Vodacom Problems: Slow Throughput, trying to Connect, DNS, High Latency

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Performance is terrible tonight, cannot get any Windows Updates either, they start downloading and then just freeze due to network timeouts and errors. AAARRGHHHH !!!!!! Seems to be problems with certain international links, my guess SAIX problem again !!!! Maybe the striking workers cut the lines in Cape Town.
 
I installed the VMC 9.1 software. Struggled for hours to get the software to pick up the modem. Then another few hours trying to connect. 619 619 619's
Why is it this difficult?!
And here I am. I launched the Vodacom speed test.

The modem is in the same place as my previous test 1.
But strangely I only get 3 bars of 3G Signal This time.
Just when i connected, my connection went over to HSDPA!

Download Speed: 551 kbps (68.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 240 kbps (30 KB/sec transfer rate)

But then again, this is far from 1.8Mbps. ;)
 
dionb said:
My E220 was also moody when I got it mid January... changing colour (mode) to a point of instability.
Click to expand...

My problem was not the connections changing (3G,GPRS,EDGE,3G,etc etc) the whole time, and I know that 3G and GPRS is totally different, but only that my HSDPA connection was totally unstable. But that seems to be something of the past. Im on HSDPA now. Nice and fast.

My only remaining problem at this moment is that if i disconnect now,reconnect, disconnect again, and try to reconnect Then, The modem suddenly does not want to connect. The only remedy at the moment is multiple Computer resets it seems. What could be wrong?
 
vodacom3g said:
Still don't get your point.

- What Vodacom server are you talking about?
- Where is the Vodacom network "different" as per your first statement? Different to what?
- Your comment:

Physics dictate that larger packets will have higher latency. What is a 'full packet'?
Click to expand...
Yup, you don't get it. What I call a full packet is the maximum packet size. 1000 bytes is way below the maximum of 1500 so it shouldn't result in much if any fragmentation. So what is causing the high lag and it surely isn't physics. On a 1.8Mbps connection 1000 over 32 bytes should only take about 4ms longer to travel or less than 10ms more for a round trip and not more than double the usual time. The server is the one you mentioned - smtp.vodacom.co.za - which I assume you chose because it is on the same network.
 
Prometheus said:
Yup, you don't get it. What I call a full packet is the maximum packet size. 1000 bytes is way below the maximum of 1500 so it shouldn't result in much if any fragmentation. So what is causing the high lag and it surely isn't physics. On a 1.8Mbps connection 1000 over 32 bytes should only take about 4ms longer to travel or less than 10ms more for a round trip and not more than double the usual time. The server is the one you mentioned - smtp.vodacom.co.za - which I assume you chose because it is on the same network.
Click to expand...

What about the intermediate store-and-forward devices? What effect do they have?

If it's not physics causing the delay, what do you suggest it is? Black-magic? ;)

Also, where did you see the MTU for a WCDMA network is 1500?
 
ld13 said:
Vodafone Huawei E220 Modem
Running VMC Lite

Test 1
4 Bar 3G signal. Same position as always.
Download Speed: 180 kbps (22.5 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 148 kbps (18.5 KB/sec transfer rate)

Test 2
4 Bar 3G signal. Moved my modem to a higher location (1 meter higher). The modem's LED went from blue, to a lighter blue (indicating HSDPA coverage!). My connection went all unstable. Even after I reconnected the connection stayed unstable. First load of the vodacom speed test site failed! :confused:
Download Speed: 157 kbps (19.6 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 9 kbps (1.1 KB/sec transfer rate)

This second upload rating of 9kbps is quite understandable. The upload test went all the way to 100%, then it just stayed like that. It did nothing. Connection windows showed no activity at all.Something just went wrong with the unstable connection.
Click to expand...
The blue light flashing means you are on the 3G/hsdpa network, on means you are connected. Light blue which is really the green light coming on also means you are transferring data on the 3G/hsdpa network.
Syndyre said:
Getting constant error 619's, can't connect at all with a PPDB, am I the only one or is any one else having problems?
Click to expand...
Yup me too, but have been too busy to complain about it. The power failure also doesn't help matters much with Boksburg's users now being routed to the surrounding towers where I am.
 
vodacom3g said:
What about the intermediate store-and-forward devices? What effect do they have?

If it's not physics causing the delay, what do you suggest it is? Black-magic? ;)

Also, where did you see the MTU for a WCDMA network is 1500?
Click to expand...
That's what I want to know from you. If packets are not fragmented (and I can't see how since it's single packets) then what is causing the delay. And physics as an answer just doesn't cut it. I took the maximum MTU for ethernet which is most of the internet and probably a large portion of Vodacom's network as well.
ld13 said:
My only remaining problem at this moment is that if i disconnect now,reconnect, disconnect again, and try to reconnect Then, The modem suddenly does not want to connect. The only remedy at the moment is multiple Computer resets it seems. What could be wrong?
Click to expand...
The disconnects stuffs up the modem. A reset of the modem usually does the trick.

Download Speed: 1295kbps
Upload Speed: 302kbps
 
ld13 said:
My problem was not the connections changing (3G,GPRS,EDGE,3G,etc etc) the whole time, and I know that 3G and GPRS is totally different, but only that my HSDPA connection was totally unstable. But that seems to be something of the past. Im on HSDPA now. Nice and fast.

My only remaining problem at this moment is that if i disconnect now,reconnect, disconnect again, and try to reconnect Then, The modem suddenly does not want to connect. The only remedy at the moment is multiple Computer resets it seems. What could be wrong?
Click to expand...

Hi ld13

What I meant was also changing 3G/HSDPA while browsing/data transfer. The mobile connect lite seemed to do this to a point of no return/hang/no transfer.
Problem at Mobile connect seeing modem initially could have been lite still running and holding the port. Had it at a customer today actually. Don't work up a sweat about software signal strength indication being less - noticed it as well - about one bar less with Mobile Connect. One's sanity is worth the academic one bar really.
Just check which of the software you have set to load automatically - seems best to not load either with windows. Delete the lite shortcut from your desktop, but DO NOT uninstall it, else the drivers go etc etc..
Enjoy.:)

Oops - the resets. Had it as well along the line. Had one batch or it after adding RAM and one module was faulty. Not sure if you had done such stuff lately. It did, however, reset under other conditions as well - like ram would, but very often when I disconnected..
Also had it with one of the Huawei images installed - latest works well. The catch I found with the Huawei driver/firmware/dashboard - whatever - the driver is different and Vodafone Mobile Connect would not see the E220. I had to scrounge the drivers from the Huawei install folder in Program Files and paste them into the mobile connect driver folders - which was a bit tatty, but worked then.
As Prometheus mentions above - the disconnect does stuff. Must add the lastest Huawei lot without any Vodafone stuff works best for me - no resets, best connects, sms, simple etc.
 
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vodacom3g said:
What about the intermediate store-and-forward devices? What effect do they have?

If it's not physics causing the delay, what do you suggest it is? Black-magic? ;)

Also, where did you see the MTU for a WCDMA network is 1500?
Click to expand...

OK, v3g ... shed some light on the black magic:D What intermediate store-and-forward devices? What actually happens between the mobile device, the cell masts and the first TCP/IP router it hits? Is there some non-IP packet disassembly and reassembly going on?

("That's what I want to know from you." ;))

Links to 3G/HSDPA network architecture docs will suit me fine...
 
Prometheus said:
The blue light flashing means you are on the 3G/hsdpa network, on means you are connected. Light blue which is really the green light coming on also means you are transferring data on the 3G/hsdpa network.
Click to expand...
Yea I know, it is clearly stated as that in the instruction booklet. What I ment was, that I was surprised to even get a HSDPA "indication" as I thought I did not even have 3G (as seen on VC Coverage Map).
 
dionb said:
Hi ld13..
Delete the lite shortcut from your desktop, but DO NOT uninstall it, else the drivers go etc etc..
Enjoy.:)
Click to expand...

Thank you. Just note that the VMCLite does not leave a shortcut on the Desktop and does not really install itself on the PC. There is some VMCLite runtime files thats on the PC, but I uninstalled that as I'm not going to use VMCLite. Did not "break" anything. VMC 9.1 "Works" at the moment. Just a few buffer overflow errors from VMC 9.1.

E&OE
 
Sounds familiar - vmc lite style. Huawei install itself and drivers on the hard drive. Still feel the vmc lite - is actually ultra lite.
If you want to try - I can send you the Huawei drivers - have them for Win2K/XP/Vista. You just have to install them, let it find itself, and copy them to a drivers folder of mobile connect.
Then, let the games begin... keep your teddy close.:D
 
ld13 said:
Yea I know, it is clearly stated as that in the instruction booklet. What I ment was, that I was surprised to even get a HSDPA "indication" as I thought I did not even have 3G (as seen on VC Coverage Map).
Click to expand...
In the windows connection box you can see if you connected at 3G or hsdpa speed. If it says 3.6Mbps you are connected to a hsdpa tower which is actually all Vodacom 3G towers.
 
dionb said:
If you want to try - I can send you the Huawei drivers - have them for Win2K/XP/Vista. You just have to install them, let it find itself, and copy them to a drivers folder of mobile connect.
Then, let the games begin... keep your teddy close.:D
Click to expand...

Where did you get them from? The Vodacom driver&software site? The Huawei website?

Prometheus said:
In the windows connection box you can see if you connected at 3G or hsdpa speed. If it says 3.6Mbps you are connected to a hsdpa tower which is actually all Vodacom 3G towers.
Click to expand...

I noticed the reported 3.6Mbps connection. I assumed this modem does not work like a GPRS modem that reports the speed between the PC and the modem. So it’s confirmed then. My tower is a HSDPA capable tower. Good to know.

At R2 a MB this unit it way to expensive. V3G, any smaller domination data bundles in the pipeline?

Haha, seems like this Thread only gets busy early in the morning! :cool:
 
ic said:
Seems you guys think there is Scotch mist between the base-stations and the core network, and while I don't have a network diagram available to me, I do know that you cannot just plug in a backhaul link into the radio equipment and expect data to flow, so there would have to be a store & forward type device [maybe call it a router or multiplexer or simply a type of modem] would be at the base-stations between the radio equipment that handles HSPA and the actual physical backhaul link(s), then along the way several backhaul links might converge into a single or several backhaul links, which also require store & forward devices, and then when the data gets to Vodacom's core network it would have to be unencapsulated into normal IP data [presumably from Telkodemonopolies' Diginet ATM encapsulation] and routed [more store & forward] via an appropriate peering link, which would have its own routers along the way [more store & forward]. What adds latency, is every single device along the way that actually has data passing through it, as well as the collective time taken to travel the collective length of all the links along the way, and that is only half of the story when using TCP/IP...
Click to expand...
No, we don't think there's scotch mist, we won't be that lucky. :D What we want to know is why larger packets incur so much lag when they aren't even the size of a full ip packet. Geez it seems nobody can ask for an explanation for something anymore. :rolleyes:
 
ld13 said:
Where did you get them from? The Vodacom driver&software site? The Huawei website?
Click to expand...
Huawei site of course:D They only have the stuff that overwrites the dashboard, which installs it all. Once this is done, the drivers are in the installed directory on your hard drive - also on the modem flash drive by the way. That's how I have them. The one on the hard drive also has installer - which does the windows stuff like registry, tickle windows that new system crashes are required and so on.

ld13 said:
I noticed the reported 3.6Mbps connection. I assumed this modem does not work like a GPRS modem that reports the speed between the PC and the modem. So it’s confirmed then. My tower is a HSDPA capable tower. Good to know.
Click to expand...
It does still - port speed between pc and modem. Due to higher speed of usb the 3.6Mbps is possible. It shows 236k odd for GPRS and EDGE, 3.6Mbps for 3G and HSDPA. Even if our HSDPA is still 1.8Mbps.
The E220 is ready/compatible/capable for next gen hsdpa of 3.6Mbps. Part of what makes it such a magic piece of equipment (without vmclite it would be excellent):sick:

ld13 said:
At R2 a MB this unit it way to expensive. V3G, any smaller domination data bundles in the pipeline?
Click to expand...
Go to bed, your brain needs rest. You may wake up and invest in a bundle - please the beanies.:)
 
dionb said:
Huawei site of course:D They only have the stuff that overwrites the dashboard, which installs it all. Once this is done, the drivers are in the installed directory on your hard drive - also on the modem flash drive by the way. That's how I have them. The one on the hard drive also has installer - which does the windows stuff like registry, tickle windows that new system crashes are required and so on.
Click to expand...
You can install is without flashing the modem.
It does still - port speed between pc and modem. Due to higher speed of usb the 3.6Mbps is possible. It shows 236k odd for GPRS and EDGE, 3.6Mbps for 3G and HSDPA. Even if our HSDPA is still 1.8Mbps.
The E220 is ready/compatible/capable for next gen hsdpa of 3.6Mbps. Part of what makes it such a magic piece of equipment (without vmclite it would be excellent):sick:
Click to expand...
For gprs on Vodacom it shows something like 56k on gprs, they don't have edge here. The 3.6Mbps is merely an indication of the maximum connection speed between tower and modem. There is no way for the modem to know that the tower does not use the encodings that makes 3.6Mbps possible.
 
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