Connectivity problems and nothing that can be done?

[GuestUK]

Hello,

After having constant connectivity problems for months since my original post of the problem here, I finally got tired of the connection dieing every day nearly 15 times (for minutes or hours at a time) and then randomly coming back up.

I contacted NTL cable modem support, and they sent an engineer who came today and replaced the cable modem (previously NTL home 120, now an NTL 250)

The engineer said that this would solve the problem. The only other cause if that didn't help would be the signal because we are at the end of a road. However, if that is the problem, there's nothing that can be done, the signal can't be changed or improved as it apparently would cause problems for other people and therefore is impossible to resolve.

Sadly, shortly after the engineer left, the connection died again, so it's not the modem, and must be the signal (or something else not considered) but if it is, apparently that's a dead end.

If it helps, these are some details of the problem:
The internet connection completely dies randomly without warning. The modem itself is inaccessible in this period (192.168.100.1 = dead), as is the internet. Randomly, later, it'll all come back up again. There is no speed loss, the connection runs at the speed it should, but it's incredibly unstable and bearly usable in it's current state.

These are the power levels:

Downstream Receive Power Level : -10.0 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 35.1 dB
Upstream transmit Power Level : 57.0 dBmV


Also, this is the event log (One advantage that the NTL home 120 modem didn't have) of the last disconnect, which luckily only lasted a few seconds:

First Time Last Time Counts Level ID Text
Wed May 03 17:05:45 2006 Wed May 03 17:05:45 2006
1

Critical(3)

68000300
DHCP WARNING - Non-critical field invalid in response.
Wed May 03 17:05:36 2006 Wed May 03 17:05:36 2006
1

Critical(3)

82000700
Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - Re- initializing MAC
Wed May 03 17:05:17 2006 Wed May 03 17:05:17 2006
1

Critical(3)

82000300
Init RANGING Critical Ranging Request Retries exhausted
Wed May 03 17:05:17 2006 Wed May 03 17:05:17 2006
17

Critical(3)

82000200
No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out
Wed May 03 17:05:03 2006 Wed May 03 17:05:03 2006
2

Critical(3)

82000700
Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - Re- initializing MAC
Wed May 03 17:00:35 2006 Wed May 03 17:00:35 2006
1

Critical(3)

82000500
Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - ...

Is there anything that can be done, or any idea what the problem is, or will I have to live with an unreliable internet (It never used to happen, started a few months ago, and has happened daily ever since).

Furthermore, is there anything there that gives an idea as to what the problem is?

Thankyou for your time, I'd appreciate any help or ideas.

[homealone]

hi

according to

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/cmtips/signal.html#sbdiags

your upstream power level is right near the top limit, in effect your modem is 'shouting' to try to get itself 'heard', which implies a return path problem.

In my opinion the installer should not have left it like that ...

[GuestUK]

Thanks for the reply,

To me it seems like a signal problem - it's not the modem, as it's been replaced, it's not the computer or the network, which leaves very little options.

However, the problem is, the NTL engineer that came said they can't do anything about the signals, because that would cause problems for other people and isn't feasible, alol they could do was replace the modem (which doesn't help) which leaves me with very few options or ideas about what to do next.

I would just like a reliable internet connection which I can use as I need it and won't go down every few minutes and stay down for hours :(

[ben1390]

If I were you, I would switch to ADSL

[Chris W]

have you only had the 1 engineer visit?

call me cynical, but i would always get a second opinion- call them again and get another appointment booked, another engineer might think of something that can be done to fix this.

always worth a second opinion! :)

[sollp]

Hi,

Sounds like the DP cabinet has alot of customers on the distribution points within the cabinet that would be needed to give you more signal level. So you are either on the Distribution tap that will give you maximum signal or the ones you need to be on are full up. So its difficult to know either way. Your downstrean level should idealy be -+ 0dB, you are -10dB, also as already said the upstream is right on the limit so if there is any fluctuation on the Upstream levels you will loose connection straight away.

Do you have NTL Digi TV as well?

For the levels to be this low you would have to be a good distance from the DP cabinet, i think something else could be at fault as well.

[Mick Fisher]

However, the problem is, the NTL engineer that came said they can't do anything about the signals, because that would cause problems for other people and isn't feasible, alol they could do was replace the modem (which doesn't help) which leaves me with very few options or ideas about what to do next.

When I had signal level problems that's exactly what the Second engineer that visited me said. The difference being that he did explain it was a network fault which the ordinary engineers can't get involved with. He took the trouble to report the fault to the network chaps and it was fixed the next day without a further visit to my home.

Are you sure he didn't say he would escalate it to Network?

.

[homealone]

have you only had the 1 engineer visit?

call me cynical, but i would always get a second opinion- call them again and get another appointment booked, another engineer might think of something that can be done to fix this.

always worth a second opinion! :)

absolutely, the BS about the signal levels from the first 'engineer' confirms that, it sounds like the OP needs the cable re-pulled/replaced, which they weren't prepared to contemplate??

[GuestUK]

Thanks for the replies,

Well, I'll need to try again tommorow. I tried to make a second call earlier today, without much success (They insisted it was a problem with the computer, and that there was nothing they could do from their side). Having run out of the time I alloted for the phone call, I had to give up for then (I'm sure it's not, seeing as it happens whether connected to the router, connected to different PCs, and it even does the same thing when not connected to the network at all)

I do not currently have NTL digital television, just analogue cable and the phoneline. The strange thing is, everything was perfect until a few months ago, makes me wonder what happened.

It's been going on so long, I've almost forgotten what it's like to have working internet when I need it. Whenever I need to use the internet, it's down. I'll post back after my third call, tommorow, hopefully having a little more success this time.

Thanks a lot for the advice and ideas, I appreciate it (Just getting a little frustrated, it took me about an hour of waiting to be able to get back online at this point and be able to read my email and post this reply)

[mmm]

hi

according to

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/cmtips/signal.html#sbdiags

your upstream power level is right near the top limit, in effect your modem is 'shouting' to try to get itself 'heard', which implies a return path problem.

In my opinion the installer should not have left it like that ...

While clearly not ideal the modem should work with those signal levels - the max upstream for this model is +62dB I believe. Its possible though this reading is OK when it is connected but due to intermittent cable fault not OK when it can't connect. What do the lights on the modem do when not connected?

Back to basics though - are you connected by Ethernet from PC to modem and have you tried changing that cable? - I don't like the comment that you canot even connect to the modem when connection down.

[MikeyB]

Hi,

I had a similar story years ago when I had analogue TV.
The picture was okay on most channels, but pretty crap on some others, wouldn't go off, but would have interference and sometimes wobble!

Had a few engineers out, they would swap STB, no difference, put different atennuators(?) on, no difference, and would fiddle in the boxes outside.
One thing a couple of them did say was because I was at the end of the line (I do live at the end of the street) the signal was getting weaker, and nothing they could do about it, and that's the way it stayed.

But my broadband has never had a problem, so maybe they done something when they switched over to digital in my area, but I can't say about the TV as I have Sky.

[Nedkelly]

Hi call Ntl and get a engineer out .Looking at the diag there might be a signal problem :)