Hi there,
Hate to see this kind of thing happen with broadband. I used to have it at my old house and it was very frustrating so I understand where you are coming from.
Now first of all to clarify if you have a pre-filtered router or not.
Normally you will find the main socket in yuor home either has 1 or 2 ports in it. If it has one port then this will fit only a phone line. These types of sockets are called NTE-5 and requires a micro-filter. This will have what is called a Test Socket behind the faceplate.
If it has two ports one on top of the other or side by-side then one will be for Phone line and other for internet cable. These types of sockets are called SSFP's and do not require a micro-filter. This will have what is called a Test Socket behind the faceplate this will require a faceplated when being used as it will no longer will be pre-filtered.
As for your problem of dropouts i would probably say in most cases this is due to a fault on the line or faulty equipment. Steps to follow would be to get yourself into the test socket via microfilter (So make sure to try a new Microfilter) and check for dial tone. If there is any nosie on the landline then this indicates there is an issue on the line that requires an engineer to be sent out.
If there is no noise on the line then we need to move on. make sure the internet cabel is plugged into the router correctly and then I'd suggest to reset the router. To do this you will need to hold the reset button on the back of the router for 30 seconds until all 4 green lights on the top start to flash green rapidly. After 30 seconds then release the button and all the lights will go out and a reset will be complete after about 2-5 minutes. The lights will come back on again and the wifi and internet lights should be green. Internet light must be solid green.
Now what this will do is reset a line management feature which will try and stabilise your line speed. On an ADSL line this can run for upto 10 days. The purpose for this is to find a suitable speed for your broadband which allows it to function without dropping.
If these steps do not help then please call customer service on 191 and they will follow the diagnostic steps i have laid out above. So this should dave you some time if say you have done all of this and the likelyhood will be that they send it to Tech team to investigate further which may involve an engineer visit to fix the issue.
Hope this helps and clarifies some of your issues.
