thenoob
@swbell.net
|  DSL disconnecting after speed upgrade
I have talked to about 4 tier 1 support people and a tier 2 support person from AT&T about this issue. In fact the person from tier 2 assured me that the problem had been fixed.
Here's the problem I am having. After a speed upgrade a few weeks ago, I have been constantly losing my connection. The first support person I talked to told me to get a new modem.. long story short, the new modem I ordered didn't work either. Next, I talked to a few more tier 1 reps and tried their worthless suggestions. When I got a hold of someone from tier 2, she immediately said she saw a problem on my account. Apparently the speed upgrade had caused my static ips to be changed (seems strange I would be able to connect at all if this was the problem). She spent about an hour changing them all back and assured me my connection would work fine from here. Lo and behold! The next day I am yet again disconnected.
At this point, I have no idea what to do. AT&T's tech support has proved so far that they cannot solve this issue.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks. |
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Flippant
So Much For Subtlety
Premium,Mod
join:2000-06-04
Katy, TX | Can you post your line stats from the modem? Which modem do you have? Poor line conditions are the number one reason for disconnecting, so seeing what your line looks like is the first thing to check. |
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thenoob
@swbell.net
| I have both a speedstream 5100 (provided by at&t) and a dlink 2320b. The same happens with both modems, but the dlink modem automatically reconnects after a minute or 2 automatically, so that is what I'm using now. I have looked at the modem stats on both modems and all of the tests say passed. I think I'm just going to call att and ask to speak directly to tier 3 (if such a thing exists). I'm convinced that the problem is on the server end because like I said, this started happening when I upgraded the speed. Before I upgraded, I was still on a static ip plan from a couple years ago when it was still SBC. |
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psx_defector
join:2001-06-09
Allen, TX
| Post your stats, calling won't get you anywhere. If you have a problem, your stats will tell, and you can register and post in Direct to get it fixed.
»www.support.dlink.com/emulators/···adsl.htm is what you need to get. Log into the Dlink and pull that page up. Post everything from SNR Margin to Rate. |
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Flippant
So Much For Subtlety
Premium,Mod
join:2000-06-04
Katy, TX
Host:
Filesharing Software
Earthlink Cable
Texas Gulf Coast R..
AT&T U-verse
AT&T Southwest
| reply to thenoob
The stats we are asking for do not simply say passed the give measured values of the signal that the modem can measure. If your stats are poor you will disconnect alot and not much can be done without the signal being stronger/more stable. If the stats are good it means something else is causing the problem and we can give you information on what to look for.
For the 5100b this »Ameritech - SBC FAQ »Where are the Line Stats in a 5100b or 4100? can guide you to what to look for. If you want to post them here you can get more information from people who see these all the time. Not sure of the information that the DLink can supply. |
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thenoob
@swbell.net
| Ok, I am attaching my stats page as a pdf. I really appreciate the help. |
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Flippant
So Much For Subtlety
Premium,Mod
join:2000-06-04
Katy, TX
Host:
Filesharing Software
Earthlink Cable
Texas Gulf Coast R..
AT&T U-verse
AT&T Southwest
| Your line stats look pretty good, certainly they should hold sync fine. It would be good to see them when you have a disconnection if the DS portion remains connected to see if they degrade at that time.
Thinking ahead do the disconnects occur at a specific time or around some event? Are you sure all the phone devices in your house have filters on them? Sometimes another electronic device can cause connection problems. Things like light switches (dimmers), halogen lamps and quite a few other things . So is there a specific time of day that the disconnects occur? |
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thenoob
join:2008-03-26
Dallas, TX
edit:
March 26th, @08:19PM
| I'm not at home much during the day, so I don't use it that much, but the disconnects seem more prominent at night. I called at&t once again and they are sending someone out to check the line (fingers crossed that that's the problem). In the mean time, they said to call next time it disconnects so that they can run some tests. For some reason, when I am using the dlink modem, I get reconnected automatically but with the speedstream, I have to manually reset the modem to get a connection. All the lights are green when it gets disconnected, so synchronization is ok.
As for interference, the only other device I have on the line is a fax machine and it does in fact have a filter on it. The modem is in a closet with a bunch of other electronic devices and wiring, but this is how it has always been and these disconnects just started happening when I upgraded the speed. |
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psx_defector
join:2001-06-09
Allen, TX
| How about the log file from the D-Link? It would tell us if it's a synch event or a PPPoE event causing your issue.
If it automatically reconnects with the D-Link but not with the Speedstream, it sounds as though it might be a PPPoE drop. Your stats are hot with no data errors, nothing to indicate a line issue. And since it's something that doesn't seem to happen all the time, a guy coming out would more than likely not see anything and then be on his way. |
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thenoob
join:2008-03-26
Dallas, TX
edit:
March 27th, @07:00PM
| I am not using PPPoE because I have static ip addresses. I talked to at&t (must me the 10th time) while I was disconnected and they saw a bunch of errors on the line. They are sending someone out to fix it. Thanks again for the replies. By the way, for anyone else that has issues like this, maintenance is the only department that knows what they are talking about. |
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Flippant
So Much For Subtlety
Premium,Mod
join:2000-06-04
Katy, TX
Host:
Filesharing Software
Earthlink Cable
Texas Gulf Coast R..
AT&T U-verse
AT&T Southwest
| Good luck with discovering the source of an intermittent disconnects. Quite often the source is an RFI, this FAQ section may be of help to you.. »Ameritech - SBC FAQ
By the way the best support is not found on the phone   There are some very fine techs on this site who can do some amazing things. »/forum/sbcdirect |
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thenoob
join:2008-03-26
Dallas, TX
| said by Flippant  :Good luck with discovering the source of an intermittent disconnects. Quite often the source is an RFI, this FAQ section may be of help to you.. » Ameritech - SBC FAQ Hmm. The RFI looks interesting. Is there any way to test this out other than just unplugging the dimmer and waiting for it to disconnect or should I just leave this up the the at&t tech?
said by Flippant :By the way the best support is not found on the phone There are some very fine techs on this site who can do some amazing things. » /forum/sbcdirect Well, now I know. This is the first time I have really had any problems with this connection. |
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Flippant
So Much For Subtlety
Premium,Mod
join:2000-06-04
Katy, TX
Host:
Filesharing Software
Earthlink Cable
Texas Gulf Coast R..
AT&T U-verse
AT&T Southwest
| The AM radio has worked: »Ameritech - SBC FAQ »My DSL loses sync regularly. How can I detect interference with an AM Radio?
Usually though people just turn off devices until they kill the interference. You can see the interference using info from the tech readout when you are having problems. It is a good step to be able identify the problem when these events occur, or rather know what is causing the event. RFI may not be the problem but it is a common source of seemingly intermittent disconnect problems. Over the years we have seen some doozy sources. It is not easy to find. |
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thenoob
join:2008-03-26
Dallas, TX | reply to thenoob
The source of the problem turned out to be corrosion on the line. This isn't the first time there have been problems with this line either. Not too long ago, it wasn't getting a dial tone. |
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thenoob
join:2008-03-26
Dallas, TX
edit:
April 9th, @12:15AM
| reply to thenoob
2 technicians later, I am still having the same problems with this connection. At this point, it has to be interference. I actually took the time today to dig through my stuff to find an old AM radio. As soon as I walked into the closet with the modem, I heard some serious static, especially when placing it near where the modem was located. It looks like the culprit for these connection problems could be some major interference. For now I have moved the modem up a few shelves in that closet and if the problems persists, I plan on moving it to a completely different room.
The FAQ mentions that a TV with a 3 prong cord can cause interference.. would a CRT monitor with a 3 prong cord be in that same category? I have a CRT monitor less than a foot away from the modem box. |
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move4ward
@swbell.net | reply to thenoob
Do you have your modem close to your monitor? Move the modem 1-2 ft away from the monitor. Monitors with poor EMF shielding will do it also. |
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Flippant
So Much For Subtlety
Premium,Mod
join:2000-06-04
Katy, TX
Host:
Filesharing Software
Earthlink Cable
Texas Gulf Coast R..
AT&T U-verse
AT&T Southwest
| reply to thenoob
This is one of the harder problems for finding a source. The radio will certainly help. To check the monitor, turn it off, does the static on the radio decrease? If so maybe it is contributing to the problem. Check for lighting like halogen, and dimmer switches. When the problem presents itself are the lights on. What electric devices are on when this problem occurs.
In this forum we have heard of the neighbors outdoor garage light, apartments with treadmills even I believe we had a noisy meter on the wall. It can be many different things, the trick is to narrow down the sources and being aware of what is going on around you. |
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thenoob
join:2008-03-26
Dallas, TX
edit:
April 9th, @08:28PM
| reply to thenoob
This is a small closet that has a computer, monitor, router, 2 switches, a sound amplifier and cable box, network hard drive and a couple other networking accessories. I had the dsl phone line going through the surge protector (where all of these things are plugged in). Near that surge protector I was picking up a ton of static so I just plugged the modem directly into the phone line. Hopefully this solves the problem but somehow I have a feeling it won't.
Also, can anyone comment on how effective RFI filters are? Would the following link be the correct thing to buy? It doesn't mention use for phone lines and I don't want to get something that will filter the dsl data. »www.radioshack.com/product/index···cp=&sr=1
I also came across »www.radioshack.com/product/index···=2103222 but I don't know what the difference is. |
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thenoob
join:2008-03-26
Dallas, TX | reply to thenoob
I tried moving my modem to another room (same phone line) but the modem will not sync anywhere but where it is now. Is this normal? |
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Flippant
So Much For Subtlety
Premium,Mod
join:2000-06-04
Katy, TX | That would depend on the filtering of your phone line. Do you have a "Homerun" connection (a filter/splitter in the NID). If the other telephone lines are filtered the modem will not work in them. |
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