Internet connection on a standard line

MOD

I have had internet access on my standard phone line for the last 2/3 years. I have always got good connection speed - 40/46kbps.
However in the last 2 weeks my Eircom (free) account dials up, goes through "verifying", connects and after about 10sec drops out.
My indigo (also free) account more often than not connects but only @31200bps (takes 1-2 minutes to open a page),its slow slow!!!!
The first thing I did was speak to Eircom.Net help line (1550-number), but no help. Then I spoke to Eircom fault report, they said they could only test the line for voice transmission and that it tesed 100%. I then set up these 2 same accounts on a lap top, and on my phone line got the same results. But when I took the lap top to work and used the fax phone line (standard line) both accounts connected as normal (45000 bps).
I have tried pinging the ip add that briefly appears when connecting to this site (194.125.133.220) while on line (31200bps) but just get request timed out.
Thanks for any help.

Ruu_Old

Have u tried any other isps? or maybe ur modem settings or dialup settings?

Occidental

MOD,

Just to confirm, you've used the same laptop with the same cable at home and at work, using the same local numbers for dialup(not a 1891 prefix).

If the above is true, you have a problem with your line.

Suggest you tell Eircom(not Eircomnet) what you have done and then ask them what changes they have made to your line in the last few weeks and see if you can convince them to get an engineer out to look at your line(you may need to be persistent).

Ruu_Old

Aye .. get an engineer out, convince them its not a hardware problem. If its not then they have to send someone out

paris

MOD...did you get anywhere with Eircom? I ask because the exact same thing has just happened to a friend of mine. She used to always connect at around 40/45 and now is experiencing the exact same thing as you, as of yesterday and cannot connect most of the time, or if she does, it's abysmally slow or drops the connection 10 seconds later. She too has been told that her line checks out perfectly for voice but they said they cannot guarantee the line for internet connection.

She reckons they must have done something to her line as that's the only explanation considering she has been logging on for over 3 years now without a problem until yesterday - and nothing has changed as far as she is concerned, in any way.

She has tried everything anyone could suggest and nothing has solved this sudden problem i.e. modem settings, she even tried a brand new US Robotics modem, different log ons - both free and paying, etc - and nothing has solved this sudden happening.

I would be very interested in hearing if your connection problem was solved.

Thanks

paris

po0k

lad, {edit}sounds like{/edit} you've just had DACS line installed.
Look on the pole and see if you ca spot a white box of somesort with your phone line coming out of it.
your neighbour's is probably ocming out of it too.
It s plits your line, much like ISDN, and lets two phone numbers/channels exist on it, thereby letting eircom get away with not laying out more phone cable, charging you full price for half a line (the voice quality of your actaul phone calls will probably go down too), and screwing you for ADSL (it uses a certain chunk fo the frequency range used by xDSL.
Lovely state of affairs we have ehre, isn't it?
been living with one for the past year and a half - nearly 2 years now in fact.
Have tried numerous times to get them to take it off, even got the engineer's mobile numebr too. but no luck. Cable is expensive right now" apparently :mad:

ikomj

I have been experiencing all the symptoms of the first poster in this thread! - and after three years of excellent experience.

Can I find out from Eircom if a DACS line has been installed?
Also - what does DACS mean?

Thanks,
Ikomj

WhiteWashMan

if i remember correctly, dacs is when they split your phone line and use it to add another phone line in the house with a new number so you have 2 different phone numbers
or in the house next door.
they are suppose to tell you if they are doing this as far as i know
but its all perfectly legal as they are under no obligation to provide you with a decent data transfer rate.
you could ask then to turn down echo and up gain on the line.

Dr.Seagull

i think it sends the signal over a slightly differnt frequency than a normal line which donst make much differnce to voice calls but 56k modems wont work right with it
it happened to me half a year ago i used to connect at 44000bs
then could only connect at 31200bps i looked out my window and saw a new white box on the pole across the street and knew what had happened
i rang eircom a few times but they had the cheak to deny they use dacs boxs and since my voice callls were fine they didnt have to do anything about it
since u connect at 31200bps which is the exact same bps as the fastest speed that can be achieved over a dacs line AFAIK then it is almost certinaly a dacs line
btw after months of ringing eircom i finaly cracked and got isdn they will remove dacs boxs to install isdn but other than that id say u are screwed
has anyone ever got them to remove it with out upgrading to isdn?

paris

Thanks for all the replies...

I had thought about the dacs box thing but there are two phone lines in my house and I can only assume that they must have used a dacs box for me too. However, I always connect at around 40/46 - so I'm thinking that a dacs box shouldn't necessarily mean a slow down in connection.

Thanks for the suggestion WhiteWashMan regarding asking them to turn down echo and up gain on the line - I'll tell her to try that with Eircom.

BTW, she has noticed a clicking sound on her voice calls - somewhere in the background which some people at the other end have told her is quite loud - so certainly seems like something has happened her previously good line.

Thank you all - it's great to get some feedback on a situation like this.

paris

po0k

Riing up and say that you work from home and that voice and data quality is important to you, but that you can't afford ISDN and that it's an infringement on your consumer rights for them to use such lines and threaten to write to the Ombudsman, ODTR, local TDs and your deity of choice.
Flatly refuse ISDN if offered. Demand your line and if that doesn't work threaten to move to Chorus
Worked last time for me, got mobile number to engineer but he never came out.

paris

lol Syxpak...actually she does need it for a course she's doing. Great idea...thanks.

paris

Kevok

That explains everything. I got a second phone line about 5 years ago and since then i've never connected above 33'600 bps. It's pissing me off, i got a call from eircom 1 1/2 years go asking if i wanted to be on the ADSL trial in Mount Merrion dublin. But the line was too bad.

When i read this post i did some researching on the subject and i searched outside but there was no box, then i came inside and in the cabinet where our ESB meter is was a grey box about the size of a vhs with the TE logo and DACS on it.

If i ask them to remove the second line will i have one perfect line again?