Unstable Telecom broadband in Glenfield... Is Xnet any better?

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › Unstable Telecom broadband in Glenfield... Is Xnet any better?

foobar

186 posts

Master Geek

#15237 11-Aug-2007 09:19

Hello!

My first posting here...

I live in Glenfield (Auckland, North Shore) and apparently I'm in an area pretty far from the nearest exchange. Best download speed I can hope for (according to a number of ISPs test pages) would be 2 MBit/s.

Anyway, I'm using Telecom's broadband and have persistent reliability issues. The connection simply seems to go away for a few seconds, or a minute, then come back for a bit, then drop again. This seems to happen more or less randomly, and also in bursts. I could be on a Skype call and it would get dropped every minute or two. This happens in the middle of the day, or early morning (my normal working hours). Since I am working from home, this kind of madness is clearly unacceptable.

I don't even care so much about the download speed, I just want a stable connection.

Considering where I am, and the distance to the exchange, is there any hope that changing to another provider would give me any improvement? After all, they have to use the last mile infrastructure that Telecom provides.

I have heard good things about Xnet, and I like their pricing model. Is anyone here in Glenfield who uses Xnet? Any experience worth relating?

Thank you very much!

Foo

1 | 2

3761 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#81974 11-Aug-2007 09:50

The issue is with your DLink? router rebooting because the S/N (signal to noise) ratio on the line connecting you to the DSLAM isn't sufficient to support the profile/speed of connection. This problem is independent of ISP.

See http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=49&TopicId=14625 for guidelines. Have a master splitter installed, try a different router etc.

Spark Max Fibre using Mikrotik CCR1009-8G-1S-1S+, CRS125-24G-1S, Unifi UAP, U6-Pro, UAP-AC-M-Pro, Apple TV 4K (2022), Apple TV 4K (2017), iPad Air 1st gen, iPad Air 4th gen, iPhone 13, SkyNZ3151 (the white box). If it doesn't move then it's data cabled.

grant_k

3539 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#81975 11-Aug-2007 10:54

foobar: Considering where I am, and the distance to the exchange, is there any hope that changing to another provider would give me any improvement? After all, they have to use the last mile infrastructure that Telecom provides.

First up, welcome to Geekzone

Sadly, you have hit the nail on the head with your assumption. The problem is most likely your distance from the exchange, excessive noise on the line, or poor wiring quality. As Spyware has suggested, you could try getting a hard-wired splitter installed, that might help a little.

Failing that, you really need to look at an alternate access method. There a 4 main alternatives:

1) Satellite Broadband
2) Telecom EV-DO
3) Vodafone 3G
4) Wired Country

The first 3 have been recently discussed here:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=39&TopicId=15231

Wired Country is a great option if you can get coverage. In order to do this, you need to have a line-of-sight path to one of the transmitters, as it says below:

Albany
Areas covered: Top of the hill north of the old Albany township, south over Massey University.

Line of sight required: Top of the hill north of the old Albany township

Auckland
Areas covered: Auckland city and Auckland's North Shore.

Line of sight required: The large black band under the viewing platform on the Sky Tower

Wired Country is the best option if you want to use Skype or other VoIP technologies.

Compass Net are the most economical way to access the Wired Country network:

http://www.compass.net.nz/residential/internet/wireless.asp

I hope you can get a better service through one of the above methods.

Cheers,
Grant.

foobar

186 posts

Master Geek

#81976 11-Aug-2007 11:01

Hello!

Thank you for your responses. Actually, it doesn't appear as if my DLink router is rebooting. I can log into the router, or continue to ping the router. But once I am logged into the router, I cannot ping external IP addresses from the command line prompt of the router...

Foo

grant_k

3539 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#81978 11-Aug-2007 11:19

foobar: Actually, it doesn't appear as if my DLink router is rebooting. I can log into the router, or continue to ping the router. But once I am logged into the router, I cannot ping external IP addresses from the command line prompt of the router...

Actually, I think what Spyware meant was that your Router is Losing Sync periodically i.e. your connection to the exchange drops. This will generally sort itself out within a short time as you have found.

Nonetheless, it means that your connection is bordering on dropping out completely and is very frustrating if you are reliant on a stable connection.

Spyware

3761 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#81979 11-Aug-2007 11:19

Check the router status page and log to determine current status. If the router has obtained a public ip address then that address and the public gateway address should be pingable 100% of the time. If not then I would swap the router out. Dlinks do have a habit of rebooting once they lose sync.

Niel

3267 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#81994 11-Aug-2007 12:29

While Telecom was upgrading my exchange to ADSL2+, my D-Link would randomly drop the line and reconnect. Sometimes once a day, sometimes 20 times a day. The SNR was very unstable. But from the day they finished upgrading the exchange (it took about a month to do) and enabled the ADSL2+ profile on my line (new lines were already enabled, but then all were switched over) suddenly my D-Link was stable and would never drop the line. Remember there is a commissioning period for each exchange, and at the end of the period there are settings changed for all lines to make them (more) stable.

The Birkdale and Forrest Hill exchanges is being upgraded in August (http://www.telecom.co.nz/binarys/adsl2_rollout_update4.pdf), my advice would be to hold on for a month on two. Telecom is not going to spend any time or money on the old exchange equipment, and definitely are on the new equipment (contrary to what many believe).

As an ISP, XNet is certainly the best to deal with. Some issues, but certainly manageable compared to other ISPs.

You can never have enough Volvos!

foobar

186 posts

Master Geek

#82000 11-Aug-2007 12:47

Niel:

Thank you, that is very interesting information. I assume the Birkdale and Forrest Hill exchanges are the ones that have to handle Glenfield?

In that case then, I will grudgingly hold out for another month or two, as you suggested.

Thank you again...

Foo

Equinox IT

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.

foobar

186 posts

Master Geek

#82001 11-Aug-2007 12:48

Niel

3267 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#82046 11-Aug-2007 20:11

foobar: I assume the Birkdale and Forrest Hill exchanges are the ones that have to handle Glenfield?

I believe so, since Telecom is listing a number of exchanges close together being upgraded and you are about 2km to 4km (straight line) from either/both of them. This is just an assumption, I don't think there are any other exchanges in the area since Telecom would not do an area and skip one exchange. Then again, "assume" often turns into making an "ass-" out of "-u-" and "-me".

You can never have enough Volvos!

MisterMacksta

1 post

Wannabe Geek

#82280 14-Aug-2007 01:03

Hi there,

What you can do (you may already have tried this) but give the xtra helpdesk a call, just follow through all the cable checking and other checks they get you to do, then they will check how far you are from the exchange and the quality of your line.

Once they have done that, they might get some other people to look at the case (which can take a few days, not a short process) where they will watch how often your router disconnects from the network, then they can usually fix it for you.

I also recommend to watch the ADSL light on your D-Link modem when the net disconnects, if it turns off, then they most likely can help you.

Unfortunately I'm not in that area, however i am with Xnet, and I have to say after being with Xtra for about 3 years, Xnet customer service is better, the higher end plans are cheaper and our download speeds are much faster (from 2mb to about 6mb throughput), however, as someone said before, no matter who you are with, your line stays the same and you will most likely find that the reliability of your connection will be very similar, unless it's an issue at the exchange or how your connection is setup on the Xtra servers (also called profiles) in which case, calling the xtra helpdesk should fix that anyway.

Hope this could help.

cokemaster

Exited
4927 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#82291 14-Aug-2007 09:06

As discussed in the duplicate thread you created, I would recommend contacting the Xtra Helpdesk in the first instance and explain that you are having DSL drop outs.

Ideally if all checks are satisfied, they should raise the issue to their second tier who will be in a better position to check things like DSL profiles, line distance, and perform tests on the line. From there, providing you aren't too far away from the exchange/cabinet, they should be able to offer a solution.

As it appears to be a physical connection issue, changing ISP's would probably not resolve the issue and in some instances, depending on your ISP, it may make it even harder to raise the issue as a fault. Repeating what I've said, contact Xtra support, raise it as an issue and they should be able to pick it up from there.

webhosting

Loose lips may sink ships - Be smart - Don't post internal/commercially sensitive or confidential information!

foobar

186 posts

Master Geek

#82297 14-Aug-2007 10:07

Hello!

Thanks for merging my 'duplicated' threads. Actually, the two are about two very different issues, if you read again, but whatever...

I called the Xtra support, and they suggested unplugging all the phones in the house to see if that makes a difference. It didn't.

I then looked at that DSL-splitter hanging off the phone jack where I have connected my router to. I disconnected the splitter and plugged the router in directly. The SNR margin went from an unstable 6 or 7 (often dipping much lower) to a nice and stable 12, while the data rate (down) increased from 3.1 Mbps to around 4.5 Mbps. Not bad!

So, it looks like the splitter was faulty.

However, I still had the phones in the house unplugged (from Xtra's suggestion). When I plugged them in (each with their own splitter), the SNR margin went down to a stable 10. Not great, and not as good as without the phones, but still definitely better than before. Plugging in the phones certainly had an impact, though. Also, with the phones plugged in the data rate went from 4.5 Mbps down to 3.5 Mbps.

All in all, it appears the line is more stable now, with the SNR margin staying at more acceptable values.

So, I guess the point is: Checking the splitters might be a good idea...

It had been suggested earlier in the thread that I have a 'master splitter' installed. Does Telecom have to install those? How much does that cost?

Thank you again...

Foo

cokemaster

Exited
4927 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#82299 14-Aug-2007 10:18

Telecom can install them for you, keep in mind that there is a cost involved (around $149) which covers the cost of sending out a tech, the time involved and the equipment.

If you are confident, you can buy the splitter yourself and install it, however just be aware that any home made modifications done to the homeline may result in a $81 call out fee if you have line problems, request a tech to be sent out and its found that the problem is caused by that modification.

webhosting

Loose lips may sink ships - Be smart - Don't post internal/commercially sensitive or confidential information!

Bung

6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#82303 14-Aug-2007 10:28

cokemaster:
If you are confident, you can buy the splitter yourself and install it, however just be aware that any home made modifications done to the homeline may result in a $81 call out fee if you have line problems, request a tech to be sent out and its found that the problem is caused by that modification.

Is that the case? Most home splitter installs that I've seen described on forums have involved butchered filters because the Telecom splitter wasn't available to the public. The Telecom policy used to be that the splitter was installed on their side of the demarcation point. Has that changed?

Oblivian

7296 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#82306 14-Aug-2007 10:42

foobar: Hello!

Thanks for merging my 'duplicated' threads. Actually, the two are about two very different issues, if you read again, but whatever...

Not really..

foobar:
Anyway, I'm using Telecom's broadband and have persistent reliability issues. The connection simply seems to go away for a few seconds, or a minute, then come back for a bit, then drop again. This seems to happen more or less randomly, and also in bursts. I could be on a Skype call and it would get dropped every minute or two. This happens in the middle of the day, or early morning (my normal working hours). Since I am working from home, this kind of madness is clearly unacceptable.

foobar:

I then looked at that DSL-splitter hanging off the phone jack where I have connected my router to. I disconnected the splitter and plugged the router in directly. The SNR margin went from an unstable 6 or 7 (often dipping much lower) to a nice and stable 12, while the data rate (down) increased from 3.1 Mbps to around 4.5 Mbps. Not bad!

So, it looks like the splitter was faulty.

Uhh So You have non filtered DSL to the house, had filters on every phone jackpoint? Well yes that will cause issues. If you don't have the need for a phone where the DSL socket/PC is its meant to go straight to the wall socket.

The filters (technically filters as splitters have a 2 socket point for phone and dsl when used from the same wallplate, or at the demarc) are there to BLOCK dsl signal from normal phones.

1 | 2