Extremely Unstable Connection

R

renierp

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Tomorrow, I will have had my speedstick for a week. I bought the E1820 so that I can have 'Superfast Internet' as ol' Trevor likes to call it. To be quite honest, I have not really experienced it.

I have sent an email to Cell C, and got very helpful responses from Carmen. However, I was promised that a technician will call me today to come and assess the area, and I have had no call yet from anyone. This is getting rather frustrating.

I have been lucky enough to achieve up to 6Mbps at times, but it only lasts for a few seconds then the connection drops to almost zero (it stays connected, but I am unable to browse)

I have borrowed an external antenna which boosts me to -85dBi (from 91), but my signal strength averages at about 35-40%.

My MDMA logs show that it is constantly bouncing between all connection types, but the Cell C dash shows HSPA+ all the time.


DATE TIME MESSAGEID MESSAGE RSSI RAT MCC/MNC LAC(HEX) RNC/CELLID(HEX) CELLID(DEC)
2010/12/19 22:04:01 0 LOGGING STARTED 9 3G 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:04:33 0 RAT 9 3G 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:04:33 0 RSSI 10 3G 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:04:47 0 RSSI 9 3G 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:04:49 0 RAT 9 HSUPA 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:04:50 0 RAT 9 HSPA+ 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:05:05 0 RAT 9 3G 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:05:13 0 RAT 9 HSUPA 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:05:14 0 RAT 9 HSPA+ 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:05:41 0 RAT 9 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:05:42 0 CELLID 9 65507 0 0 0
2010/12/19 22:05:42 0 CELLID 9 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:05:45 0 RAT 9 HSUPA 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:05:45 0 RAT 9 HSPA+ 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:06:05 0 RAT 9 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:06:05 0 RSSI 99 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:06:08 0 RSSI 10 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:06:08 0 CELLID 10 65507 0 0 0
2010/12/19 22:06:08 0 CELLID 10 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:06:09 0 RAT 10 HSUPA 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:06:09 0 RAT 10 HSPA+ 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:06:25 0 RAT 10 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:06:26 0 CELLID 10 65507 0 0 0
2010/12/19 22:06:26 0 CELLID 10 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:06:27 0 RAT 10 HSUPA 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:06:28 0 RAT 10 HSPA+ 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:06:43 0 LOGGING STOPPED 10 HSPA+ 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:09:17 0 LOGGING STARTED 10 HSPA+ 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:09:23 0 RAT 10 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:09:24 0 CELLID 10 65507 0 0 0
2010/12/19 22:09:24 0 CELLID 10 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:09:25 0 RAT 10 HSUPA 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:09:25 0 RAT 10 HSPA+ 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:09:42 0 RAT 10 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:09:43 0 CELLID 10 65507 0 0 0
2010/12/19 22:09:43 0 CELLID 10 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:09:44 0 RAT 10 HSUPA 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:09:44 0 RAT 10 HSPA+ 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:09:45 0 RSSI 6 HSPA+ 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:09:54 0 RSSI 9 HSPA+ 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:10:01 0 RAT 9 65507 64 00652FAA 12202
2010/12/19 22:10:02 0 CELLID 9 65507 0 0 0
2010/12/19 22:10:02 0 CELLID 9 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:10:05 0 RAT 9 HSUPA 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:10:05 0 RAT 9 HSPA+ 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:10:27 0 RSSI 12 HSPA+ 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:10:28 0 RAT 12 3G 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:10:34 0 RAT 12 HSUPA 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:10:35 0 RAT 12 HSPA+ 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:11:10 0 RAT 12 3G 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:11:13 0 RAT 12 HSUPA 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:11:13 0 RAT 12 HSPA+ 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:12:19 0 RAT 12 3G 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:12:25 0 RAT 12 HSUPA 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:12:26 0 RAT 12 HSPA+ 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:12:59 0 RAT 12 3G 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:13:03 0 RAT 12 HSUPA 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:13:03 0 RAT 12 HSPA+ 65507 64 00654D13 19731
2010/12/19 22:20:22 0 LOGGING STOPPED 12 HSPA+ 65507 64 00654D13 19731


PLEASE HELP ME CELL C!!!!
 
Will be interesting to see if you get sorted, since you're trying an antenna too.
 
renierp said:
My MDMA logs show that it is constantly bouncing between all connection types, but the Cell C dash shows HSPA+ all the time.
Click to expand...
This is normal, because RAT is changing depends on the amount of data transfered. Problem is that data is pouring and not stable, probably network problem.
 
sajunky said:
This is normal, because RAT is changing depends on the amount of data transfered. Problem is that data is pouring and not stable, probably network problem.
Click to expand...

Ok firstly, I have no idea what RAT is... A quick google search also returned no obvious results.

Is it normal to switch technologies, or do you mean its normal to just 'cut out' after a few minutes?


Sent from the MyBroadband iPhone App
 
try all the different usb ports on your pc. this made a world of difference for me - i went from 2mbps downloads to 7mbps just by plugging it in to one of the usb slots on the back of my pc.
 
renierp said:
Ok firstly, I have no idea what RAT is... A quick google search also returned no obvious results.
Click to expand...
Radio Access Technology - it's in the MDMA readme.
renierp said:
Is it normal to switch technologies, or do you mean its normal to just 'cut out' after a few minutes?
Click to expand...
It is normal to switch between 3G, HSUPA, HSDPA, etc., this will change depending on the kind of traffic you are generating; uploading, downloading, or idle.
 
I see at 2010/12/19 22:06:08 you were handed over from Cell ID 19731 to 12202, and at 2010/12/19 22:10:02 you were handed back.
There doesn't appear to be much difference in your received signal strengths between these two towers.
May you can ask Trevor for the locations of these towers and try aligning your antenna again.
 
I have exactly the same problem. Also live in a supposedly high coverage area. have tried in several PCs and laptops and the modem works fine if I go and work in a coffee shop up the road. Continuous changing of connection type or complete disconnection. VERY frustrating.

have been promised various visits by technicians but they never follow up and never arrive. I bought mine on the 25th of November and was told that the first month would be that one. Thought it would be no problem as at the speed shown to me at the shop in Northgate it would be no problem to use 5Gb in 5 days. Reality is it is now 21st December and I have used almost nothing of my first TWO months of data. Will be going away for most of the rest of Dec so expect to lose that too.

I get MUCH better service from Telkom. All the promises from Trevor seem to be just a big joke. Well done CellC you certainly caught me out.
 
ginggs said:
I see at 2010/12/19 22:06:08 you were handed over from Cell ID 19731 to 12202, and at 2010/12/19 22:10:02 you were handed back.
There doesn't appear to be much difference in your received signal strengths between these two towers.
May you can ask Trevor for the locations of these towers and try aligning your antenna again.
Click to expand...

When you say align the antenna - horizontal pointing towards the mast (flat or vertical), horizontal, sideways on, flat, horizontal, sideways on but vertical, or just vertical with the flat edge towards the tower or the edge towards the tower?
 
I also experience an unstable connection- was busy with skype Sunday evening worked fine for 20 minutes, then cut connection off and thereafter only reached 50kbps.... could not get video started, only had voice. :cry:
 
Me too live in suppose to be highly coverage area but get sick speeds, i have tested my speeds at my friend house just less than a 1km from my palace and it was fast. i am really getting pushed back to mtn by cell c instead of being whooshed away :mad: :twisted:
 
Unusable

I have the same experience. I am 300m away with a direct line of site from a Cell C tower. MDMA shows -55dB outdoors, -63dB inside.

For the last three days that I have tried, I can connect but data transfer is extremely erratic. When it is there (for about a minute at a time) it is great at 2-5Mbps on my 7.2 speedstick. When it is not there, which is more often than not, there is nothing. My pc cannot resolve host names or ping anything. There is zero data transfer. Also the connection is never broken. It just seems that at random times data will flow and then nothing.

Up until now the experience has been great. Everywhere I have tried the stick the performance has been fast and the throughput consistent

To be sure I have tested on three different PCs with the same result, 2 of which worked perfectly before. I also checked in the carpark at Pick and Pay Hyper Faerie Glen where all was fine.

Perhaps CellC still need to learn how to configure their MPLS network. Should have stuck with SDH... at least it works.
 
I have tried all USB ports, notebook and PC. Think I can safely assume that is not the problem.

Just to clarify, the Antenna I borrowed, is not one of the big Poynting fellas, it is the ol' Vodafone antenna that used to ship with the PCMIA cards (looks like an oversized ice cream stick on a wire) - not sure what they are called. Since I live in a complex, they will not exactly allow an antenna on the roof..

Radio Access Technology - it's in the MDMA readme.
Click to expand...
Thanks, clearly I have not read the Readme. :)

I am, however, considering this antenna, should give me a semi-decent boost. http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/30427664/Huawei_crc9_15DBi_HSDPA_3G_antenna_for_indoor_or_outdoor_use_great_for_boosting_signal.html
 
OK, I am not sure whether this is a workable solution, or just a coincidental ocurence.

I got a new router today (Cisco E3000). It has USB, but only for drive sharing. However, loading custom DD-WRT firmware on it, which among others, enables the USB port for USB Modems.

It now seems that most of my problems have just disappeared! The speeds are still not great, getting between 1-3.5Mbps, depending on router location, but at least it is stable! I have been connected for about 30 minutes with no issues whatsoever.

I will leave it running for a bit, monitor it properly, and give feedback! Router set me back R1300, but I think it is a great buy, regardless!

Will add it to the supported routers thread!
 
Same problems here with UMTS and GPRS. UMTS signal is decent - it says connected with no traffic.
 
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