ADSL 384 problems - advise/help please

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eXisor

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My sister got a Telkom 386 ADSL service installed at her home in Primrose about 2 weeks ago. There start the problems. She's got exactly the same hardware setup I have and I know both setups work perfectly because I've swapped components. (shiro modem in bridge mode --> WRT54GL w dd-wrt v24 pre-sp2 ---> PC).

Please help us troubleshoot so we can help Telkom fix the problem.

The symptoms...

- The modem takes ages to syncs, but always does

- After sync (but before connecting to ISP), the modem shows a down speed that varies dramatically from less than 50 to 378 (never 384). If I unplug the modem and force a resync, the new speed is vastly different to the previous speed.

- When I can connect to an ISP, (sometimes I can't and it's not the ISP cause I've tried several), we can sometimes surf (slow download speeds of 2 - 6 kpbs), but after 15 - 20 minutes all traffic ceases completely. Nada. Every ping loses 3+ packets, even to telkomsa. Disconnecting/reconnecting doesn't help - we can't even reach any ISP anymore.

- If we disconnect the modem for 30+ minutes, then reconnect, we can sometimes connect and surf for a few minutes - pathetically slowly, then no traffic and dropped packets again.


What we've done so far:

- reported the problem to telkom on 3 separate occasions.

i) The first time they renewed the port and we were able to connect and surf - slowly - for 15 minutes then nada. They marked the problem as resolved and closed it.

ii) The second time they said they'd move her to another port, and a telkom techy came out to their house, connected his laptop, showed my mother a web page loaded and then left. They marked as resolved and closed. When my sister got home from work exactly the same problem existed.

iii) Third time the techy and I spent 30 minutes troubleshooting over the phone until he was convinced it wasn't a modem/router/setup problem. We even tried connecting to their guest logon account, but nada. Problem reopened

iv) Yesterday their CT support contacted me and said their was line noise and they would investigate from the exchange to my sisters house. If required a techy will meet me at her house sometime during the next few days.

Of course my sister is incredibly pissed at the whole state of affairs and we want to make sure they get it right this time, so....

Advise/Help questions.

- Is line noise likely to be the problem? The telephone works OK and I can't say I hear any noise on the line.

- Could it still be a port problem? Why does a port renew work for a few minutes?

- Why does the line noise go from bad to deafening? ie. why can we surf for a few minutes and then nada... all packets are dropped? Is that consistent with a line noise problem?

Any/all assistance appreciated...

Oh yes, just to remove a software variable, she has ubuntu and windows installed in sparate paritions - theproblems are consistent accross both, so it's not spyware/viruses/OS setup etc.
 
Last edited:
Yes, I've swapped her wrt54gl out with my wl520gu, exactly same problem.

I've also taken the router out oft the equation, namely, I've setup the modem to do the pppoe login and plugged it directl into her machine.... same problems.

Her modem/router/settings/isp details all work fine at my please as well.

This is not a home setup issue...
 
Hey ,

If @ all possible - can you post your line stats

SNR(signal to noise ratio/margin down and up)
Line attenuation down and up
Sync up and down.
 
Unfortunately I'm not at my sister's at the moment (wouldn't be able to post if I were - primrose doesn't do 3g), but I'll bypass the router and get the stats directly from the modem for u guys this evening...

Sync speeds (from memory) fluctuate wildly, a new value every time I plug in the phone line, eg: down/up = 50/124, 90,124, 278/124., 129/124...
 
hmmm

unplug EVERYTHING except the ADSL router. no filters , no splitters , no alarm systems - nothing must be connected except the ADSL router

if the sync rate varies that much - check the line attenuation rate on her router and SNR

if the SNR down is below 10 and Line attenuation down higher than 54 - then you have a PROPER line problem.
 
Thanks [OUPA]MrNutz, I'll do as you suggest this evening and post back tomorrow.

Seems a sorry day that we have to problem solve for Telkom, but what can one do.... At the end of the day we're the ones sitting with the problem so...
 
Could be line noise. ADSL works on different frequencies to the telephone (which is why you can use both at the same time).
 
Sorry for the no feedback yesterday, but my sister had to work late so I couldn't get to her system... I'm hoping to get to it this weekend and will post values.
 
I've seen the symptoms you describe before - what was happening was that there was a a break in one wire of the circuit to the modem, so only one of the two wires was connected to the modem. Because ADSL operates at high frequency there was enough capacitance to ground for a very weak signal to appear on the modem inputs. The result is the strange symptoms you describe. You should be able to check by connect a regular POTS phone right where your modem connects. It will NOT work if one wire broken.
 
stoke said:
@smc, 384 works on one line only. Done and dusted and proven beyond doubt.
512 should also work on 1 line only as well.
Click to expand...

Sometimes, not always - at the end of the day, the electrons need a return path - off of one wire, as mentioned, you're dependent on capacitive coupling via ground to give that return path. Often works IF you happen to have good grounding between you and the local exchange's DSLAM, but sometimes not, sometimes only partially.
 
Thank you all for ideas and input.

Telkom reported yesterday that they found a broken part between the exhange and a local box. Bad news is their solitary cable guy is the only one whio can replace it so who know when that'll happen.
 
I think I am having the same issue, My line at home syncs OK and I can browse super, super slow and have lose of packets. So basically the line syncs but there is no fast connection. I'm on a 384 line as well.

I have tested a different router and my router at my folks place which is up the road and they both work fine. Is it the line or something at the exchange?

Please any advice,would be appreicated. Thanks
 
Freak_c said:
I think I am having the same issue, My line at home syncs OK and I can browse super, super slow and have lose of packets. So basically the line syncs but there is no fast connection. I'm on a 384 line as well.

I have tested a different router and my router at my folks place which is up the road and they both work fine. Is it the line or something at the exchange?

Please any advice,would be appreicated. Thanks
Click to expand...

Man, do I feel for you... We've been battling for three weeks to get telkom to send someone who knows there stuff to find the real problem. As you can see, to date, still not fixed although apparently a component between the exchange and our local box is the culprit.
 
eXisor said:
Man, do I feel for you... We've been battling for three weeks to get telkom to send someone who knows there stuff to find the real problem. As you can see, to date, still not fixed although apparently a component between the exchange and our local box is the culprit.
Click to expand...

Hi Exisor thanks for getting back to me. What do you recommend I tell telkom?
 
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