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ADSL

Troubleshooting

I can’t get synchronisation (my ADSL link light is flashing)

  1. Check if your phone has a dial tone, if not then call BT 151 for them to check the line.
  2. Check, and if possible, replace your micro-filters and internal cabling (even if the setup has worked before).
  3. Unplug all non ADSL equipment from the line including fax machines, Sky TV, etc (even if it has worked with them before)
  4. Try plugging your ADSL directly into the master socket via the filter with no other devices on the line. With some newer master socket installations you can remove the faceplate and connect via a test port found behind. This will bypass all internal wiring.

If all of the above fail, please contact support.

I’m getting slow speeds

  1. Disconnect all PC’s except one from the network and check if the problem is still occurring. You may have a PC on the network that is maxing out the connection and causing problems for other PC’s. If you are using a wireless router/access point, we require you use a fixed connection (Ethernet cable) to ensure the speed issue is not related to any possible low quality signals/spikes on the wireless connection. This must be done to allow accurate testing.
  2. On that PC close down all software that uses an internet connection such as Peer2Peer software like Kazaa.
  3. Go to http://www.adslguide.org/tools/speedtest.asp to test your download speeds.

Also you can test for comparison http://myspeed.co.uk. If Firmware/driver upgrades are available for your ADSL equipment, we would recommend applying these before running the tests.

To determine if the connection is slow as a result of the ADSL network on the BT side we need you to do the following test:
Please follow these steps:

  • Disconnect from your Nildram ADSL connection
  • Login with the user name speedtest@speedtest_domain instead of your usual Nildram ADSL login in your modem / router. This will accept any password. Also please ensure that the DNS settings in your router are set to 'Server Assigned'.
  • Once connected go to http://speedtester.bt.com
  • Enter your telephone number in the relevant field
  • Once test is complete, save the results to your hard disk, then disconnect and log in with your own username and password.
  • Send results back to support for further investigation

We will need more than just one test and they must be carried out at different times of the day to determine if it is consistently slow. At least four tests completed in the same day.

Reviewing your BT Speedtester results:

BT regard the speed ranges shown below as normal service on the National ADSL Network platform from your exchange to the test machine on the end point of their network before reaching Nildram:

  • For 500kbs End users speeds between 100 - 500kbs
  • For 1000kbs End users speeds between 200 - 1000kbs
  • For 2000kbs End users speeds between 400 - 2000kbs

(These figures are based on contention on your ADSL Service).

If on a 512k service you should expect to see between 350k and 480k on a good line (this is the speed in blue) or 40 – 59K (in red).

If you are still getting lower than these speeds please contact support.

If you are familiar with ping and traceroute then please run one of each to www.nildram.co.uk before contacting Support.

My connection keeps dropping

  1. Check, and if possible, replace your micro-filters and internal cabling (even if the setup has worked before).
  2. Unplug all non ADSL equipment from the line including fax machines, Sky TV, etc (even if it has worked with them before).
  3. Try plugging your ADSL directly into the master socket via the filter with no other devices on the line. With some newer master socket installations you can remove the faceplate and connect via a test port found behind. This will bypass all internal wiring.

If all of the above fail, please contact support.

I get a failed authentication message when logging on

  1. Ensure you are using the correct login format e.g. ‘example@gotadsl.co.uk’ where ‘example’ is your login name.
  2. Double check your password.
  3. Ensure that the login and password are in the correct case (check Caps lock etc).

If the connection is still failing, please try the following login names and make a note of the results.

  1. Try the login bt_test@startup_domain with your own password.
  2. Try the login bt_test_user@gotadsl.co.uk with your own password.

Contact Nildram Support with the results of all of the above.

My router says it’s connected but I can’t see any websites

  1. If using Windows, click on ‘Start’ then go to ‘run’ and type ‘command’ into the box and click ‘OK’ (this should bring up a command prompt).
  2. Find out what your routers IP address by typing ‘ipconfig’ and hitting return on the keyboard. Look for the default gateway; this is likely to be your routers IP address.
  3. Type ‘ping’ and then the gateway address e.g. ‘ping 192.168.0.1’. If this is successful you should get 4 replies. If so move onto the next test, if not, then check your network and router setup.
  4. Type ‘ping 212.139.132.5 or 212.139.132.6’ and hit return. If this replies then your PC can get out onto the internet, if not then it might be a problem with the NAT settings. If you’re a single IP user then ensure NAT is enabled on the router.
  5. Type “ping www.nildram.co.uk” and hit return. If this is successful then you can also resolve DNS so check your browsers settings and ensure you don’t have a firewall which might be blocking port 80 (http). If you can ping 212.139.132.5 or 212.139.132.6 but not www.nildram.co.uk then you have a problem with your DNS settings so configure your network card to use the below:
  • DNS Primary: 212.139.132.5 or 212.139.132.6
  • DNS Secondary: 212.139.132.21 or 212.139.132.22

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If this section doesn't meet your needs or you require further assistant then please contact support.