et1212
join:2005-10-23
Mableton, GA
 ·AT&T Southeast
 ·Charter Pipeline
| Is your DSL connection interrupted by Lightening?
Recently we have a lot of thunder storms (even tornadoes) in Atlanta area. I have noticed that my DSL connection would drop intermittently (most of the time it only drops for a few seconds, occasionally up to two minutes). I have noticed this every time there is any lightening outside.
Anyone has the same problem? Is this a system wide problem or is it local? Or is there something wrong with my modem?
Also, it takes my router (DI614+) a long time to detect that the internet connection is dropped (I had "auto reconnect" checked) -- I have to manually disconnect to force it to reconnect. I wonder if you have the same kind of problem with your router.... Any recommendation for a good router is appreciated. |
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Airwolf7
Premium
join:2004-12-12
Franklin, KY
·AT&T Southeast
edit:
April 5th, @08:11PM
| Let me guess, you have a Westell 6100 modem.
Note: If it is thundering and lightning with tornadoes whirling around outside then leave the computer alone and get somewhere safe and hide.
I have seen the Westell 6100 do this a few times , but not to many times because when it is doing that outside I normally turn off my equipment and disconnect it from the power outlet and phone jack then I find some nice to hide.
If it tornadoes I just hide, screw the computers. |
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et1212
join:2005-10-23
Mableton, GA
·AT&T Southeast
·Charter Pipeline
edit:
April 5th, @08:30PM
| He-he, very funny.
I mean thundering and lightening at a good distance from me...
All my equipments are on pretty good grade UPS'. I build my own pc's -- good psu on UPS is a must-have for me.
It is a Westell 6100... Can I can demand a different modem from ATT? If not, is there any good modem I can buy myself? |
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thedragonmas
join:2007-12-28
Albany, GA | reply to et1212
ive had the same problem for years. ive gotten so used to it when i hear thunder i find something else to do. storm can be a full county away and still knock out the dsl. tho i am 19,200 feet from the dslam so im not gonna be picky :| |
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heels_fan
No Tag Needed
Premium
join:2003-02-07
Columbia, TN
| reply to et1212
I live in Middle TN. We have some very bad storms to come through from time to time,especially in the Spring.
My westel 6100 has never lost sync during a lightning or a thunderstorm.
For instance just the other night, lightning struck a tree about 45 yards from my house.
The tree is all burnt on one side all the way to the ground.
My modem nor my DSL connection ever dropped sync.
I guess I am special, according to all the talk about westels and thunder/lightning storms.
--
everyone is born ignorant. some are born stupid, others achieve stupidity and the rest have stupidity thrust upon them. |
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Airwolf7
Premium
join:2004-12-12
Franklin, KY
·AT&T Southeast
| There seems to be some talk that poor grounding/bonding is a factor with the Westell 6100 regarding lightning issues because it is a very sensitive modem and your grounding/bonding might be in great shape.
heels_fan, is your Westell 6100 one of those little Westell 6100 models? I think that they are E90-610030-06 model.
The reason why I'm asking is because the models before the E model are based on the retail model Westell 6100 and have lots of components missing on the circuit board and maybe the circuity is not as well tuned as it could be with these components missing.
The little E model Westell 6100 is a lot smaller and I would guess that it probably does not have missing components and this new circuit board, because it is smaller and newer, might not have these problems due to the fact that the Westell engineers might have tuned the circuity differently based on the new layout and possible feedback from the field about lightning sensitivity issues.
I really don't know about any of this because I'm just guessing, but it sounds plausible. |
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Splitpair
Premium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
 ·T-Mobile US
·T-Mobile US
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to et1212
said by et1212  :It is a Westell 6100... Can I can demand a different modem from ATT? If not, is there any good modem I can buy myself? The problem is with the Westell they have a very sensitive front end that can pick a signal out of dirt but it doesn't handle the induced noise of a lightning hit very well.
You could swap out the modem for a less sensitive one but that might introduce other new problems if you are running over 3 meg.
Wayne
--
Yeah, there's a storm on the loose, sirens in my head
Wrapped up in silence, all circuits are dead
Cannot decode - my whole life spins into a frenzy
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nwrickert
sand groper
Premium,MVM
join:2004-09-04
Geneva, IL
·AT&T Midwest
| reply to et1212
I do not have any problem with thunderstorms. Incidently, I happen to use a Westell modem - currently a 327w, previously a 2200. I doubt that the modem is the problem.
When I first got DSL, I did lose sync when there was nearby lightning, but not with distant lightning. That problem went away when I corrected problems in the house wiring.
I am a fair way from the CO, with my attenuation around 55 (at one time it was 58, till the techs removed some bridge taps).
Another AT&T midwest user, dslwanter , has had a lot of trouble with lightning, even in the distance. He has had several threads on this.
The primary difference between my service and dslwanter 's service, is that my line (back to the CO) is underground, while his is aerial.
The circumstances for lightning (even in the distance) causing problems appear to be high line attenuation (long distance from the CO), and a significant part of the line from the CO is aerial (i.e. above ground).
--
AT&T dsl; Westell 327w modem/router; SuSE 10.1; firefox 2.0.0.13 |
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et1212
join:2005-10-23
Mableton, GA | reply to Airwolf7
I have a small Westell 6100.
How can I tell if the problem is related to house wiring? |
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heels_fan
No Tag Needed
Premium
join:2003-02-07
Columbia, TN | reply to Airwolf7
my modem is the westel B90-610030-06 with a Rev level of C.
It is the little black westel |
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nwrickert
sand groper
Premium,MVM
join:2004-09-04
Geneva, IL
·AT&T Midwest
| reply to et1212
How can I tell if the problem is related to house wiring? When I was seeing lightning problems related to house wiring, I was also losing sync too often when there was no lightning.
Sorry for confusing you about that.
If you hold solid sync when there are no thunderstorms around, then the problem is not likely to be house wiring. If the problem occurs even when the thunderstorm is distant (not overhead), then this is unlikely to be related to house wiring.
From your description, I suspect that part of the line connecting you to the CO is aerial, and is acting as an antenna and picking up the noise from the thunderstorm. When the amount of noise reaches a level comparable to the dsl signal, you lose sync.
Okay, that's only guesswork, based on what I have seen with other reports of similar problems. If I am right, there probably isn't much you can do about it.
--
AT&T dsl; Westell 327w modem/router; SuSE 10.1; firefox 2.0.0.13 |
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Splitpair
Premium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
·T-Mobile US
·T-Mobile US
·AT&T Southeast
edit:
April 7th, @08:43PM
| said by nwrickert :From your description, I suspect that part of the line connecting you to the CO is aerial, and is acting as an antenna and picking up the noise from the thunderstorm. Na most of the effect that an indirect lightning hit has on Telco cables is inductive which affect aerial as well as buried cables.
Wayne
--
Yeah, there's a storm on the loose, sirens in my head
Wrapped up in silence, all circuits are dead
Cannot decode - my whole life spins into a frenzy
|
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neil0311
join:2005-07-24
Marietta, GA
| reply to et1212
Westell 6100 here in the Atlanta area with no issues at all. In fact, a couple of weeks ago when we had the severe t-storms and tornadoes, I was using my laptop to track the radar as one of the storms passed over us. Never had any problems with connectivity. |
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Airwolf7
Premium
join:2004-12-12
Franklin, KY
·AT&T Southeast
edit:
April 6th, @04:33PM
| reply to et1212
The easiest way to fix your problem is to get rid of your Westell 6100 modem.
I'm assuming that your Westell 6100 runs fine at all other times and only has problems during lightning storms.
You have FastAccess DSL Xtreme 6.0 and you are using a Westell 6100 in conjunction with a D-Link wireless router, so why don't you order yourself an AT&T HomeNetworking Wireless Gateway from AT&T for FREE after rebate and have yourself an all in one unit that is supported by the FastAccess DSL Help Desk.
It will probably be a 2Wire 2701HG-B and even though I have made some disparaging comments about 2Wire products in the past after ordering several of these and setting them up for my customers I have come to really like this unit and will be getting one for myself in the near future.
.
.
.
Read my reply to another fellow about how to order this FREE AT&T HomeNetworking with a FREE after rebate AT&T HomeNetworking Wireless Gateway.
»Re: [Speed Problem] yoyo speeds on 6.0 ,I had solid speeds on 3. |
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Airwolf7
Premium
join:2004-12-12
Franklin, KY
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to heels_fan
said by heels_fan :my modem is the westel B90-610030-06 with a Rev level of C. It is the little black westel The little bitty Westell 6100 I was talking about would probably fit inside of the older model Westell 6100 modems.
I think that they are model number E90-610030-06. |
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
edit:
April 6th, @11:56PM
| reply to Airwolf7
said by Airwolf7 :Let me guess, you have a Westell 6100 modem. Oh please that is total BS.... I have had briefly 6.0 service ant bordr line distance but approved, that was very eratic, but also close and qualified but enough it was a problem no matter how tweaked... 3.0 ROCK SOLID bu there are LIMITS
Just because some thing is offered doesn't mean it works in ALL cases,
--
»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)
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et1212
join:2005-10-23
Mableton, GA
·AT&T Southeast
·Charter Pipeline
edit:
April 7th, @12:14AM
| reply to Airwolf7
said by Airwolf7 :You have FastAccess DSL Xtreme 6.0 and you are using a Westell 6100 in conjunction with a D-Link wireless router, so why don't you order yourself an AT&T HomeNetworking Wireless Gateway from AT&T for FREE after rebate and have yourself an all in one unit that is supported by the FastAccess DSL Help Desk. It will probably be a 2Wire 2701HG-B and even though I have made some disparaging comments about 2Wire products in the past after ordering several of these and setting them up for my customers I have come to really like this unit and will be getting one for myself in the near future. I guess it does not hurt to give it a shot...especially since I have some problem between DI614+ and the Westell 6100.
I did not do more research, but
(a) would the 2Wire 2701HG-B work in bridge mode if I upgrade the wireless-N in the future?
(b) I assume the Wireless G adapters would work with this unit?
(c) I assume there are 4 100/1000 wired ports?
For my network traffic, I still use wired connection as much as possible (love my gigabit connection to my NAS)
I also had some problems with ATT rebate, hope this is not going to be a problem
Anyway, thanks a lot for your help, Airwolf. I rally appreciate.
---- Of course, I appreciate everyone else's input a lot too ------ |
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et1212
join:2005-10-23
Mableton, GA
·AT&T Southeast
·Charter Pipeline
| reply to Splitpair
said by Splitpair :said by nwrickert :From your description, I suspect that part of the line connecting you to the CO is aerial, and is acting as an antenna and picking up the noise from the thunderstorm. Na most of the effect that an indirect lightning hit has on Telco cables is inductive which affect aerial as well as buried cables. The problem comes in where the bonding of the cable opens (most commonly at splices) rendering the sheath ineffective in it’s ability to isolate the pairs within from the effects of inductance. FWIW those are the same bonding problems that cause the loss of synch in the evenings troubles only instead of lightning being the cause its power influence from the increased load on the single phase electrical distribution commonly used in residential areas. PI is something that I have been preaching about for years and is now finally being discovered by the masses in the OSP world. Wayne I am not 100 sure I understand it. But I assume, if you are right, there is noting I can do, correct?
Neil0311 had not such problem with Wetell6100 (he is not too far away from me), so I am a little confused. |
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Airwolf7
Premium
join:2004-12-12
Franklin, KY
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to Hayward
said by Hayward :said by Airwolf7 :Let me guess, you have a Westell 6100 modem. Oh please that is total BS.... I have had briefly 6.0 service ant bordr line distance but approved, that was very eratic, but also close and qualified but enough it was a problem no matter how tweaked... 3.0 ROCK SOLID bu there are LIMITS Just because some thing is offered doesn't mean it works in ALL cases, I don't understand. What is total BS?
Is the fact that lots of people have noticed when it is lightning their modem loses sync and they also notice their modem is a Westell 6100 total BS?
Is it total BS when they replace their Westell 6100 modem with any modem that is not a Westell 6100 their problems go away?
I don't have anything against the Westell 6100. I like the Westell 6100.
It just seems like under certain conditions the Westell 6100 loses sync a lot when it is lightning. Some people have Westell 6100 modems and say that it does not lose sync even if lightning strikes their house multiple times in a row. Maybe their line conditions are very different then the people that have the problems with the Westell 6100 and lightning.
Most people that have Westell 6100 modems and replace them with another modem don't have any more problems with lightning after that.
Do a search of the AT&T Southeast forum for Westell 6100 and lightning and see what you come up with. |
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
edit:
April 7th, @12:56AM
| Oh and you think Key West is immune to lightning do you?
OK maybe I have the ONE good 6100 (actually two for the brief time I attempted 6.0... neither has EVER failed because of lightning I have noticed... and now have a back up should I need it.
Then again being high lightning and hurricane resistant infrastructure most of SO FL isn't why you never heard 70% of KW was under 3=8 ft of water in Wilma....
No just all the just thrown TOOTHPICKS fell over in MIA/DADE When Wilma was less than half the strength it it hit KW with... Again Cat 3 with 13 ft storm surge on an aveverage 6 fto above sea level island... vs PIDDLING hardly Cat 1 wehrn it hit MIA and knocked over the TOOTHPICKS and had them without power for a MONTH in many areas.
No you are not suffering MODEM problems you are suffering lame ASSED infrastructure.... not that other modems might not reconnect better... but you still need something to reconnect to!
Pretty much we had power back in 48 hours at Cat 3 vs 1 MIA got.... and much of that delay was waiting for areas to full drain/dry so people didn't acciddentaly electrocute themselves, not that it couldn't have been done sooner
Sorry just don't believe the 6100 BS I was a bit too far though approved for 6.0.... but 6100 has been ROCK solid for 3.0... and through several power failures (life at the end of the 150 mile ext cord from MIA) with UPS, cable was a lost deal for those relying on Cumcast... But Laptop (its own battery) DSL and 6100 were flawless.
--
»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)
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