Broadband and phone line query

That's very odd indeed. I'd speak to BT and get them to check the line. If you suspect your phone, maybe you could try an old fashioned non-electric wired handset if you have one in the cupboard somewhere. 

It shouldn't do that, usually that's a fault with the ADSL filters (and you get interference on the telephone line), but it could be a line fault (if so then probably at the exchange).

There's also possibility of a defective DECT phone injecting RFI onto the line, so plug in your normal wired handset and try with that.

I had that problem and it was the filters - 2 were faulty from new! Try to get BT to fit a 2 outlet box that doesn't need filters.

 I had the same a few years ago, it started off with intermittent noise on the phone line,  then the once in a while phone dropout that got more frequent.  I called in BT - the usual threat of a fee if it on my property,  no fee if its outside the property. The engineer found problems & advised I agree for him to remove a bunch of wiring I used in my pre-retirement life,  3x phone ext.& fax plus a separate supply for telex,  that made a huge improvement to line noise & performance,   but he still found the actual intermittent fault on the line in the local cabinet.    ........  bottom line is a BT engineer is probably the best fix

If you google this problem you will find that it is a known consequence of a line fault. Of course it could also be caused by the things others have suggested, but I would get BT to come and sort it out.

best

David

Thanks folks. I'll try a couple of simple things such as a plug in phone etc.

We have had line problems in the past due to lightning damage amongst other things that BT have been pretty good at fixing in fairness. It is just a PITY having to have somebody around for when they come.

Hi Bruce as said, could be many things including line fault... however it equally by a wiring fault in your house, which could be more likely depending on condition and number of extensions.

Best thing to do first assuming your wiring is not prehistoric, is to unscrew the consumer face plate of your master NTE5 socket. This your network demarcation point. This will reveal your test socket and disconnect your home wiring. Put an inline ADSL filter in the master socket. Doesthe issue still happen? Try a couple of different filters and a basic wired phone. If the issue still happens, then the fault will be the OpenReach side of the network demarcation, and you can call them with confidence to repair. If the issue goes then the fault is in your house wiring and/or phone and is obviously your responsibility.

Bruce, have you had an engineer out yet?  First thing they will do is check it's not a problem in your house.  This is the easy bit, so I'm told. Then they will look for a fault between you and the exchange. 

We had/have the the same problem.  A number of engineers couldn't find any fault.  Then, things were so bad - dropping every time a call came in or was made and sometimes every 5 minutes or so - that I decided the brave the BT bureaucracy once more and try to get an engineer out again. This engineer who came out actually took some interest in the problem - he spent quite a lot of time analysing the line between us and the exchange and it was only after a couple of hours he saw something that raised his curiosity.  He went to look down the road and found that a junction box had heavily corroded contacts. He cleaned it up and the improvement to broadband was astonishing.  Only trouble is that it gets worse with time - BT have evidently decided against replacing the box and it's obviously not water tight - and depend on conditions.  When it's very wet it's ok, but it's when things dry off that BB gets really bad and a phone call is enough to drop the connection.

Thanks folks. I have to be fair to BT engineers. Once we have negotiated the endless telephone waiting and actually getting them as far as agreeing to book a visit the people who have been have always been thorough and helpful.

Partly the joys of rural life.

Bruce

I have found that by testing the voice capability of the phone line I then have a way of getting a resolution.

Dial 17070 and select Option 2 - Quiet Line.

Listen if you get noise on the line then you can raise this issue with your line provider. I understand that you have a statutory right to a good voice line.

Then while listening to the quiet line switch off and then on the Router/Modem. If you get a raised noise level again this gives you an additional reason to get an engineer out to check your connection.

A further test is to follow the BT Wholesale Test procedure described here:

http://www.speedtest.btwholesale.com/

If you get an unsatisfactory result proceed all the way through the tests including the one where you change the entries in the Router (remember to store the data you are overwriting)  I do a screen capture to store the information

The advantage of the third level test is that it can alert OpenReach and provide data to prompt your ISP to request OpenReach  support.

I have had a fix at the exchange made after running the third level test  -  even before the ISP was able to contact OpenReach.