Need Help With Unstable Broadband on Old Exchange

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da5id

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#214024 24-Apr-2017 14:35

Is there someone from Spark with some authority that can help? To summarize -

My folks live in a semi-rural area and the broadband speed has never been faster than 1-2 Mbps.
They've put up with this, but at least the connection has been semi-reliable. Now though, it isn't.
Now it drops out all the time and is basically unusable. It wasn't working at all yesterday, with the upload speed being zero.

We're told by Spark that the exchange is too old and there's nothing can be done. It's "congestion". Chorus has no plans to upgrade it either.
We were phoned last year about getting wireless and said we would sign up, but after nothing happened were told it was actually unavailable.

Now I find that I can't even send an email. Just getting a message - "The connection to remote server shared.xm1.smxemail.com was refused or timed out while attempting to connect."

Am using my phone's hotspot at the moment to be able to use the internet at all

Any help appreciated...

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meow
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#1769777 24-Apr-2017 14:37

Sounds like you're on a Conklin - Flick a DM to @hio77 who may be able to help out.

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tripp

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#1769778 24-Apr-2017 14:37

Have you checked to see if wireless is available?

https://www.spark.co.nz/shop/internet/wirelessbroadband/

da5id

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#1769783 24-Apr-2017 14:40

Spark phoned us last year and asked if we wanted to sign up for wireless. We said yes. When nothing happened it turned out that it wasn't available. I am told yesterday that because the neighbours have wireless that means we can't because there are only so many connections to the wireless as well.

tripp

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#1769784 24-Apr-2017 14:41

da5id:

Spark phoned us last year and asked if we wanted to sign up. We said yes. When nothing happened it turned out that it wasn't available. I am told yesterday that because the neighbours have wireless that means we can't because there are only so many connections to the wireless as well.

Just check your address, if it says you can then order it :P

Load of rubbish about next door having it and you can't. Did next door tell you that?

da5id

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#1769787 24-Apr-2017 14:43

tripp:

da5id:

Spark phoned us last year and asked if we wanted to sign up. We said yes. When nothing happened it turned out that it wasn't available. I am told yesterday that because the neighbours have wireless that means we can't because there are only so many connections to the wireless as well.

Just check your address, if it says you can then order it :P

Load of rubbish about next door having it and you can't. Did next door tell you that?

No, the lady from Spark technical support told me that.

hio77

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#1769789 24-Apr-2017 14:45

Please dm me your account number and contact details.

I'll see what i can do for you, sounds like a bit of a unideal situation you have :/

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da5id

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#1769791 24-Apr-2017 14:46

ps, the wireless checker at the link above says it is not available.

I am guessing they mean 4G, as my iphone using a hotspot is getting 3G just fine at 9.43 MBps on Speedtest

tripp

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#1769793 24-Apr-2017 14:46

da5id:

tripp:

da5id:

Spark phoned us last year and asked if we wanted to sign up. We said yes. When nothing happened it turned out that it wasn't available. I am told yesterday that because the neighbours have wireless that means we can't because there are only so many connections to the wireless as well.

Just check your address, if it says you can then order it :P

Load of rubbish about next door having it and you can't. Did next door tell you that?

No, the lady from Spark technical support told me that.

Sounds like the spark technical support is talking out their butt. Only way that would ever happen is if they totally over sold the mobile internet which companies don't tend to do.

Check your address, see if it will let you have it.

hyperman

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#1769794 24-Apr-2017 14:48

tripp:

da5id:

tripp:

da5id:

Spark phoned us last year and asked if we wanted to sign up. We said yes. When nothing happened it turned out that it wasn't available. I am told yesterday that because the neighbours have wireless that means we can't because there are only so many connections to the wireless as well.

Just check your address, if it says you can then order it :P

Load of rubbish about next door having it and you can't. Did next door tell you that?

No, the lady from Spark technical support told me that.

Sounds like the spark technical support is talking out their butt. Only way that would ever happen is if they totally over sold the mobile internet which companies don't tend to do.

Check your address, see if it will let you have it.

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tripp

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#1769795 24-Apr-2017 14:48

da5id:

ps, the wireless checker at the link above says it is not available.

I am guessing they mean 4G, as my iphone using a hotspot is getting 3G just fine at 9.43 MBps on Speedtest

Ah yes, it is 4g internet that spark sells as a wireless home broadband (not 3g).

Might pay to check other providers as well. Do a google search for "rural broadband NZ" and you will find some other providers that you can also check.

chevrolux

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#1769822 24-Apr-2017 15:19

tripp:

da5id:

tripp:

da5id:

Spark phoned us last year and asked if we wanted to sign up. We said yes. When nothing happened it turned out that it wasn't available. I am told yesterday that because the neighbours have wireless that means we can't because there are only so many connections to the wireless as well.

Just check your address, if it says you can then order it :P

Load of rubbish about next door having it and you can't. Did next door tell you that?

No, the lady from Spark technical support told me that.

Sounds like the spark technical support is talking out their butt. Only way that would ever happen is if they totally over sold the mobile internet which companies don't tend to do.

Check your address, see if it will let you have it.

Which would be the exact reason why Spark is saying no to the OP. There are already too many fixed wireless customers in the area. No one is talking out their ass, just doing what is responsible.

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coffeebaron

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#1769824 24-Apr-2017 15:23

What area are you from? RBI could be another option, or if you're not on a Conklin, some TLC on internal wiring could help.

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da5id

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#1769825 24-Apr-2017 15:23

hio77: Please dm me your account number and contact details.

I'll see what i can do for you, sounds like a bit of a unideal situation you have :/

Thanks. Have PM'd

da5id

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#1769828 24-Apr-2017 15:25

coffeebaron:

What area are you from? RBI could be another option, or if you're not on a Conklin, some TLC on internal wiring could help.

Don't know, but we already have a Master Filter installed. I don't think it's an internal problem. When we installed the Master, we thought it'd help with the speed (we weren't having the other problems then), but when we did, we hooked up the ethernet directly to where the jack came into the property to test it and the speed stayed the same.

da5id

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#1769831 24-Apr-2017 15:27

chevrolux:

tripp:

da5id:

tripp:

da5id:

Spark phoned us last year and asked if we wanted to sign up. We said yes. When nothing happened it turned out that it wasn't available. I am told yesterday that because the neighbours have wireless that means we can't because there are only so many connections to the wireless as well.

Just check your address, if it says you can then order it :P

Load of rubbish about next door having it and you can't. Did next door tell you that?

No, the lady from Spark technical support told me that.

Sounds like the spark technical support is talking out their butt. Only way that would ever happen is if they totally over sold the mobile internet which companies don't tend to do.

Check your address, see if it will let you have it.

Which would be the exact reason why Spark is saying no to the OP. There are already too many fixed wireless customers in the area. No one is talking out their ass, just doing what is responsible.

Fair point, but they were really pushing it. Got the personalised letter in our mailbox advertising it, and then the Spark lady rang up a few weeks later to sell it.

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