1. Unable to connect to the Internet
   
2. Intermittent Connection Problems
   
3. Slow speeds (downloads or uploads)
   
4. Unable to access some secure websites
   
5. Unable to view any web pages
   

1. Unable to connect to the Internet

Incorrect username and password
Check your broadband service username and password are entered correctly.
Remember:

• Use your broadband service username, this is only used for your broadband login, and is not the same as your Metronet account username.
  
• Usernames and passwords are case sensitive - check that you are not using capital letters incorrectly.
  

You can check your broadband service username by clicking View Details on your broadband service, located on your Account Summary Page.

If you're unsure which username you should be entering, read our LINK:/support/broadband/help_and_setup/username_guide.shtml] Username Guide[/LINK]

No Sync (Sync light flashing on your broadband hardware)
Check the sync light on your broadband hardware. The sync light is sometimes called link, ADSL, DSL, Internet or showtime. You should consult your hardware documentation if you are not sure which light it is.

On: indicates a successful connection.
Flashing:indicates that your hardware is trying to connect.
Off: indicates a possible hardware fault.

Check the placement of your microfilters. There should be a microfilter at each extension point that shares the line with your broadband service. Microfilters are needed as they prevent other equipment interfering with the broadband, and telephone extension cables can cause problems if they are damaged.

If you are using an extension, check to see if your sync light turns on if you bypass the extension and plug your hardware directly into your master telephone socket.

Sync light is on but unable to login:
You should use your broadband hardware to login to a test account. First make a note of your own broadband service username and password, then use the following username and password instead:

Test broadband service username: bt_test@startup_domain
Password:Test

If you establish a connection check if you can see the website http://www.bt.net/digitaldemo/
or http://193.113.211.125/digitaldemo/

If your connection is successful, and you can view the BT test site, then you should recheck your broadband service username and password before reporting your problem using Contact Us.
Don't forget to re-enter your own service username and password, you will not be able to connect to the Internet unless you do.
[Top]

2.Intermittent connection problems

If you experience periods where your broadband service is not available, you may have an intermittent connection problem. There are many possible causes, the most common are listed below.

Telephone extension cable problems
The use of telephone extension cables is not recommended. If you need to use one, check that it is free from damage. Test your broadband service at your telephone master socket (this is the socket to which the outside telephone line is connected) to see if you still experience disconnections.

Incorrectly placed microfilters
Your microfilter should be plugged directly into the telephone master socket and then your broadband equipment plugged into that, or through a quality extension cable. It is important that you have a microfilter for every used telephone extension socket you have in your house. On any sockets that you use a splitter to plug in several phone devices, place the microfilter into the wall socket first, then plug the splitter into the phone point on the microfilter.

Faulty microfilters
Damaged or faulty microfilters may cause your service to disconnect. Broadband hardware is often supplied with two microfilters, which lets you test your service with a different microfilter to ensure that it is not the cause of a connection problem.

Poor wiring
Wiring that is corroded or has bad joins may cause intermittent connection problems. If the problem is with your telephone line, you should contact BT, note that they may charge for work done to internal wiring.

Hardware idle timeouts
If you find that you are losing your broadband connection during periods when you are not using your computer, it's likely that your hardware is set to drop the Internet connection if it has been idle for a period of time. Consult your hardware documentation on how to change idle timeout settings.

Electrical interference
Interference from household items, such as microwaves or cordless phones can cause your broadband service to disconnect. Wireless broadband hardware is particularly vulnerable to nearby electrical equipment.

If you are using a wireless connection, check the strength and quality of your reception. Check your wireless hardware documentation if you're not sure how to do this.

If you suspect that your disconnections are being caused by interference, you should try and log what equipment is in use during your periods of disconnection.
[Top]

3.Slow speeds (downloads or uploads)

Slow connection speeds, both downloading and uploading at speeds far below those expected on your broadband service. Remember the speed of your service is dependent on the quality of your telephone line, and service contention, you may not always experience the maximum speed of your service.

A problem with hardware setup
Your computer, network hardware, or microfilters are not properly installed.
Try to remove and reinstall your hardware, use an alternate microfilter, and connect your hardware directly to your master phone socket (avoid using extension cabling).

A virus infection
Computer virus infections may cause Internet connections to slow down. Ensure that you have performed a virus check using up-to-date anti-virus software.

Service contention
Slowdowns may occur at peak times because there are many users sharing your telephone exchange. You may reduce your slowdown by upgrading to a product that has a lower contention.

Telephone exchange network fault
This is a fault on the network that connects you to your Metronet service. You should report the fault using Contact Us.

Internet network fault
This is a fault on the network that connects you to the Internet. Once you are sure the problem isn't with your setup then you should raise a fault using Contact Us.

Heavy internet traffic
Some parts of the Internet slow down, at certain times of day. Try to vary the time you use your service.

Connection optimising software
If used for an earlier 56kbps dial-up connection, this can cause broadband to slow down. If you applied this type of software, check the documentation that came with it.
[Top]

4.Unable to access some secure websites

Problems with accessing certain websites is most likely caused by the setup of your computer system or networking. Your problem may be as a result of network settings that are causing data to be rejected by your broadband hardware. This may be confirmed and fixed by following one of these procedures:

• Windows 2k/XP only Registry Fix: Please download our supplied registry file (Right-click and 'save link as' to your desktop). Then run the file and reboot your computer, you should find that this corrects the problem.
  
• GUI Utility (Dr TCP): You may wish to use a software utility like Dr TCP to try and increase your connection speed.
  

5.Unable to view any web pages

If you find yourself able to send and receive email but unable to view webpages, then the most likely cause of the problem is your web browser.
Check to see if your firewall settings have changed. It may be worth testing your connection with the firewall uninstalled (rather than just deactivated), to see if your connection has been become blocked.