ADSL Connectivity issue

[Sleepwa]

Hi All

Sadly this is my first post after following these forums for quite some time. So please forgive me if I come across as the needy step child that you only hear from when they need something.

I need some help on the following issue as the guys at MWEB can't seem to figure it out.

For the last 3 months I have had connectivity issues whereby my account will stay connected for about 20 minutes and then the internet light on the router will turn red and stay that way until reset.

This is what has been done to date without success:
1. Replaced router 3 times - Billion W40
2. Used a Netgear router - Worked perfectly
3. Replaced the filter, network cable, telephone cable, power supply - No effect
4. Port resets and line tests by Telkom
5. Router resets by Mweb
6. I tried using a Telkom account and the same result occurs.
7. I have moved homes in the last month. Same result on 2 different Telkom lines.

I'm at my wits end. It must also be noted that before I moved homes, the line worked for 3 weeks without issue in between all of this which confused the hell out of me even more. I did nothing different on the line/router to get it to work for those 3 weeks. It just worked.

Any of you tech boffs have any ideas for me or could possibly narrow the issue down for me to help MWEB sort this out?

Thanks!

 

[D3x!]

well to me it sounds like router issues, are those 3 new billion routers or used billion routers?

why not use the netgear?

 

[Sleepwa]

3 brand new Billion routers from MWEB. First my original, 2nd a test unit from MWEB, 3rd a replacement that MWEB shipped to me.

The netgear is not mine. Belongs to a friend that I borrowed.

 

[D3x!]

3 brand new Billion routers from MWEB. First my original, 2nd a test unit from MWEB, 3rd a replacement that MWEB shipped to me.

The netgear is not mine. Belongs to a friend that I borrowed.

did they come preset?

tried a hard reset and setup?

firmware?

those come from mweb locked dont they?

 

[PsyWulf]

I'll tell you this:

I had the same issue exactly. 2xMweb Billion ADSL routers
After 5 months of sessions where the router would be fine for a week after a line reset then enter another 20minute reset loop I lost my temper and had it replaced with a Cisco router and also used a D-link,Netgear and an Asus unit for testing. These handled the line much better ( 1 drop per week usually afterhours ) - except the Netgear which dropped once a day with similar symptoms

As a sidenote after assistance from a very helpful Telkom tech my line has been placed on a new DSLAM which completely eliminated the random drops,even the spare Billion router works on it without a hiccup.

So in summary: Some routers handle niggles and issues with lines better than others

 

[ISP cash cow]

If you know the netgear works maybe just go out and buy a netgear router.

 

[Pada]

When diagnosing ADSL problems, you should always check the ADSL line's quality first, before checking for ISP/modem related problems.

Log in on your ADSL modem's web interface and go to the ADSL statistics page, and then post the stats here.
The ones that we're particularly interested in are: line speed, SNR margin & line attenuation - the values both for upstream & downstream

My guess is that you're running a 4-10Mbps ADSL line and that you're too far from the DSLAM to maintain a stable ADSL connection - because this is the problem 90% of the time.

 

[Sleepwa]

did they come preset?

tried a hard reset and setup?

firmware?

those come from mweb locked dont they?

I have hard reset them a few times but haven't done a firmware upgrade. The routers dont come locked, i could use another Telkom account when necessary.

I'll tell you this:

I had the same issue exactly. 2xMweb Billion ADSL routers
After 5 months of sessions where the router would be fine for a week after a line reset then enter another 20minute reset loop I lost my temper and had it replaced with a Cisco router and also used a D-link,Netgear and an Asus unit for testing. These handled the line much better ( 1 drop per week usually afterhours ) - except the Netgear which dropped once a day with similar symptoms

As a sidenote after assistance from a very helpful Telkom tech my line has been placed on a new DSLAM which completely eliminated the random drops,even the spare Billion router works on it without a hiccup.

So in summary: Some routers handle niggles and issues with lines better than others

My old home has a new DSLAM installed and they redid all the wiring for me with no effect.

If you know the netgear works maybe just go out and buy a netgear router.

The point is that I paid for this router already, why should I go out and buy another one. Surely i can't be the only person on the MWEB network experiencing this problem if the Billion W40 is the standard router in use?

When diagnosing ADSL problems, you should always check the ADSL line's quality first, before checking for ISP/modem related problems.

Log in on your ADSL modem's web interface and go to the ADSL statistics page, and then post the stats here.
The ones that we're particularly interested in are: line speed, SNR margin & line attenuation - the values both for upstream & downstream

My guess is that you're running a 4-10Mbps ADSL line and that you're too far from the DSLAM to maintain a stable ADSL connection - because this is the problem 90% of the time.

I am running a 386k line and i have always checked the line stats. They were high at a stage at my old place when I called Telkom out to address the issue. The Telkom techies router was sensing a lower attenuation to that which the Billions were showing. Thereafter the line attenuation improved to reasonable levels which MWEB was happy with. I'm out in Sunninghill, not too sure how far the DSLAM is to be honest. Will check the line stats again when I get home.

 

[Ry4n]

Sleepwa - you need to replace your router with a different make like Netgear. Some exchanges use different equipment and some routers struggle with certain configurations - generally a firmware upgrade should rectify your problem. I had a similar issue at our company and when diagnosing it with a Telkom techie he recommended a different router – so we tested it with a different router (dlink) and problem solved. Since then we’ve done a firmware upgraded on the previous router (netgear) and now that one’s working too.
The hard line isn’t Mwebs responsibility that’s Telkom… so they shouldn’t be liable for replacing your router plus they’re cheap, you can easily pick one up for less than R500.
GL!

 

[Sleepwa]

Thanks! Will look at doing that then. Only thing that baffles me is the fact that these modems don't work on any line I've installed them on. Will chat to Mweb again. Thanks for the help all!

 

[ISP cash cow]

Have you got any other ISP accounts with another ADSL company?

If not maybe just buy a couple of gigs prepaid from another ISP and try and connect via them. To check if its the ISP connection to the server.

My feeling is if it was the line or bad line you would be experiencing drops on your line (where the DSl green light drops and needs to connect again). the fact that the red light is coming on seems to me like you are getting DSL line (telkom side) but not being able to access the ISP server (Mweb).

I could be wrong though