My line is now failing DSL pre-qual

eth0_

I was going to get dsl from IOL last year, and as I was working for Esat at the time I checked my number at the time and my line was a-ok for broadband. A few months ago I checked again with a few ISP's and again, they all said my line was fine for broadband. But now....i'm definitely going to order and I try digiweb and IOL's pre-qual checker and they're saying i'm NOT enabled!
How can this be? I thought eircom weren't allowed to split lines anymore? I've seen instances where people have had their line tested 10 times and it's passed some times and failed on other occasions...wtf is going on?

Several people in my street have dsl so I know it's nothing to do with distance from the exchange.

What can I do?

bk

Originally posted by eth0_
What can I do?

Sigh, I've answered this question about a dozen times before, but here I go again.

My line was passing the DSL test for months, but when I eventually went to get it, it had started to fail. However I did the following and I'm now happily typing this on DSL

One of the things that can cause line failure is too much telephone equipment in your house, faulty equipment or faulity wiring.

So you need to disconnect all the telephone equipment that you can (extra telephones, fax, modem, line splitters, etc.) and only leave one bog standard Eircom telephone (NOT UK phones bought from Argos, etc.). Even this one phone you should be disconnect whenever you can (while at work/school and at night).

You need to do this for a minimum of 5 weeks or until your line passes. Eircom run the test every 4 weeks, but you never know when and they won't run it for you without hand bending.

I did this and after 3 weeks my line started passing again, I ordered DSL immediately then and now I have.

BTW once you get the DSL you can put everything back on.

I believe that my line splitter (a little box that allows you to connect a telephone and modem to the same connector - not to be confused with a pair gain) was faulty and that it caused me to fail.

Of course this may or may not work for you, but it is worth trying. If this doesn't work then it might be faulty wiring in your house.

Hope this helps.

eth0_

Only two phones in our house, and one splitter, haven't had any extra sockets or wiring changes in ages.
I'm going to ring Eircom in the morning and see if they can test it again but meanwhile I guess i'll take your advice and disconnect the other phone.

I should add my dial up connect speed is still around 47,000, so it doesn't look like the phone line has been split.

bk

Originally posted by eth0_
Only two phones in our house, and one splitter, haven't had any extra sockets or wiring changes in ages.
I'm going to ring Eircom in the morning and see if they can test it again but meanwhile I guess i'll take your advice and disconnect the other phone.

I should add my dial up connect speed is still around 47,000, so it doesn't look like the phone line has been split.

Eircom won't retest if for you, they will only read it off the database, you will have to do as I described above, disconnect everything and wait for a few weeks.

From what you describe (neighbours having DSL and 47k speeds) then it is most likely something on your end. I only had one splitter and two phones also and it caused me to fail.

eth0_

Originally posted by bk

From what you describe (neighbours having DSL and 47k speeds) then it is most likely something on your end. I only had one splitter and two phones also and it caused me to fail.

oky doky i'll try what you said, sounds like it should do the trick, cheers

eth0_

Hee hee hee! AHAHAHAHAHAH! *maniacal laughter*

I spoke to netsource and they arranged a new line test after i'd taken everything but one phone off the line. Netsource chap just rang me and tells me eircom said my phone line has been CEASED since November 2003 and that's why the line is failing. Erm. No, i'm able to make and receive calls and we've certainly been getting bills from eircom!

What a JOKE eircom are!

eth0_

Just rang 1901 and biddy says that's a LIE! Your line hasn't been ceased!
I explained to her that I used to work in esat and my line was tested there and everything was more than adequate for dsl, in fact my line only started failing within the last month. My next door neighbours pass for dsl. My line doesn't appear to have been split.

Oh but you can make calls, so there's nothing wrong with your line! No no, I can't get an engineer to call you back, there's no fault! There's no record of your line being ceased!


ARGGGHHHH!!!!!!! Why are they lying to netsource?

machalla

Because they can?

You never know maybe they don't like former Esat people.

Perhaps its because today the wind blows gently from the west and they feel like screwing with you becuase of it.

Unbelievable stuff though. Comreg been any use at all or have you been in touch with them yet?

I somehow bet if you were going to go with BB from Eircom all these problems might disappear..

Thats just the cynic in me mind you.

eth0_

Originally posted by machalla

Unbelievable stuff though. Comreg been any use at all or have you been in touch with them yet?

I somehow bet if you were going to go with BB from Eircom all these problems might disappear..

Thats just the cynic in me mind you.

I've just lodged a complaint to comreg through their online form, so we'll see what happens.

I actually tried calling their broadband section on Saturday just to see what would happen if I said I was interested in their broadband. But I spent 40 mins in a queue and gave up. ACTUALLY! When I was talking to the biddy in the faults department today, she said "Perhaps you should call the broadband department?" and I said "Nah, I don't want to go with eircom.net" and then she changed her tune somewhat and got off the line as quick as possible!

I'm about to ring netsource and see if they can get back in touch with whoever told them my line had been ceased. Maybe the exchange has old information (I had CPS issues last year with UTV and eircom only took me back in December) on what lines are active.

dmd

No no, I can't get an engineer to call you back, there's no fault!

If you're getting 9600bps on your line, then there is no fault. That's what you signed up for with a landline, most telcos are the same.

eth0_

Originally posted by dmd
If you're getting 9600bps on your line, then there is no fault. That's what you signed up for with a landline, most telcos are the same.

Actually I don't think they have to guarantee ANY minimum connect speed on residential lines :-/

seamus

Originally posted by eth0_
Actually I don't think they have to guarantee ANY minimum connect speed on residential lines :-/

Nope. So long as you make telephone calls where you can have a reasonable quality conversation (not sure of the exact wording), that's all they have to do. As you say, the ability to transmit data in anything other than voice form isn't covered. complete joke.

dmd

complete joke.

Go find me a national telco that does much more.
So places won't pass for DSL, boo hoo.

I suppose you (like most in this board) demand 1000000gig lines for 2 cent a month!

eth0_

Originally posted by dmd
Go find me a national telco that does much more.
So places won't pass for DSL, boo hoo.

I understand that some lines won't ever pass for dsl, but my line has been passing since RADSL was introduced and then is suddenly failing!
Netsource got eircom to accept my line hadn't been ceased but it's still coming up as a fail for them, so they asked NS to tell me to keep checking as 'some months lines pass and other months they fail!'

Ridiculous.

seamus

Originally posted by dmd
Go find me a national telco that does much more.
So places won't pass for DSL, boo hoo.

I suppose you (like most in this board) demand 1000000gig lines for 2 cent a month!

The problem with the USO, is that Ireland touts itselfs as a technologically aware and embracing country, yet our own regulator reduced the USO so that no fixed-line telecoms company in this country is obliged to provide dial-up internet access over their lines. (Edit, sorry not "provide" but "support", as in make sure it's possible)

I'm sure there are plenty of telecoms companies who would envy that position, it's the regulator who sets this limit, and there are few developed countries who have the same shambles.

No-one demands super-cheap, super fast internet access, just a monopolistic telecoms company who is interested in providing their customers with a decent service, and a regulator who has the balls to force said incumbent to provide these services, in order to ensure our country becomes internationally competitive, and our population can become technologically comfortable. We're already years behind in both these areas.

Our man in Havana

Originally posted by eth0_
Actually I don't think they have to guarantee ANY minimum connect speed on residential lines :-/

In fact they only gaurantee Voice. To get any data gaurantee you need ISDN!

sceptre

Originally posted by dmd
I suppose you (like most in this board) demand 1000000gig lines for 2 cent a month!

I must have been out that day.:)

Go find me a national telco that does much more.

BT in the UK is subject to a USO guaranteeing a data transfer rate of 28.8kps on any line. And then there's this. Done.

Da Man

I know these are meaningless statements but it's a little difficult to understand why it is that we have to force Eircom to fix lines so they can sell us a service that they make a lot of money on? Broadband is the growth area for them and about the only light in the tunnel for their share price. It is in their own bloody interest to fix their network and this is certainly the approach telco's in enlightened parts of the world take.

I incidently suspect that that pre-qual test is a pile of ****e of the highest order, because my line has failed the test ever since I got ADSL and it clearly works at around 52kbps which is the speed most people seem to get. I'm sure people would be happy-ish with speeds down to 256k which obviously within the RADSL spec, so the signal quality criteria could be lowered significantly and the distance from the exchange increased to open up ADSL to a lot more people.

Anyways, I called up Eircom the other day and enquired about the 1Mbs service. The guy obviously said oh no, your line doesn't qualify for ADSL. I explained that I already had i-stream and suggested that their test was useless. He was happy to put in an order for the 1Mbs service and get an engineer to check it out for sure. I didn't go for it in the end so I don't know how far this order would have gotten, but it does perhaps indicate that they are flexible enough when it comes to failed lines.

Ripwave

Originally posted by Da Man
but it does perhaps indicate that they are flexible enough when it comes to failed lines.

They might be flexible if you order your DSl from eircom, but don't expect the same flexibility if you try to order DSL from anyone else!