Broadband weather problems

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Has anyone been affected over the last week or so?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

No, but sometimes experience Freeview TV pixelation when it's particularly wet. Could be various factors.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The type of weather today, especially in the south of the country, may well be a cause of some associated problems.

 

[sor]

Weather shouldn't really be a problem unless there's an underlying fault (eg water getting in somewhere) or where lightning might cause interference. Both are reasons to get full fibre if/when it becomes available to you.

 

[Dai Corner]

Underground cables can get when it rains, overhead ones flap around in the wind and bad weather means more people are likely to be indoors consuming bandwidth.

 

[eastwestdivide]

We had intermittent problems with the broadband + phone line when it rained a lot. It turned out to be a poorly-installed bit of wiring outside the house: it had a kink in it, causing the insulation to part just enough to let moisture in and mess up the line. BT/Openreach’s problem so the callout was free of charge.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I currently have the BT 940Mb broadband package and this was installed by the Open Reach sub-contractor M.J.Quinn at the same time time the phone system went over to Digital Voice. Teething problems started immediately and some external cabling was replaced by the normal Open Reach team.

 

[skyhigh]

I currently have the BT 940Mb broadband package and this was installed by the Open Reach sub-contractor M.J.Quinn at the same time time the phone system went over to Digital Voice. Teething problems started immediately and some external cabling was replaced by the normal Open Reach team.

Have you contacted BT since? I'm not sure there's much that we can do.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Have you contacted BT since? I'm not sure there's much that we can do.

Indeed I did and Open Reach came twice to check on the work and all is now up and running.

Noting today's flooding by both sea and by river in certain areas, I wonder how much water ingress into the BT network sites topped with a manhole cover has occurred in those unfortunate areas.

 

[Belperpete]

Aren't manholes mainly for pulling cables in, e.g. where the cable route changes direction. Sometimes there may be a cable joint there, but it should be a sealed joint. As far as I am aware, anything vulnerable should go in one of the above-ground green boxes, not in a hole in the ground.

 

[Crossover]

I currently have the BT 940Mb broadband package and this was installed by the Open Reach sub-contractor M.J.Quinn at the same time time the phone system went over to Digital Voice. Teething problems started immediately and some external cabling was replaced by the normal Open Reach team.

You've been unlucky. At those speeds you are already on full fibre, as we have been for nearly 2 years, with no particular issues during that time

 

[sor]

Aren't manholes mainly for pulling cables in, e.g. where the cable route changes direction. Sometimes there may be a cable joint there, but it should be a sealed joint. As far as I am aware, anything vulnerable should go in one of the above-ground green boxes, not in a hole in the ground.

the openreach FTTP network, which is what the OP is connected to, doesn't use cabinets and it is generally all underground up to the pole serving the home (in areas with overhead wiring). there are a few places where it couldn't be buried and so they use pole mounted green lumps to contain the equipment.

there is much wider use of "connectorised" fibres to avoid the need for splicing equipment and skills, but it's all weatherproof (or should be if installed correctly)

Indeed I did and Open Reach came twice to check on the work and all is now up and running.

Noting today's flooding by both sea and by river in certain areas, I wonder how much water ingress into the BT network sites topped with a manhole cover has occurred in those unfortunate areas.

As above - full fibre / FTTP should not be affected by flooding. There's no copper to short out and no electronics in the street to fail. As long as you have your end powered up and the exchange isn't itself damaged, all should be well.

 

[Trackman]

Aren't manholes mainly for pulling cables in, e.g. where the cable route changes direction. Sometimes there may be a cable joint there, but it should be a sealed joint. As far as I am aware, anything vulnerable should go in one of the above-ground green boxes, not in a hole in the ground.

They are. I've watched what was going on once - they must have thought I was sad!
They use draw cords to get new cables through the main duct.

 

[Belperpete]

They are. I've watched what was going on once - they must have thought I was sad!
They use draw cords to get new cables through the main duct.

If the draw cords are still serviceable. If not, ducting rods are used.

 

[Dai Corner]

They are. I've watched what was going on once - they must have thought I was sad!
They use draw cords to get new cables through the main duct.

I spent a fascinating afternoon observing a fibre being blown from a chamber half a mile up the road through ducting under the pavement and within the building where I worked into the Comms room.

 

[Trackman]

If the draw cords are still serviceable. If not, ducting rods are used.

Seen them in action too, thought it was the actual cable they wanted to put down at first but obviously it wasnt.

 

[Energy]

the openreach FTTP network, which is what the OP is connected to, doesn't use cabinets and it is generally all underground up to the pole serving the home (in areas with overhead wiring). there are a few places where it couldn't be buried and so they use pole mounted green lumps to contain the equipment.

Splitter nodes (splice joints for FTTP with 2 x 1x32 splitters) are commonly mounted to poles though are also underground. Aggregation nodes (large nodes with 432 or 864 fibres coming in) are always underground. Both are passive and fine in water, manholes filled with water are common.

FTTC cabs contain active equipment so are above ground, manufacturers like Calix, Nokia and Huawei do offer weather proof remote nodes but none are in use with Openreach. Openreach occasionally use remote OLTs (the other side of a GPON connection) mounted within FTTC cabinets, though these are rare.