Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


trig42

5809 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#175459 30-Jun-2015 16:30
Send private message

I catch a ferry every morning from Waiheke to the City.

I get on the ferry quite early (before anyone else often) at about 6:50am. First thing I do is check emails, then facebook, then I read a book or talk to others.

While there are very few people aboard the ferry (say from 650-700), 4G on my phone works fine (I can watch silly cat videos on Facebook etc). Once the buses get in and the ferry starts filling up (maybe coincidence, but happens after about 10 minutes for me, and others I sit with in the morning), my phone shows full signal (5 dots on an iPhone 6) and the 4G symbol, but I cannot get anything on the internet. Facebook doesn't work, emails won't delete/move folders, NZ Herald app will not load etc. It is not just me, everyone I talk to that is on Vodafone has the issue. This is while the ferry is still docked (so has not moved out of range - pretty certain there is a Vodafone cell tower in the bay). Once we start moving (at 715) signal drops down as we leave the bay (understandable) and then picks up as we get closer to Auckland (obviously then coming off a city cell tower as it can only be 1 or two bars until we get past Rangitoto), but the whole time it is on those one or two bars, the internet works fine.

This happens every day, and the same behavior is seen when I return in the evening - full bars within the bay, but no internet (haven't tried a call actually, but iMessage certainly doesn't work).

I think someone at Vodafone needs to know that there is an issue with their cell tower at Matiatia (or they need to tell us that it cannot cope with 200-400 people checking facebook at once :p)

AFAIK no one on Spark has any issues. 2D do, but I think on Waiheke they roam to Vodafone.

What would be the best way to make someone high enough up at Vodafone take note? I did try their helpdesk once, but gave up when they did not understand me. I think the above is pretty clear.

Maybe one of the great Vodafone tech people here should organize a trip to Cable Bay for dinner one night and see what I'm talking about when the ferry docks and they can't update their statuses :)

Create new topic
PeterReader
6018 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Geekzone
Lifetime subscriber

  #1334290 30-Jun-2015 16:30
Send private message

Hello... Our robot found some keywords in your post, so here is an automated reply with some important things to note regarding broadband speeds.

 



 

If you are posting regarding DSL speeds please check that

 



 

- you have reset your modem and router

 


 

- your PC (or other PCs in your LAN) is not downloading large files when you are testing

 

- you are not being throttled by your ISP due to going over the monthly cap

 


 

- your tests are always done on an ethernet connection to the router - do not use wireless for testing

 


 

- you read this topic and follow the instructions there.

 



 

Make sure you provide information for other users to help you. If you have not already done it, please EDIT your post and add this now:

 



 

- Your ISP and plan

 


 

- Type of connection (ADSL, ADSL2, VDSL)

 


 

- Your modem DSL stats (do not worry about posting Speedtest, we need sync rate, attenuation and noise margin)

 


 

- Your general location (or street)

 


 

- If you are rural or urban

 


 

- If you know your connection is to an exchange, cabinet or conklin

 


 

- If your connection is to a ULL or wholesale service

 


 

- If you have done an isolation test as per the link above

 



 

Most of the problems with speed are likely to be related to internal wiring issues. Read this discussion to find out more about this. Your ISP is not intentionally slowing you down today (unless you are on a managed plan). Also if this is the school holidays it's likely you will notice slower than usual speed due to more users online.

 



 

A master splitter is required for VDSL2 and in most cases will improve speeds on DSL connections. Regular disconnections can be a monitored alarm or a set top box trying to connect. If there's an alarm connected to your line even if you don't have an alarm contract it may still try to connect so it's worth checking.

 



 

I recommend you read these two blog posts:

 



 

- Is your premises phone wiring impacting your broadband performance? (very technical)

 


 

- Are you receiving a substandard ULL ADSL2+ connection from your ISP?




I am the Geekzone Robot and I am here to help. I am from the Internet. I do not interact. Do not expect other replies from me.

 

These links are referral codes: Sharesies | Mighty Ape 




trig42

5809 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

  #1334303 30-Jun-2015 16:30
Send private message

Thanks PeterReader, I think it might just need turning off then on again, now where is the power cord...

Poll
343 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #1334305 30-Jun-2015 16:31
Send private message

Take JohnR out for lunch in Waiheke and go to show him a cat video on the way back?



graemeh
2078 posts

Uber Geek


  #1334308 30-Jun-2015 16:39
Send private message

Poll: Take JohnR out for lunch in Waiheke and go to show him a cat video on the way back?


I thought JohnR travelled by black helicopter?

I suppose you could try to convince him to sit on the wharf watching cat videos while the ferry fills up.

MikeHales
615 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

  #1334310 30-Jun-2015 16:41
Send private message

Hi

Drop a post into the Vodafone Community and one of our network guys can best explain it - there is a good reason for it but my technical knowledge of cell towers etc doesn't stretch that far!

m

johnr
19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user


  #1334312 30-Jun-2015 16:42
Send private message

First off lock the handset to 3G and see if the same issue happens in the same location / same time and report back

John

trig42

5809 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

  #1334621 1-Jul-2015 08:35
Send private message

Thanks JohnR, I'll try that tomorrow.


 
 
 

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.
MikeB4
18435 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #1334626 1-Jul-2015 08:43
Send private message

I used to get that sort of thing happening on our boat, I could be close to Oriental Bay and 4G/3G would not work, beach the boat and voila it works. I always put it down to the odd affects of water and signal. They say never to rely on Cellphones on boats as emergency comms for good reason.


johnr
19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user


  #1334658 1-Jul-2015 09:19
Send private message

@trig42 Matiatia Bay or Putiki Bay terminal? Can you please DM me your mobile number

trig42

5809 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

  #1335595 2-Jul-2015 11:08
Send private message

johnr: @trig42 Matiatia Bay or Putiki Bay terminal? Can you please DM me your mobile number


Matiatia bay.

I noticed I was on 3G this morning (I thought it was 4G there previously, but I could be mistaken) and it seemed to be working fine.

I have PM'd my mobile number.



johnr
19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user


  #1336457 3-Jul-2015 14:30
Send private message

@Trig42 OK issue should now be resolved and no 4G on that serving cell, Test and post feedback

Thanks

Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.