Internet Woes

[Barrykgerdes]

I have had no ADSL for 3 days now (definitely an exchange problem).

I get intermittent wireless from the backup system. Can get a connection every now and then for two or three minutes and then it drops out again.

This has been going on now and getting progressively worse for over a year now. Prior to this I had a good service from both systems and the wireless gives no trouble from Wiruna when I am away.

I put the trouble down to capacity in the local exchange. The population of the area has increased at least threefold and there are two shopping centres giving centre wide free Wifi. All from the same exchange.
when I do manage to get a slot the speed is normal ADSL.

Barry

PS It took 40 minutes to get this posted

Since I posted this both systems are back on line. I wonder how long for

[gary]

Hi Barry,

It is extrememly unlikely to be a capacity issue but more likely a hardware
fault.

1. The ADSL modem will have its own built-in web server showing status.
When it drops out, what is it telling you? Is it reconnecting again and again or
does it say the link is up?

2. How is your hearing these days? Pick uo the handset the ADSL modem
shares and have a good listen to the line. When you go off hook do you
get dial tone quickly or is it sometimes not there? Is there serious crackling
on the line? Particularly after the heavy rain this past week you might
have a line fault.

I was just looking at last year's calendar for the month of February and
I noted how one of of our phone lines was out for most of the month
with "Called Telstra" and then days later "Telstra technician arrives",
occuring periodicaly every few days.

3. Have you tried replacing the ADSL modem?

We have used several brands and models of ADSL modem over the years.
A Netgear model we used suffered drop-outs through over-heating
which I correlated after some experimentation to poor hardware design.
They had inadequate ventillation and really should have had built-in fans.
The first was returned under warranty but the second had an indentical
fault. I wrote Netgear and recommended they recall them.

In more recent years we have been using a Billion modem which is the
best we have owned (touch wood) out of the various makes and models
we have owned.

3. If it is a hardware issue at the exchange, it is likely fixed by them moving
your connection to another port. Call your provider.

[Barrykgerdes]

Hi Gary

No the line is OK, voice, dial tone clear as a bell. Modem indications OK. Back up modem does the same. Wireless modem is the same. They all show the ADSL Link is OK and indicate the request. They just don't connect with a message "can't find the server" or can't connect at the moment try again later" etc. With the wireless I usually get a re-connect within about 10 mins

The ADSL went down on Friday PM and was off all weekend. It came back this morning about 8:00 AM

The ADSL often fails these days in peak periods during the day but once I get a slot I can download at normal ADSL speeds. This just indicates lack of capacity.

I have spoken to Telstra but nothing has come of it yet.

At the moment ADSL is perfect and has been so since it came back this morning.

Barry

PS I don't no about your exchange at the moment but 65 years ago when Mr Hamilton manned your local manual exchange it was always near impossible to get a line.:lol::lol:

[mithrandir]

Barry,
ADSL has been a bit flakey here over the last few days too. A couple of times I have had to tell the router to disconnect and reconnect to get any data to flow. It always says the IP connection to the provider is up and the ADSL tests run clean.
Voice is fine.
Roll on NBN fibre.

[GTB_an_Owl]

Barry

turn the adsl router off then on again
it may need to re-authenticate with the server

geoff

[gary]

Hi Barry,

I now appreciate what you are saying in that you have both a fixed line ADSL service
and a wireless (guessing 3G) alternate service but both are flakey.

Is both the ADSL service and 3G service by the same provider (e.g. Telstra) or are
they different providers?

I hear what you are saying about the exchange and it could be that your wireless
connection goes back to the same exchange, but it would not surprise me if
they are handled entirely different at the exchange level. For example, your wireless
connection has to also communicate roaming data and so on across the network
so you would think where the ADSL network data and 3G network might get
multiplexed down the same fat pipe, it would be way at the back of the exchange
and that if it was congestion there, the whole local mobile phone network
would be dropping out as well.

So it probably is either two problems (i.e. a coincidence) or if they share the
same provider and the same account, a common configuration problem.

We have experienced ADSL outages where the DNS (servers) have gone offline now and
then. In our case the DNS (servers) are apparently up in Queensland. But when that happens
and you call the provider, they know instantly what is happening as everyone is experiencing it.

On one occasion we did experience outages that were configuration related at the
provider level. Somehow they had two different users contending with each other
by a configuration fault that might have been at the authentication level.

One thing I always find handy is to keep a list of known IP addresses.
Not all servers respond to pings but keep a list of your own gateways IP address,
your DNS IP addresses and that of say bunnings.com.au and a few others
both local and overseas.

Experiment before it goes out by entering the IP address for say bunnings in the
URL entry line of the browser (113.20.129.146). Does it resolve to Bunning's web site?
Try pinging the IP address and then try pinging bunnings.com.au

Try a few others and keep in mind that sometimes companies change their
IP addresses so don't count on the same IP address being valid a few months
later in all instances.

If it responds to the IP address but not to the URL, it will be a DNS issue.

Good luck! When it isn't a hard fault they are the worse to track down.

Best Regards

Gary

P.S.

Though the contents of the local exchange have no doubt been updated from
Mr Hamilton's day at Mt Kuring-Gai, dare say the copper cables
that run from the exchange to here are probably the same ones.

As I have posted on this forum before, I have some fragments as a souvenir that the Telstra
technician gave me last year to point out that they are falling apart and he
encouraged me to show anyone who wants to debate that the NBN FTTH approach
is not the best one.

He told me he was looking forward to re-training for fibre and saw it as a great opportunity.

[Barrykgerdes]

yes that is standard procedure


barry

[Barrykgerdes]

Hi Gary

Yes both services are by Telstra

The wireless is connected to 3G at the moment and working although the ADSL has gone intermittent and I suspect they are both through the same general routing.

When I am at Wiruna sometimes I connect through Orange and sometimes through Adelaide although the nearest phone tower is on the hill at Rylstone.

Our copper service is probably OK it was put down 12 years ago (new estate then)

I have tried direct DNS IP's before but is a bit of a nuisance trying all alternatives when I normally don't have bother with the wireless back up and can wait for the ADSL to come back on line.

Andrew is in our same general area and he has been getting a flaky ADSL too

Barry

[gary]

Hi Barry,

When you type in your postcode here (and for that matter, I think any postcode
in NSW) into the Telstra service website -
http://servicestatus.telstra.com/

It gives this -



Whether this is related to the issues you are having is unclear.

[Barrykgerdes]

Thanks Gary

I never looked for that.
I have checked for outages before but logging on and checking a post code needs a connection first. catch 22.

Barry

[TechnoViking]

Do you have more than one PC in the house? have you tried another PC connected directly to the router? if there is no line fault, and 3 modems are doing the same thing it could possibly be a PC problem.

Other things to try
1. in command prompt type ipconfig /release hit enter then ipconfig /renew and hit enter again.

2. While still in command prompt type ping www.google.com (http://www.google.com)then ping your router 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 or if a telstra router 10.0.0.138

3. Check your ADSL Filter by swapping the phone and adsl lead, if your adsl drops out immediatly your filter is fine. (dont forget to swap back)

4. disable firewall and antivirus - then goto www.ozspeedtest.com (http://www.ozspeedtest.com)and see what speeds your getting, screen shot it if the speeds are below par and email them to telstra.. also when you ring 13POND and you get the recorded message just say "Operator" it will then put you through to a service rep without having to jump through the normal hoops :)

hope something works

[mithrandir]

I am pretty sure my ISP runs their own DSLAMs so that may be of limited use, but the outage listed for 2154 more or less agrees with when I was having problems.

I'd say you need your ADSL and 3G with different providers.

[Barrykgerdes]

Yes all those have been tried at different times. There are 8 computers in the house running a mixture of operating systems. They can be networked or run on their own. I do a lot of command line work and know all the Comms calls. We have been computer orientated since we hosted the Tessarac buletin board.

My original post was a whinge about the state of the internet rather than a request for help.

Barry

[TechnoViking]

umm...ok, was just trying to help.

[Marke]

I have had no problems at all here on Internode ?