Cabling or router?

My router has a green light that is ON at times when the internet is able to download data and OFF when it isn't. I can see the results of these download sessions and they correlate with the green light being ON. But when I try to download anything or even when I go on the net to have a look round, instead of a solid green light all I get is a green light blip after a few seconds, to start the process off. It stays on for about 1 second then goes off for six seconds. It does this continuously. I cannot do what TalkTalk asked me to do and plug my router into the so called "master" test socket that's inside the wall plate without going to a lot of trouble, because the router is upstairs with the PC and the so called "master" BT socket is downstairs. Am I right in thinking that the test would point to my downstairs-to-upstairs house wiring if the router works well when plugged into the test socket downstairs? If the test failed then what would it show? Presumably that my fault is either in the router or in the house wiring? If I felt confident about this I would go to the trouble of doing the test. The router is 15 years old and I'm wondering if it should be changed anyway.

ISPs always recommend plugging the router into the master socket (it's supposed to eliminate any internal wiring issues). TBH, I've never known any issue be solved by this recommendation. It's probably worth trying anyway, for the simple reason that if it does turn out to be internal wiring BT will charge you for any visit arranged by your ISP.

Having said that, my money is on Talk Talk being the problem. They've always had a fairly bad reputation; it often depends on the contention ratio of the area you're in whether you get a good connection or not, and from many reports, Talk Talk often seem to push contention to the limit (and, some would argue, beyond what is acceptable).

Shameless self plug; my company is a registered ISP reseller and we supply internet connections, although we're mainly business facing (and we tend to sell business grade routers, rather than give them away, as the big customer facing ISPs tend to do). Still, if you're interested I'd be happy to talk it over?

If you're just looking for something cheap and cheerful IMHO Sky are the best of the main players (again, you'll get mixed reviews because contention is a localised issue). If you're looking for a slightly more pricey recommendation, you can't go far wrong with Zen Internet.

You can have ISP's wifi router downstairs connected to main phone line. Then a second / your own wifi router upstairs with bridging mode enabled, so it's like a single wifi network. Not sure of the details just yet, I will need to do this for my own setup in a few days...

Pretty sure it's possible, there's an option for it in my own router, just can't remember what it's called off top of my head.

---------- Post added 09-11-2017 at 21:08 ----------

NOTE: In my case, I need second router upstairs to have stuff (NAS etc) wired in to it.

I’ve just gone through the trauma of having to deal with TalkTalk during a four day loss of broadband, internet etc. TalkTalk are the absolute pits when anything goes wrong.

When, eventually, a man from Open Reach arrived he said the problem was an ‘Authentication Issue’ and he fixed it within a minute. This was despite the fact I’d told TalkTalk approximately ten times what the symptoms were. They did have the good grace to send me a new Router and make an ex gratia refund of £10

They are appalling and I’m going once my contract ends. Trouble is I don’t to which ISP I ought to go to !

Trouble is I don’t to which ISP I ought to go to !

If you're willing to pay a bit more, Zen. If not, Sky Broadband. I'd avoid Talk Talk and BT personally.

Ey up,

Best thing here would be to

1. Use uSwitch to change suppliers

https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/

2. Plug the new router into the main phone socket.

3. Buy a used Linksys WRT54G router from ebay for £5

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/linksys-wrt54g-ver-7-wireless-g-broadband-router-power-set-up-cd-instructions-/132390976751

4. Install DD WRT onto the router

https://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database

5.Configure the router as a Client Bridge

If you need help with any of this just give me a shout

*will work for tea and biscuits

Great answers! Thanks everyone. As I may have said, my router is upstairs, right next to my pc so I plug it into the upstairs phone line and connect my pc to the router with a cable, called a firewire I believe. Is there something inherently wrong with this setup or does it just happen to be bad in my case?

Great answers! Thanks everyone. As I may have said, my router is upstairs, right next to my pc so I plug it into the upstairs phone line and connect my pc to the router with a cable, called a firewire I believe. Is there something inherently wrong with this setup or does it just happen to be bad in my case?

The router (and computer) must be pretty old if you're using Firewire.

If the socket downstairs isn't misbehaving then you could just try an extension cable from it to the router upstairs?

Louca001 are you saying in effect to try a different wire connection between the incoming BT cable and upstairs? In case the existing house wiring is faulty, I suppose? That's not a bad idea. Easy to implement. The router was given to me by TalkTalk 16 years ago. When I called the wire a Firewire I was referring to the yellow cable that came with the router. Is it in fact called a firewire? . Thanks.

Can't be Firewire, must be Cat5/ethernet/RJ45

Type RJ45 into your favourite search engine and select images for pics of a variety of ethernet cables and connectors

are the images similar to the cable connecting your computer to the router?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=RJ45&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZp4L1xrbXAhXCPBoKHSAcAbEQsAQIlQE&biw=1629&bih=847

Thanks everyone. Mikes10 I'll do that next. You may not all be aware that nobody actually tells someone like me (yes I know - an IT idiot!) never tell a new user like me where the router should connect and why. I used to think that the wireless aerial on the router was supposed to connect with a box somewhere outside the house in much the same way as a cell phone does. Since nobody not even Talk Talk told me otherwise, how was I supposed to know? I've only just been reading up about the connections needed in a two story house to make the whole thing work. I can see now why my setup may be so slow. My router is plugged into an extension BT line upstairs and it would be better if I plug it into the socket where the BT line enters the house and link it by wireless to my pc which is upstairs. So what makes the system pulse on and off as it is now? I haven't changed anything for years and it used to work ok. Mikes10 yes I looked up RJ45 and that's what my cable does look like. Thanks.

Thanks everyone. Mikes10 I'll do that next. You may not all be aware that nobody actually tells someone like me (yes I know - an IT idiot!) . Thanks.

Some problems are not immediately obvious, I recently looked at an installation where the lady said the internet connection was slow and sometimes did not work. she had seven telephones on the circuit, and the router was at the end of a long run of

cheap telephone extension cable.

BT allow for four devices connected to the phone line.