Can Vodafone change settings on your router?

[nkclayton]

I have just been told by the online tech team that they have changed some advanced settings on my router to improve my connection that keeps dropping out. Specifically to help with the poor signal-to-noise level of my DSL line.

Can they actually do this? I have changed the admin password for the router so do they have a backdoor or was this just a 'placebo' solution by the support guy?  By 'placebo' I mean they didn't actually do anything except tell me that they had to make me feel better...

[Charlotte]

Hello, @nkclayton. I hope you're well.

Our Broadband Support Team are able to manage your connection from their side, and this does include features like changing your wireless channels, for example. So there are certainly advanced settings which we can adjust to see if your service improves. 

The admin password is for use on the customer side only, it wouldn't impact our ability to manage your service. 

[Ripshod]

It's done via TR-069

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TR-069 

[billhinge]

And every time they do it knocks my router off line and I have to manually reset it, thankfully happening less now but a month or so back it was happening 2 or 3 times a day. Seems less frequent now

[nkclayton]

Thanks for this, I didn't know that.

[Jayach]

As @Ripshod says, yes they can remotely configure your router, most ISP's can and do.

However there is not a lot they can do about the DSL line, as that is controlled by DLM from the cabinet, and just what do you consider a poor SNR?

[nkclayton]

6.1dB downstream, 6.7dB upstream

[Jayach]

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@nkclayton wrote:

6.1dB downstream, 6.7dB upstream

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Absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Why do you consider that poor?

Post your actual DSL stats. For comparison here are mine, but bear in mind it took a while for DLM to reduce my SNR to allow me to achieve my best download figures.

Line Quality

  Downstream Upstream

Current Rate	79997 kbps	20000 kbps
Maximum Rate	82269 kbps	25030 kbps
Signal-to-Noise Ratio	4.2 dB	8.8 dB
Attenuation	DS1 9.1 dB, DS2 22.2 dB, DS3 34.8 dB	US0 2.1 dB, US1 15.4 dB, US2 25.0 dB

[nkclayton]

Thanks @Jayach. Based on my research I thought that 6dB was around the bottom of the acceptable SNR for a DSL connection, e.g. https://www.speedguide.net/faq/what-is-considered-good-dsl-noise-margin-snr-355.  

The issue I was trying to address when I started researching this was that I lose my internet connection several times a day.  It is most obvious when streaming a TV programme on a 1GB ethernet connection -- so wifi definitely not involved.  Here are my actual DSL stats:

Line Quality

  Downstream Upstream

Current Rate	73893 kbps	20000 kbps
Maximum Rate	74092 kbps	24078 kbps
Signal-to-Noise Ratio	6.2 dB	6.7 dB
Attenuation	DS1 10.4 dB, DS2 21.7 dB, DS3 34.6 dB	US0 0.4 dB, US1 13.7 dB, US2 26.7 dB

Thanks again, Neil

[Jayach]

Whatever the reason for your internet losses, it's definately not related to the SNR readings, As long as they are stable (i.e. always within a couple of points at each reading) they are fine.

6.2 seems to be very much the default SNR to start with, and DLM will adjust it to produce the best speed, whilst maintaining a stable line. The reason the upload SNR is slightly higher is that you have reached the max speed possible for that,

If it is the DSL line dropping, that will be recorded as "cuts" in the router configs, so check that. 

I rebooted my router a couple of days ago, however since them my connection has renewed the PPPoE session a couple of times (getting a new I.P address each time) but the DSL stayed up the whole time. I assume Vodafone were doing some reconfiguring in the background

We will need some more info to try to guess why you are having your problems, but at the moment I don't think is is the DSL connection itself, unless your router is showing a lot of "cuts".