Telkom wont Fix my high attenuation level- HELP!!

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Black Smoke

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Hey all,

Im stuck in such a rut and I have no idea what to do. Anyways to make a long story short:

I noticed in about Feb that my download speeds were next to nothing, ranging from 0Kbps to 20kbps on a 2meg line. absurd right??

Anyways I chatted with my ISP (M-Web) and we narrowed it down to a problem on my fixed line which is obviously maintained by Telkom. My SNR levels are at 10.2 and attenuation is at 63dB which I know is way to high.

Im not joking that i have contacted Telkom about 18 times since feb and they always open up a new ticket and then a few days later I receive my SMS saying it has been resolved. Well what a surprise that in actual fact there is no flipping difference and the noise levels etc are the same. (what grates me the most is that they wont reopen a ticket, instead they issue a new one which makes them look good as the previous issues were resolved when in actual fact they were not)

Ive demanded on 3 separate occasions for a supervisor to call me back and you can all guess that, that never actually happened.


Guys please help! How can I go about and get Telkom to drop my attenuation levels? Job bag opens, they send a technician to the exchange, who then closes it without resolving it. what is happening?

Im so fed up and just need advice on how to get them on my side and actually fix my issues and provide me with the service I am paying for?
 
I've always found that when dealing with an ADSL line problem with Telkom the best thing to do is to tell them that there is a problem with your voice line and to NEVER EVER mention anything about ADSL. There is something about the mere mention of ADSL that makes Telkom completely switch off.

Log a fault and tell them there is static on your voice line, or your voice line is dead or whatever. Make something up if you have to, but do not mention anything about slow ADSL speeds. They've always sent out a technician to deal with voice line problems, but mention ADSL and your tickets just get closed without any explanation.

Once the technician shows up on your doorstep you can then ambush him and explain what your real problem is. They should quite happily oblige you and sort your problem out. Usually the problem will be a corroded connection somewhere between your house and the exchange.
 
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LOL i recently gave the exact same advise to a colleague, never mention ADSL, just tell them that there is a fault on the voice line, once they come out tell them that you noticed the ADSL is also problematic.
 
Did your attenuation change drastically or has it always been at 62dB ?

If it has changed drastically, do what deweyzeph said. If it hasn't, then its most certainly not the cause of your throughput problems.

My take:
Your SNR of 10 is OK.
Your attenuation of 62 is bad, but that is probably because of the distance to the exchange; something that you can't really fix, unless there is an exchange closer to you that Telkom would be willing to move your line to.
Does your adsl line drop often ?
Are there a lot of ADSL errors reported by your router ?

Distance (attenuation) does not affect ADSL throughput, a stable sync "could" affect it.


What you really need to do:
- Speed test using the telkom guest ADSL account (sorry I don;t have the details on hand). Log in with this account, then browse to saix.net and use their speed test.
- Speed test using a free ADSL account: Get one form AfriHost, WebAfrica or Axxess.

If the speed tests on the other adsl accounts show a similar picture and your ADSL sync is stable, then its probably not your line, but something at the exchange itself.

If the speed tests are fine and the ADSL sync in stable, blame your ISP.

Good luck.
 
Black Smoke said:
I noticed in about Feb that my download speeds were next to nothing, ranging from 0Kbps to 20kbps on a 2meg line. absurd right??

Anyways I chatted with my ISP (M-Web) and we narrowed it down to a problem on my fixed line which is obviously maintained by Telkom. My SNR levels are at 10.2 and attenuation is at 63dB which I know is way to high.
Click to expand...

Yea they not gonna fix it its the distance from you to the exchange. If they are installing VDSL in your area (you can check at reallyfast.co.za) you will be in luck as the MSAN reduces loop length ALOT.

In January i had the exact same symptoms on my line that you are facing now. i actually still have the screen shot when i was on a SDC (the green boxes) IMG_17012014_215826.png


Once i moved to the MSAN my stats shot up and are now better then i expected. rsz_img_03072014_131011.png


If they are installing VDSL ask them when will completion be and if they say soon like in a month or two log a fault weekly for them to move you to a MSAN.

If they are not installing VDSL in your area there is nothing you can do unfortunately
 
You're the perfect candidate for LTE. Your ADSL is never going to improve...time to ditch it.
 
I am on the opposite end of the issue. P-Poor 3G/GSM reception at my house but served with FTTC: 40dB SNR, 5dB attenuation.
 
OP I am in the EXACT same situation. My att. is currently at 67.8. DL speeds on a 2mb capped is around 20-30kbps.
I have logged more calls then I would care to remember and also just get the problem has been resolved sms. I have used hallopeter and the escalations call center with no help. Best part of it all is I am less then 1km from the exchange. I second the "dont mention ADSL" part as Telkom really does not care anymore. My advise is just deal with it until a better option becomes available/affordable.
I am over getting angry and spending 45mins on the phone every few days
 
adam_g said:
Yea they not gonna fix it its the distance from you to the exchange. If they are installing VDSL in your area (you can check at reallyfast.co.za) you will be in luck as the MSAN reduces loop length ALOT.

In January i had the exact same symptoms on my line that you are facing now. i actually still have the screen shot when i was on a SDC (the green boxes) View attachment 129601






Once i moved to the MSAN my stats shot up and are now better then i expected. View attachment 129607


If they are installing VDSL ask them when will completion be and if they say soon like in a month or two log a fault weekly for them to move you to a MSAN.

If they are not installing VDSL in your area there is nothing you can do unfortunately
Click to expand...

My stats are virtually identical to yours with regards to noise margin and line attenuation..

Excuse my lack of knowledge but what is MSAN?
 
Black Smoke said:
My stats are virtually identical to yours with regards to noise margin and line attenuation..

Excuse my lack of knowledge but what is MSAN?
Click to expand...

MSAN'S are those big white boxes on the road side usually next to the green boxes you can read more on MSAN'S Here:

And here is a pic of a MSAN taken from another mybb user 1384680645794.jpg

Once you are on one your stats will look like my second screenshot and your area can achieve upto 40Mbps on copper and 1Gbps on fibre
 
Mr.Jax said:
Did your attenuation change drastically or has it always been at 62dB ?
Click to expand...

This.

When I had problems with my line Telkom support loved quoting the 'distance from exchange' line until I eventually shouted at someone my f&^%$# house hasn't gotten up and moved futher from your exchange, it's your f&*%$# line that's gotten worse'.

Unfortunately it was never resolved, I fought with them for nearly 2 years until eventually we got an MSAN which brought stable ADSL to my shore again.
 
You can't drop your attenuation unless you move closer to the exchange.

I'm having the same issue, a 63 dB attenuation where I only sync at 1.5 Mbps.
 
adam_g said:
Yea they not gonna fix it its the distance from you to the exchange. If they are installing VDSL in your area (you can check at reallyfast.co.za) you will be in luck as the MSAN reduces loop length ALOT.
Click to expand...
I can't find anything on that site. Where about do you go to check this?
 
Upgraded line to 4mbps.
My attenuation is 9.5 but my noise margin up is 20.9db and down 12.8db.
Speeds on a 4mbps is up 400kbps and down is 1249kbps?
Less than half line speed. Surely not normal?
 
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