Troubleshooting your Broadband Connection

If you're experiencing problems with your broadband connection with slow speeds or drop outs, then there's a number of things that you can do to try and identify the cause.

1. Make sure everything (apart from the router and it's filter) is unplugged from your phone line, e.g. sky boxes, phones, alarms etc. If it's still not right, try the next step.

2. If you have one of the newer NTE5 sockets (with the removable faceplates), remove the faceplate and behind it there should be a test socket, try plugging the router (including it's filter) into it. Example in the picture below.



If your still experiencing issues, try the next step.

3. Finally, you can try conducting a 'Quiet Line Test' on your line. To do this, simply plug an analogue phone into the test socket and dial 17070, selecting Option 2 for the 'Quiet Line Test'.

Listen carefully, if you can hear any noise, pops, crackles (no, we're not on about Rice Krispies), then ring BT on 151 and report it. You can also carry out further tests and report faults at http://www2.bt.com/faults

If you're not with BT, contact your landline provider.


If your issues are nothing to do with your landline, then there are a few more things you can try...

4. 5. Try running TCP OPTIMIZER (http://www.speedguid...CPOptimizer.exe). Select Optimal Settings set your speed on the slider, tick Modify All Network Adapters then click Apply Settings then OK and OK again and reboot your PC.

5. The DMT Tool

We don't currently have any guides on how the DMT Tool works, however we hope to have some online in the near future. If you're the daring type you can download the DMT Tool by clicking here, there are various places on your favourite search engine if you get stuck on how to use it.