View Full Version : Signal Levels?
kdouglas1987
30-07-2010, 16:59
Hi there having had my broadband and tv installed a few months back and reporting my signal levels on Cable Forum i was informed that my levels were far to low which was contributing to my slower than normal speeds and intermittent dropouts. Having called technical support they told me my signal levels are fine and was advised that inorder to obtain the 20mb speeds to which i subscribe i must delete my browsing history and delete temporary files and cookies.....? My signal stats are below....Anyone know if these are acceptable or not? Any help greatly appreciated. Kind regards.
Downstream
Power Level -7.9 dBmV
Signal to Noise Ratio 39.4 dB
Upstream
Power Level 44.0 dBmV
kwikbreaks
30-07-2010, 18:35
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/12/26006-cable-modem-signal-levels.html
According to that your downstream level may be low but as your SNR looks plenty high enough it doesn't seem to be causing you any problem.
The clear your temp files and cookies sounds like script following BS to me as the effect will virtually certainly be minimal.
Your Downstream is a little low so call tomorrow after 0800 on 151 from a Virginmedia phone line or 0845 454 1111 from any other phone line and an agent will run some diagnostics with you.
kdouglas1987
30-07-2010, 20:08
Hi thanks for the replies, i have called tech for some diagnostics and said the signal is perfectly fine for my package even though the internet intermittently drops out on occasion, especially when downloading at high speed. High speed for me would be around 600kb/s on my 20MB connection :( Digital TV also experiences pixelation maybe once or twice every few minutes which also leads me to believe its a signal issue. Since my DS is within 12 and -12dBmV she said it should not be affecting my service and my speed and dropouts are likely caused by conflicting or interfering software on my computer, which i know not to be the case. Also told the nice (offshore callcentre) lady that when i moved into the property the exsisting cables were in quite bad nick, for example, the metal coax connectors on the end of the shabby exsisting cabling is held on with electrical tape rather than actually "crimped" on. She intimated that since the signal seems fine form her end there is no need to replace them.....Any suggestions?
pip08456
30-07-2010, 20:25
-12 is way outside recommended levels hence Masque saying your downstream power was on the low side.
What is your upstream modulation 16QAM or QPSK?
Hi thanks for the replies, i have called tech for some diagnostics and said the signal is perfectly fine for my package even though the internet intermittently drops out on occasion, especially when downloading at high speed. High speed for me would be around 600kb/s on my 20MB connection :( Digital TV also experiences pixelation maybe once or twice every few minutes which also leads me to believe its a signal issue. Since my DS is within 12 and -12dBmV she said it should not be affecting my service and my speed and dropouts are likely caused by conflicting or interfering software on my computer, which i know not to be the case. Also told the nice (offshore callcentre) lady that when i moved into the property the exsisting cables were in quite bad nick, for example, the metal coax connectors on the end of the shabby exsisting cabling is held on with electrical tape rather than actually "crimped" on. She intimated that since the signal seems fine form her end there is no need to replace them.....Any suggestions?
I did say call tomorrow morning and you should get a UK agent with more of an idea of what is going on, also mention the cabling.
kdouglas1987
30-07-2010, 23:35
-12 is way outside recommended levels hence Masque saying your downstream power was on the low side.
What is your upstream modulation 16QAM or QPSK?
Its QPSK. Is that good or bad?
---------- Post added at 23:35 ---------- Previous post was at 23:31 ----------
I did say call tomorrow morning and you should get a UK agent with more of an idea of what is going on, also mention the cabling.
You never mentioned a UK agent in your first post? Im worried they're gunna think im messing them around :( I already told the lady today about the cabling and the signal and she said theyre ok. Will a different agent not see it the same way the first one did? I would just feel stupid if they say yeah you rang yesterday and we told you its fine lol...Cheers
Sephiroth
31-07-2010, 00:16
It's dead simple. If your TV is pixellating and your modem is dropping out, you've got signal attenuation and you've clearly identified the likely reason. -7 dBmv is too low.
Take Masque's advice or call 150 and take the leaving us option and tell them the rubbish you've been told and you're not standing for this. Unless your problem is taken seriously, you'll leave VM (even if you won't).
HTH.
kdouglas1987
31-07-2010, 00:24
It's dead simple. If your TV is pixellating and your modem is dropping out, you've got signal attenuation and you've clearly identified the likely reason. -7 dBmv is too low.
Take Masque's advice or call 150 and take the leaving us option and tell them the rubbish you've been told and you're not standing for this. Unless your problem is taken seriously, you'll leave VM (even if you won't).
HTH.
I shall definatly be giving them a call....im slightly worried if i say "im not standing for this, i want to leave virgin please" and they says "ok, no problem" lol....
pip08456
31-07-2010, 00:42
QPSK as the modulation points to a line fault. Don't worry about threatening to leave they don't want that.
Sephiroth
31-07-2010, 00:44
Fair point. But get names of people you're talking to so that even if your bluff is called, you can go to complaints and put the problem to them.
Another course of action is post your story, modem stats and event log onto the VM forum where tech support will pick up on the problem for you.
pip08456
31-07-2010, 00:45
Another course of action is post your story, modem stats and event log onto the VM forum where tech support will pick up on the problem for you.
After a minimum of 48hrs if no one else posts in his thread.
You never mentioned a UK agent in your first post?
I said in the morning after 0800 not now for the simple reason we do not work during the night and only start at 0800, we also do not work Sunday's.
moaningmags
31-07-2010, 18:54
I said in the morning after 0800 not now for the simple reason we do not work during the night and only start at 0800, we also do not work Sunday's.
Yes we do
Yes we do
Sorry of course you guys work Sunday it is just us guys in Liverpool and Swansea that don't.;)
kdouglas1987
01-08-2010, 14:55
Contacted them early yesterday morning, offshore again. Same diagnostics were ran, signal is fine, software is affecting my service not my low signal. Damnit i knew i should never have installed that Anti-Virus software on my Samsung V-Box, now im in for a lifetime of pixelating. Havn't had the balls yet to contact retentions but i will. Even if it gets sorted, when the day comes that a proper company like BT or Sky aqquire access to the cable infastructure, ill be gone in a heartbeat. Same old NTL nothing changed, first rate concepts operated by second rate personell. They never learn. Thanks for the help guys and girls.
Contacted them early yesterday morning, offshore again. Same diagnostics were ran, signal is fine, software is affecting my service not my low signal. Damnit i knew i should never have installed that Anti-Virus software on my Samsung V-Box, now im in for a lifetime of pixelating. Havn't had the balls yet to contact retentions but i will. Even if it gets sorted, when the day comes that a proper company like BT or Sky aqquire access to the cable infastructure, ill be gone in a heartbeat. Same old NTL nothing changed, first rate concepts operated by second rate personell. They never learn. Thanks for the help guys and girls.
Sky are worse mate we had a problem 2 months ago it took them a total of 14 days to sort out should have heard some of the tales they told me one agent tried to blame our ceiling fans in the living room.The problems returned again told them too shove their broadband where the sun doesnt shine.:D
pip08456
01-08-2010, 16:11
It does not take balls to ring in, select the thinking of leaving us option and telling them you are thinking of leaving.
When you have told them why you'll find you will get an engineer sent out within 2 days.
Then again if you are happy paying for a substandard service....................
It does not take balls to ring in, select the thinking of leaving us option and telling them you are thinking of leaving.
When you have told them why you'll find you will get an engineer sent out within 2 days.
Then again if you are happy paying for a substandard service....................
A call to Customer Relations will not end in an automatic engineer visit, as procedures have to be followed, so please do not try and get peoples hopes up unnecessarily. ;)
The first thing that would happen is that the connection would be checked out by a competent agent who he would be transferred to by Customer Relations and thorough check would be made of the connection, possibly with a call to 2nd line support to run further checks.
If after these thorough checks on both our equipment and the customers equipment and the issue was found not to be with the customers equipment would an engineer be sent out.
If that engineer could not pinpoint the issue then it would be refered to Networks to try and get the fault rectified.
kwikbreaks
02-08-2010, 08:15
The first thing that would happen is that the connection would be checked out by a competent agent who he would be transferred to by Customer Relations...
Surely all VM agents are competent :rolleyes: so why the need to qualify?
Unless of course they aren't in which case the question would be why not?
Surely all VM agents are competent :rolleyes: so why the need to qualify?
Unless of course they aren't in which case the question would be why not?
It has to be thoroughly checked so thy usually get transferred to Liverpool as we also have the 2nd line agents here as well.
kwikbreaks
02-08-2010, 09:35
So was the original advice good after all - if you want preferential treatment ring "I'm thinking of leaving" instead of normal support? From what you are saying that will take you through to a better calibre of support staff and presumably a faster resolution.
Thanks for the tip :)
So was the original advice good after all - if you want preferential treatment ring "I'm thinking of leaving" instead of normal support? From what you are saying that will take you through to a better calibre of support staff and presumably a faster resolution.
Thanks for the tip :)
The is no way that you can justget an automatic engineer visit just by calling Customer Relations, it has to be checked out and if required verified by 2nd line as process has to be followed.
pip08456
02-08-2010, 10:25
It does not take balls to ring in, select the thinking of leaving us option and telling them you are thinking of leaving.
When you have told them why you'll find you will get an engineer sent out within 2 days.
Then again if you are happy paying for a substandard service....................
It does not take balls to ring in, select the thinking of leaving us option and telling them you are thinking of leaving.
When you have told them why you'll find you will get your line checked thoroughly and if needed an engineer sent out within 2 days.
Then again if you are happy paying for a substandard service...................
That better?????
kwikbreaks
02-08-2010, 10:30
;)
@Masque...
I didn't really think it would be possible to bypass procedures.
Sorry about picking you up on the wording you used - it is obvious that competency levels will vary and also obvious that passing a possibly irate customer on to an experienced support agent rather that a randomly selected one is the way any business would operate.
;)
@Masque...
I didn't really think it would be possible to bypass procedures.
Sorry about picking you up on the wording you used - it is obvious that competency levels will vary and also obvious that passing a possibly irate customer on to an experienced support agent rather that a randomly selected one is the way any business would operate.
A Customer Relations call will always come through to us in Liverpool on the priority line ( take that anyway you want ) we then run thorough checks with a first line agent and if required a 2nd line agent is called for further checks after which a course of action will be decided and engineer will be booked if required.
horseman
06-08-2010, 02:00
A Customer Relations call will always come through to us in Liverpool on the priority line ( take that anyway you want ) we then run thorough checks with a first line agent and if required a 2nd line agent is called for further checks after which a course of action will be decided and engineer will be booked if required.
One wonders whether you thus receive a disproportionately higher number of calls re-routed from India? ;)
...but similarly one appreciates why you potentially can't disclose that information! :(
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