Loosing ethernet connection to internet at installations

[treezleef]

Thanks, how can we proove to the customer (without visiting them), that its the TP links that are at fault.

 

[Mikegh]

Thanks, how can we proove to the customer (without visiting them), that its the TP links that are at fault.

Kinda obvious isn't it, did u say there's just a short lead on the equipment ?

 

[Strima]

Thanks, how can we proove to the customer (without visiting them), that its the TP links that are at fault.

Very difficult to do without a site visit and running in a temporary cable back to the router, assuming there's enough ports available.

 

[Mikegh]

Yes you're right I was assuming the equipment wasn't to blame

But I suppose that can't be assumed

 

[Mikegh]

Price for the lot, equipment and fixed wiring

Should be reliable

If it fails and customer is at fault you collect your callout charge

 

[pirate]

All the comments above are of value, and reflect the reliability or other wise of TPLink or similar. My experience of such devices has been very good over the last 15 years,but you do need to reset sometimes, just as with many devices.
What I would like to know is what systems is the OP installing in customers' homes, and how vital is the monitoring, because if using a TPLink instead of hardwiring is causing a problem, then the installation practices have to be addressed.
The fact that your customer services department is being swamnped must surely tell you something?
If a wired connection is required, which is clearly the best idea, why don't you insist that your installers do this? is it a price-point you have imposed? Is it ok to get a sale then fail to support your customers? Are the contractors to blame, or are they given a price to work to, so every customer gets the same job regardless of their actual, unique situation?
One think you can do is send a competent person to test the installation as a whole, the RJ45 terminations etc. and eliminate those items. After that, turn your attention to the "links" which, while often fine are still a cause of unreliability issues.
Any home-owner using such devices know they have limitations, so if the WiFi goes down in the family room, they can fix it. However, if you have a complicated installation which relies on "gadgets" for its performance, you have a real problem, sorry.

 

[Simon47]

Thanks, i am wondering how these TP links manage to get sold to people? They seem to be terrible.....and it seems possible that our multiple customers with this problem are suffering from the TP links.

They get sold as a "solution" to a problem. To be fair, they do a job provided you are aware of their limitations - one of which is that they cannot be as reliable as a proper ethernet connection.
They became popular waaay back when BT started selling TV over the internet and people didn't like the idea of having to get a network cable to the TV - so BT were pushing these PLT devices as a solution. They should be illegal, but are still on sale because the regulators who should have stamped down on them hard put a heck of a lot of effort into demonstrating why it wasn't their problem.
By design, they put a lot of radio frequency energy into cabling that is 100% guaranteed to be unsuitable to contain it, and so by design they cause massive radio interference over large areas. They neatly avoid failing the EMC tests by doing them when plugged into a filtered socket so that the signals can't get into the wiring.
See Welcome to Ban Power Line Technology - https://www.ban-plt.org.uk/ for details.

Realistically, if an internet connection is essential, then you need to insist on a reliable connection<period>. And that really means being prepared to say no to potential customers who value "not having that unsightly cable" over whatever it is that you install.
I've dealt with customers who can't see past the cost. In a previous job, we had a right tight-a**e customer who'd bodged up his own internal network and tried to make it our fault that the tills didn't work reliably when his shoddy crimping failed, or the lemurs chewed through the cables. Eventually, when he realised that it was costing him more in our call out charges, he'd let us (i.e. me as the only one in the business cable of crimping a plug on properly) fix the worst problems - such as installing the wire armoured cable we'd originally recommended ? That sort of customer you can do without, because, as you've found out - it ends up costing you money.

If you really, really must have a reliable connection then you'll need to upgrade your kit - add a mobile network connection and run redundant tunnels back to base. It won't fix the fundamental problem, and it'll cost, but it'll treat the symptoms and also (if you do it right) allow the kit to report to you that it's lost it's primary connection. That's what many alarm systems do (or did, technology moved on) - primary link via Redcare, backup via 2G mobile, and the unit can alert the monitoring station if the phone line is lost as well as still raise alarms.
But as long as you permit poor quality bodged connections then you'll have these problems.