Line Speed Problems

[okaussie_1]

My speed on my 3801 constantly varies.  In the mornings it may run at 5.0MB download speed then between 4pm and 8pm is slows down to 1-2 MB.  My TV is also affected by this as well.  It has a lag time between changing channels and getting video.  Then the video freezes then unfreezes and I get audio.

It is so bad in the afternoon/evening my wife can't load her Farmville game due to the slowness.

I tried pinging sites and it drops packets,  tried to run ATT Troubleshooting/ Resolution Tool.  It took forever to download then it would not run.  Told me I had to call ATT because it could not run diagnostics.

I am currently running at Windows 8 based PC 64 bit with 2GB Memory, 2TB hard disk and have it Ethernet to the RG.

The Wireless network has the same problems and they are either a MacBook Pro or the Windows based laptop.

This all started two weeks ago and ATT said it was the 3800 .  So they sent me a 3801.  Installed it and the problem did not change.

Called them this morning was was told that they will have to send someone out on Saturday morning.  Fine by me.

Told them I am paying for the 6mB service and that is what I expect.  So we will see what happens.

BTW, no problem with the phone service and I have two phone lines.

I live in the Moore, Oklahoma area..

[JefferMC ACE - Wizard]

If you were running Windows 7, I'd have you download and install SomeJoe7777's tool from www.uvrealtime.com, but I think he has some layered product dependancies that have to be worked out for Windows 8.  

If the tech doesn't fix you up on Saturday, let us know and we'll help you the best we can without UVrealtime.

[okaussie_1]

The speed at this time 9:45pm CST is between 5 and 6MB and the TV is fine.

It is what I call consistenly inconsistent.  You never know from one minute to the next what it is going to do...

Let you all know tomorrow..

[okaussie_1]

The tech just left.  Bottom line.  The line outside is for first generation hardware and needs to be upgraded to the latest.  It has been there since 1984 when the house was built.  Also the ground outside was flaky and he replaced that.

We will have the line outside replaced in the next 7-10 days.

More news as it becomes available.

Bill

[okaussie_1]

A guy showed up yesterday and said he was going to run a new line and would take about 15 minutes.  He disappeared.  Then a little while later another guy showed up to mark where the line was to go. 

First of all, no one called to inform us of the impending day and time in which this was to be done.  (The neighbor has to be notified because our phone line runs through his backyard and the toadstool is in his yard and he has a dog so the gate is locked).

Second, the second guy did not even know where the line was.  He was in our backyard not in the neighbor's.

Third, the service did not come back up.  We had to call ATT to find out what the deal was.

Come to find out that a third person needed to come out and actually hook up the new line.  And it would be between 2-4 pm.  They started all of this at 10am. 

I had worked all night the night before and was not in the mood for this.

At 11am a tech called my cell phone informing me he was on his way to finish the job.  I had just taken sleep meds and now I have to stay up and wait for him.

He showed up and found that the wiring was not hooked up correctly in the toadstool.  Fixed that.  Also said that the toadstool was left in disarray by the sub contractor that ran the wires.

Came in the house put an attenuator on our line.  It was about 750 feet and the signal was too hot.  Made it look like 1750feet.

Everything now came up just fine.  Checked the TV problem and found none.  Ran line and speed tests and everything now looks fine.

Called ATT this morning and got them to rebate us $5 for yesterday since it was down.

Did not realize it would be this big of a job with this many people just to replace one line.

Only time will tell if this did indeed fix it.

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

Glad everything looks good, at least for now.  Thanks for posting.  Enjoy.

[okaussie_1]

Not so fast.

This morning I came home from work at 8am.  Found the 3801 dead again.  Wife said it was fine at 4am.  So between those two times I lost the Broadband and Service Lites on the 3801.  Thereby having no Service what so ever.

Called ATT again, Tech was supposed to show up between 12pm and 4pm and call first.  Neither happened.  He showed up early.  So another Saturday with no sleep.

Did all the usual things, replacing the 3801, checking everything outside.  No help.

He called for Backup.  He showed up at 3pm.  He is specialized in cables.  Finally after about 2 more hours I am up again.

This time HE found our line was run straight from the Central Office and not through the VRAD.  Also found the attenuator installed last week was defective.

He does not know how either happened.  Said he was going to keep an eye on this for a few days and have a new attenuator installed. 

I am going to calling the Billing Dept. tomorrow and get the rebate for today too.  That makes two days this month without service.

I just ran the line speed check and now back to 6Mb with an upstream of 920K.

All is well, so far.

Keeping my fingers crossed..

Bill

[okaussie_1]

Called the Billing Dept this morning in San Antonio Texas and got my credit for the outage on Saturday.

Interesting thing though, they gave me a twenty five dollar credit for this one and only five dollars for the Saturday before.

Don't know what that was all about. 

Still waiting on getting the attenuator replaced.  Just ran the speed test and is where is should be.

Bill

[JefferMC ACE - Wizard]

---

okaussie_1 wrote:

...

This time HE found our line was run straight from the Central Office and not through the VRAD.  Also found the attenuator installed last week was defective.

 . ...

---

I'd hate to call your technician incompetant or a liar.  So I won't.  But I will say this:

An attenuator is installed because you are too close to the generator of the signal and it needs to be padded down.  Like if you were, say 750 feet from the VRAD that was generating your signal, perhaps an attenuator would be necessary.  On the other hand, If your signal was coming direct from the CO over all that copper, I seriously doubt that an attenuator would be called for.  VDSL2 signal degrades pretty quickly over its first mile.  Do you live that close to your CO?

Also, I don't know of anywhere that VDSL2 equipment is installed in a CO.  You have  VSDL2 modem, thus it must decode a VDSL2 signal. 

[okaussie_1]

I live about 1 mile from the CO.  Since Saturday,  everything seems to be fine.  I ran a speed test this morning and it is running real close to the 6MB we are paying for with an upload speed of 910K.  I have been checking it periodically to see if something fails.

So far so good.  The attenuator is still off and have yet to hear from them when they are going to install a new one.

My copper to the VRAD is about 750feet, so they tell me.  I can see it from my house.  Thus the need for the attenuator to add that extra 1000 feet since it runs so hot.

That's all I know for now...

[okaussie_1]

I checked it before going to work last night at 9pm.  Running a d/l speed of 2.5mb and upload about 250k.

Checked it just now at 1015am and it is running 5+ mb and 910k upstream.

Still waiting on the attenuator..

[okaussie_1]

Still waiting on the attenuator.

The wife was complaining this morning but I ran the ATT SpeedTest and everything without the attenuator is running as it should.

Maybe I should just give up on them replacing the attentuator and leave well enough alone until it starts to act up again..

Bill

[okaussie_1]

Still waiting on the Attenuator.  Ran line speed just now and it is still fine.  Received the U-Verse Bill today.  All screwed up.

They billed me for last month which was paid in full.  Only deducted the 5 dollars for the problem two weeks ago.  Did not rebate me the 25 dollars for last week.

Guess I will be calling them again on Monday...

This is getting to be an every Monday affair between me and ATT..