Problems connecting

fluppet

I got 256Kbps broadband last spring in my house in another country. I went with a USB ADSL modem (Aztech 208U). I've had problems connecting since the beginning - originally it wasn't too bad; it might disconnect once every few (2-3) hours. After lots of time talking to customer service, they finally sent out a technician who couldn't see anything wrong, but he just changed it from 'Multi-standard' to 'G.dmt'. It made no difference. It always connected at 4 Mbps line speed (although my actual download speed is limited to 256Kbps). I decided to try changing it myself to 'G.lite'. Now it always connected around 3.6 Mbps, and it never disconnected once for about a week. Then suddenly one day it started connecting at only around 2.5 Mbps and disconnecting quite often. This persisted for a while, so I decided to try changing it back to G.dmt, but then although when it connected the line speed was 4 Mbps, it would then disconnect straight away. I left it trying to connect all night, but checking the logs the next morning I saw it had just spent the whole night connecting and then immediately disconnecting again. I changed it back to G.lite, but it was the same as before (line speed ~ 2.5 Mbps, disconnecting often). Recently it has become even worse - I now have to leave the computer on for about 15 minutes before I try to connect to the internet, as otherwise it will just disconnect straight away. After waiting for this period the connection will be quite stable, but may still disconnect every now and then. Line speed is still around 2.5 Mbps


It is very frustrating. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix it?

The situation is exactly the same if I connect the modem to my laptop.

Settings and Details:
VPI: 0
vCI: 50
Encapsulation Type: PPPoA LLC
ADSL Standard: G.lite

CRC 0
FEC 0
Margin 6dB
Attenuation: 27dB
VID - CPE: 28
VID - CO: 0

Delineation: GOOD
HEC: 0

Note that in this country the telephone lines are a bit different - they have more wires in them, so apparently you don't need a microfilter - the ADSL socket is wired using two wires that I am told are not used by telephones.

Thank you

kaizersoze

Did you try a different modem?

stanley1

PPPPoE is standard in ROI.

JNive

this is not the ROI he is referring to.

and also
Margin 6dB
is too low, it should be at least 10db for stable bandwidth so looks like noise/capacitance on the line since the attenuation looks ok.

about the wiring then yes its possible assuming the signal is pre-filtered at the master socket before terminating at the first sockets. However you might still want to check it by unpluggin eveything except the modem and the rebooting it, and trying again. Also, are you doubly sure that the Encapsulation and VPI/VCI settings are correct, check with your provider

fluppet

Thanks for your replies.

I tried disconnecting everything connected to a telephone socket except the modem and restarting the computer, but it didn't make any difference (to the disconnecting or to the margin which was still floating around 5-6dB).

With all of the phones disconnected I tried changing to G.DMT, and the margin was 10dB, but it still kept disconnecting immediately (I'm not sure what the G.DMT margin is when all the phones are connected, but I would guess that it is still the same).

What's strange is that it is mainly just when the modem initializes first (i.e. when the computer starts) that there is a big problem. As I said, if I leave it for about 15 minutes it is quite acceptable. I have actually had it connected for almost 6 hours at the moment and it hasn't disconnected once, but yet the margin is only 5dB.

I brought a Zyxel Prestige 630-11 ADSL USB modem from Ireland (came with IOL broadband in 2003) to see if the problem was my modem, but I am having problems getting it to work - it installs fine if I use the IOL CD, but that sets-up the modem for use with IOL (PPPoE, etc.) so it won't connect here. I downloaded the drivers for it from the Zyxel website. When I try to install it that way it seems to go okay until it asks to restart. Upon restarting I just get a dialogue box saying 'Processing is going on' and it doesn't do anything more. I've sent an e-mail to Zyxel support about it, but I doubt that they will reply. I might try installing it on my laptop instead to see if it is any different. If that doesn't work, then it looks like my only option is to call my ISP's technical support again. I just find it hard to believe that the problem is with the line - I'm in a newish (20 years old) building in a built-up area, and all the lines are underground... My attenuation is good, so what could be causing the low margin?

Thanks again

stanley1

maybe try the ethernet/nic card method.

fluppet

Hmmm, I have thought about it, but ADSL routers aren't very cheap, and as there is no guarantee that that will fix the problem I am not very keen to buy one.

stanley1

PC World netpopia 2247 Eircom starter pack €25, if your'e coming for Xmas or maybe you know somebody travelling over !

JNive

if others in yoru area dont have the same problem, then id rule out a DHCP IP leasing error on your providers end. Apart from that id suggest ensuring all the internal wiring is up to scratch and double checking all the encapsulation and static/dynamic ip paramters with your ISP, also id recommend switching to an ethernet connection as opposed to USB, that way you dont need to worry about any settings.

fluppet

stanley1: Thanks for the suggestion... Do I not need to sign-up to eircom if I take that starter pack?

JNive: Well unfortunately I don't know whether others are having the same problems or not... I don't know anyone in the area very well. If you look here you'll see it appears others in the country do have a similar problem. Checking the internal wiring would also probably be a problem - I rent an apartment in a 20 floor building, so the only part of the wire that is accessible is the bit inside the socket. Your suggestion of checking the IP parameters was interesting, as I can see how that could be related to disconnecting on start-up. Is an IP address assigned when my modem reports that it is 'Operational' (i.e. that I can connect), or when I actually connect to the internet and the two little computers icon appears in the system tray? If I just leave the computer for 15 minutes at start-up (without actually 'connecting') the icon indicating what state the modem is in ('Disconnected' - Red, 'Initializing' - Yellow, or 'Operational' - Green) keeps going from red to yellow to green, and then back to red and starting again. After about 15 minutes it is quite stable on green. When it disconnects, it is because the status has gone to red. So if the IP address is only assigned when I actually connect (and get the two computers icon) then that is not the problem. At the moment I just have 'Obtain IP address automatically' selected.

If I don't get the problem sorted out within the next week I'll call technical support again, and if they can't fix it then I'll get an ethernet modem as you suggested.

I have another query, if you don't mind; if I create a new connection in Windows XP using the wizard, clicking that I want to create a broadband connection doesn't give me an option for a PPPoA connection (only PPPoE or a connection that does't require a password), so I have to create a dial-up connection... Is this okay?

Thanks again

fluppet

Update: I managed to get the ZyXEL USB ADSL modem installed on another computer (a laptop running Windows ME), but the situation is still the same: red, yellow, red, yellow, red, yellow, ..., eventually green, and the red again after a second, and this repeats.

So the problem isn't the modem then.

I'll call technical support tomorrow morning.

fluppet

Hehe

Technician came around and fixed it! It was indeed some problem with the line somewhere along the way. It's a pity the first technician I had around back in June didn't find this.



Margin is now 24dB

JNive

so it was an issue on the line between your premises and the exchange ?, hehe

fluppet

Yeah, well, I think it was a line somewhere in the building - he connected some device into the socket and left the apartment for a few minutes twice, and then it was fixed. When I asked he just said it was something to do with the line.

Attenuation is now 16dB, so it's improved all around.

Thank you very much for your help.

fluppet

Hmm, I'm back to this issue again.

While whatever the technician did fixed the problem of having great difficulty connecting, I'm now back to the problem I've had since I got the broadband - quite frequent line drop. Sometimes it will disconnect twice in an hour, sometimes it is connected for more than 24 hours without disconnecting once. The line still seems to be very good - margin 24dB, attenuation 16dB, so I don't see how it could be the line or modem that is causing the problem. Nevertheless they are sending out a technician tomorrow. If I just let him look at it he'll play around with it for a few minutes and then tell me that the only solution is to upgrade to a more expensive ethernet modem (which I have to buy from them, and the only ones they have are huge big ones with wireless etc. which I have no need for), unless I can suggest some things that might be causing the problem. Unfortunately I don't know enough about it to make intelligent suggestions, so perhaps you knowledgeable people can give me some ideas?

Thanks

JNive

if you got the modem from them originally they cannot expect you to pay for any other mdoem and should replace it free.

If the modem you have was not provided by them, then they do not need to provide support or attempt to troubleshoot the modem for you, so if the problem was indeed the router and you are unable to identify it yourself then it would be either risk buying a new one or getting that fixed or going for the model they provide.

fluppet

I did get the modem from them originally. I think I might have mentioned above that it is just one of those USB ones. I don't think the technician I had out in June that recommended that I upgrade to the more expensive modem was implying that there was a fault with the particular modem I had, just that that model of modem wasn't very good (even though I bought it from them). He said I would just have to pay the difference in price between the two (which I think was around Eur 40).

So you think that it is a problem with the modem then?

fluppet

Okay, well they didn't send-out a technician. They said they have changed some setting over at the exchange, so I'll see if that fixes it.