It's really getting on my nerves now... [Archive]

mrlipring

14-06-2005, 19:09

This sodding ambit. :)

It's the NTL:200. Silver one. It's AWFUL.

It's disconnected me literally 3 times in the last hour. Once while Downloading. Once while browsing a forum. Once while MSN-ing. These were literally the only things i was doing at the time, so as you can see it's not down to maxing the connection out...

The connection is lost entirely. Can't even ping out.

It happens via USB or ethernet.

Every other piece of USB hardware works fine. It happens whether through a hub or the onboard ports.

My ethernet port works fine. The xbox, for example, never loses the connection.

Bearing all this in mind, and bearing in mind that i've read several people's posts saying they've had bother with this modem, i think we can safely say it's the modem at fault, not my hardware or software.

Now, it heats up like hell (whether upside down or not) so maybe that's the cause. Either way, i don't care. I want the problem sorted. I want rid of it if need be. I don't care whether i end up with another one, or a 250, i just want it fixed.

I checked the power levels the other day.

Downstream Receive Power Level : -4.7 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 32.8 dB
Upstream Transmit Power Level : 54.75 dBmV

I'll check it next time i have to reboot it, to check for fluctuations.

I've been with NTL (this time) since the first of march. There hasn't been a day gone by when i haven't had to manually reboot the modem. That's just not good enough. I really grudge paying ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£35 a month for an unreliable connection. It's unacceptable that it breaks several times a day.

Basically i want to know, is there anything i can do at my end, and if not, what's the best way to go about getting someone at NTL to sort this out?

Ignition

14-06-2005, 19:12

Have you contacted tech support?

budwieser

14-06-2005, 19:18

<Snip>

Have a look under device properties and make sure the option to turn the device off to save power is not enabled.

Ignition

14-06-2005, 19:57

Have a look under device properties and make sure the option to turn the device off to save power is not enabled.

It happens via USB or ethernet.

Eliminates that possibility sadly.

Neil

14-06-2005, 20:12

Have you contacted tech support?

^^ What he said.

bontrager

14-06-2005, 21:20

its a hard one to diagnose because a power fluctuation could also be causing this, although if a reboot of the modem always fixes it, then chances are its not that.

sadly it took me ages to sort out my problem with NTL which did turn out to be a problem with the upstream.

I made sure NTL were aware of the problem from day one and I asked for a full 3 month refund which they gave when it was all fixed.

ring tech support and they will send someone over, probably wont fix it, but will at least get them to check that off their list... then you can badger them to provide a different modem....

good luck, we need the sm47 caps up without any hitches ;)

Ignition

14-06-2005, 21:31

I'm quite scared that you've had to reboot your modem every day since March and it's now 3 months down the line and only now you're reporting it. This is a long-standing fault, but we can't sort it if we don't know about it!

0800 052 2000, go through the IVR and it'll offer you the option to report broadband faults, even a free call.

Probably not a hard one to diagnose I could most likely do it in 5 minutes, chances are tech support will be able to sort it in a few minutes too, at a guess you'll need an engineer to come visit to sort out upstream / return path power issue, possibly replace the modem if the return path is ok.

Djofyork

14-06-2005, 22:52

had the same problem get a tech team out to test your connection strenght from that silly green box out side your house thats is most likly the problem i had to find that the hard way fiddling with some utils and now have a filter on my cable line too reducing signal noise even further after explaining in full the problem to some1 over the phone i got some out to fix only takes 5mins to sort out too sorted!

mrlipring

14-06-2005, 23:24

The reason i'm asking here instead of phoning tech support is to find out if there's anything i can check at my end. I'd rather try something myself than risk the stress of waiting on hold, being passed from department to department, and then ending up, *potentially* with someone who hasn't got a clue, and can't help.

Either way, i'll call 'em up tomorrow and see if they can sort me out.

good luck, we need the sm47 caps up without any hitches ;)

I haven't got a clue what you're on about. :P

Djofyork

15-06-2005, 00:12

i'll look for the diagnostic utils i used to find out the problem if u give me a sec.
__________________

here it is m8 lots of stuff on there but very hard core to understand

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/cmtips/

thank me later :P

AdamD

15-06-2005, 00:12

than risk the stress of waiting on hold, being passed from department to department, and then ending up, *potentially* with someone who hasn't got a clue, and can't help.

I sympathise with you
I tried to get a problem resolved and didn't call, I emailed them and had no response, so I had to call
I ended up getting passed to 5 different departments, then back to the original one, where eventually, I got my problem sorted

Djofyork

15-06-2005, 00:22

make things simple see if this help its the direct link to the page i used http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/cmtips/signal.html
__________________

well one thing is for sure ntl phone support stinks
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btw if u have a set top box for your connection not a cable modem there is a combo on the remote to access the diagnostic screen i think its page up then down then press the blue button but not sure the tech guys know what its is here i'm sure :)

mrlipring

15-06-2005, 01:55

After the bother i had actually getting CONNECTED with NTL... :)

I'll post back tomorrow and tell y'all the outcome.

Marge

15-06-2005, 02:10

btw if u have a set top box for your connection not a cable modem there is a combo on the remote to access the diagnostic screen i think its page up then down then press the blue button but not sure the tech guys know what its is here i'm sure :)

yeah thats the right sequence and there are some gals round here that know as well ;)

it's only the ex cable & wireless areas that have the stb connection, anything other is always cable modem :)

mrlipring

16-06-2005, 14:41

On the phone just now. 33 minutes and counting.

Putting me on hold, and asking me the same stuff over and over again.

"phone us back the next time it happens" - and if it's outside the hours the call centre's open? (didn't have an answer for that one)

"power levels look fine" - And? I don't want to know what the problem ISN'T. I don't even care what it IS, i want it fixed. Grrr...

After being told several times it happens whether via ethernet or USB, he puts me on hold for 5 minutes then comes back and asks whether it happens via usb and ethernet...

He keeps telling me that if he sends out an engineer and they don't find a problem with the modem they'll charge me ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£100. That'll be shining bright. It's intermittent, ffs.

I don't have trouble with any other USB or ethernet device, and never have. I didn't have trouble with my ethernet DSL modem. I have trouble with this ambit 200, via ethernet or USB, and so do many other people. What's so hard to understand about that?

37 minutes...
__________________

FINALLY, a technician booked for tomorrow AM.

Will this solve my problem? I've heard of people needed several tech visits before the problem is rectified.

Either way, if they think they're stinging me for a ton...

nfs6600

16-06-2005, 15:15

ring tech support and they will send someone over, probably wont fix it, but will at least get them to check that off their list... then you can badger them to provide a different modem....

Ok, so tech support are going to book on a technician..the tech is then going to attend and do nothing about it? Believe it or not our technicians and ntl as a whole want customers problems resolving asap. WHy should he badger them for a new modem if the modem turns out not to be at fault? :td:
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He keeps telling me that if he sends out an engineer and they don't find a problem with the modem they'll charge me ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£100. That'll be shining bright. It's intermittent, ffs.

Did you talk to Swansea or India? Whoever it was has misinformed you. Mr Wilcox decided it in the best interests not to give call-out charges. So don't worry about that.

mrlipring

16-06-2005, 15:24

I'm assuming india for tech support. Somewhere here for booking the appointment. I'm basing that purely on accents. I'd imagine there are Indians in Swansea, mind. ;)

The problem's not with my pc. They assure me it's not power levels. Ergo it's the modem, no?

nfs6600

16-06-2005, 15:51

mrlipring

16-06-2005, 18:06

I expect i'll be back here saying "modem didn't misbehave, back to square one"...

Djofyork

16-06-2005, 20:18

if i where u m8 if the tech guy doesnt sort it get the call center manager on the phone he'll sort it out fast if u say u want to make an official complaint to his boss about crap customer care.

bontrager

16-06-2005, 20:46

Ok, so tech support are going to book on a technician..the tech is then going to attend and do nothing about it? Believe it or not our technicians and ntl as a whole want customers problems resolving asap. WHy should he badger them for a new modem if the modem turns out not to be at fault? :td:

yeah, it took me 3 technicians before the turkeys at NTL realised it wasnt actually my connection...

and yeah, if rebooting the modem fixes the problem, chances are it is actually the modem. My suggestion was to get NTL out so they can cross things off their list and you can then move onto other things, which could well be the modem....

mrlipring

17-06-2005, 00:48

Everything's pointing towards the modem, or something affecting the modem. According to the tech support guy, he looked back over the last 24 hours, and the power levels have been level.

I honestly believe it's the modem overheating though. It gets pretty hot.

Chris W

17-06-2005, 01:02

Interesting... with SACMs tsb have no reliable way of looking at the last4 24hours activity (different story with a STB).

I would imagine the problem is a downstream power level, as most TSB agents don't check this.... PM me the mac address of the modem, or your current ip and i'll have a look next week.

Web-Junkie

17-06-2005, 01:21

This might be a moot point now, but if you have a friend on NTL broadband could you have tried their modem on your connection and vice versa just to see if your modem really is the problem?

mrlipring

17-06-2005, 08:54

This might be a moot point now, but if you have a friend on NTL broadband could you have tried their modem on your connection and vice versa just to see if your modem really is the problem?

None of my friends are daft enough to be on NTL. ;)

Anyway, the catchment area from which a modem would need to be to work at my place is kinda limiting, and i REALLY don't wanna go changing mac addresses on other people's modems. :)

Interesting... with SACMs tsb have no reliable way of looking at the last4 24hours activity (different story with a STB).

I would imagine the problem is a downstream power level, as most TSB agents don't check this.... PM me the mac address of the modem, or your current ip and i'll have a look next week.

So... He lied to me? I'll pm you the mac address if/when i don't get satisfactory results today. Thanks. :)

mrlipring

17-06-2005, 10:33

Ok, i got a swap for a shiny new 200, so fingers crossed...

Web-Junkie

18-06-2005, 23:46

None of my friends are daft enough to be on NTL. ;)

Anyway, the catchment area from which a modem would need to be to work at my place is kinda limiting, and i REALLY don't wanna go changing mac addresses on other people's modems. :)

I've been on NTL broadband for about 4 years and only had about 4 or 5 really bad times, but I know how you feel with an intermittent problem as I had one when the upstream went west and I couldn't upload anything. But would NTL acknowledge a problem? It took me 5 phonecalls to get them to admit a fault :rolleyes: then about a month to fix it, but it DID get sorted!!

The MAC address is registered to the modem, not the computer, so you can take your modem to anyone who has NTL BB and plug in your modem and it will work, just the IP might change.

Nice to see you eventually got a swapout, now the million dollar question: is it behaving itself?

Chris W

19-06-2005, 02:06

The MAC address is registered to the modem, not the computer, so you can take your modem to anyone who has NTL BB and plug in your modem and it will work, just the IP might change.

not quite true... modems are provisioned to specific UBRs and DHCPs, if connected to another they may well only get a pre-registration configuration.

However, having said this, if you are trying the modem on someone's connection who lives in the local area, chances are their modem is provisioned the same as yours.

mrlipring

19-06-2005, 03:50

still going strong... :D

mrlipring

20-06-2005, 21:24

aaaaaaaaaand it died an hour ago. Same as before. Perhaps it took a few days to heat up sufficiently...

Either way, i'm not a happy bunny.

Perhaps it's a one-off. I'll wait and see.

mrlipring

21-06-2005, 15:29

And again today. @ 15:00

*sigh*

IanGuy

21-06-2005, 15:43

I use the NTL:200 model from Ambit and I have had problems similar to yours, though I don't believe these to be of fault of the modem.

It's usually an area problem which NTL somehow are not aware of. I had problems where my RDY light would go out, some occasions both would go out.

I would then restart the modem and everything would be ok, always seems like the modem due to this, but it's actually a signal fault.

I always found it would play up if downloading/uploading large files or gaming online. After many problems, engineer visits etc it finally got sorted and it now runs smooth. It was a problem with a cable in my street being too narrow, they had to relay the cable, and walah! Perfect internet and no more would I have to put up with the odd crackle or pixelation on my STB box downstairs.

Your situation may be different, but the chances of getting 2 faulty modems one after the other are very slim. I know it's hard, but you need to somehow make someone at CS believe it is an actual problem with the connection, not the modem. After you call about the same problem 3 times by the way, they will send a "technical engineer" which to my knowledge are sort of higher up in the knowledge and maintenance of the network.

mrlipring

21-06-2005, 18:03

I did a little more investigating. Popped out (street's SWARMING with U2 fans) for a couple of hours and just got back in and it's on the blink again.

Before i reset it (feel like stamping on the bugger) i checked some stuff.

I CAN still ping the ip address assigned to me.

i CAN ipconfig /release fine.

i CANNOT ipconfig /renew.

i CAN take the ethernet cable out of the modem, slam it into the xbox, change the IP address and ftp into the xbox no bother.

i put it back into the modem, changed it back to automatically be assigned an IP, and nothing. Can't do a repair. (i assume a repair just does a /release /renew)

The ONLY way to get connectivity back is to unplug the modem for a few seconds and reboot it.

It DOES seem odd that two modems give the same problem, so the problem must be on the other side of the modem somewhere.

If it happens again tonight i'll phone them WHEN it's on the blink. Perhaps that will show up something from their side.

Any other suggestions, people?
__________________

btw, the current power levels are

Downstream Receive Power Level : -6.9 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 34.1 dB

Upstream Transmit Power Level : 53.0 dBmV
__________________

judging by what it says here (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=26006)

the downstream receive is very much on the boundary of acceptable, and the upstream transmit is iffy too...

Web-Junkie

21-06-2005, 20:17

not quite true... modems are provisioned to specific UBRs and DHCPs, if connected to another they may well only get a pre-registration configuration.

However, having said this, if you are trying the modem on someone's connection who lives in the local area, chances are their modem is provisioned the same as yours.

Thanks for the clarification monkeybreath! I've had to take my modem and PC to a mates house a couple of times when I've had a problem to see if it's my PC/modem or NTL. He lives 2 streets away and the modem worked fine on his cable hence I thought it would work anywhere!

Back to mrlipring, what about the cable from the box to the house? I had 3 STB's and a modem all one one cable which caused problems with the TV picture and I think, but not sure, the modem. Eventually I had a new cable pull with my STB and modem on it's own cable which cured problems with the TV. Also, the muppets who installed my cable modem/TV originally used the existing TV aerial coax I had to plumb their cable into instead of installing new shielded cable, this got sorted when I had a problem with a few channels and the guy who came to check it noticed the aerial coax feeding the splitter to the STB and modem!

IanGuy

21-06-2005, 20:23

That signal looks ok and would usually give good performance. Though I also had supposed good signals when I had these problems but still required work at NTL's end.

mrlipring

21-06-2005, 21:10

Now you mention it, the guy who installed it was surprised i had an NTL box (white thing on the wall, not an stb. dunno what it's called) in the flat. He was all set to run me a cable from the cab i think, but it saved him the bother.

perhaps it was an administrative error, i dunno.

I have one Pace STB and one NTL:200 modem.

I'll phone them again tomorrow, but i'll probably get another half-wit who'll argue that the problem's at my end because the signal strength's ok... Fingers crossed i get a good 'un.

Stephen

21-06-2005, 22:58

Everyone has the white box on the wall, that is how the cable singal comes into the property. some areas of the country get their broadband through the digi STB and not a cable modem though. Glasgow is definatly a seperate modem area.

I have the same modem as you and recently it has been dropping the connection a lot more. It used to be I could reset the router and it would be fine but I not have to reset the modem to get it back.

mrlipring

22-06-2005, 00:48

Sorry, i might not have explained that as best i could. I think the tech thought the property hadn't been wired up at all, and that he'd have to get a cable in from the cab outside, but was surprised when he found the box.

Stephen

22-06-2005, 11:16

But if you have NTL then you are cleary all wired up.

mrlipring

22-06-2005, 14:36

lol :)

Yep, i know. The point is that when the dude came to install it he was expecting to have to run me cable from the street, but didn't have to.

I was wondering if there was maybe something wrong with the cable that was already installed, and he SHOULD have run new cable.

Either way, i'm on the phone to them just now, and have been for 36 minutes now.

I've nearly been shouting at poor Shweta. I know a girl called Shweta and she's gorgeous, so i'm pretending it's her so i don't get TOO angry. ;)

Really though, i'm going round in circles. Had to restart the pc 50% of the way through a 3 hour virtualdub encode, which was a *******, even though i told her it wouldn't work. The only thing that DOES work is to restart the modem. But no, it's a problem with my pc.

"no it isn't. If it was, restarting the modem wouldn't work."

"the levels are fine, blah blah blah"

"i don't CARE about levels. I care about it working. It's not working. Restarting the PC doesn't work. Restarting the modem does. Ergo, it's the modem/connection."

rinse and repeat.

I've now got a reference number to quote the NEXT time it breaks. That'll be my third call (assuming it happens before tomorrow, which it will) in a week. I'm getting very ****ed off with this now.

At one point she told me "if restarting the modem fixes it, that's what you have to do. Just restart the modem when it stops working".

I laughed at the poor girl. That's pathetic. It's a solution, just not a very good one. I know she's working off a script and everything, and the script will tell her to tell me to do this or that, but when i've explained to her literally ten times that it's NOTHING to do with the pc, and ONLY restarting the modem fixes it, you'd think she'd get the hint...

*double sigh*

So yeah, next time it buggers up i've to get back on the phone.

I'm REALLY getting sick of this now.

Considering i can now get bulldog here... I assume my connection breaking *constantly* is reasonable reason to break the contract?

Stephen

22-06-2005, 14:48

Sounds familiar, if it is broadband support, they always get you to restart your PC. Being very technically minded i could not get my modem working last month and had tried everything I new to do, and call them, first thing I was told was to restart the PC, I tried telling the guy I have already done that a fwe times as well as rebooting the modem but he kept insisting I restart.

It can get rather frustrating when you know they are reading a script and will not deviate from it.

Chris W

22-06-2005, 14:54

ok this is getting boring now....

bung me the mac address of the modem by PM and i'll have a look at what is really going on....

oh and DarthYoda Tech Support do not read from a script.... there are often genuine reasons for asking people to reboot.... such as we have reprovisioned, or not to check that the modem is dropping offline properly when it is unplugged etc etc..

Web-Junkie

22-06-2005, 15:02

Everyone has the white box on the wall, that is how the cable singal comes into the property.

Errr... Are you sure? I have 2 black cables coming through the wall into my cellar with 2 isolators screwed onto the end and then the cable to the STB's/modem screwed into them, the telphone wires are actually stripped back bare wires with plastic crimp on ends where they have extended the cable to reach the 2 phone points in the house!! This lot is then tie wrapped onto a piece of brown plastic mounted on the wall!!

Stephen

22-06-2005, 16:11

Chris W

22-06-2005, 16:15

I know you guys don't, I was meaning the guys in India I end up going to first.

India are also technical support, and they also do not use a script. They have exactly the same training material / diagnostic tools- the difference that you see is that all the tech support staff in swansea have been there are lot longer- when the India tech's gain more experience they will learn what things aren't worth checking.

mrlipring

22-06-2005, 16:39

ok this is getting boring now....

You're telling me! :)

bung me the mac address of the modem by PM and i'll have a look at what is really going on....

oh and DarthYoda Tech Support do not read from a script.... there are often genuine reasons for asking people to reboot.... such as we have reprovisioned, or not to check that the modem is dropping offline properly when it is unplugged etc etc..

I'll pm you the mac address, but here's what happened with the latest saga.

Modem went offline at 15:55.

Called tech support and get Survip. (?)

Blah blah all the usual, then she decided to arrange an appointment because although the power levels look fine, she did another test that threw up an anomaly that nobody else had noticed. (why?)

She couldn't arrange an appointment as the queue was 15 minutes or something (LOTS of people with fux0red connections? lol), so wanted to get someone to call me back to arrange an appointment. Thing is, that could take up to 48 hours. Now, going by worst-case scenario, it could break many, many times in 48 hours. I insisted that she keep trying.

She came back and offered to put me through into the queue, which is better than nothing, and having call centre experience myself i know what supervisors can be like with call handling time, so it's fair enough. Personally, i'd have gone for the skive option, but that's me. ;)

Got through to book an appointment after another 10 minutes or so (just got off the phone to 'em there) and another guy's coming round tomorrow morning.

Monkeybreath, you have a PM.

mrlipring

23-06-2005, 10:23

Ok, Tommy the technician came round half an hour ago. Checked the signals. Went outside and did whatever he did there. Came back.

Told me there's nothing wrong with the signal levels etc, and that there's not much he can do unless he can be here when it breaks. Excellent.

To be fair to him, he's left me his mobile number, so's i can phone him next time it breaks. I think he means so he can come round and check it while it's broken. Either that or he's just going to laugh at me for having a broken internet connection... MAYBE because of my hayfever he thought i was winking at him. Nah, doesn't look the sort. :P

I guess whatever fiddling Monkeybreath did last night could've fixed it, but if not, i've got Tommy's phone number. Good old Tommy. :) lol

mrlipring

23-06-2005, 17:40

Nah, MB's fiddling didn't work.

I phoned Tommy and he did suggest something none of us had thought of before - dodgy PSU.

He's dropped off another one (2 visits in a day. Above and beyond, eh?) so hopefully it'll be fine now.

IanGuy

23-06-2005, 22:06

Hmm, in theory a dodgy psu would cause a full reboot of the sacm really, not a lack of signal.

Ignition

24-06-2005, 00:37

Hmm, in theory a dodgy psu would cause a full reboot of the sacm really, not a lack of signal.

Wanna bet?

Google 'AC hum'.

mrlipring

24-06-2005, 12:34

is this 5 pages yet?

It broke again sometime between 8am and 9am. Buggers.

Back on the phone...
__________________

Ok, apparently there's a known problem in the area, and there are engineers working on it just now. Any staff around that can confirm this and possibly shed more light on it?

If it IS a known problem, it must've been discovered sometime in the last 24 hours, because nobody knew a thing about it before this afternoon...

CSA's given me the number for faults to call "in a couple of hours"...

bontrager

24-06-2005, 12:52

just make sure you get at least a full refund for a coupole of months...

ViLLaN

24-06-2005, 13:24

I am experiencing the same symptoms as mrlipring and I am not looking forward to ringing TS for the 3rd time this week. :Yikes:

The call center in India promised me an appointment for an engineer would be arranged within 48 hours but that hasn't happened.

So my plan basically is that if I get no joy from TS then I ask for the Call Center Manager and give him some grief.

I did check my signal levels last night, the downstream power was fluctuating between +6 and -14, when it steadied for a few seconds the modem locked and then dropped it when the signal went wanging around again. The upstream was +65 and fairly stable. I'm guessing it isn't the modem?

Also on the scheduled maintenance, some work was scheduled for last night in Farnborough, does anybody know what sort of thing would have been done, and is it likely to improve my signal?

Cheers

ViLLaN

mrlipring

24-06-2005, 14:49

just make sure you get at least a full refund for a coupole of months...

I wish mate. To be fair to them, i only made them aware of the problem just over a week ago. You'd think that 3 tech visits and god knows how many phone calls they'd be closer to fixing it...

I am experiencing the same symptoms as mrlipring and I am not looking forward to ringing TS for the 3rd time this week. :Yikes:

The call center in India promised me an appointment for an engineer would be arranged within 48 hours but that hasn't happened.

You didn't let them tell you they'd get someone to call you back to arrange an appointment, did you? :D

I told 'em i wasn't getting off the phone until i got an appointment. They tried, but eventually just put me through into the queue to arrange my own appointment.

So my plan basically is that if I get no joy from TS then I ask for the Call Center Manager and give him some grief.

Good luck. :)

I did check my signal levels last night, the downstream power was fluctuating between +6 and -14, when it steadied for a few seconds the modem locked and then dropped it when the signal went wanging around again. The upstream was +65 and fairly stable. I'm guessing it isn't the modem?

tech support can, from what they've told me, check the power levels for the last 24 (?) hours for fluctuations. They should be able to spot that no bother.

I'm off to phone faults now...

Ramrod

24-06-2005, 14:50

Welcome to the site ViLLaN :)

ViLLaN

24-06-2005, 14:59

Well things have moved quickly since I posted earlier today. Got an appointment this afternoon, the engineer has been and gone!

He changed the connectors at the box end, replaced the 13 year old splitter at the house end and re-made all the connectors there.

He did say that if it goes again, then it isn't the modem or the connections but will probably be the amp in the network box.

Here's hoping that things are sorted......

And thanks for the welcome Ramrod :)

mrlipring

24-06-2005, 15:12

Stephen

24-06-2005, 15:16

Yeah, that dude earlier was fobbing me off with the faults number. It was the number for network maintenance updates. Lots of stuff going on, nothing today near me, and it's all done between midnight and 6am anyway...

I'm getting really bloody sick of this now.

A year with freedom2surf in my last flat, and there was, iirc, one outage of around 10 minutes.

This connection i have just now breaks several times a day...

Perhaps the information line is wrong. IS There any work going on just now to fix this alleged area problem the CSA told me about?

Please? Anyone? I'm losing the will to live.

Oh, and gaining the will to cancel my direct debit...

Don't cancel your DD that will end up giving you even more problems.

I know a dropped connection is really annoying. I have since realised that my connection only drops while using bit torrent or playing online games for any length of time so for me I think the upstream is getting fully used and it is causing the modem to lose the connection.

mrlipring

24-06-2005, 15:22

I know, i know, but i really grudge paying ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£120PM (well, ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£38 for the broken bit) that doesn't do what it's supposed to.

Mine happens when maxing the upstream too, but not all the time. It'm sure it's happened when the connection's been sitting idle too though.

It's so frustrating. It's easy enough to fix, but i don't want a temperamental connection. I don't WANT it to drop out in the middle of the night when i'm downloading, or in the evening when i'm playing H2, or.. Ever, really.

Often i'm not around TO reset the modem (out or in bed) so i lose several hours' connection.

Right now, though, i want to know WHAT work is going on in the area, if any, and what it is.

Just had a phone call from Tommy the technician again, checking if the connection's been ok. Talk about customer service! The guy (probably?) won't have been paid for two callouts yesterday, because one of them was off his own back, and several phone calls off his own back... that's going the extra mile.

Neil

24-06-2005, 15:23

Yeah, that dude earlier was fobbing me off with the faults number. It was the number for network maintenance updates. Lots of stuff going on, nothing today near me, and it's all done between midnight and 6am anyway...

I'm getting really bloody sick of this now.

A year with freedom2surf in my last flat, and there was, iirc, one outage of around 10 minutes.

This connection i have just now breaks several times a day...

Perhaps the information line is wrong. IS There any work going on just now to fix this alleged area problem the CSA told me about?

Please? Anyone? I'm losing the will to live.

Oh, and gaining the will to cancel my direct debit...

After all the brown stuff you have been through with this issue, I'm surprised you don't just cancel the whole thing.

ntl customer 'service' at it's finest..... :rolleyes:

In fact-why don't you tell them direct?

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/ntl.php

mrlipring

24-06-2005, 15:44

because i genuinely don't think it'll get me anywhere. I'll try it anyway.

It just means that EVERY time it stops working i'll be calling them up. They'll not need to bother verifying my details, they'll know my bloody voice! :D
__________________

ok, i've done that. Not too bad an app, assuming they pay attention to it...

Stephen

24-06-2005, 16:10

Whereabouts in Glasgow are you? If it turns out you are near me then it could be the same problem we both have, but I can't ever be bothered waiting on the phone to speak to someone.

I end up the same if I am out and come home to find the connection dropped not long after I left the house, and it does also drop when idol for me as well.

Chrysalis

24-06-2005, 16:51

Uploading at full hilt shouldnt disconnect you.

Neil

24-06-2005, 16:56

Uploading at full hilt shouldnt disconnect you.

Are you sure about that?

Ignition

24-06-2005, 17:27

PM me your IP address, when you have one that works that is.

mrlipring

24-06-2005, 17:52

................
__________________

Uploading at full hilt shouldnt disconnect you.
Are you sure about that?

NOTHING should disconnect you.

PM me your IP address, when you have one that works that is.

Done. Cheers :)

Whereabouts in Glasgow are you? If it turns out you are near me then it could be the same problem we both have, but I can't ever be bothered waiting on the phone to speak to someone.

I end up the same if I am out and come home to find the connection dropped not long after I left the house, and it does also drop when idol for me as well.

South Side. Mount Florida.

I didn't report it for a couple of months, because i thought the same. The call queues aren't too bad. It's the NUMBER of times i'm having to call that's getting to me.

Ignition

24-06-2005, 18:05

Not much to see, will check some other things when I have access to more tools in the next couple of days.

mrlipring

24-06-2005, 19:03

Cheers. It broke again there at 18:25.

Got on the phone immediately, and finally got to speak to someone at 18:40. Got put on hold for another 10 minutes, then was told that someone will phone me back "within 2 hours" but not before they (a) offered an engineer visit, and (b) offered a new modem... Do people read/write notes on accounts? I know when i was at scottish power we got it drilled into us that even if we LOOK at an account we should leave a note to say why.

Anyway, I should be expecting a call before 9PM. What's the bets it'll be when i nip out to buy rolls, now?

CSA also told me i should be expecting compensation for the inconvenience and loss of service. Which is nice, i guess, but i'd rather have a working connection. ESPECIALLY when some people are getting their service for nothing, for a year, and i'm stuck paying for a dodgy service. Grr...

Ignition

24-06-2005, 19:13

Hrm from what I saw you're getting some value out of it when it is working, will dig some more into if that could be causing an issue.

Suspect you've a downstream problem though.

mrlipring

24-06-2005, 19:18

As i've said before, it drops out when the pipe's being maxed, but it can also do it when idle, or just using MSN messenger, or whatever. There's no one thing i can do to trigger it, as far as i can see. :(

mrlipring

24-06-2005, 21:27

Hark! Be that my telephone a-ringing?

Nope. *******s. 27 minutes past the time they were going to ring me, and counting. :(

mrlipring

25-06-2005, 00:17

6 pages yet? and 1800 views.

I hope this shows everyone how useless NTL can be. I's now a quarter past midnight, 15 minutes since the call centre closed, and i've yet to get my phone call.

Why would they tell me it'd be within 2 hours if they weren't gonna phone me back? I bet the buggers phone at 8am tomorrow and wake me up, after me having had 4 hours' sleep...

I'll admit that the call centre being open from 8am 'til midnight is pretty decent, and the queues are ok (during the day) but if i tell someone i'll call them back, i damn well will.

This wouldn't happen if Tommy was on the phones. :) lol

Chrysalis

25-06-2005, 03:54

Well now ignition is on the case I am confident you should be sorted out soon.

Neil yes unless there is a technical fault of some sort uploading at full tilt wont cause a disconnection, there has been a few occasions I have left uploads going overnight and such. The only affect will be increased latency and reduced download speeds.

mrlipring

25-06-2005, 05:56

i imagine that dodgy hardware could be made to fail if pushed too hard, but if that's the case, the hardware needs a-fixin'.

Just realised it's 6am (damn you, babbage!) so i'm off to bed. No doubt NTL will be phoning me in 2 hours. (the *******s better not try. :P)

Chris W

25-06-2005, 07:54

Suspect you've a downstream problem though.

t'was all looking fine when i had a look the other night...
__________________

Hark! Be that my telephone a-ringing?

Nope. *******s. 27 minutes past the time they were going to ring me, and counting. :(

The department that calls you back are open from 8-8 monday to friday and 9-5 saturday....

Neil

25-06-2005, 07:56

The department that calls you back are open from 8-8 monday to friday and 9-5 saturday....

finally got to speak to someone at 18:40. Got put on hold for another 10 minutes, then was told that someone will phone me back "within 2 hours"

Nice to see the old CS-BS is still alive & kicking. :rolleyes:

Electrolyte01

25-06-2005, 11:21

You know this problem so sounds much like what I had a few months back. Connection kept dropping randomly, they blamed my computer at first (even though I have 2, and the other one kept dropping too), then they thought it was my modem (i've got the 100 model, 2 years old and still running) then they gave me a new PSU for the modem, thinking it was that, when it was actually a fault in the area since a friend of mine who only lives a few blocks away from me - was having the same problem! :erm:

Ignition

25-06-2005, 11:31

OK...

mrlp what in the hell are you doing with that cable modem that's generating so much traffic, both in terms of bandwidth and packets per second?

Seeing 500 packets/sec going through a modem is a new one on me to be honest. Shareaza?

Worth mentioning that cable modems have a finite amount of memory and CPU.

Stephen

25-06-2005, 11:52

South Side. Mount Florida.

I am sort of near you, I am in Castlemilk.

Chrysalis

25-06-2005, 12:20

Ignition if its download is it possible he is under DDOS attack?

Ignition

25-06-2005, 12:44

Ignition if its download is it possible he is under DDOS attack?

No.

Jules

25-06-2005, 12:46

So could it be the heavy use that is making his connection dodgy?

Ignition

25-06-2005, 13:09

So could it be the heavy use that is making his connection dodgy?

Partly. I've just never seen that kind of throughput on a cable modem before in terms of packets per second. Something P2P like with a lot of peers to talk to.

Electrolyte01

25-06-2005, 13:37

Partly. I've just never seen that kind of throughput on a cable modem before in terms of packets per second. Something P2P like with a lot of peers to talk to.Possibly playing an online game?

Chrysalis

25-06-2005, 14:27

yeah normally high packets/sec is usually a denial of service attack or p2p, some games may act in that manner also.

mrlipring

25-06-2005, 15:04

I was downloading stuff via bittorrent/usenet overnight. It didn't break overnight, so we can probably assume that it's not that. Or can we?

Surely idling in an irc chan plus using msn messenger isn't enough to make the modem fall over? :)

Either way, the connection breaks whether idle or taking a spanking, so it almost definitely isn't a throughput issue.

afaik (but i AM a heavy sleeper) they haven't tried to phone me back today.

Next time it breaks, i'll be back on the phone, but this is getting silly now...

Ignition

25-06-2005, 15:05

Possibly playing an online game?

Too much bandwidth util, skewed wrongly for gaming.

Still nothing apparently wrong. Minor adjustment made on my part.

mrlipring

25-06-2005, 15:51

Perhaps the information line is wrong. IS There any work going on just now to fix this alleged area problem the CSA told me about?

Anyone in the know about this? Or was it fibs?

's working at the mo, but i have faith that it'll break again before too long...

Ignition

25-06-2005, 19:47

Well I can't really give you anymore at the moment, you're caning your upstream with Bittorrent causing your modem to fail to respond to my requests for info.

EDIT: Ah third time lucky. Nothing obviously wrong at present, and you've been online for more than a day now unbroken.

Upstream power is a little high, downstream power is a little low, still within spec though.

mrlipring

25-06-2005, 20:19

yep, it's been stable since about 18:30 last night, so fingers crossed something someone did somewhere worked. :)

Having said that, i'm expecting it to break soon.

Ignition

25-06-2005, 21:49

mrlipring

25-06-2005, 22:31

I've no more to do with this sadly. As a rule I don't help people who extract the urine with their connections. Looking at your utilisation about the only time you've stopped uploading in the past week is when it's broken :(

(Waits for the 'Oh my God they have stats like that?!?!?!')

That's entirely your call. You're not paid to help people via this website, so feel free to go in a huff.

I couldn't care less what stats NTL holds. I pay a premium for a fast connection, and i intend to use it. If NTL don't like it they can do something about it. I won't be changing my usage patterns. While they're at it they can knock off all the cloned modems.

Perhaps if i had a cloned modem i'd get a better level of service. ;)

Stephen

26-06-2005, 01:30

Paul

26-06-2005, 02:12

I can't believe what I just read from earlier tonight. I have just removed a bunch of ranting posts that have little to do with the original topic. Please think before you post people - we don't need threads full of members ranting at other members. Thanks. :)

Ignition

26-06-2005, 02:16

mrlipring

26-06-2005, 02:37

Well I have found that if I set my upload limit on bit torrent to around 25kbp then the connection stays stable for a lot longer, it still drops but maybe only 1-2 times a week now rather than a few times a day when the uplod was maxing out.

as i said, mine happens when the connection's idle too, so i don't think it's that.

It happens at full pelt whether i'm getting something via BT, FTP or NNTP, via many threads or one thread. if it's that the ntl hardware can't handle it, i'll be very surprised.

either way, it happens at idle.

Stephen

26-06-2005, 10:14

as i said, mine happens when the connection's idle too, so i don't think it's that.

It happens at full pelt whether i'm getting something via BT, FTP or NNTP, via many threads or one thread. if it's that the ntl hardware can't handle it, i'll be very surprised.

either way, it happens at idle.

Well I never said mine doesn't do it while idle sometimes, but most of the time it is while downloading, at least try and trottle your upload for a few days to give it a try.

Jules

26-06-2005, 11:58

Well seems to me the problem is pretty much sorted out now as it has been a couple of days since it happened.

Would be nice to see some sort of thanks been given out though

Chrysalis

26-06-2005, 15:51

I presume cloned modems are people getting online without paying?

Jules

26-06-2005, 16:02

Yes it is :(

mrlipring

26-06-2005, 17:21

Well I never said mine doesn't do it while idle sometimes, but most of the time it is while downloading, at least try and trottle your upload for a few days to give it a try.

I'll give it a bash. I don't want a connection that does it occasionally, rather than lots. I want a connection that doesn't do it at all. I didn't have these problems with DSL, and lots of other people don't have these problems with cable, so i expect it to not happen at all, not just not happen much.

Well seems to me the problem is pretty much sorted out now as it has been a couple of days since it happened.

Would be nice to see some sort of thanks been given out though

happened again at 7:55am :)

I've been very thankful to those who've helped me, both here and on the phone. It's still not fixed yet though. :(

jaycee

27-06-2005, 02:29

Here is an idea - demand they re-lay all your cabling, and connect you to a different tap at the streetside cabinet?

Also, the problem with bittorrent/emule/p2p apps and the NTL modems is that the high amount of connections per second is too much for the modem's internal tcp/ip software, which then crashes. I got this also when Telewest issued me with a Webstar modem, when I demanded a Motorola Surfboard, the problem stopped. The problem is that the Ambit modem's NTL use are cheap, and rubbish. Sadly, you can no longer purchase your own Surfboard modem and have NTL connect it, as I would have done this long ago.

The SB modems also run a lot cooler, which is unusual considering they have the mains power supply built into them and not seperate as the Ambit modem does.

mrlipring

27-06-2005, 03:38

Here is an idea - demand they re-lay all your cabling, and connect you to a different tap at the streetside cabinet?

I'll get onto CS in the morning. I want a moon too. On a stick. :) I expect them to fix it, where reasonable, but if it'd cost them that much i'd expect them to tell me to put up with it or **** off. if there even IS room in the cab.

Also, the problem with bittorrent/emule/p2p apps and the NTL modems is that the high amount of connections per second is too much for the modem's internal tcp/ip software, which then crashes. I got this also when Telewest issued me with a Webstar modem, when I demanded a Motorola Surfboard, the problem stopped. The problem is that the Ambit modem's NTL use are cheap, and rubbish. Sadly, you can no longer purchase your own Surfboard modem and have NTL connect it, as I would have done this long ago.

Thing is, as i've said before a bajillion times, it happens at idle. I can literally be sitting idling in irc, not even in a chan, and blethering on MSN messenger, and it'll disconnect me. It wouldn't surprise me if it's NTL's crappy hardware, but i had NTL 2 flats ago, and it wasn't nearly as bad as this. I do believe it broke on occasion (memory's hazy) but definitely not several times a day.

If it WAS the hardware though, why aren't more people getting problems? sure, there are a few threads here and at ntlhell, but not THAT many of us are having the problems.

Also, if it IS the hardware, why don't they give me a spanky new blue 250? Still made by ambit, but better?

Chris W

27-06-2005, 08:10

Here is an idea - demand they re-lay all your cabling, and connect you to a different tap at the streetside cabinet?

that would be a waste of time and money.... the problem is not with power levels or signal quality so a repull won't do anything to fix this.

Pian

27-06-2005, 13:20

that would be a waste of time and money.... the problem is not with power levels or signal quality so a repull won't do anything to fix this.

Ummm .... I got my cable renewed at your suggestion. Was this a waste of time? It certainly hasn't improved things. I am still getting regular drop-outs when dl'ing from news.ntlworld.com.

Any other suggestions?

Ignition

27-06-2005, 13:44

Losing connection all together or news download stuttering?

Pian

27-06-2005, 13:48

Drops completely for 10-30 secs.

Chris W

27-06-2005, 13:50

Ummm .... I got my cable renewed at your suggestion. Was this a waste of time? It certainly hasn't improved things. I am still getting regular drop-outs when dl'ing from news.ntlworld.com.

Any other suggestions?

can't remember exactly what your situation was, but things would have led me to a cabling issue if a suggest that for you.

I can find no HFC issues with mrliprings connection, thus imo a repull would be pointless.

Pian

27-06-2005, 13:54

Just to give you the full picture:
CMX modem (so hard to do diags)
3mb service
Monkeybreath said that he could see my modem was going at full output amplification, so suspected that transient network issues made the modem reset; suggested that a new cable pulled through would sort me out.
Duly done, with no effect.
__________________

Sorry - BBKing (not Monkeybreath) told me my signal level was the issue.

Apologies.

mrlipring

27-06-2005, 15:19

too busy to phone them and be stuck on hold for 30 minutes at the moment, but i'll get onto it later and let y'all know how i get on.

mrlipring

27-06-2005, 17:57

Ok, got off the phone to them there.

Incidentally, it broke again 10 minutes after my last post. Definitely not fixed. :) lol

Had some stuff to do, and called them again at 17:10. Got through maybe 15 minutes later, and had to explain EVERYTHING to the guy. Line was terrible too, couldn't make out what he was saying. Turn your headset up! Anyway, he made me go through everything again (read the notes on the account, ffs) and didn't quite seem to get it. He asked me what i wanted him to do.

I don't know, nothing else has worked yet. It's not my job to solve problems with it. The amount of time i've spent on the phone lately, it's beginning to FEEL like a job, but until i start getting a cheque for it, i'll assume it's his job. After much confusion over whether i was due another tech appointment, whether i wanted one, him generally not getting what i was saying (due to the bad line, i'm assuming), he popped me into the queue for appointments.

20 minutes later, the appointments guy answers... Tells me i need to talk to TS... I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this point.

Explain to him that i HAD just spoken to TS, and that it was TS that put me in the queue FOR appointments.

He made me one for tomorrow afternoon, but i fail to see what this technician will do that the others couldn't.

I can't really fault tech support (either by phone or on here) or the technicians, because they genuinely have tried a lot of things, and they seem as puzzled as me, but it's beginning to drag out now.

Right at this moment i'd be happy to be shot of NTL. My girlfriend would miss the music channels, but apart from that, there's nothing we get from the service that BT/DSL couldn't give, for less money and (fingers crossed) less head/wall interaction.

Angelus

27-06-2005, 18:16

<Snip>

Not heard of sky i take it

jaycee

27-06-2005, 18:30

I think what you should do, is the following.

Ring cancellations.. tell them you want to cancel your ENTIRE package.

When they ask why and if you'd reconsider, say "Well unless you get a SENIOR ENGINEER out here who can make my setup WORK RELIABLY, then no, I'll get my services from Sky and BT"

This, I have found, works wonders.

mrlipring

27-06-2005, 19:54

Not heard of sky i take it

I preferred you when you were Angel, he was less of a smart arse. :)

TBH mate i've only got Digital TV because it was part of the service, and i thought "why not". It's a rented flat, and a big old sandstone thing, so i wouldn't want to stick a sky dish on the side of it, and i'm fairly sure the landlord wouldn't allow it.

Personally, i rarely watch anything except BBC1,2,3 and channel 4. All channels i receive through freeview, and with better picture quality than NTL offers. Whether that's a decoding hardware problem or not, i don't know, but i'm beginning to meander.

Basically, i don't want a dish, and neither would my landlord.

I think what you should do, is the following.

Ring cancellations.. tell them you want to cancel your ENTIRE package.

When they ask why and if you'd reconsider, say "Well unless you get a SENIOR ENGINEER out here who can make my setup WORK RELIABLY, then no, I'll get my services from Sky and BT"

This, I have found, works wonders.

I've got another engineer appointment for tomorrow afternoon, so i'll see how that goes. The thing that ****es me off the most is all the different stuff i've been told. Some people have said they haven't been able to see a problem with my line. Some say the power levels are borderline. Some say they tweaked something and it might be better now... I've been told there are local problems they're aware of and are getting fixed, but nobody else has been able to confirm it.

One straight answer as to what's going on would be great. If they don't know what's wrong, why not just admit it?

bontrager

27-06-2005, 22:24

yikes, still not fixed or even close to being fixed then...

im sorry to say that NTL are okay when things work, but they are a nightmare when they dont. It sometimes really feels like they dont even know their own network as it is such a nightmare to get these things fixed...

if they dont fix it or offer you major incentives, just dump them and move to someone who does have a clue...

mrlipring

27-06-2005, 22:33

I'm not naive enough to suggest that any other company would give better service. your average bod in the call centre treats it as a job. Some have actual knowlege of the field, but most are about as interested as they would be in a taxi callcentre, a phone banking service, or whatever else. They're also kept in the dark most of the time, and only know what they're told. If they're fed crap about it being a local problem, they'll tell us that.

Tomorrow will be the fourth engineer visit. If it's not fixed after tomorrow, they obviously don't know what's wrong, and don't care/can't fix it, so i'll be off elsewhere.

It's annoying, because i've had good speeds when it works, pings have been good for gaming, and all interaction with staff/engineers has been pleasant on the whole. Often staff have gone above and beyond, especially on here.

Glad that (being a hoarder) i still have my old ADSL modem i used at my last flat. I *nearly* gave it away to a friend.

bontrager

28-06-2005, 02:18

I dunno, I use zen for the DSL connection in the office and on the very rare occasion ive called their tech support, ive always come away feeling like ive been talking to someone who really knows their stuff and its only ever been a one call thing.

probably more the small company Vs large company thing, but i know i would have zero qualms about dropping NTL and going to zen if i ever had problems like i did a couple of years back (no DSL back then, ntl was the only choice!).

mrlipring

28-06-2005, 04:07

yeah, i guess so. I don't imagine that Zen have a call centre in the same sense as NTL do.

ah well. A good few hours of Halo 2 there has cheered me up. Just wait until tomorrow evening. :D

Chrysalis

28-06-2005, 10:54

I agree with you there, the poor souls in TS may annoy the hell out of me but at the end of the day they are doing what they told, if they fob us of saying pc problem that is because the management have told them to do that, I think it would help tho if they recruited people who had some sort of knowledge of the net and computers in general. The emphasis seems to be on customer service skills rather then skills in the type of service.

mrlipring

28-06-2005, 12:41

In an ideal world though, people who know about computers should be able to get better jobs than those in a call centre.

What's the going rate for call centre work? ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£6ph? That's about average in Glasgow. It's not a bad rate of pay for what is essentially unskilled, no qualification work, but if i was interested in getting IT qualifications i'd expect more than ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£6ph.

Bear in mind also, that while you or i might be good on a pc, try explaining, over the phone, to a foreigner what to do to fix something, in English, let alone another language. The Language barrier plays a big part in the bad service.

two people, both of whom don't speak the other's language very well, if at all, trying to fix what can often be fairly technical problems, compounded by the fact that often, one or both don't know a lot about the subject.

I HATE giving british friends tech support over the phone. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to give a foreigner tech support.

mrlipring

28-06-2005, 14:48

Ok, here's the latest...

Got a call from the tech who was on his way round, and after talking through the situation with him, he's decided it's pointless him coming round. Which is fair enough imo.

He's given me a phone number to call, Some guy called ***** *******, and the next time it dies i've to leave it, phone him, and he'll come round. *doublesigh*

I'm completely sick of NTL now. Not the tech's fault. Not ***** *******'s fault. Just the whole situation has me scunnered. It's hopeless and pathetic, and i'm amazed at the length of time it's gone unfixed, without SOME resolution at least.

Stephen

28-06-2005, 16:44

<Snip>

Well I know it doesn't seem like it but maybe this guy is the senior engineer, and he will be able to get a better idea of whats wrong if it is already broke when he gets there. Maybe I'll see if I can find out who he is next time I am at work.Do you happen to stay near the Clockwork brewery at all?

mrlipring

28-06-2005, 16:49

Yep, round the corner from it. I've never been in though. Keep meaning to go and see what weird and wonderful beer they make, but i've never got round to it. *lazy* :)

marker

28-06-2005, 17:40

Ignition

28-06-2005, 18:07

marker

28-06-2005, 18:10

PS
Lipring I tried to get you in about 4:40 today, bottom buzzer is that right.. Got no reply...

mrlipring

28-06-2005, 18:16

Ok
Been following thisa post for about 1 week now. Your HFC network from you local dp back to the local node has been reconfigured both on the forward and the return path... I personally configured it... The network is absolutley sound and there has been not outage that would constantly caue your signal to drop.... I am not ruling out that there may still be a fault on your system..

PM me please if this carries on....

PS
Do james a favour and remove his name from the post pls...

Thx

So can you explain to my why India told me there was a known problem locally and it was being fixed at the time?

I appreciate that you think it might be a fault on my system, but why, then, does every other USB device work fine, and other things (mate's laptop, xbox) work fine via ethernet for days if not weeks at a time?

If it's a problem with the pc, why does restarting the pc not fix it, but restarting the modem does?

It doesn't take a genius to work out that if everything else works, and always has, it must be something new. The only new thing is NTL.

I've reinstalled three times, iirc, in the past few months, so I refuse to believe that it's anything to do with my pc.

After the service i've got from NTL i'm sick of it and i really want to leave. I'm sure i've been more bother to NTL than the average customer, and that they'd want me to leave too, mind you. :)
__________________

PS
Lipring I tried to get you in about 4:40 today, bottom buzzer is that right.. Got no reply...

Buzzer's dodgy. Every other time, they phone before they come, or they phone to say they're outside.

Have i had contact with you personally outside this board?

marker

28-06-2005, 18:21

Sorry
Didn't post correctly, what i meant was that there could be a fault on the catv system going into your house.
As for India, i have no comment to make on that because at the specific time you phoned there could have been a local fault..

All i can let you know just now is that senior techs are now dealing with this case, how senior would suprise you...
Again all i can say is, i have checked you local HFC back to fibre and it is good, we can expect some fluctuation with the levels during hot weather but it shouldn't be enough to cause a major problem.

Thx for removing the name...
__________________

Buzzer's dodgy. Every other time, they phone before they come, or they phone to say they're outside.

Have i had contact with you personally outside this board?

Nope
Thought enough was enough when i saw your last post.....

mrlipring

28-06-2005, 18:25

Sorry
Didn't post correctly, what i meant was that there could be a fault on the catv system going into your house.

ah, gotcha.

Thx for removing the name...

Don't thank me, someone beat me to it. :)

Thought enough was enough when i saw your last post.....

?

marker

28-06-2005, 18:27

ah, gotcha.

Didn't get me, just haven't inspected inside yet. ;)

?
The one where the tech phoned to say there was nothing he could do..

mrlipring

28-06-2005, 20:23

The more i think about how scunnered i am with NTL, the more Bulldog's (up to) 8mbit service looks better.

As mentioned before, i rarely watch TV, so really wouldn't miss it, and i have at least the POTENTIAL for a better service. I'm not naive enough to think that BD will be a lot better than NTL, and i've had a quick google about to see and it appears that a lot of people have problems with the service, but the net connection/phone line will be a fair bit cheaper than with NTL, and without the TV i reckon it'll half my monthly bill. Not bad for (up to) nearly 3x the speed.

The only thing that could stop me would be the one year contract i'm tied into. I think it'd be cheek to ask me to honour that, given the trouble i've had, mind you. I'll have a look about the forum for people who've had success in breaking the contract due to terrible service and see what i come up with...

Jules

28-06-2005, 20:29

I am yet again amazed at the help people get at this forum, all these people trying to help I bet you wouldn't get that at Bulldog......Just a thought before you jump ship :)

Ignition

28-06-2005, 20:31

I've had nothing but bother recently. There's a thread on cableforums about it, it's 8 pages at the moment. **** only knows how many times i've had to call them, and i'm getting my FOURTH engineer visit in a fortnight tomorrow afternoon. *****.

Makes me think i should have just said **** it, and got a dbox2 and some car boot modems... ***** that they are. :)

Ta.

Stephen

28-06-2005, 20:40

thats what we get after all the help we have been offering, at least he is getting tech visits, my parents have had loads of trouble with their ADSL from BT cause the line is faulty, they visited once and charge for the pleasure and now won't come out again as they are sticking to 'its my dads PC' causing the ADSL to drop.

There are some really ungrateful people around.

mrlipring

28-06-2005, 20:59

Ta.

First off, what i say on other forums should stay on other forums. Especially private forums.

Importantly, though, i'm ****ed off with NTL as a whole, as an entity - not you personally, or any of the people who've tried to help. I'm ****ed off at the organisation. I'm ****ed off with the service.

While others have DBOX2s and cloned modems, i'm paying for a broken service. Where's the justice? The feeling of having a clear conscience? I believe i called NTL *******s on another forum. Going to quote that at me?

I'm not annoyed at Ignition, or Tommy the technician, or whoever else has tried to help (and there are a few!). They've tried to help to the best of their ability with the tools available to them. It's not their fault that it's not working. Nor is it anyone at the indian call centre's fault. Hence my good manners while communicating, despite the inner yearning to tell 'em all where they can stick the ambit. I restrain myself, however, because i'm angry at NTL. Not individuals. As i said before, i do customer services nonsense for a living. Were it applicable, you sure as hell wouldn't find me helping out after hours like you do. I'll do what i'm paid for, and i'll do it well, but when 5 o'clock comes, i'm gone. Unless i'm stuck on a call. Grr...

But yeah, the point is that you're a person. Tommy's a person. You're all doing a job. Some do it better than others. I'm not angry at some guy doing his job. I'm angry at the length of cable, the circuit board, whatever it is that's causing the problem. I'm angry at NTL.

I am yet again amazed at the help people get at this forum, all these people trying to help I bet you wouldn't get that at Bulldog......Just a thought before you jump ship :)

I'm nothing but grateful for the help people have given me, but i'm also thoroughly fed up of phoning NTL every day, going through the same crap over and over again. I'm fed up of things not working like they should. This thread's about my internet not working. I could be going on about the STB being crap as well.

Knowing my luck the BD service would be crap as well, but BD at least offer a one-month contract. If people don't like it, they can vote with their feet. Whether that's a show of confidence in themselves or a marketing bluff i neither know nor care. It gives the end-user the same benefit.

Any big company will have problems. NTL's network is a patchwork one, and the whole operation, like any big company, is spread across the country (world, now) and fragmented. There will be problems, and some problems won't be fixable.

I can do without the hassle. I like to complain as much as the next guy, but when it's gone on this long, with me doing this much legwork (conservative guess is that i've spent 8 hours on the phone to NTL in the last few weeks, and sat around for as many hours waiting on engineer visits) i get fed up with it.

I'm sure you lot are fed up of hearing me moan too, but (a) it's a place for me to keep track of everything that's going on, (b) it's a place for others to see what's happening - perhaps they're having similar problems (and i know a few are) and lastly (c) it stops me from going postal. :D

Bottom line - don't take offence when i call the company names, and thanks for the therapy! :)
__________________

thats what we get after all the help we have been offering, at least he is getting tech visits, my parents have had loads of trouble with their ADSL from BT cause the line is faulty, they visited once and charge for the pleasure and now won't come out again as they are sticking to 'its my dads PC' causing the ADSL to drop.

There are some really ungrateful people around.

apologies if what i've posted just after you has cleared some of this up, and this edit is unnecessary, but the point is that i shouldn't NEED all this help. :) I've been constantly thankful, to both people on here and on the telephones, but in the last few days my patience has worn very thin.

It's so frustrating to have gone from a very stable ADSL connection in my old flat to this flakey connection. When it's working it's fast for downloading and the pings are great for gaming which is all i'm interested in, it just breaks more than i'd be happy with. More than is, imo, acceptable.

I planned on starting a small business (which has been put on hold for now for a bajillion reasons). i'd have needed a business line for that, and i most certainly would not have been happy had the service been as flaky as it is just now.

Had it been BT giving me the same trouble, I'd have been as noisy about it, trust me. I hope your parents are making a fuss.

Bill C

28-06-2005, 21:55

Quote:
Originally Posted by mrlipring on a cable 'modification' forum
I've had nothing but bother recently. There's a thread on cableforums about it, it's 8 pages at the moment. **** only knows how many times i've had to call them, and i'm getting my FOURTH engineer visit in a fortnight tomorrow afternoon. *****.

Makes me think i should have just said **** it, and got a dbox2 and some car boot modems... ***** that they are. :)

:eeek:

mrlipring

28-06-2005, 22:23

You're ex-forces and you've never heard bad language before? :)

Angua

28-06-2005, 22:35

You're ex-forces and you've never heard bad language before? :)

I would say he was commenting on your problem not the language:erm:

mrlipring

28-06-2005, 23:42

it's hard to tell from one smilie. :)

I guess the fact that he's NTL staff helped me jump to the conclusion that whatever was implied by the smilie was negative towards me. I apologise, Bill.

Web-Junkie

29-06-2005, 01:59

You sure you can't get another modem to try?

Ask for a Surfboard to try just for a laugh, they can only say no! Even after a lightning strike that took out the USB port on my SB4100 forcing a switch to Ethernet, mines been running great! It's been switched on for best part of 4 years now and is not even luke warm :)

I'm surprised those silver NTL modems still work after a few hours of being switched on, they get flippin hot!

mrlipring

29-06-2005, 03:07

Plenty of people use the silver modems and it works for them. what are the chances of me getting 2 buggered ones?

It happened for ten minutes earlier, from 00:15 to 00:25-ish. I thought i'd better not phone the poor guy mentioned in this thread at that time. :D

I restarted it a few times, got browsing, and had to restart it again.

It had been sitting idle, with only firefox open. I was fiddling with the xbox. turned back to the pc, tried to open a webpage and it was dead.

Neil

29-06-2005, 05:37

marker

29-06-2005, 08:13

I have a Surfboard 4100 in my possession which I have already spoken to J about. He will arrrange a time to install it if you wish, but If you are going to go to BD then I don't want to give it up and would rather keep it for anther emergency situation...

Chrysalis

29-06-2005, 09:46

A irq conflict could cause a problem with it dieing and it wouldnt go away on a pc format either.

Bill C

29-06-2005, 10:00

it's hard to tell from one smilie. :)

I guess the fact that he's NTL staff helped me jump to the conclusion that whatever was implied by the smilie was negative towards me. I apologise, Bill.

It was the referance to hacked kit. :mad:

mrlipring

29-06-2005, 16:23

Can you just confirm whether you are using Ethernet or USB?

USB when it crashed the last time, but it breaks with ethernet too.

It was the referance to hacked kit. :mad:

What's wrong with talking about stuff like that? Why the jaw dropping/angry smilies?

A irq conflict could cause a problem with it dieing and it wouldnt go away on a pc format either.

probably, but then it wouldn't explain why everything else USB/Ethernet works, would it?

I have a Surfboard 4100 in my possession which I have already spoken to J about. He will arrrange a time to install it if you wish, but If you are going to go to BD then I don't want to give it up and would rather keep it for anther emergency situation...

I've yet to thoroughly discuss it with my flatmate, but i'm definitely leaning towards BD.

jaycee

29-06-2005, 19:51

The problem is not USB, or anything like that, the problem is the firmware in the Ambit modem dies under certain circumstances, usually heavy load thats generated by P2P programs. I have only managed to alleviate it by placing a limit on this load via my FreeBSD gateway. I get the impression mrlipring likes his BitTorrent or eMule :)

I can bet my bottom dollar that if you hooked up an SB4100 to his line, it would work fine. You can get them on ebay (non hacked! perfectly legal) for about 40 quid, you just have to convince someone at NTL to register it's CPE MAC instead of the Ambit's. The Surfboard also has a better status log than the Ambit's which would be very useful for diagnosing any kind of line fault.

Just out of interest, what is the software and hardware version on your Ambit ? Mine says:

Software version : 2.67.1011 Hardware version : 1.15

You can get this from the modem status page at http://192.168.100.1 - if you can't get this page, reboot the modem (yes, after a while, the modems internal http server fails too!)

mrlipring

29-06-2005, 21:15

lol :)

I though the internal server was only available for a few minutes after booting the modem. I didn't realise it was crashing. :)

Makes you wonder why NTL still bother with them if they're so crap.

Yeah, i do quite a bit of downloading via torrents, usenet and FTP, and a bit of uploading via torrents and FTP too. It's no excuse for the modem to crash though, and as i've said before it crashes (did it last night) while the connection's idle.

According to NTL staff, there's no fault on the line.

Perhaps a sb4100 would fix it, but i'm afraid i'm looking into leaving NTL now, after this pitiful saga. I'm definitely not going to buy any hardware that would become useless once i leave NTL.

Now all i have to do is sort out leaving NTL after only having been with them 3 months... I reckon that the fact that there's a fault they admit they can't fix should be grounds enough, but we'll see...

jaycee

29-06-2005, 21:23

lol :)
I though the internal server was only available for a few minutes after booting the modem. I didn't realise it was crashing. :)
This is the official line, but ive had mine stop working a minute after boot.. and had it still work 3 hours later... and everything in between. It seems to crash if you refresh the page too many times

Makes you wonder why NTL still bother with them if they're so crap.
Because they're cheap...

Yeah, i do quite a bit of downloading via torrents, usenet and FTP, and a bit of uploading via torrents and FTP too. It's no excuse for the modem to crash though, and as i've said before it crashes (did it last night) while the connection's idle.
It depends, your IP goes out to the torrent clients and they can still try and contact you long after you've closed torrent. This might be enough to crash the modem even though your connection is seemingly idle.

Perhaps a sb4100 would fix it, but i'm afraid i'm looking into leaving NTL now, after this pitiful saga. I'm definitely not going to buy any hardware that would become useless once i leave NTL.
If you've got an engineer offering you one, take it, nowt to lose :)

Now all i have to do is sort out leaving NTL after only having been with them 3 months... I reckon that the fact that there's a fault they admit they can't fix should be grounds enough, but we'll see...
You could quote "goods unfit for the purpose sold", i guess...

mrlipring

29-06-2005, 21:29

Just restarted it.

Software version : 2.67.1011 Hardware version : 1.15 Boot Code version : 3.13.2 Web Based Configuration Pages version : 1.0.2

So it's the same as yours.

TBH, after all this, i really do want to leave NTL. Perhaps a SB4100 would work, but it wouldn't stop the lying about apponintments, known issues in the area, callbacks and the rest of it. The fact that there's a problem is one thing. It's an inconvenience, but it happens. It's the way it's been handled that's pushed me over the edge. While some members of staff are bending over backwards to help me, others are useless, and lie to me.

Ignition

29-06-2005, 21:31

If we cut through the **** it's never worked really.

There's your get out.

mrlipring

29-06-2005, 21:39

Ignition

29-06-2005, 21:55

I'd have thought the fact that it'd been so flakey would be reasonable cause too ignition, but bear in mind that the first (?) girl i spoke to on the phone about it genuinely suggested that i just put up with having to reset the modem several times a day. :)

Goods are sold and required to be fit for the purpose they were sold for. Very inconsistent connection could be described as not being 'as sold'. Sale of goods act, trade descriptions act, etc, etc.

mrlipring

29-06-2005, 22:03

Fair do's buddy. Cheers. I thought that myself, but had it in my head that disconnections would play funny buggers. It's worth a go, eh? :)

jaycee

29-06-2005, 22:23

They can't do anything if you send their equipment back, and cancel the direct debit... well they can try but i'd like to see em win.

mrlipring

29-06-2005, 22:30

lol. :)

I suppose they wouldn't be cheeky enough to take me to court after all this...

What's the bets i'll be one of the unlucky ones with bulldog? :D hehe

Web-Junkie

30-06-2005, 00:00

If you do go Bulldog for christ sake don't cancel the DD if you have problems, my mate did and broke the contract and ended up paying for the whole year! Can't remember the exact details but he had disconnections while playing Final Fantasy at night, 3 people where connected though a router all playing FF at the same time, but NTL was fine (Terryon modem) and Bulldog was disconnecting! He got sick of it after a month and cancelled, BIG mistake, he should have witheld payment until it got sorted!

He was on the phone everyday and had engineers visit and still no joy! Even with just one PC without the router it was still the same problem of disconnections. Luckily his NTL account was a few days from being cancelled so he just called and told them to cancel the cancellation, he's now happily chugging along at 2mbit with the same 3 PC's playing FF through the router!

Probably a rare bad experience of Bulldog, but enough to make us think twice! This was in the Nottingham area BTW, NG17 postcode!

mrlipring

30-06-2005, 00:13

i don't think it's so rare, tbh. :)

looking about, a lot of people have trouble with BD as well, but according to their website, it's a one-month contract.

jaycee

30-06-2005, 01:01

There are better ADSL providers. Nildram is one such company, as is their now-parent company Pipex.

mrlipring

30-06-2005, 02:13

i wouldn't get the speeds with them though, would i?

I'm not guaranteed them with bulldog, but i'd rather take a chance for the lovely 8192/512 pipes bulldog supply. mmmm...

bontrager

30-06-2005, 02:38

yeah, i would be pretty sure you could get out of the contract at this point.

after all, its NTL who is breaking their contract to provide you with a useable connection :)

just threaten them with trading standards or something official sounding if they give you any crap :D

Chrysalis

30-06-2005, 12:05

Bulldog is far from hassle free, its not always greener on the other side.

Chris W

30-06-2005, 12:38

TBH i doubt you will get out of the contract- ntl may be in breach because of the poor service, but you are also in breach due to your usage....

an interesting legal debate could ensue :)

mrlipring

30-06-2005, 15:44

why am in breach due to my usage? The caps aren't being enforced. Anyway, what is the punishment for going over the caps? Oh, nothing. I forgot.

There can be no legal debate

NTLaren't supplying a reasonable service. The product isn't working properly and NTL admit they can't fix it because they don't know what it is.

I'm using more bandwidth than they ASKED, not TOLD me to use. If NTL have a problem with the amount of bandwidth i use, they're more than welcome to do something about it, but the only thing i can see them BEING able to do is kick me off. Which would be nice.
__________________

Bulldog is far from hassle free, its not always greener on the other side.

nobody's died, have they? :D

I'm aware that lots of people have had bother with bulldog. It's either risk lots of bother with bulldog, with a 1 month contract, definitely get lots of bother with NTL, or drop down to slower speeds with another ISP. I might as well try the bulldog thing first, eh?

Jules

30-06-2005, 15:48

Surely you are getting a fair bit of service at the moment for you to go over the limit so much?

I agree it isn't ideal at the moment but it could be even worse with BD

mrlipring

30-06-2005, 16:46

It works for hours and hours at a time, but it's unreliable. Bear in mind that i can go over my (imaginary) cap in a little under an hour.

it COULD be worse with BD, but then it coud be better. There's at least the potential for better speeds as well.

bontrager

30-06-2005, 16:55

TBH i doubt you will get out of the contract- ntl may be in breach because of the poor service, but you are also in breach due to your usage....

an interesting legal debate could ensue :)

no it couldnt, please dont talk tripe.

if your tied into a 12 month contract for an always on service and its actually not always on and limits your ability to use the internet, they shouldnt even question him leaving early.
__________________

the point for me when i had months of an up or down service was that it drives you up the wall, kinda like chinese water torture.

the service works, then you get your hopes up, then it fails and your back to square one. in the realms on internet connections and such, it was the most frustrating experience of my life.

Neil

30-06-2005, 17:16

no it couldnt, please dont talk tripe.

if your tied into a 12 month contract for an always on service and its actually not always on and limits your ability to use the internet, they shouldnt even question him leaving early.

But the service isn't guaranteed to be fault free-& that's the difference.
__________________

the point for me when i had months of an up or down service was that it drives you up the wall, kinda like chinese water torture.

Agreed. :)

the service works, then you get your hopes up, then it fails and your back to square one. in the realms on internet connections and such, it was the most frustrating experience of my life.

I'm not disagreeing that ntl should let MLR go due to the godawful 'service' he has had-both from his BB & from ntl also.

They should let him go as a gesture of goodwill & be done with it, there's no way they could force the contract in a court of law, for the simple reason that the service/product hasn't just failed the odd time, it has clearly been a complete nightmare.

Just my take on things.....

bontrager

30-06-2005, 17:53

nope, its not meant to be fault free, but when the fault continues on as it has been doing, its gone past reasonable grounds.

yeah just my opinion, and i would agree as a gesture they should let him go if he wants

mrlipring

30-06-2005, 18:44

Now all i need is my flatmate to return from whatever gallavanting he's been doing so's i can discuss it with him.

Chrysalis

01-07-2005, 15:06

Well in your case I think bulldog will be highly likely a better service, although not garantueed. I was merely stating bulldog is not trouble free for everyone.

I think NTL would let you cancel without much of an argument although there is no SLA it is generally accepted that those kind of disconnections they are not providing the service and if they cant fix it they will probably reduce your price or let you leave.

bontrager

06-07-2005, 23:18

any update :D

mrlipring

07-07-2005, 00:13

Well, i phoned to cancel my account early monday afternoon.

They tried, at first, to tell me that i couldn't cancel due to having another 8 months to go on my contract. I nearly flipped. :)

Made 'em read the list of contacts, problems, etc that i assume to be on my account notes, and they put me on hold.

They said their supervisor needed to take a look at it, and would call me back within 48 hours. Which didn't happen.

Not that i'm surprised.

Is that a retention method? Making cancelling the contract as awkward as possible?

Yet more NTL bull****, either way. I have not been called back ONCE when i've been told i would. Indeed, i've not been called back once. Engineers have called before they arrived to make sure i was here, and called back to check how things were, but not once has anyone in CS kept any kind of callback promise.

Broken promises. ANOTHER reason i'm leaving NTL.

jaycee

07-07-2005, 06:52

Stop your DD if you're paying via that.

Ring them again and inform them if they don't cancel you then and there, you'll take the matter to trading standards.

I have heard this before, NTL CS making it difficult for people to cancel, regardless of how long they've had service. At the end of the day though, it is one of your statutory rights especially if you have had poor service which comes under "goods unfit for the purpose sold".

Neil

07-07-2005, 08:08

Stop your DD if you're paying via that.

That's the worst thing to do as it may start affecting MLR's credit rating. :td:

@ MLR-We have a list of contacts here (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/article.php?a=28) that you should take a look at.

Send an email to Simon Duffy detailing all the issues you have had (hopefully you have a note of the names of people you have spoken to), & refer him to this thread if needs be.

mrlipring

07-07-2005, 16:09

unfortunately i haven't got a list of names, no. Their names/logins should be associated with the comments they've left on my acount though, no?

TBH, with most of the people i've talked to being in india, i'm not sure my attempts at spelling their names would be any use. :)

I'll phone 'em back later today (super busy just now) and report back.

I'm happy at least that i've made a decision towards sorting this out. Even if NTL are being dicks about it.

Chrysalis

07-07-2005, 18:05

did you speak to retentions or just CS?

cancelling direct debit will only affect your credit rating if a debt collector gets called in, I have stopped a DD myself before to NTL even on their advice the initial result will be they will probably contact you asking why you havent paid, and that will be your cue to explain why.

mrlipring

07-07-2005, 18:57

I phoned CS and they gave me the number for retentions/cancellations/whatever, yep.

mrlipring

12-07-2005, 19:35

Neil

12-07-2005, 19:43

Raistlin

12-07-2005, 19:44

update...

i finaly got some free time and called back disconnections. I guessed that after 8 days, i wasn't getting that "callback within 48 hours...".

after getting through i get told that i've to call back next time it breaks, and that they're giving me a free month's internet.

****ing pointless, because they've admitted that it's unfixable because they don't KNOW what's wrong.

I shall continue to harass them every time it breaks.

Sorry, I though the whole point of calling disconnections was to get, well, disconnected :erm: ?

Why are they telling you to call them back when it breaks? They should be saying "Yes, Mr Lipring, we apologise for the fact that we can't fix your connection. We will arrange for it to be disconnected straight away".

Does that "free month's internet" include the time that it's broken?
If you were able to say that it was only working 50% of the time, in theory you could get 8 weeks out of them.

(That's the orginal 4 weeks, plus another 2 weeks for the 2 weeks it wasn't working for, plus another week for the 1 week of the 2 extra weeks that it wasn't working, plus another half a week for the half week of the on extra week for the two weeks that it wasn't working, plus.....oh I give up :D )

TheInsider

12-07-2005, 20:23

Raistlin

12-07-2005, 20:28

So after all this all you have become is the compo kid :mad:

WTF?

NTL are giving him a month's free BB because he has had nothing but crappy connections for the last.....God knows how long.

Bill C

12-07-2005, 20:34

WTF?

NTL are giving him a month's free BB because he has had nothing but crappy connections for the last.....God knows how long.

I think this is what the insider was refering to

I shall continue to harass them every time it breaks.

mrlipring

13-07-2005, 11:40

earlier in this thread, i was angry enough to care about the situation, but i've been really busy with loads of stuff so haven't had time to complain/care recently.

I'm still mightily annoyed about it, and i fully intend to leave NTL but according to cancellations, it's been working 90-odd percent of the time, so they're reluctant to cancel it. The reason it's not been less than that is because i'm NORMALLY beside the PC when it happens, so can reset the modem. as of next week i won't be spending as much time at home, and i'd like a connection that i can rely on to work.

I'll give them one more chance to fix it, then i WILL be harassing someone with some power in the company. I'm in a pretty good mood atm because lady luck's fellated me this past week, never mind smiled at me, but i'm still very unhappy about how NTL has handled this. I'll definitely be directing whoever i harass to this thread, mrlipring's blog of ntl ineptness. :)

Ignition

13-07-2005, 20:53

Tad better than 90% uptime, you get your money's worth out of it either way.

Hopefully they will let you go sooner rather than later.

brooks111

13-07-2005, 21:02

My sliver NTL box over heated inside and broke so they came and replayed it with a NTL 250

Saneboy13

13-07-2005, 22:13

MrLipring,

I have just been reading through this whole thread. I have seen almost all of your power level readings.

The SACM will work down to -12 "AS LONG AS THE snr IS GOOD". From what you are saying, your transmit power levels are mid to high 50's, right? That is the threshold of your modem falling over on the reverse path, thus that is your problem, The engineers need to look at the reverse path alignment, bad connection or something along those lines.

Hope this helps, and feel free to message me if you need more info./advice

mrlipring

14-07-2005, 04:04

well saneboy, i've had a few engineers out and they've not been able to find anything wrong with it, sadly.

I'm finding it all a bit tedious now, if slightly amusing. I'm not ****ed off now, which is good.

Next time it breaks, i'll be demanding that they let me go, or i'll be contacting someone higher up.

The problem is, if i have to go elsewhere, that means a BT line. Well, bulldog. That means i'll have two phone lines. I don't NEED two. I barely need one. You pay for the phone line as part of your TV package, so will they insist that i keep those two services, even though one'll be completely useless, and the other fairly useless?

I only took all three packages because i had to at the time. Now, if i'm going to be using someone else for my telephone, there's not much point having an NTL phone. I grudge still being an NTL customer, tbh, after everything that's happened.

Saneboy13

14-07-2005, 07:39

Mr. Lipring,

I really am very sorry to hear that:( . Sometimes it frustrates me to hear of your type of a problem. It does make us look very bad as a company and to be honest with you, it really does hurt to know that no one has been able to sort out your issues.

I personally look at every single job I attend as my own. If I am not happy with things I see and come accross as an engineer, why should a customer be?

All I can ask you to do is try one more time with the fault team/engineers, and tell them you have been informed that it could well be a reverse path issue and could they look at that side of things. To do this is quite a simple job for a competent Network Engineer, and I feel confident that is where your trouble lies.

If you are not prepared to give it one last shot with NTL, then I can not blame you but please don't think that your case is the norm. I work with a group of guys that "ALL" take pride in working the Network in my area, and we will always go that extra yard to make sure that the customer is happy in one way or another.

Good luck, and I really do hope you manage to get things sorted out once and for all.

marker

14-07-2005, 09:37

Saneboy
The network is fine m8, believe me I have been over it with a fine tooth comb. SNR and RX levels back to the node and from the node to the card and from the hub to the HE have all been checked and all connections broken checked and found to be good... There is no noise on the network as I have direct viewership of Cheetah I can monitor it constantly, there have many a times been max hold placed on his nodal, the most I ever saw was a couple of spikes about 15Db above the noise floor. Remember Glasgow has the best network in the UK, I know some say Teeside but you have to go with the size of the network as weel and we outstrip TS by about 3 to 1...

Jules

14-07-2005, 11:14

I am starting to get jealous of all the attention Mr Lipring is getting lol, NTL seem to be falling over backwards to help him.

I am intrigued now as to what the problem is...keep us informed lads :tu:

Saneboy13

14-07-2005, 12:54

Saneboy
Remember Glasgow has the best network in the UK, I know some say Teeside but you have to go with the size of the network as weel and we outstrip TS by about 3 to 1...

It's not too hard to have a good Network, when it's all blocks of flats you look after;).

marker

14-07-2005, 13:36

Jeez and thats coming from someone who lives in Swansea.;) ;)

mrlipring

15-07-2005, 17:01

gaaah! Trying to sign up with bulldog there, and they won't accept the card. There's money in the bank, so i dunno what's wrong. :(

I'm cursed. that's all it can be. :D

@ saneboy - i was with NTL a few years ago in a flat i used to live in (round the corner from this one, actually) and the service was decent. The STB was still crap, but i don't remember having major problems with the BB like this. I definitely had to restart the modem on occasion, but not as bad as this. It's been ok these past few days, mind you. Still don't trust it. :)

bontrager

15-07-2005, 18:00

if its been okay for a few days, why not leave it a week and see if its still ok?

homealone

15-07-2005, 18:32

Bill C

15-07-2005, 18:44

good luck with Bulldog

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/15/bulldog_logo/

;)

The grass is always greener on the other side :LOL:

Hope you all enjoy your new provider those that moved to poodog, As my m8 calls them now. :LOL:

bontrager

15-07-2005, 19:54

hey, they cant be any worse than his NTL service and at least he can switch after a month...

mrlipring

15-07-2005, 20:16

if its been okay for a few days, why not leave it a week and see if its still ok?

i will. 2 connections can't hurt. :)

Might even get them to bump the NTL one down to 1mbit for the xboxes.

Saneboy13

15-07-2005, 20:46

Jeez and thats coming from someone who lives in Swansea.;) ;)

Marker, there be nothin wrong with our Network down here...well, that's once we have gotten Dolly out of the hub sites again:D.

Have you started trailing the new QAM stuff yet?

tridens

15-07-2005, 21:03

Hi At the moment bulldog are receiving lots of complaints because of their poor service it sounds its worse then ntl

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/15/bulldog_ispa/

IanGuy

15-07-2005, 21:41

mrlipring

15-07-2005, 23:56

you don't get the speeds with pipex though. ;)

I'll only be with BD until "be unlimited" get their stuff sorted. I've been emailing them, and from what they tell me (and the head people's track records), it's going to be a cracking service.

I'm sure that BD are fine if it's working, like NTL, but terrible if it's not... Like NTL. Fair play to NTL, they've tried. Trying doesn't make it OK though, so i'd rather take my chances elsewhere. At worst, BD offer a one-month contract.

Perhaps, assuming i can actually sign up with them, i'll be one of the lucky ones...

Web-Junkie

16-07-2005, 00:36

Bulldog? Sounds more like Bullsh*t!!

I checked Be Unlimited too, but I can't see what some weird lifestyle magazine has to do with BB? :D

mrlipring

16-07-2005, 01:16

Bulldog? Sounds more like Bullsh*t!!

I checked Be Unlimited too, but I can't see what some weird lifestyle magazine has to do with BB? :D

funny guy :D

http://www.bethere.co.uk/

24mbit/1mbit with the option to trade download for more upload at a price, apparently.

so far they've been pretty quick at answering my silly questions about the service too, so they're one step ahead of most in regard to CS. Whether that'll continue once they have a customer base to cater for, i don't know, but i'll definitely be jumping onboard the band(width)wagon.

Web-Junkie

17-07-2005, 02:17

OMFG!! 24Mbit (sound of jaw hitting floor!!), that's nearly 3mb/s :O

So what's the catch? 1GB a month CAP? 24Mbit only available for 30mins at 03:00am? LOL!

mrlipring

17-07-2005, 03:22

nope, they've promised it'll be uncapped. Email them and ask any questions, they've been great at answering mine. One of the directors has personally answered several of my emails, and it's all sounding very promising.

No mention of prices yet, mind you. ;)

Ignition

17-07-2005, 12:21

Bulldog used to be a very reliable company until C+W took them over, their support + maintenance is very poor.

Pipex seem much more reputable for an ADSL isp, but i'm only judging from my mates' experience and reviews on the net.

Speaking from experience Bulldog sucked before C+W bought them and suck afterwards, however C+W have invested in them and given them cash for much needed network upgrades (Bulldog either had issues with local bandwidth, core bandwidth or transit bandwidth, and their entire service ran off of a single Redback SMS 10k).

Be haven't built out any network yet and said their initial rollout would be in London only. Minor issue also that the 24Mbit service they advertise uses a technology that hasn't been approved for use in the UK yet, so they'll have to wait for that before they switch anything on.

They certainly seem to have a good pedigree though, however be a long time before they leave London due to lack of a national network to carry their service on.