Hi all,
There have been many threads about this issue, but it does seem that the forum encourages everyone to post in an individual thread (effectively treating the forum as a support ticketing system of sorts) even if they're experiencing the same issue, so I'm posting one here. I've also tried a lot of the troubleshooting issues that others may have gone through so I think it helpful to share what I've done here, before asking for additional help at the end of my post.
Background
I joined TalkTalk at the end of July, switching from an area where I used to use Virgin, to an area where they didn't operate. My line went live in July but because it was a new home and works were being done, I didn't start using my internet properly until towards the end of August because I moved in several weeks after my line went live.
I was particularly happy with my switch to TalkTalk because part of what I do (as work as well as play) is stream games, so knowing TalkTalk doesn't have a throttling policy on their upload speed made me giddy with joy as Virgin are terrible at managing that sort of thing (and it also does not dissuade people from downloading torrents if you restrict upload instead of download - in my opinion counter-productive).
The Problem
Shortly after setting up my computer at my new home and playing games regularly (towards end/August) I noticed random disconnects in the middle of fast-paced games, such as FPS games (Overwatch in this case for me).
This is what it looks like: https://youtu.be/PlxAV9g8aUE?t=5m34s
These kind of 'soft' disconnects happen every 5-20 minutes, but can sometimes happen 2 or 3 times in a span of several minutes. No visible reaction from the router, no 'disconnect' icon in system trays on wired or wireless devices, just a very brief blip in the connection. Long enough, however, to boot me out of a game such as a first person shooter.
It makes any sort of competitive gaming unplayable, but it also interrupts any streaming I do as well - it's not possible for me to stream or entertain if I'm getting unpredictably disconnected from games every time I play. I think most here would agree this isn't acceptable.
What I've Tried
In summary, I've been on the phone to TalkTalk for over 15 hours total (no joke) over the last month, had two BT Openreach engineer visits and new equipment installed. Here is what I have done, approximately in order, since about the first week of September. Please assume after each bullet point I re-tested and discovered the problem was still occurring, and please note that the same computer was able to play the game uninterrupted on my old ISP's connection before I moved home:
- Tested that this happens with multiple devices (Overwatch on desktop via ethernet, laptop via wireless, and another random online game via mobile phone on the same network)
- Reinstall the game
- Swap out cable between router & telephone socket
- Use test socket using microfilter
- Checked phone line for interference or crackling (none)
- Had BT engineer upgrade microfilter for a newer model
- Plug in router & computer via extension cable to another part of the house (in case for any reason this was a power supply blip / issue) that was tested OK with a BT electricity mains tester
- Used Google DNS instead of TalkTalk's standard DNS servers, configured first via desktop and router
- Completely reformat and reinstall operating system on ethernet connected desktop, installing only Overwatch and nothing else (this was a bit extreme but I wanted to eliminate software conflict)
- Disconnect all other devices from the network to isolate one device at a time, then confirm there's still an issue with: desktop + ethernet, laptop + ethernet, laptop + wireless
- Upgraded from HG633 1.20t to current test firmware (I believe 1.21t beta, OCE_Debbie helped me do this earlier in the week)
- Upgraded from HG633 to a HG635 router which TalkTalk sent to me after I explained I had completed the above steps to no avail
- A second BT engineer helped replace some sort of clip on the wire at the junction to improve the quality of my connection, and has since said literally everything on the line now flashes up with a green OK during their testing and there's nothing more they can do
Bear in mind that the above is a summary of what has gone on over the last month and a bit - this has been a large number of weekday evenings, weekends and 3 days working from home to resolve issues and have engineers visit.
Why I Believe It's Not a Game Issue
While it obviously is not a solution, I have tried a mobile phone 4G tethered connection with my laptop, and while the speed was slightly questionable I eliminated the random disconnect issue immediately. The issue only occurs when I connect to the internet via my TalkTalk connection.
What I Need Help With Now
I need help answering two questions:
- What options have I missed above that I have not yet explored? Every wire (that includes wire to phone line and power supply) that connects in or out of the router and PC has been swapped out at least once during testing, I've confirmed this happens across all devices and can see the problem disappears when I bypass my TalkTalk connection. BT have also shown that all their tests on the line turn up green.
- What options do I have to switch away from TalkTalk if the problem isn't resolved? I am not within the 14-day cooling off period anymore, but I have had this issue since I started using the connection and have now been troubleshooting it for over a month (to be fair various people have been helpful!) but sadly with no solution found.
If (genuine hypothetical question here, I do not mean this as a threat - I just want to know my options) I wanted to cancel but not because of SLOW service (the disconnects result in a POOR service, but technically the speed delivered is above their guaranteed minimum still - not that it helps in this situation at all) but because of POOR service, will TalkTalk try to insist on me paying out an entire 18-month contract that I'm 1-month into as a penalty? Do I have to go via the Ombudsman Services: Communication to fight this and free up my phone line so another provider can supply my home with an internet connection instead?
Thanks for reading any any help or pointers anyone can provide!
John