Broadband test failed - any options?

fitzie79

i just got a new phone line put into the house on wednesday and tried the online check with eircom. the test failed and when i rang up the held line they confirmed that the line is not suitable and said my only option was dial up.

i cant understand why this is the case - both houses on either side of me have broadband and my phone line was apparently a new line so surely it should be of superior quality?

i am due to start working from home 1 day a week but need broadband so i find this really frustrating. are there any other options open to me? i have the 3 broadband modem but it is not reliable enough to enable me to work from home. the houses either side of me are about 300 to 400m away - i was thinking of trying to use a wireless router with their broadband but am i too far away?

any help appreciated!

PogMoThoin

Try again in a few weeks, the online test is really an online database updated once a month. This is a regular occurance with a new line.

fitzie79

thanks for the feedback. is it possible for them to do the test outside the scheduled one? if the line is not suitable for broadband i want to cancel it straight away. i could also do with having the broadband setup as soon as possible

exaisle

How far are you from the nearest exchange...and are you in a rural or urban area? At least you know that the exchange is enabled!



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fitzie79

about 2 miles from the exchange i think - in a rural area but neighbours all have broadband and it's a new line that was put in so i dont think i should have problems with sharing the line etc?

jor el

New line doesn't mean it's not shared, even though they're not supposed to do that. It takes longer than a week for the line to be tested, and there's nothing you can do about that. The people you talk to on the phone, by and large, have no idea what they're doing when you ask them to check the line.

200 or 300m is much to far for a standard wireless network too. Also, would your neighbour actually allow this anyway? I wouldn't let anyone else use by Internet connection, no matter who they were, as I'd be legally responsible for everything they do.

lucernarian

fitzie79 wrote: »

about 2 miles from the exchange i think - in a rural area but neighbours all have broadband and it's a new line that was put in so i dont think i should have problems with sharing the line etc?

You're right to think it's unlikely in that case but pairgains can never quite be ruled out.

Did the linesman mention anything to you about broadband or carrier lines or anything like that when the line was installed??

More than likely, you'll have to wait for the line to be tested. So no worries yet.

Also, check what speed a dialup modem can connect to the internet at on your line. Let us know what speed it reports. Thanks.

fitzie79

still no joy with getting broadband after nearly 4 weeks. i checked the online check religiously every day after getting the landline in but no joy. after about 2 weeks and reading some threads here i decided to ring up and request a check. the person i spoke to seemed to know what i was talking about and told me that it would take 24-48 hours. i waited 3 days, rang back and was told that there was no record of the request. the person apologised, said that they would simply request the check again and to call back. so last thursday i rang again only to find that somehow there again was no record of the request. the person was all apologetic, said that maybe the test was delayed but he would submit a new request again. in fairness he was very helpful and took my mobile and told me he'd ring me on friday (which he didn't....)

today i rang up to find out that i must have imagined the previous 3 conversations or misinterpreted what the operator had said. the lovely person on the other end said that it was not possible to schedule a test, that the check she was performing was live and that my line was simply failing. i waited a few hours and tried again hoping to talk to someone different (that at least would know about requesting a check). this person knew nothing of ability to request a request, but after a bit of convincing checked with a colleague of his and said that there should be an update on friday or monday of next week.

i'm finding it incredibly frustrating getting a different story each time i ring and still stuck with my 3 mobile "broadband" (which at least is working now to allow me post). does anyone have any suggestions?

PogMoThoin

fitzie79 wrote: »

still no joy with getting broadband after nearly 4 weeks. i checked the online check religiously every day after getting the landline in but no joy. after about 2 weeks and reading some threads here i decided to ring up and request a check. the person i spoke to seemed to know what i was talking about and told me that it would take 24-48 hours. i waited 3 days, rang back and was told that there was no record of the request. the person apologised, said that they would simply request the check again and to call back. so last thursday i rang again only to find that somehow there again was no record of the request. the person was all apologetic, said that maybe the test was delayed but he would submit a new request again. in fairness he was very helpful and took my mobile and told me he'd ring me on friday (which he didn't....)

today i rang up to find out that i must have imagined the previous 3 conversations or misinterpreted what the operator had said. the lovely person on the other end said that it was not possible to schedule a test, that the check she was performing was live and that my line was simply failing. i waited a few hours and tried again hoping to talk to someone different (that at least would know about requesting a check). this person knew nothing of ability to request a request, but after a bit of convincing checked with a colleague of his and said that there should be an update on friday or monday of next week.

i'm finding it incredibly frustrating getting a different story each time i ring and still stuck with my 3 mobile "broadband" (which at least is working now to allow me post). does anyone have any suggestions?

Par for the course with Eircom I'm afraid

fitzie79

success at last! tried the online check yesterday and it showed that the line was suitable for broadband. this stacks with the automated test having been performed on march 9th which i found out during one of my phonecalls and the automated test being performed once a month. pity that eircom customer help aren't all aware that the online checker isn't live but at least i now have broadband (or soon will)