What we need to know - migrating business from ADSL to VDSL

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onzl

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#144058 6-May-2014 10:30

(Sorry if this appears twice, Google Chrome didn't seem to submit properly so am redoing via Firefox).

A case of 'we don't know, what we don't know'.

We upgraded our Wellington office yesterday from ADSL to VDSL; and have Auckland scheduled to migrate in a couple of weeks.

The business owner is away and we don't know what information was provided to Telecom when the upgrade was requested.

The Chorus technician changed out the modem, tested it (on his equipment); and advised us that it was working and to contact Telecom for any issues.

So we've had no broadband since lunchtime yesterday at the office, the phones don't work and the staff can't do any work there.

Telecom can't get the Chorus technician back out to our business, until Chorus closes the job/billing in their system - which we were advised this morning could take up to 48 hours (and have since been advised it should be closed off by lunchtime today).

We have a VPN to Auckland and I now wonder whether our 'setup' is not standard; and there is specific information we needed to provide upfront when booking the migration in.

The irony is, we went with VDSL over Fibre because apparently Fibre was going to be a bit of a mission to install, and VDSL was straightforward. Hhmm.

Any advice on what we need to tell Telecom/Chorus when they visit the Auckland office, so that we don't have a repeat of the Wellington experience would be appreciated!

A checklist for small business owners that asked questions to identify their current telecomms/IT setup would be useful (aimed at non-tech people if at all possible!).

Many thanks

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2780 posts

Uber Geek

#1037587 6-May-2014 10:44

So, what is not working - your new VDSL connection is not working? You say no phones etc as well, do you use standard POTS phones, VOIP, or what?

Does the VDSL modem show as connected? It should give you some line stats, etc and a connection state in it's web interface.

Coil

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#1037593 6-May-2014 10:49

If a tech said it was working that would mean he has it connected the the DSL gear and synced OK. Your issue would like with the PPP side of the connection. Can you provide modem stats?

onzl

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1037660 6-May-2014 12:02

Unfortunately being non-technical, we are unable to answer your questions. Our digital phones are connected to Auckland from the Wellington office; and I suspect it's our unique setup that is preventing call-outs from that office. People can phone in to the Wellington office apparently.

I understand that the VDSL needs to have a specific LAN address entered for our network, which I suspect was never provided. I'm sure it was 'connecting' working fine from a technician's perspective; and just needs customisation to get our system up and running.

It's just disappointing that they didn't check the 'end user' experience before they departed the premises and frustrating that there is absolutely no way we can get a Chorus technician out until tomorrow at the earliest.

We will know for next time though!

Inphinity

2780 posts

Uber Geek

#1037665 6-May-2014 12:09

The Chorus technician is unlikely to configure your network. My suggestion would be to get your IT support agents in to get things going. If the VDSL connection is working, Chorus doing anything further would simply be out of the kindness of the techs heart.

gehenna

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#1037667 6-May-2014 12:11

Definitely up to your IT provider to sort this out - and they should have been involved in the whole process from the get-go.

Likely if you have internal firewalls and other internal services they'll need to be updated with new external IP addresses and so forth.

Reminds me of a few years ago when our accountant at the time decided it would be a good idea to change our phone plan and provider without consulting with the internal IT department. We were without phones for nearly 3 days while we fixed his mess. Needless to say he never did anything without checking with IT again.

Zeon

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#1037668 6-May-2014 12:12

Your IT support company should have managed this whole process (or at least involved). Did you just randomly make the decision and order without consulting them?

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Coil

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#1037678 6-May-2014 12:44

onzl:

It's just disappointing that they didn't check the 'end user' experience before they departed the premises and frustrating that there is absolutely no way we can get a Chorus technician out until tomorrow at the earliest.

We will know for next time though!

Chorus technicians are only obligated to check if DSL sync is avaliable. The rest is between you and your ISP. You can not expect more from them.
Please consult your ISP and your IT support staff. I think this lies with your end equipment configuration.

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onzl

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1037746 6-May-2014 14:47

Yes, we now know not to make any changes without consulting our external IT support provider! I recognise this fault is not due to Chorus or Telecom. I still think it would be helpful for small businesses if ISPs asked some standard questions as part of any technology switch out, like when you switch phone providers and the CSR tells you that you may have outstanding billing obligations with the losing service provider. Just some basic 'did you know' type things (or had this information available online). Just my thoughts and thanks for your input.

onzl

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1038399 7-May-2014 15:14

Ah so... we still 'don't know what we don't know. Waited two days for Chorus technician to return - to be told he's not allowed to touch the router to reconfigure it in any way to make it work, even if he is following the instructions of our Auckland-based IT support person. We need an IT company to come in and physically do this. Fair enough, but would have been good if Telecom had mentioned this during one of our many phone conversations.

Inphinity

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Uber Geek

#1038408 7-May-2014 15:26

Sounds like you're expecting your ISP to take responsibility for a service that isn't the one they provide - internal IT support. If you get a plumber in to fix a leaking tap, you don't expect him to have to say "Oh, and by the way, if your car won't start I can't help with that".

onzl

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1038432 7-May-2014 15:44

Hhmm. We upgraded to VDSL to get faster broadband...and it resulted in us having no broadband. I guess we figured that our ISP could resolve that. It's not quite a plumber to car fix analogy, but happy to differ on that point.

Dynamic

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#1038437 7-May-2014 15:49

We are an IT provider to Small-Medium business clients across NZ and Aussie.

One of my pet hates is clients calling to say 'we've changed our broadband provider and now nothing is working', and the asking us to drop everything to come and sort it ASAP. A 3 minute phone call from the client to us when the change is planned would save both parties a lot of headaches and down time, and this ultimately saves the client money by reducing our charges and their down time.

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sbiddle

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#1038451 7-May-2014 16:28

onzl: Hhmm. We upgraded to VDSL to get faster broadband...and it resulted in us having no broadband. I guess we figured that our ISP could resolve that. It's not quite a plumber to car fix analogy, but happy to differ on that point.

It's not your ISPs job to know what your internal network configuration and setup is. Their role is to provide you with a connection.

Every company is going to have a specific setup and it sounds like yours involves complexities such as VPN's - there is no way for your ISP to know this. I think you've learned a lesson - that if you have an IT company they should be involved in any such changes.

Your analogy is similar to ringing your power company because you don't know how to change channels on your TV. It's not the job of a Chorus tech to visit and reconfigure your internal network.

Jase2985

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#1038493 7-May-2014 17:43

onzl: Hhmm. We upgraded to VDSL to get faster broadband...and it resulted in us having no broadband. I guess we figured that our ISP could resolve that. It's not quite a plumber to car fix analogy, but happy to differ on that point.

shouldn't it be you talking to the IT guy to have them upgrade you to VDSL? not you talking to the ISP for an upgrade and then wondering why you internal network doesn't work

IT stuff should be left to the IT Pros

better analogy is calling your power company(isp) because you have a blown fuse inside the house. they dont care because they are supplying you with the power you requested, you need to get the electrician (IT pro) to fix the fuse issue

thinking about it i bet that happens a bit in that industry too

onzl

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1039209 8-May-2014 16:07

Indeed - lesson learnt!

We will now be our external, Auckland-based IT support person's most well-behaved client .... and a thumbs up to Wellington-based IT Engine for getting us up and running in under 30 minutes, this afternoon.

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