Intermittent connection problem

[MikeQ]

I have the 2-wire wireless Gateway router w/modem and DSL service. On some days there won't be any problem but on other days I have to restart (turn power off and on) or reboot repeatedly. I'll be online with no problem and then the DSL and Internet lights will blink red. Occasionally in the morning before I boot the computer, those lights will already be red. Today this happened 2 or 3 times during a short period and then has worked fine for the last 3 or 4 hours. To me this seems like a network problem rather than an equipment problem. The gateway is only a little over 2 1/2 years old. It's connected to a surge protector and has never been dropped or even moved.

[urbanplanner]

This problem has been driving me nuts for a year. I've had two technicians check the outside wiring, one come inside, and HOURS on the phone with useless people in other countries. Every 15 minutes or hour or so, the DSL light will blink red for 30 seconds or so, then resolve itself. Of course, it works 99% of the time, so it's not "an outage" (which the support people can't seem to understand) and the problem has dragged on, because really, who has the time to sit on the effing phone for 40 minutes at a time with nincompoops? Example: "Oh, just call us the next time it's out." "Well, considering it's only out for 30 seconds at a time, and it takes that much time to get through your voice mail prompts, how will that help?" "Have you tried rebooting the modem?" "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! [click]" Then, after months of this, I was told by customer service that there's a "home broadband department" that I should be talking to. So I tried them, they had me change the channel on the modem and up the power level, but that didn't do a thing. So I just got off the phone with the "retention department" (who I was referred to after saying, "This is my last phone call before I switch to cable") and they are now sending me a new modem to try out. Fine. Then they say, "There's a $12.95 shipping charge for that, okay?" And I say, "Absolutely not." Then it's putting me on hold again, and then telling me they'll waive the fee, as if they're doing me a favor. Then to top it off, "If you see the charge on your next bill, just call in and have it taken off." "Can't you just have it NOT appear on the bill?" "No, usually we charge for shipping. It's a $100 modem, after all." The freaking NERVE. And this is the customer retention department? So I asked for 2 months DSL rebate for my time, and they agreed to one--after putting me on hold again, of course. I don't care that I'll be paying a few bucks more a month for cable--if this modem doesn't work, AT&T is outta here.

[Penny_1]

Hello urbanplanner, I truly appreciate that you took your valuable time to let us know that you are experiencing issue with your modem/router and please accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience that you might have experienced. After, trying the new modem/router, if the DSL light will blink red again, then there could be some other reason which is effecting the DSL connection in your house. I would like to explain that DSL is very sensitive to Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). It is important to make sure that the DSL modem and telephone lines are placed in such a way as to minimize this interference, as well as placing them to provide adequate cooling. The following are a few of the possible causes of Electromagnetic Interference on a DSL line, I would request to check for the following steps: * Halogen desk lamps near the DSL modem or telephone line, especially those with dimmers * Any electrical dimmer switch * Electronic devices, such as stereo speakers, PC speakers, televisions, monitors, microwave ovens, etc. * Routing the telephone line parallel to an AC power cord for more than a few inches * Cordless phones and other electronic devices are the most common cause of intermittent Internet connectivity issues. Cordless phone systems running at 2.4 GHz often run at the same frequency as your DSL modem or home networking router. If you are experiencing intermittent connectivity issues, you may need to replace your cordless phone with one that runs at a different frequency. * Large metal objects and electrical equipment such as televisions, home entertainment electronics, and microwaves can also cause interference. Try to keep your DSL modem and wireless home networking router away from these sources of electronic interference. * Check with your neighbor. You may both be running wireless networks at the same frequency. The solution may be as easy as changing the channel of your wireless router. * Physical obstructions such as walls, floors, home entertainment electronics, appliances and furniture can cause interference if the wireless signals have to pass through them. Move your DSL modem or wireless home networking router to another location so it isn't in the line-of-sight of these potential interference factors. Sporadic or intermittent loss of you connection to the Internet is often caused by electronic or physical interference. If your Internet connection is coming and going, you may want to check the following things: * Your phone jack may be defective or damaged. Try connecting the modem to a different phone jack, if possible. If the hiss and background noise is gone, the initial phone jack is defective and should be replaced.Sporadic or intermittent loss of you connection to the Internet is often caused by electronic or physical interference. If your Internet connection is coming and going, you may want to check the following things: * The RJ-11 phone cord that connects your modem to the phone jack may be damaged and need replacing. If your phone cord is over 14 feet long, the signal may be weakened sufficiently that it is intermittently lost.Sporadic or intermittent loss of you connection to the Internet is often caused by electronic or physical interference. If your Internet connection is coming and going, you may want to check the following things: * DSL filters are needed on all phone devices except the DSL modem. If you have more than one phone line entering your home, DSL filters should also be installed on the second line, even if it is not connected to your DSL equipment. * Phone ringing disconnects DSL service If your DSL service is disconnecting when your phone rings, you probably have a phone somewhere in the house/office that doesn't have a DSL filter installed between the phone and the wall jack. Sporadic or intermittent loss of you connection to the Internet is often caused by electronic or physical interference. If your Internet connection is coming and going, you may want to check the following things: * The inside phone wiring in your home may also cause intermittent loss of the DSL signal. Shorts, grounds, poor line quality, etc. can degrade the DSL signal. After checking all the steps mentioned above, if the issue persist, it is recommended that you contact the AT&T eChat helpdesk, as we will be running few tests on your AT&T DSL line and will take action accordingly If you are in 'AR, CA, CT, IL, IN, KS, MI, MO, NV, OH, OK, TX, & WI', You may click on the following link to connect to a chat agent. https://pattta.att.motive.com/netagent/questionnaire_c2c_dsl_sw.aspx

[Datalyss]

I have recently begun to have major issues with my internet as well. I am using a 2wire modem/router. For last four days now I connection has been beyond slow. I have checked all my lines, connections, cable layout, reset the modem, etc etc etc. Tried chatting with an agent online but at the end due to a technical issue she could not even escalate my ticket. I was not very happy with comcast due inconsistent servcie but even they were not as bad as this. I should not be paying 40 dollars a month for 1 Mb/s or less on my connection.

[Datalyss]

Well I just got done with chatting with an agent and she was actually fairly helpful. Said she detected an issue with my line, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

[lisakmusco]

I have been having intermittent connection issues as well for quite some time now. I only have the wired westell modem I got like 7 years ago when I upgraded to DSL. Other tech support has suggested that it is a provider issue and this seemingly confirms it as it sounds the same with different equipment. However, some of the items listed for causing interference have me curious. I may try some of them, do they apply to a wired connection as well as wireless?

[Larry_1]

Hi Lisakmusco,

You must be referring to the checklist for intermittent sync you have read on a different thread and the answer to your question is yes, this applies to both wired and wireless connection. 

[Datalyss]

I was actually able to solve my internet problem. My solution was to switch to Comcast for my high speed internet. No offense to AT&T but you lost a customer. I actually was willing to give you more money to upgrade my connection but you system had issues determining if my address was valid for the upgrade?????? This is after the service tech that checked my line said that they do have hte better package available. I talked to someone on the phone in order to upgrade my service and they could not do it due the my address issue. He said he would pass my issue to the back office (what ever the heck that means) and get an approval that way. I was told to expect a phone call in a few days. It has now been almost two weeks with no phone call. I have since then switched to Comcast. I talked to an online rep which is one of the best ways to sign up as they can waive fees and can give you a better deal. While I paid a bit more on installation, I am paying 33 dollars a month for 20-22 MB/s download, 4 MB/s cable connection. Considering the 40 dollars a month I was paying for AT&T for a 3 MB/s download, .5 upload dsl connection, the switch was a no brainer. To be honest I am glad no one called me back as I would have probably missed out on the Comcast deal. Respectifully Jim

[addominek]

Since the beginning of 2010, I have had intermittent problems with DSL Internet access, which I will recount as well as I can.  I have had (Bellsouth) DSL since 2001, and I have had only one service outage between 2001 to 2009.  That's pretty good, but 2010 has certainly comprised AT&T's record for me.

1.  AT&T support technician advised me that "scheduled" maintenance had been performed on my switch and the settings had not been properly applied for my line.  He "reset" them so that they would be "remembered" the next time that maintenance was done.  (Since I wasn't aware of any scheduled maintenance for my switch, i.e., a notification of potential downtime, I just have to wonder what scheduled downtime means.

2.  After troubleshooting, including powering off and on my Westell DSL modem and Netgear WPN824, the AT&T support technician advised me that I must have a line problem and scheduled a technician to visit my home.  I was also told that should it start working, I should call back to cancel the service call.  The Internet connection starting working the next day, and I called to cancel the service visit.  Not only did that take 20 minutes of my life, but the field technician called me the following day to tell me that he was on his way over.  It was fortunate that he called since I was just about to step out;  he would not have found anyone available when he arrived.

3.  After troubleshooting, the AT&T support technician advised me that there was no service outage and scheduled a visit for a field technician to check my lines.  I called up AT&T later.  An automated system advised me that there was a service outage and that no one could assist me, i.e., "please hang up and don't bother us".  This message continued into the next day.  Finally, I just stayed on the line and finally reached a living human being, who informed me that the outage had long been corrected.  She refreshed my line, and, voila, I had Internet access again!  And I canceled the service call;  this time, no technician called to advise me that he was on his way!

4.  Just three days ago, I was again down.  By the time that I had called up, I had already done the power down and power up routine.  She told me that she couldn't see anything wrong with my connection, and I asked her to confirm if there were an outage.  She placed me on hold, where I patiently waited for some time.  Suddenly, music started to play in the background and then I was summarily disconnected.

5.  I arrived at home last night to find my connection down again.  I tethered my mobile to my PC and initiated a chat with AT&T support.  The technician took me through the normal steps.  I had to inquire several times if there were a service outage.  Unfortunately, my USB cable disconnected from my mobile when I happened to pick it up to answer a call, and my chat was disconnected. .  (The miniUSB cable slips out all of the time - a problem with my AT&T Tilt 2 and one that requires me to be in a different AT&T forum).  So, I then called AT&T's 24x7 support line.

 - I'll be that you didn't know that there's limited support after 11PM.

 - The service technician said that there was no outage and then ran me through his scripts.  He had me reboot my PC, disconnect the router from the modem, and then connect my PC directly to the modem.  And I had Internet activity.

 - He then informed me that my problem was because of router and that I had to contact the router vendor directly for configuration instructions.  (To be quite honest, when I obtained my first Netgear router, Bellsouth was less than helpful in how to configure a wireless router, probably because Bellsouth wanted me to pay $5 or $6 a month for a wireless router.  My Netgear user guide, why pretty complete, was not particularly helpful.  It was actually an article that I found on dslreports.com that helped me through what is really a pretty straightforward process.)

 - Eventually I discovered that I had Internet access if I were to connect my PC directly to the router with an Ethernet cable.

 - But, I still did not have wireless access.  Finally, after a couple of hours of struggling, I went to bed around 2AM.

 - I resumed the struggle a bit after 9AM.  I reviewed all of my router configuration settings.  Nothing looked awry.  I then backed-up my router configuration settings (with my PC physically connectd to the router LAN) and performed a hard reset of the router.  This took me into the automated setup wizard, which I cancelled out of.

 - I restored my configuration settings (yes, one could argue that they were wrong and restoring incorrect settings would be a problem) and had Internet access via the Ethernet connection.  But, I still had no wireless connection.  My wireless printer was unhappy.  My wireless Tivo was unhappy.

 - So, I sighed and decided that I would just go buy a new router.

 - I hopped in the shower and got dressed.  As I was dressing, I decided to see again if my Tivo could connect.  And it did.  So did the wireless on my smartphone.  And, then, so did my notebook connect on wireless.

This just tells me that there's something very funny going on - and I don't think that it's my modem.  I think that it's something with AT&T's DSL service.  Maintenance?  Rerouting?  Reconfiguring servers? Converting to new servers? Changing DSL providers, e.g., Covad.  Something.

My router firmware is up to date.  The router is functioning happily right now.  The modem is humming.  The physicial lines in my home and to my home aren't being worked on.  That just leaves something in AT&T's "cloud" - something beyond where my copper hits AT&T's system.

It's something that prevents my router from logging into the AT&T system.

I wish that I could figure it out, but I can't.  Maybe AT&T can tell me what's going on.

[debloo]

I'm wondering if I can get someone who knows what they are doing without having to read the steps from paper as to what to do next. I've not had my very own wireless router working now for 3 weeks. I've been on the phone with 3 At&t employee's. Only one of which was able to get my router up and running. But it only lasted for a day. Then it was off again. If only I could get *Agent* again. I'm sure she'd be the only one who could help me. As for the other two, one didn't even try to help me but passed me off to another and he had other distractions that I could hear while he was reading what to do next to help me. And was no help whatsoever in getting my wireless router up and running.

If I don't get satisfaction this time I'm calling cable. I'm sick of this. Paying for a service that I'm not able to use is very aggravating!!!

[pamelaz]

Hello dantexqb,

 
I do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you. I believe what you are experiencing right now is intermittent connection. This is often caused by a number of factors, such as:

    1. Electronic or physical interference. Make sure to keep your DSL modem and wireless home networking router away from electronic devices such as televisions, home entertainment electronics, cordless phones and microwaves

    2. Defective or damaged phone jacks. You can try to connect the modem to a different phone jack, if possible. The telephone cord that connects your modem to the phone jack may be damaged and needs to be replaced.

    3. Location of the modem needs to be checked as well. Make sure that the modem is not placed on a carpeted floor. You may have to place it on top of a desk or a cabinet.

    4. Filters that are not properly installed. The other end of the telephone line connected to your modem should be plugged into the DSL side of your dual port filter.

    5. Burglar alarm installed in your home.

 
Since you've mentioned that you've double checked on the modem and your router is brand new and updated, maybe another appointment needs to be scheduled for your problem. In this case, our technician can reassess the physical lines in your premises and diagnose the cause of this issue properly.

If you are in 'AR, CA, CT, IL, IN, KS, MI, MO, NV, OH, OK, TX, & WI', contact us at  877-722-3755 open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And if you are in KY, TN, NC, SC, LA, MI, AL, GA, FL, contact us at 888-321-2375 open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week


You may get more information on the link below:
http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB401525

[thielen7768]

all of you guys are telling me i havent even had this internet for a month and it is already going in and out in and out i had TWO tecs out here and been calling att every other hour it seems like every time a tec comes out or i call they get it working in then right when they leave or i hang up it goes out again at&t is junky as heck they need to fix my problem or im going trucable

[debloo]

I went 3 weeks without DSL service. I talked with at least 6 At&t tech's two of which I was suppose to pay to talk with. Of the two I talked with the first one said there was something wrong with all three of my new computers. HAHA!!!  The second said he didn't know what the problem was but he didn't think there was anything wrong with my computers or my router since it has worked for my son in law at their home. Oh and one of the tech's said it was probably my firewall. Even after it had been working before. I spent 5 hours on the phone in one day and still did not have an answer to the problem, that was just one of the many times I called.  At&T needs to hire people who don't have to read through a list of checks for you to go through each time you call with a problem. So as of Friday I'm with another company. Someone I know I will talk with one or two people when I have a problem. I will not have to rely on someone from a foreign country who barely speaks English and cannot understand he or she is wasting my time. I don't have to push 1 for English. I know the two people I will be speaking with speak my language.

I however did find out At&t is working on their DSL problems. Cannot name my source. However their bad way of dealing with customers by not admitting their problems is just bad business. So to those who depend on At&t for a job, kudo's to you for having to put up with a business that is so messed up they don't know their back end from the front.

I'm a happy camper now to have a working wireless router in my home that took one phone call and one man to come to my home to hook it up on a Friday!  

[debloo]

Dont look for them to admit to their problem. They might have to pay you back for the time you couldn't use their service. Just keep an account of downtime and give them a call and ask for a credit to your account since you were not able to use the service and then you can say the hours, days, and hopefully not but in my case weeks.

[Penny_1]

Hello thielen7768,

Please accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience that you might have experienced.

If you have already tried all the steps suggested by Pamela (available above in the post) and still experiencing the intermittent connection issue, I would suggest you to contact AT&T eChat support.

They will perform several line test and help you accordingly.

If you are in 'AR, CA, CT, IL, IN, KS, MI, MO, NV, OH, OK, TX, or WI' area, you may click on the following link to connect to a chat agent:

https://pattta.att.motive.com/netagent/questionnaire_c2c_dsl_sw.aspx

[weatherscience]

I am experiencing the same reset problem. I have a Westell Versa Link Model 327W. It's color is black. I would be on the internet with no problem and it will just restart or reset all the sudden for no apparent reason it's really inconvenient is it a bad switch or is there maintenance going on?.

Jeremy     

[pamelaz]

First let me just apologize for this inconvenience and rest assured that we will do our best to find the best resolution for your issue. There could be three possible issues here: intermittent sync (on and off DSL signal), intermittent connection (DSL remains solid but on and off internet connection) or defective modem. We would like to know though if you are referring to the modem when you talk about this: "connection will restart or reset". There are many factors that we have to consider this issue. It could be a problem with the Westell Versalink, your physical set up (cables and filters), EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) or a problem with the ports where your DSL line is connected.

There is a need for us to check on these factors to determine the cause of the problem. In that way we will be able to determine the best troubleshooting steps needed to resolve this issue. However, in order for us to address this, we would like to request you to call our Technical Support Team.

Our Technical Support Team can be reached at 1 888 321 2375 if you are from these states - KY, TN, NC, SC, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL; and 1 877 722 3755 if you are located in CA, NV, KS, MO, OK, AR, TX, WI, MI, IL, IN, OH, CT.

[Gatorman_1]

I am having the same intermittent connection problems.  My DSL drops out about six times a day.  I have to re-boot the modem to get it running again.  I have two modems, both Motorola.  I notice on the ATT page that this modem is not for TN subscribers.  I'm in TN.  The number on both of my modems is 2210-02-1006.  Both modems have the same problem.  This is getting very old.  I have tried everything including suffering through the foreign support line with two people (one is me) who can barely understand each other. 

I am starting to wonder if this isn't a push by ATT to try and get customers to switch to U-Verse??????  Since ATT is unable to solve this problem, I am considering moving back to Comcast.  That shows you how desperate I am. 

I found one of the technical answers interesting in terms of devices that might cause problems with the modems.  This is laughable.  ATT has manufactured a modem that burps everytime it gets close to virtually ANY other consumer device.  According to the text, one would have to live in a cabin on a mountain in a home with only a computer and the modem to get it to work.  You aren't even able to have a light bulb near it.

There is no question we are all looking down the rabbit hole here.

[Gatorman_1]

BTW, I did download the ATT Internet fix tool software.  Don't bother.  You click on the "fix" button and it sits there and does nothing.  Nada.  Zip.

[Gatorman_1]

BTW, the ATT web site says the 2210 modem is not to be used by customers in TN.  I'm in TN.  When I asked the customer support person about that, she didn't know what I was talking about.  Here it is from the ATT web page:

Overview

Single Ethernet port for simple DSL Internet connection. Fully supported by AT&T DSL Customer Support. This DSL Modem is currently designed for customers enjoying AT&T DSL in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. >>>>>>> Please do not purchase if you are living in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, or South Carolina. <<<<<< For BellSouth DSL Customers wishing to purchase a DSL Modem,

Is this the problem?  Did ATT give us modems that can't be used in our states?  Perhaps this is the problem.  ATT, waiting for comments.

[pamelaz]

Hello Gatorman,

There are many sources of regular loss of sync as mentioned on the first post above. If the list of intermittent connection causing factors has already been investigated on your previous calls with our AT&T Technical Support, please give us a callback. The only way to sort out effectively the cause of the problem and arrive in a permanent solution is to do further investigation on the issue(modem, line and network). We look forward to speaking with you to resolve this issue. Please call 1 888 321 2375 if you are from these states - KY, TN, NC, SC, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL


With regard to your  Motorola 2210 modem, any AT&T subscriber from Tennessee and all States in the Southeast region can use the modem. There might be a link saying "Please do not purchase if you are living in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, or South Carolina. <<<<<< For BellSouth DSL Customers wishing to purchase a DSL Modem" if possible not to "purchase" because AT&T can send it to customers. We are doing this to make sure the primary Motorola 2210 a customer is using does have the correct firmware to work with the system AT&T.

[aliasalison]

I too have been losing connection this month intermittently, for anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 days. My ATT-supplied Motorola 2210 modem is only 15 months old, and none of the potentially interfering equipment around it has been moved at all.  A call two days ago to tech service had a hard-to-understand young woman putting me on interminable holds while she relayed my trouble decriptions and the tech's responses back and forth to me. After a "line check" and modem reset, she told me I needed a new modem. When I asked about free replacement of the defective modem, she told me I would be charged $40 for it. I refused the offer. I then had service 30 seconds at a time occasionally until last night, when suddenly everything began working fine, and has continued to for the past 24 hours, except that the modem's Internet light is now mysteriously a solid red. After reading this forum, I think it's outrageous that ATT is apparently attempting to profit from unnecessary new equipment when it's obviously some kind of service issue on their end.

[maurice1962]

I've been dealing with this same issue for 6 months.  They've been out to the house (both inside and out) and say all is well.  I've had endless discussions with tech support.  Nearly every time they say there is a sync problem in the line and they "fix" it on their end.  It never works.....  I'm on the phone with tech support AGAIN......   I think it is almost time to ditch my 8 year relationship with Bellsouth/ATT. 

[bearthoven]

I too suspect that AT & T is having connection issues.  Not only do you describe the exact problem I am having and several other people I know, but also there was just some media hype about their signals concerning phone-data useage.  This would ultimately affect internet connections, too.

C'mon AT&T stop hiding the fact that YOURE the one having the problem!!!!!!

[yourtruck]

I can reproduce the lost connection reliably - see the steps in my post: http://www.att.com/t5/Routers-and-Home-Networks/Intermittent-connections-PROOF-that-it-s-not-EMI-a-s...

If other folks can reproduce the lost connection the same way, perhaps they can fix it. 

[ztitans1]

LOL

[ztitans1]

We should form a support group. It sounds too coincidental that we all have the same issue and nothing seems to fix it. I can only imagine how many people are having the same problem but were unable to find their way to this blog.

Tech coming tomorrow. I will not hold my breath for it to fix the issues. I am going to check and see what else may be available for service to my home.

This is getting OLD.

[scorpiobo74]

I also have been round and round with AT&T, two people outside of house...line is fine.  One person inside the house, line is fine, must be that a new modem is needed.  Got a new modem, DSL works as long as it's not connected to my Netgear wireless router.  Why doesn't the two sync? I'm ready to ditch AT&T for something else.  I'm in Frisco if anyone has comments or suggestions! 

[CLOGAN99]

I have been having these same problems. Thing is I work as a operator from my home and this has cause me downtime from work and everything. I am starting to consider options.  I talked with different reps some were helpful, some just plain ridiculous. There was an outage once and the problems have been constant every since. The new modem worked good for about 1 month then all of a sudden the drops. I am sick of it. If it is not repaired soon time I will have to find other service. I liked working with AT&T but they don't seem to understand how this is affecting me. I still get a bill every month for shotty service. This has to be a network issue.

[mightymissy]

I had the same problem for over a year. started right after I was offered an upgrade.  They wanted to buy all kinds of new stuff.  Turns out the upgrade I recieved in not available in my area.  after speaking with many people who live close by i learned we all went through the same thing. 

I had called to  change my phone service and they told me a faster speed was available.  Well, it's not. And I constantly had to call and go through the same process all the time.  They would tell me I needed to pay to have repair people come out and check everything or buy a new box.  Finally one day I told the guy that it can't be my house, lines, wires or any of that stuff if so many people in the area are having same issues. I was put on hold for a long time and he came back and said it was the upgrade causing the issue and that my area is too far away from the towers.

I'm only responding her because I saw this and know how you feel. I'm actually looking for something else.  For days now I've had issues getting into my email.  Constant messages about the server being down. But if I log into my other yahoo account I have no problems.