average) until one of the VM Forum Staff comes along.

If you wait on here Do Not bump the thread it will put it further down the VM 'to do list'.

[jontym]

Do you mean, an engineer to visit my house? That would be disappointing if so, given that an engineer already did that and said everything was good inside my property!

[MikeRobbo]

The engineer would possibly need access.

Things change, if they didn't you wouldn't be here with the problem you are having.

[jontym]

There has been an issue with stability for 3 months, with a network fault confirmed by the Virgin engineer 5 weeks ago. Hard to believe that this fault was magically fixed and now it's a totally different issue, when in reality the problem has never gone away - just varied by how tolerable it is.

Called in as you suggested, to eventually get a recording telling me that "due to Coronavirus", the call centres are closed. 

Don't really see why I should constantly try to hassle VM to address the problem to be honest, they have been aware of it for 3 months but are seemingly doing absolutely nothing about it. There are probably 10 other customers in this building suffering from the same issue.

Posting here was really a last resort and I'm pretty much giving up now.

[MikeRobbo]

Try again in the morning.

[jontym]

Yet another 1 hour call, via two different people and eventually to somebody in Sheffield ('Kate') who was very rude and made it out as if she was doing me a favour by escalating the fault to the local manager. When I told her I had already escalated a complaint which was now in ombudsman territory, she said I was wrong and didn't understand the process!! Amazing.

Not holding out any hope whatsoever, if they haven't fixed the issue in 3 months, I expect it's unlikely they will fix it any time soon.

Has anybody ever had any success getting money back for ongoing issues like this, or been able to terminate the contract early to move to a different provider?