I think I have line problems. Please help.

[JWilums]

On October 30 I switched from regular DSL to Uverse IPDSL. Only internet and phone are offered here and I kept my POTS. I subscribed for the MaxPlus 18Mbps. When the installer came and tested the line, he said I might need to drop down to the 12Mbps tier because his meter showed that I was 3200 feet from the CO and only showed it was capable of about 20Mbps and probably didn't leave enough overhead for the 18Mbps tier. I told him I would like to try for the higher speed if he thought there was a possibility for the higher speed. I also told him there was a splice in the underground drop from the street, but he said that wouldn't make any difference. The drop wire is about 40 years old and the splice is 20 or more. At first, I may have had a few drops, but it has gotten a lot worse in the past 10 days or so. I know my line stats aren't too good with SNR running in the 5.9 to 6.6 area. According to the NVG 510 modem logs I have had 291 modem retrains or drops since it was installed about 35 days ago. That is, if I am reading the logs right. A filter was installed in the NID and a Category 5 (maybe 5e) was run to the jack. I can post a couple of logs saves if it would help.

I think I either need my line improved if possible or I need to drop my speed down. I would prefer to keep my speed if I can. Can anyone here help me? I will try to give more info if I can.

Sorry it's so long. Thanks for looking.

[Anonymous]

Your sync rate is only 16443 so your never going to hit the MAX 18 your paying for.  Also the reason it's doing so many retrains is because your line is over committed at that HSI profile.  12 would be the best for your current line.

As far as the buried cable from the street to the house,  I'm not sure your going to be any better off with a new one IF it was spliced correctly 20 years ago.  My underground cable was spliced by a tech a few years back and it has been running fine, so the splice you have probably does not factor into your equation as much as the distance you are from the CO or VRAD.

[JWilums]

Thanks for looking. Do you think 3200 feet is too far for 18Mbps or that my line is not too good? If I drop down to the 12Mbps tier, do you think I will be able to get the promotional price for it, or will I lose the promotional price altogether?

Thanks!

[my thoughts]

From a vdsl circuit standpoint, yes 25M profile needed 25x120% or about 30M to support 25M profile which has highest internet speed of 18.

As your not even hitting 19M profile, need to be lowered to 13M with highest internet offering being 12M.
On this profile would expect SN margin around 10.5, no retrains, better performance (12/1) and save $5 per month.

[JWilums]

This isn't vdsl. It is CO based IPDSL. There is no TV available here, only internet and phone and I don't have the phone part because I kept POTS. Do the figures you gave still apply? I'm not questioning you knowledge, I'm trying to learn.

Thanks!

[my thoughts]

Yes basic concept is the same, vdsl circuit is fiber to the node (neighborhood) or premise, balance on copper...just how much.
On an adsl2+ circuit the fiber is to the CO (FTTCO) but still have loss on copper, the longer the distance the less available.
Adsl2+ circuit have 18, 12, 6, 3, 1.5 and .75 internet profiles. If SN margin hitting 6 or less issues as strength of signal in relationship to other noise. The better the quality of line and shorter the distance the more bandwidth available.

A nice graph (in meters) for theory ADSL2 lines from a different provider perspective.
http://www.internode.on.net/residential/adsl_broadband/easy_broadband/performance/

[JWilums]

My thoughts, thanks for the explanation and link. I appreciate your help. I guess I better have my speed lowered if I don't want the aggravation of the disconnects, which always seem to happen right in the middle of something important.

Is there a way to do that here, or will I have to call support? Sorry for being a newbe.

Thanks again.

[JefferMC]

16 Mbps seems like a low sync rate for 3200', if that distance is accurate.  That chart (scaled in meters) would indicate 24 Mbps is possible out to 3000'.

Granted, this is all dependent on line conditions.

Rather than call, you can click this U-verse Customer Service link to send a Private Message (PM) to the AT&T customer service team to help you resolve your issues. You can expect a reply via return PM (the blue envelope in the upper right hand corner of this site) in a business day or three.

This is a group of U-verse service specialists who are knowledgeable about U-verse and will stay with your problem until the end (instead of forgetting about it when the phone hits the cradle). Speed things up by including your Billing Account Number, and the best time and way to reach you.

[JWilums]

Thanks, JefferMC, for your input and information. I will try your suggestion.

[ATTU-verseCare]

Hello JWilums,

We have recieved your Private Message and we'll be glad to research this issue and help you get this resolved. 🙂

- MorganCS

- ATTU-verseCare

[JWilums]

I have sent reply as requested. Thanks!

[JWilums]

MorganCS has been great and has arranged for a tech visit tomorrow.

I want to thank everyone who posted in this topic and all who took the time to read it. I appreciate it and your advice. I will follow up with the outcome so everyone will know what happened.

Can someone tell me if the "kudo" button works for the customer service reps as well as other posters, or is there another way to give them a recommendation?

I am really pleased with all the help here regardless of the outcome of my problem and highly recommend the process and forums.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Yes you can click the "kudos" button for any post (including CS Reps) but you must do it on each post you want to kudo.

[JWilums]

Thanks, BeeBeeSA

[JWilums · Accepted solution]

I believe I have a successful resolution. Hurray!

The tech was here this morning and checked everything out and discovered there was considerable difference in the stats at the modem and at the NID. They were better at the NID. He also checked the underground drop from the street to the NID and found it was okay.

He replaced the protector and the filter in the NID and that made a world of difference. He wasn't sure which was faulty becuse he replaced both before testing again, but I'm going to bet on the protector because a year ago or maybe longer there was a incident with lightning that knocked the phone out and left a black spot on the lid of the NID. That was repaired and everything worked alright, but the protector wasn't replaced. That was before Uverse.

The noise margin still isn't a lot higher, but it has been rock solid since he finished and there have been no retrains. The sync is much better too. Please notice there hasn't been a single error in over 2 hours.

I will wait to mark the topic solved for a little longer just in case, but I think it is fixed. Thanks to all who have helped.