This is the first time i have submitted to a topic (as a question ) and i hope some beautiful mind can help.My net connection drops out CONSTANTLY,and has done for a while.I have asked the provider (Dodo)…they carn't help,the phone line is ok (as far as i know,but when the net is on and a call comes in,the crackle on the line means i can barely hear a word,and have missed some important information relayed during the call )and the net drops out randomly when it feels like it (letting you have either a few seconds OR up to an hour of uninterrupted connection….depends on what the damn computer feels like really ).I am job hunting at present,and have been submitting CV's online,only to have it dropout at crucial times (like when sending,OR WORSE,WHEN I HAVE COMPLETED THE 7 PAGE APPLICATION,AM READY TO SAVE AS NSW HEALTH DON'T ALLOW YOU TO SAVE AS YOU GO,AND IT THEN DROPS OUT….RENDERING THE LAST HOUR OF MY LIFE WASTED ).I hope some one can give me a heads up as to what might be wrong and help me fix this (you will be saving my sanity,a PC AND a window,because i am ready to throw said PC out said window after my next meltdown,and OzBargainers…we ALL know that's just not us,cos' that means spending on a new PC and forking out for the excess on my insurance ).
Any Sheldons here who can help me ?
Comments
you probably need to tell her how to even obtain that line stats data first…
maybe something like: look on the back of your modem/router to find the ip address of that modem (in the form of: 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.138 etc…)
then type that into your internet browser
it will ask for a login and password (most likely: admin pass: password) - sometimes the back of the modem tells you that)
thats just step 1…..
to find the details after then we would then need to know which brand is your modem and model.
surely the person would have run thru this with dodo first?
Dodo shouldn't need to get this information, they should be able to see it from their end.
It's hard to help you troubleshoot this without further technical info. Maybe you can narrow it down further by trial and error. From what you said, personally, I would try and borrow a ADSL line filter from someone with a good ADSL connection and see if it helps. If it does, then maybe you need to invest in a good ADSL line filter.
Also, it could be that everyone in your neighbourhood has bad lines anyway, so you can try and go onto TPG's ADSL map and see what speeds others around your neighbourhood are getting for comparison.
Guessing away….is your line filter properly set up?
1: All phones in your house should have a filter to stop them interfering with the ADSL. This probably isn't your issue and it shouldn't matter when not on a call and won't cause the call quality to be bad. Something to check anyway.
2: If the phone quality is bad for voice then ADSL has next to no chance. You will have to get it fixed. Usually this means working with Dodo to:
a) Convince them there is a problem.
b) Run some tests to get information.
c) Log some data over time to send to Telstra.
d) Dodo convince Telstra there is a problem.
e) Telstra might eventually send someone out to fix it.
3: As a work around, ADSL has a concept called 'profiles'. Basically it means you can get Dodo to put you on a slower profile that will be more reliable. This isn't a fix, but will likely help while you bang your head against point 2.
Also, it will probably help to make a note every time it drops out. Dodo SHOULD be able to track that and see that there is a problem, but clearly they are failing. Unfortunately you may have to get agressive with them for them to do their job.
Modem, try another modem.
This type of problem can be a can of worms.
Some modems after maybe 2 or 3 years can develop all sorts of funny problems..
Also the power supplies/plug packs supplied with some modems are pure junk and can develop strange quirks.
If you can borrow one this is a good thing to try. If the voice quality is that bad though, no modem will fix that.
I once got line noise on my phone line (obvious when you picked up the phone). I called my ISP (Internode) about it and they called Telstra to check the phone line. The person from Telstra found some problem with the line and fixed it. That cleared the line noise and the connection improved a bit. Internode warned me saying that if Telstra didn't find any problem with the phone line then I have to pay for the call out fee.
Do you have ADSL filter installed, and wires going in correct outlets ? (ADSL and phone line outlets of the filter). Tried changing the filter.
Have you tried changing your modem/router - we had the same problem with ours, and the technician from Telstra came to check the line and said there were no problems with the line, however after a lot of troubleshooting, changing modem/router helped. Interestingly the same modem/router works great at my brother's house. So try changing it to a different brand.
Also if it's a wireless connection, you might be getting interference from your neighbour's router, so changing Chennel on the wireless router can help.
If you unplug the internet is the phone line perfect? or do you get static?
If you get static etc… call Telstra to check the lineIf not
1) Make sure you have a filter
2) Isolation Test per above, see if it is still disconnecting — if not it may be your home phone get a new one
3) Try borrow another modem, skip if not
4) Call DODO and tell them everything you have done, demand they do a line test
5) Still no result
If in contract tell DODO you will report them to the TIO for lack of service
Out of contract threaten (and then) change providers — iiNet/Internode are more expensive but better supportIf all else fails go buy a 3G dongle to get your job hunting done
parisienne, can you please tell us what troubleshooting has Dodo done for you first? e.g. isolation test etc?
There is no such thing as your internet service provider cannot help unless the issue is not on their end. And for them to say they cannot help, they would have gone through some troubleshooting with you. And if it is their issue, they would have raised it to level 2 tech support if level 1 cannot do anything.
So what has Dodo gone through with you and what exactly did they say to make you think they cannot help? No point us repeating the same thing which Dodo would most probably have told you to do.
one things that i find is commonly overlooked is the use of phone cables which are way too long and result in flakey connections.
Hi.Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions.Dodo did a test whilst i was online and they said they couldn't find an issue,that the modem was ok,filters set up correctly and maybe it was a line issue.They stated if it was not a Dodo problem,but a Telstra problem,i would pay a $200 call out fee (yikes).Hubby rang Telstra about the line and they said they could check the line…..at $180 (or thereabout )if no issue found there (hence why i thought i would ask you good people first before i potentially spend $380 to be told "sorry,no problem here".I will get the info some of you suggested to put up to help you guys and then get back with those details.I really appreciate all the advice….some brilliant Sheldon-like advice for sure here.
That information is slightly incorrect.
You can call telstra, they will call you back on your mobile and do a test on the line — this is at no cost. (Make sure when you do the test there is NOTHING plugged into any phone socket)
If they discover an issue, they will arrange for someone to comeout and fix it. If the issue was with your internal house wiring and not a telstra issue then you would be charged.Go down the telstra checking route before the DODO one.
You should never need to pay both callout fee's - its either telstra's issue or dodo's. DODO should also be able to do a line test from thier end, before they even considered calling someone out.
Hi georgedeka.I thought that sounded odd as well,but hubby rang Telstra to ask about a line test,and someone said it would be charged for,and i rang Dodo who said they would also charge (mind you,it wasn't a call centre in Australia,so i did have a bit of a problem understanding him between his accent and the line crackle ).We will try again with Telstra though .Thanks for that info.
Please try another modem.
Locally i can buy a single port billion for under $40.
The modem… try another another modem, prove it one way or another whether the modem is being silly.
cheers
Yeap I had the same problem with you (except with tpg) - I've had an isolation test done, modem changed, multi filters tried, phone line fixed by telstra (Improved the stability but i was still only getting speeds of up to 300kb/s). At the end of the contract, I just resigned to the fact that my area is probably not adsl friendly.
I dunno if you can dispute with Dodo and claim that their service isn't on par and try to get out of the contract early? I switched over to optus cable 50gb+ Unlimited calls for 60bucks a month. Its costing me an extra 10bucks a month with 50gb less download but I'm getting speeds of up to 2mb/sec. The phoneline is crystal clear now. However just be aware that optus customer service is just plain dreadful - if you want tech support, expect to wait up to an hour trying to get through. Having said that, I haven't experienced any problems and am planning to use this until the NBN comes out.
Hi Doey21.Gee i'm glad it's not just me.I had neighbours check with their modems (at my place and theirs ),only to be told "no problem here ".I may just get another check with Dodo,TRY Telstra again and then think about the leaving early option.
My 2 cents…
It could be water in the telephone line. I have had 4 seperate family and friends experience the same problem as you and each time it was water in the line. At Telstra's end, not theirs.
As other's have suggested, you should do an isolation test first and try another modem.
post line stats
eg:
Statistics Downstream Upstream
Line Rate 7894 Kbps 1021 Kbps
Attainable Line Rate 9684 Kbps 1161 Kbps
Noise Margin 9.3 dB 10.0 dB
Line Attenuation 25.5 dB 13.4 dB
Output Power 18.5 dBm 12.4 dBm
without this basic info everyone is just guessing
otherwise read up on whirlpool and see how they want to see your data