Pretoria: iBurst not capped, but max 6.7 kilobits / sec, since 6th July

[jmn]

Phoned W(hat)B(ull)S(hit) Helldesk 3 times today, speed is very consistent 6.7 kbps:
* Download time: 605.15 seconds
* Size of file: 500 KiloBytes
* Estimated line speed: 6.7 (kilobits/second)
* Estimated line speed: 0.8 (kiloBytes/second)

Not capped, or shouldn't be, have barely used 200 MB this month.

Was told that Wonderboom tower has a problem that would be fixed by 19:00 on second call. With third call I got no commitment at all, will check if other users also complain. According to another user on the forum also on Wonderboom there's no problem. With first call I didn't want to hold on for more that 5 minutes.

Pings seem fine, fairly normal responses.

Signal and FER seem fine.

Have changed MTU, used USB, tried everything except a different UTD.

Just wish I could control to which tower I connect (without purchasing an antenna), or at least determine to which tower I am connected.

At the moment I can't even open www.iburst.co.za, although the machine can be pinged.

 

[Clipse]

ok no jokes, you did check that you dont have any tools like bandwidth controller or netlimiter set to 1k? ;-)

 

[slimothy]

i strongly advise you DO NOT cvhange any setting or at the very least keep a note of old ones so you can restore it. It seems to be a temporary problem comprising the UUNET uplink crap and the apparant bandwidth manager problems mthat started conveniently on the 1st of July.

My experience is a bit crap in the day, sort of ADSL 512 speeds and at night its 1mbit but takes longer to build up to that speed.

Here's my 2 gripes,

1. We don't have a easy way of submitting network problems to be sorted out, if you phone the helpdesk they don't do anything, they cant fix it and they dont tell the people who can (yeah this means you thato, you're a nice guy but feedback would be nice)
2. If you're on say the 3GB package, and you're supposed to get fast, unthrottled access on that 3GB and they start the month with problems and you end up having a week where your speeds are closer to throttled sped than 1mbit, why the hell is all the data you used during that week counted as part of your 'high speed usage'? Like my speeds arent *that* bad now, but if I were you and I spent a week downloadin little things and used like 2GB and then suddenly they fix the problem and I only have 1GB left before I'm throttled again.. I'd be pissed.... WBS PAUSE THE BANDWIDTH USAGE METER UNTILL YOU GET YOUR **** TOGETEHR

 

[jmn]

Have checked that. Primarily use WinXP, but prob also on different FC3 box. And used USB on WinXP to rule out a prob with IPCop. Was fine last night at 23:00, then slow this morning.

It's actually weird watching the speed test with NetLimiter: every 10 seconds there's a pulse of more than 4 kBps, then followed by a couple of slower ones, then nothing for about 5 seconds, then the cycle starts again.

And on both machines the speed test lasts 600 +- 5 seconds, every time.

 

[jmn]

Weird, seems like fixed IP now

Everytime I let IPCop reconnect, I get the same IP. Even rebooting IPCop, removing power from UTD and on top of it, unplugging the ethernet cable from the UTD (simultaneously).

Suppose I have to do a complete shutdown tonight and try again tomorrow, maybe I get lucky.

 

[slimothy]

actually that can be a problem as Roman pointed out the speed problem affects 9/10 IPs if you connect 10 times, and geta fresh IP everytime then on the tenth go you'll notice your speed picks up (thats an estimate it may take 100 times it may take 3)

but the one constant factor is that you needed a new IP, its all very wierd

 

[jmn]

I've now been off (UTD dead) for 30+ minutes, reconnected and got the very same IP, and, although they probably use classless routing, the IP addresses are all class C IP's and the last octet in this case is .0

 

[jmn]

Oh well, since Thato didn't call me back b4 11, I'll switch off for the night and hope I get a new IP 2morrow...

 

[jmn]

Tsk, Got new IP, NO better speed however....

I realize that NetLimiter is not an ideal tool for really evaluating or visualizing performance, but the following appears to be the case:

I get spikes of 64 - 96 kBps about every 27 seconds, in between spikes of 4 - kBps about every 7 seconds (spikes being thin one pixel lines) and for the rest absolutely nothing.

Now, on my second day of absolutely NO SPEED, I'm getting to noone's point (http://www.mybroadband.co.za/vb/showpost.php?p=242613&postcount=13). I am testing something on US server, not that it matters, local is as bad, and rather used dialup last night.

Sentech's 1 MB test:
Your download speed is: 0.8 KBps, or 6.42 Kbps
The test took 1276.495 seconds to complete

Have now double checked everything: Through IPCop box, direct from WinXP USB & ethernet, and directly from FC3 box - NO SPEED since yesterday morning!

 

[P0tenc]

jmn.....I have exactly the same problem since yesterday morning! Also only getting 0.8kb/s on telkom http speed test. I have also tried many things USB/LAN, moving UTD, resetting it, MTU's. This is not our problem, it's with the iburst network! I did email a techie and he replied by saying everything is reporting normal status and he will continue monitoring it.

 

[jmn]

Spoke to Thato twice, couldn't really say anything except tech's working on WB tower, would have been resolved by 19:00 yesterday. Emailed twice, requested read receipts, no answer yet, not even the receipts. Copied the mails to Sassan Parvin as well. Now starting to think of dropping iBurst, even dialup is better.

I was convinced that the problem is not on my side, but tested and experimented anyway just to be absolutely sure.

 

[BicPen]

Below is the data used to calculate your download speed:

* Download time: 613.362 seconds
* Size of file: 500 KiloBytes
* Estimated line speed: 6.7 (kilobits/second)
* Estimated line speed: 0.8 (kiloBytes/second)


mmm....what u think bout that jmn ?

 

[Clipse]

2 users, same stats? madness

 

[BicPen]

looks like a cap to me....but i its probably just the same amount of fog in the air for me and jmr, cause we're not capped yet!!!!!

 

[LandyMan]

looks like a cap to me....but i its probably just the same amount of fog in the air for me and jmr, cause we're not capped yet!!!!!

Bic, something seems to be wrong with the Centurion tower ... can't get to my router from work ... seems to be dipping the whole time

 

[jmn]

And P0tenc (see above). All in Pta: Centurion, Sunnyside & Wonderboom.

Just had read confirm from Sassan, and mail from him to say he'll get Luis to look into it, I insisted on mail response and did not give phone number. BTW, these were mails to helldesk, copied to him. No response from them yet...

 

[BicPen]

thanx for the info jmn, keep us posted

 

[P0tenc]

looks like a cap to me....but i its probably just the same amount of fog in the air for me and jmr, cause we're not capped yet!!!!!

I get 0.8kb/s aswell when i complete a speed test. So its 3 of us plus 2 of my friends. Thats 5 ppl that get 0.8kb/s with the test

 

[jmn]

Latest http://www.internetfrog.com/mypc/speedtest/ test, notice MaxPause, which is similar to what I saw on NetLimiter:
Download: 3,656 bps
Upload: 7,784 bps
QOS: 25%
RTT: 7 ms
MaxPause: 6279 ms

 

[MrH]

I'm getting a similar result today as yesterday and it will probably pick up later tonight.

Download: 647,912 bps
Upload: 55,976 bps
QOS: 79%
RTT: 297 ms
MaxPause: 782 ms