Connection issues and general rant

Terrlock

Howdy all,

I am wondering has anyone had the same issues as myself and been able to get eircom to resolve them?

Basically the connection has been very intermittent, and generally much slower than speeds it was previously at for this connection. I'll explain and link a few screens:

We are current being supplied with "Up to" 24mbps broadband.

Our connection speed has steadily dropped to an intermittent 1-3mpbs over the past year.
Also about 1 in 10 web pages just timeout, fail to load.
I imagine if pages are failing to load and connections dropping it would warrant eircom to do something to resolve the situation.

One other strange thing, the first hop after the router is to an exchange in Sligo?
I'm situated in Offaly, so this seems a bit odd to me, but I'm willing to be corrected on this.
Also notice that in the traceroute the first attempt to reach anywhere times-out, then further down the line on the ninth hop, the connection times-out completely.

Here are some screenshots to demonstrate:
Traceroute to www.google.ie
http://i.imgur.com/IKg2Wrn.jpg

Ping to www.google.ie:
http://i.imgur.com/mJNdTyk.png

Notice at set periods the ping to www.google.ie spikes to over 1000ms where 60 was the average otherwise.

And just to say that all the standard testing procedures are followed, i.e, plugged straight into the router, router is the only device connected to the phone line etc.

That is the most of the technical stuff I have to say, everything after this is a general rant.
But my main aim is to find out if people have had these same problems and have been able to get a resolution, and how exactly they achieved their resolution.

Rant Commence.

We were longtime eircom customers as almost all Irish households were up until the point at which more companies came to compete on the scene, we then switched to utv internet which proved to be pretty decent in terms of customer support etc. (I am aware they essentially rent the lines from eircom so same basic service).

We switched back to eircom close to three years ago now. How that happened was a rep called to the house and offered us a slightly cheaper deal than we were currently on, with similar speed and the prospect of a free upgrade to "efibre" which would be in our area "Definitely by the end of 2013", it is now the end of 2014 and there is no efibre in our area. I have looked at rollout maps and seen the prospected date for the rollout in our area continuously pushed back by another two months every time the date comes around. I'm wondering is there any point to their rollout map plan if they don't stick to it at all. 

I am aware there can be unforeseen complications in the rollout process but to push the date back month by month every single month for over a year is starting to seem ridiculous. And looks to me more like a marketing tool that was used on us to switch back to eircom, rather than an accurate portrayal of the service we were going to recieve.

In regards the speed and connection issues we have been having, these have been reported to eircom multiple times. And have been "Addressed". 

Just to preface this, I am writing in regards my home house where my parents who are not entirely technologically literate live. I myself am living in Dublin and am unable to be home at weekdays when the engineers would call out.

However how these issues have been addressed was an engineer calling out to the house and asking my father basically "What's the problem?", he would reply that it is running very slow and wont load pages from time to time. The engineer would then "run a test" and say its fine, leaving five minutes or less after arriving at the house.

Unfortunately being down the country in Offaly(Although in town center of a built up area) there is no upc coverage or any providers other than eircom that are really available that offer anything other than phone line broadband.

Also some perspective, this service costs over 60euro a month, and I can get solid, reliable 150mb for 25euro a month in dublin. But thats an aside.

Anyone that can lend some experience on these issues and how(If they could) get them resolved would be much appreciated!

Thanks for any and all replies.

Gits_bone

Eircom, waste of time. Can't watch a simple youtube video and pages won't load for one minute every 5 minutes or less. It's a joke. 

Terrlock

I can't even download a 15 meg file without it dropping connection and failing to download.

It's so bad. 

eircom: Tony

Terrlock wrote: »

I can't even download a 15 meg file without it dropping connection and failing to download.

It's so bad. 

Hi Terrlock
if you PM me with your landline number we can have this tested for you, also, if you provide exact address where are looking to get eFibre we can see roll out dates. While most areas are eFibre enabled within advised time frames some cabinets or exchanges have been delayed due to operational or technical issues.
We will be back as soon as we have update on your issues.
Tony

Terrlock

eircom: Tony wrote: »

Terrlock wrote: »

I can't even download a 15 meg file without it dropping connection and failing to download.

It's so bad. 

Hi Terrlock
if you PM me with your landline number we can have this tested for you, also, if you provide exact address where are looking to get eFibre we can see roll out dates. While most areas are eFibre enabled within advised time frames some cabinets or exchanges have been delayed due to operational or technical issues.
We will be back as soon as we have update on your issues.
Tony

Hey Tony, Since the PM I sent you, you said tech support were going to get in touch with me.
I have yet to hear anything. Any update?

Terrlock

Still no one has contacted us.

To be honest even if they do I doubt that anything will get resolved as I'm no longer at home and My Parents are not technical enough to explain to your engineers how to diagnose and trouble shoot the faults.

Also your engineers don't do the proper troubleshooting when the call out in order to establish the issue, they just load up a page and say hey it's working.

Can you explain how the first hop on the trace route is to Sligo, surely this should not be the case?

Sligo is 155KM away.

eircom: Alan

Terrlock wrote: »

Howdy all,

I am wondering has anyone had the same issues as myself and been able to get eircom to resolve them?

Basically the connection has been very intermittent, and generally much slower than speeds it was previously at for this connection. I'll explain and link a few screens:

We are current being supplied with "Up to" 24mbps broadband.

Our connection speed has steadily dropped to an intermittent 1-3mpbs over the past year.
Also about 1 in 10 web pages just timeout, fail to load.
I imagine if pages are failing to load and connections dropping it would warrant eircom to do something to resolve the situation.

One other strange thing, the first hop after the router is to an exchange in Sligo?
I'm situated in Offaly, so this seems a bit odd to me, but I'm willing to be corrected on this.
Also notice that in the traceroute the first attempt to reach anywhere times-out, then further down the line on the ninth hop, the connection times-out completely.

Here are some screenshots to demonstrate:
Traceroute to www.google.ie
http://i.imgur.com/IKg2Wrn.jpg

Ping to www.google.ie:
http://i.imgur.com/mJNdTyk.png

Notice at set periods the ping to www.google.ie spikes to over 1000ms where 60 was the average otherwise.

And just to say that all the standard testing procedures are followed, i.e, plugged straight into the router, router is the only device connected to the phone line etc.

That is the most of the technical stuff I have to say, everything after this is a general rant.
But my main aim is to find out if people have had these same problems and have been able to get a resolution, and how exactly they achieved their resolution.

Rant Commence.

We were longtime eircom customers as almost all Irish households were up until the point at which more companies came to compete on the scene, we then switched to utv internet which proved to be pretty decent in terms of customer support etc. (I am aware they essentially rent the lines from eircom so same basic service).

We switched back to eircom close to three years ago now. How that happened was a rep called to the house and offered us a slightly cheaper deal than we were currently on, with similar speed and the prospect of a free upgrade to "efibre" which would be in our area "Definitely by the end of 2013", it is now the end of 2014 and there is no efibre in our area. I have looked at rollout maps and seen the prospected date for the rollout in our area continuously pushed back by another two months every time the date comes around. I'm wondering is there any point to their rollout map plan if they don't stick to it at all. 

I am aware there can be unforeseen complications in the rollout process but to push the date back month by month every single month for over a year is starting to seem ridiculous. And looks to me more like a marketing tool that was used on us to switch back to eircom, rather than an accurate portrayal of the service we were going to recieve.

In regards the speed and connection issues we have been having, these have been reported to eircom multiple times. And have been "Addressed". 

Just to preface this, I am writing in regards my home house where my parents who are not entirely technologically literate live. I myself am living in Dublin and am unable to be home at weekdays when the engineers would call out.

However how these issues have been addressed was an engineer calling out to the house and asking my father basically "What's the problem?", he would reply that it is running very slow and wont load pages from time to time. The engineer would then "run a test" and say its fine, leaving five minutes or less after arriving at the house.

Unfortunately being down the country in Offaly(Although in town center of a built up area) there is no upc coverage or any providers other than eircom that are really available that offer anything other than phone line broadband.

Also some perspective, this service costs over 60euro a month, and I can get solid, reliable 150mb for 25euro a month in dublin. But thats an aside.

Anyone that can lend some experience on these issues and how(If they could) get them resolved would be much appreciated!

Thanks for any and all replies.

[font=Times New Roman","serif]Hi Terrlock[/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif]Our efibre operations & planning team have got back to me with a lot of information on efibre coverage for your line. Your line is currently connected directly to the exchange meaning that it is not connected to a serving VDSL (fibre cabinet) lines connected directly to the exchange are not served by local (fibre) cabinets but rather utilise a slightly different cable path infrastructure which currently is not included in the existing release of efibre.[/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif] [/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif]The good news is that efibre planning have confirmed that works on a new product to offer directly fed lines have been agreed and hopes are that they are will be implemented and available within the next 12 months. I'll be unable to offer you a more accurate time frame or details on specifications beyond this until more information on a solution for directly fed lines is released.[/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif] [/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif] [/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif]In relation to your issues raised concerning the slow speeds I have run a number of tests and I can confirm that there are no internal nor external faults on the line itself. I also noticed that your internal set up (area surrounding connection of modem and phone) is also looking good as no interference is being detected in my tests.

I'm not sure if you are using your service wirelessly or by Ethernet connection but if it is indeed wireless (Via WIFI) please note that when connecting wirelessly speeds can be affected by the distance of the router /modem from your wireless device (wifi laptop, Iphone/smartphone, wireless printer). Also thickness of walls between the device and modem can affect speeds. Please follow here for advice on improving WIFI speeds: http://community.eircom.net/t5/Broadband/Improve-Your-Wireless/td-p/6181(If indeed you are connecting wirelessly)[/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif]Ultimately I will be unable to offer such detailed infrastructural reasons or network specifications that could explain the specific hops you’ve highlighted in your Traceroutes however I have also noticed that the service in question is connected to an exchange which has not yet been upgraded to NGB (next generation broadband) and in consideration of this 'congestion' is a feature that cannot be avoided and is equally expected until the exchange is upgraded to NGB. Congestion basically means that speeds can deteriorate when there is increased usage in your area. This is another reason why speeds are provided on the terms of 'up to' the advised speed.[/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif] [/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif]Also I can confirm that the service subscribed to is not eircoms 'up to 24Mb service' as this only applied to NGB subscriptions. Your service in provided on the terms of up to 8Mb (broadband home advanced).[/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif] [/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif] [/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif]Thanks[/font]
[font=Times New Roman","serif]Al[/font]

Terrlock

Thanks for your reply Al,

Just in reference to a few things in your reply which indicate that you did not read or mis-understood my initial request.

Posted by you:
I'm not sure if you are using your service wirelessly or by Ethernet connection but if it is indeed wireless (Via WIFI) 

Posted by myself in initial post:
just to say that all the standard testing procedures are followed, i.e, plugged straight into the router, router is the only device connected to the phone line etc.

In regard about what you said here:
Ultimately I will be unable to offer such detailed infrastructural reasons or network specifications that could explain the specific hops you’ve highlighted in your Traceroutes

When I live in Offaly and the first hop after my router is not the local exchange but something in Sligo, Please refer this to someone who will be able to offer an explanation. Why I want to know is aside from speed issues(Which I will accept as 'up to' a certain speed), this connection is DROPPING a minimum of every 1 in 3 packets, and timing out websites a substantial amount of the time. Leading to an unusable service.

Even if your connection is 'up to' a certain speed you have to be able to provide a consistent connection in which requests actually reach their destination!

Gits_bone

Terrlock wrote: »

Thanks for your reply Al,

Just in reference to a few things in your reply which indicate that you did not read or mis-understood my initial request.

Posted by you:
I'm not sure if you are using your service wirelessly or by Ethernet connection but if it is indeed wireless (Via WIFI) 

Posted by myself in initial post:
just to say that all the standard testing procedures are followed, i.e, plugged straight into the router, router is the only device connected to the phone line etc.

In regard about what you said here:
Ultimately I will be unable to offer such detailed infrastructural reasons or network specifications that could explain the specific hops you’ve highlighted in your Traceroutes

When I live in Offaly and the first hop after my router is not the local exchange but something in Sligo, Please refer this to someone who will be able to offer an explanation. Why I want to know is aside from speed issues(Which I will accept as 'up to' a certain speed), this connection is DROPPING a minimum of every 1 in 3 packets, and timing out websites a substantial amount of the time. Leading to an unusable service.

Even if your connection is 'up to' a certain speed you have to be able to provide a consistent connection in which requests actually reach their destination!

Exactly the same problem I have.

eircom: Alan

Terrlock wrote: »

Thanks for your reply Al,

Just in reference to a few things in your reply which indicate that you did not read or mis-understood my initial request.

Posted by you:
I'm not sure if you are using your service wirelessly or by Ethernet connection but if it is indeed wireless (Via WIFI) 

Posted by myself in initial post:
just to say that all the standard testing procedures are followed, i.e, plugged straight into the router, router is the only device connected to the phone line etc.

In regard about what you said here:
Ultimately I will be unable to offer such detailed infrastructural reasons or network specifications that could explain the specific hops you’ve highlighted in your Traceroutes

When I live in Offaly and the first hop after my router is not the local exchange but something in Sligo, Please refer this to someone who will be able to offer an explanation. Why I want to know is aside from speed issues(Which I will accept as 'up to' a certain speed), this connection is DROPPING a minimum of every 1 in 3 packets, and timing out websites a substantial amount of the time. Leading to an unusable service.

Even if your connection is 'up to' a certain speed you have to be able to provide a consistent connection in which requests actually reach their destination!

Hi Terrlock

Apologies for misreading a few things you pointed out above. I will be unable to refer this to offer a reason or specific explanation to your traceroutes and should you require further technical assistance the best advice I can offer you is to contact eircoms technical support department on free phone 1901 or 1890260260.

Al

Terrlock

eircom: Alan wrote: »

Terrlock wrote: »

Thanks for your reply Al,

Just in reference to a few things in your reply which indicate that you did not read or mis-understood my initial request.

Posted by you:
I'm not sure if you are using your service wirelessly or by Ethernet connection but if it is indeed wireless (Via WIFI) 

Posted by myself in initial post:
just to say that all the standard testing procedures are followed, i.e, plugged straight into the router, router is the only device connected to the phone line etc.

In regard about what you said here:
Ultimately I will be unable to offer such detailed infrastructural reasons or network specifications that could explain the specific hops you’ve highlighted in your Traceroutes

When I live in Offaly and the first hop after my router is not the local exchange but something in Sligo, Please refer this to someone who will be able to offer an explanation. Why I want to know is aside from speed issues(Which I will accept as 'up to' a certain speed), this connection is DROPPING a minimum of every 1 in 3 packets, and timing out websites a substantial amount of the time. Leading to an unusable service.

Even if your connection is 'up to' a certain speed you have to be able to provide a consistent connection in which requests actually reach their destination!

Hi Terrlock

Apologies for misreading a few things you pointed out above. I will be unable to refer this to offer a reason or specific explanation to your traceroutes and should you require further technical assistance the best advice I can offer you is to contact eircoms technical support department on free phone 1901 or 1890260260.

Al

So basically there isn't anything that Eircom will do or can do to investigate the issue and come to a resolution.

I'm back to my initial Question How can I get Eircom to resolve the extremely bad internet connection that they provide me with?

Why can't you offer explanations to traceroutes...it's basic trouble shooting?

All my internet traffic goes through sligo first. Which I suspect is where the issue lies.

eircom: Alan

Terrlock wrote: »

eircom: Alan wrote: »

Terrlock wrote: »

Thanks for your reply Al,

Just in reference to a few things in your reply which indicate that you did not read or mis-understood my initial request.

Posted by you:
I'm not sure if you are using your service wirelessly or by Ethernet connection but if it is indeed wireless (Via WIFI) 

Posted by myself in initial post:
just to say that all the standard testing procedures are followed, i.e, plugged straight into the router, router is the only device connected to the phone line etc.

In regard about what you said here:
Ultimately I will be unable to offer such detailed infrastructural reasons or network specifications that could explain the specific hops you’ve highlighted in your Traceroutes

When I live in Offaly and the first hop after my router is not the local exchange but something in Sligo, Please refer this to someone who will be able to offer an explanation. Why I want to know is aside from speed issues(Which I will accept as 'up to' a certain speed), this connection is DROPPING a minimum of every 1 in 3 packets, and timing out websites a substantial amount of the time. Leading to an unusable service.

Even if your connection is 'up to' a certain speed you have to be able to provide a consistent connection in which requests actually reach their destination!

Hi Terrlock

Apologies for misreading a few things you pointed out above. I will be unable to refer this to offer a reason or specific explanation to your traceroutes and should you require further technical assistance the best advice I can offer you is to contact eircoms technical support department on free phone 1901 or 1890260260.

Al

So basically there isn't anything that Eircom will do or can do to investigate the issue and come to a resolution.

I'm back to my initial Question How can I get Eircom to resolve the extremely bad internet connection that they provide me with?

Why can't you offer explanations to traceroutes...it's basic trouble shooting?

All my internet traffic goes through sligo first. Which I suspect is where the issue lies.

I'm sorry Terrlock, Further to the above the best advice I can offer you is to contact technical support when the slow speeds and connection drops occur.

My tests have shown no issues on your line internally or externally although I have identified that at peak times slow speeds will be expected as the exchange your line is connected to is not upgraded to NGB.

Again, I do apologise for the inconvenience this is causing Terrlock

Al