Monday 11 January 2010

Branch-line problem

For some reason yesterday we were without the internet here at home for six and a half hours. I'd checked everything was connected properly, and I'd connected the computer directly to the modem bypassing the wireless bit, no joy. I was on the point of phoning BT when Jan tried one last time on her laptop ... and there we were, back on line. Our phone cable runs through some trees before entering the house, and is rubbing against some branches.


No, it's worse than that: one branch is stretching the cable out of line. I suspect that some insulation has worn off and water has got in. Not enough to lose us our (low frequency) landline, but enough to attenuate the higher frequency broadband signal. That's my theory, anyway. I ought to tell BT before we have (another) broken cable outside.


I've just been outside to take these photos, and discovered another problem: the cable is trying to pull our guttering down. It's caught on a clip. Not good.

Update: I had an e-mail back from Vishwanbran Bindu, Digital Care Advisor at BT, asking me to contact their "Line Plant Rearrangement department". (Why couldn't Mr. Bindu simply have done that on my behalf?) Yes, now it's put like that, I suppose my "line plant" does need rearranging, so I forwarded the details to the LPR department.

edited to include update

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm with BT and I had no Internet yesterday. I got as far as getting the old BT modem out and conecting that when it came back on. I have found that if you ring with a problem and you have a third party modem you don't get much help

Halfie said...

Brian, I've e-mailed BT with details of my problem. We'll see what happens.