MQMan
join:2006-03-21
Playa Del Rey, CA
| Intermittent loss of connection
I've been having an intermittent connection problem with my cable service for some time now. Every now and again, I'll lose connectivity for anything from a couple of seconds, up to about 5 minutes. Sometimes it'll be just the occasional drop, other times it'll happen 6 to 7 times an hour.
I've had the guys from TWC out a number of times, and they keep pointing the finger at my equipment.
First time they said it was my Centillium VoIP adapter, so I got that changed to a D-Link. This made the situation even worse because of the way the D-Link responds to even a short loss of connectivity.
Next I removed the adapter altogether and connected my Linux server directly to the modem. No difference.
Today I had a supervisor and a senior tech come out, and they repeated the same thing. The "evidence" they gave was that they had been running some sort of trace, back to my modem, and it hadn't shown any interruption in service, even though I'd had numerous "drop outs". Also, they said it couldn't be them as when they asked about the lights on the modem, I told them they it never loses Sync, even when I can't connect.
So, after all that, my question is: Can this still be a cable issue, even if I still have Sync, but cannot even ping my assigned Gateway. I can still ping the modem, from my internal machines, even when I can't ping to anything else. Their claim, is that with Sync, I'm still connected, and if it was their problem, then everyone on the same "loop" would have issues, but they don't.
Cheers. |
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Ghuff
@rr.com
| Im having the same problems, so its not just you. I live in Riverside CA, and for some reason, the last past week my i'll lose connection for a few seconds, and this happens pretty much every 10-20 minutes, sometimes even sooner. How I know its not our hardware is that several people that live near me with TW/RR have been having the same spikes/loses of connection, and get this, its at the same exact time. We use ventrilo and we all spike at the same time, along with World of Warcraft, and all of out online steam games. Its so bad that we can be on the phone with each other and both point out the spikes at the same time. I've called TW and they tried to give me the runaround that it was my hardware, when I told them about the other people, with different hardware experiencing the same problem, they told me they would be sending out a tech to see what the problem is. I don't need someone to come to my house to tell me theres a problem, theres absolutely nothing they can do from my side to fix this problem, its obviously on their side, and they are reluctant to say it. People I know in my area with the same ISP and problems are getting the same responses from TW/RR and to be honest is damn annoying. |
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Stickynugs
join:2008-06-28
Lewiston, ME
2 edits | I live in Maine and i'm having the EXACT same thing going on, and yes i called and they do and say the same thing. Everytime they just tell me to reset the router,modem yadda yadda over and over then say "well its not a problem on our end.."
I too play games like you said and does the same thing.
Im seriously just thinking about finding something else at this point.There support alone makes me want to punch a hole in the wall,far from helpful. |
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liamwright
join:2004-04-11
New York, NY
| reply to MQMan
Oh wow. I thought there wouldn't be a post about this and that I was the only one. I'm in NYC and I've been having that same issue for the past few days now. I just thought it was my computers but its not, I've checked everything and gone over all logs. It's definitely something to do with their side.
I have also called them about this and got the same run-around with 'it' being my issue and to just restart the modem.
--
One more bad excuse, Before you turn me lose,
Give me something to remember you by,
Couldn't you offer me a little dishonesty,
Promise me you'll try,
You'll lie to me... |
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pizzaiolo
@rr.com
| reply to MQMan
I've also been having this dropout and degraded bandwidth problem for a few weeks now. In fact before I saw this I placed my 4th call to Time-Warner cable (Raleigh, NC) to schedule a line tech to come and check out the line.
I think it's been about 3 weeks or so, and maybe coincidentally that was about the time TW Cable swapped out my cable modem for a new one to enable me to get their free "enhanced speed" of about 7000 kbps.
When the RR line is ok I get just under 7000 kbps from either wireless or wired, and when bad, assuming I can reach their website my speed is under 60 kbps!! Other times it's out for up to 30 minutes or so.
I thought it was my new D-Link DIR-655 router that might be defective, plus I read just now that D-Link is more susceptible to line noise, etc. So I went back to my rock-solid Belkin Pre-N router and PC Card pair, and experience the same losses.
I'll post again at the end of Thursday after the RR tech leaves. But based on what I've read here am not optimistic. Anyone know of any class-action lawsuits that are open against RoadRunner? Maybe that's the only way to get their attention.
Regards,
pizzaiolo
Raleigh, NC |
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biota
join:2001-11-27
Ashtabula, OH | Just wanted to chime in and say that I've been having the same problem here in Northeast Ohio.
I thought the issue was localized since my HD reception has been suffering also. Guess not... |
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Elmer
@rr.com
| reply to MQMan
I am currently in a phone queue (45 minutes and counting) for the same thing. Pittsboro, NC- speed goes from 6500 to 2000, now under 1000. This has been going on for a month since our *upgrade* to 7000. I have gotten everything but the truth from their techs. I have been using TW for cable for 15 years and internet for 2 years- I have never had such poor response to a problem.
For any TW techs out there- how about some truth? |
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Gib4500
join:2003-12-08
Sardis, OH | I'm in southeast Ohio. I also had the same issue last night. It was very strange. Although this evening it hasn't dropped once. |
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MSW2
@rr.com | reply to biota
I'm having this issue in NE Ohio as well. What's going on? |
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hobgoblin
Sortof Agoblin
Premium
join:2001-11-25
Orchard Park, NY
clubs:
| reply to pizzaiolo
"Anyone know of any class-action lawsuits that are open against RoadRunner? Maybe that's the only way to get their attention"
Maybe you should start one.
Good Luck
Hob
--
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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roc5955
Premium
join:2005-11-26
Rosendale, NY
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to MQMan
FWIW, the same thing happened to me several years ago. After changing my cable modem, and still getting the same intermittent outages, I had to schedule a visit from their lineman. I told him to check everything on his side, as I had already checked everything on my side. When he checked the wire from the pole to the house, he found out that it was more than twenty years old.
Well guess what? It came back a couple of weeks ago! So I went through the motions of checking all of the connections on my end, and again, nothing was a problem. Other people on my road were also having the same problem, so me being the techie that I am, called the cable company. I told them that I thought that the concentrator might be giving up the ghost, what with all the heat, and the fact that the battery had never even been changed on the UPS in the thing, they should check it. THREE DAYS LATER, they finally send someone over who apparently changed out the concentrator, and it seems much better.
--
"Understanding is a three-edged sword." |
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Oaklain1
@rr.com
| reply to MQMan
I had a roadrunner tech come out (Northeast Ohio), and he tried to blame it on my equipment as well. Finally he connected from the street and he had a slower connection there from his computer than I did. He also had the frequent time-outs. He said he was escalating the issue to his supervisor. We will see what happens, but at least I know I am not the only one with this issue. |
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dstanic
join:2001-08-05
Yuma, AZ
| reply to MQMan
Re: Intermittent loss of connection Arizona
I have TWC Business Class 10m by 1.5m up. They are slowly driving me crazy. Once a week, shortly after midnight they access my modem and upload a bin file. The problem is that I run a server and usually have 175-200 clients connected. When this happens I lose all inbound connects and my outbound hub connect.
A little background... the service I provide requires 'always on' connectivity. All data to outbound to clients is real-time GPS tracking. Been doing this for about 7 years. Did have a T1 and somebody at TWC said 'try us'. When I moved the business to a new location back in Jan. I figured I'd give it a try. We have 48 servers around the world that do the same thing my server does. We all use the same hubs and share the same exact data. Clients can connect to any server in our group and get the same data. If one server disappears the clients auto-connect to another server.
Now for the fun part. Because I'm a Business Class customer I get to talk to Tier 3 support near Denver. After 6 months of trying to explain my outages to them someone finally came up with a answer. They are going to put me on 'NO TOUCH' list, as soon as they find the list . I've had techs out 4 times in 6 months, replaced the modem (ambit) 3 times. B Class customers get a modem that has additional ports (4). Frankly, I don't know what else they offer BC customers than they do for residential customers.
The signal is fine, up times are good, packet loss is minimal, and the service continues to stop once a week for a few minutes, dumping all my clients.
Clients pay for the service we provide. And, thank God they can roll-over to other servers on our network. Of the 48 servers we have around 2500 clients that can track mobile units that represent around 25,000 trackers in the field. They can see these mobile units in real time on their mapping programs. It is a world-wide service.
The last thing I want to hear from a TWC tech is, "It must be your server". Or, "There doesn't appear to be anything wrong at the moment".
I called billing last month.... this is the fun part. I told them that I had outages and wanted to have my bill adjusted. They came up with a formula and measured my down time... and refunded me $3.43 for so many minutes of down time.
Needless to say, when I had my T1 line... if there was an outage (happened twice in 5 years), I got free service for the next month. That policy keeps everyone on their toes... because T1's aren't cheap.
TWC has really missed the boat on their Business Class operations for a lot of reasons. From my view, I have given them every opportunity to perform as they said they would (sales). I have a 3 year contract that I'd love to take to court because I have my customers refunds documented along with the 30 'planned' outages from TWC that they can't seem to locate.
Enough is enough, if you know what I mean! LoL
Dick |
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MacLeech
The one and only
Premium
join:2001-07-14
SoCal
| said by dstanic  :A little background... the service I provide requires 'always on' connectivity. All data to outbound to clients is real-time GPS tracking. Been doing this for about 7 years. Did have a T1 and somebody at TWC said 'try us'. When I moved the business to a new location back in Jan. I figured I'd give it a try. We have 48 servers around the world that do the same thing my server does. We all use the same hubs and share the same exact data. Clients can connect to any server in our group and get the same data. If one server disappears the clients auto-connect to another server. Any particular reason this important server isn't in a data center? Seems like it'd be a much better environment for such a thing... |
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dstanic
join:2001-08-05
Yuma, AZ
| Any particular reason this important server isn't in a data center? Seems like it'd be a much better environment for such a thing... None whatsoever. We have our hubs and a few lower-level servers in DC's. Gave me the opportunity to try something out, to see how TWC would stack up with their Business Class service. Especially with their heavily advertised 'work at home' environment claims. I had excellent T1 'residential' service for years. DC's are great if you have access to them 24/7/365. However, that wasn't my point.
The topic was 'Intermittent loss of connection' and I wanted to try and shed some light on my experience with TWC as a Business Class customer. If they can make claims like 'always on', 'work at home' and 'reliable support'... they need to prove it. In my case, and some others on this forum, they haven't.
Yes, there are many options and some of us simply want TWC to back up their claims. If they want my money, they have to earn it... like I do... |
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MacLeech
The one and only
Premium
join:2001-07-14
SoCal
1 edit | How do you know "Once a week, shortly after midnight they access my modem and upload a bin file. " Is it listed in the log file of the modem?
I'm just curious about the situation... once a week planned interruptions certainly seem excessive for a Business connection. |
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dstanic
join:2001-08-05
Yuma, AZ
| said by MacLeech :How do you know "Once a week, shortly after midnight they access my modem and upload a bin file. " Is it listed in the log file of the modem? I'm just curious about the situation... once a week planned interruptions certainly seem excessive for a Business connection. It is a common practice a tech admitted. The modems event log shows it happening. What gave it away, was the software version numbers, after a little detective work on my end. To upload the .bin file the modem is reset.
When I talked to 'super tech' he said he would get me on a list that would prevent the weekly updates. You can log into your own modem 192.168.0.1 with name/password as User/User to read the event log. I made printouts of the events and sent them to tech support. They were surprised that I knew how to log on to the modem to read what they only thought they could.
The best part was that nobody in tech support knew what the error codes meant. So, I went to the Ambit site and asked. No luck, they only supply that info. to tech support LoL
I've been told that it is a common practice for some ISP's to do a global resets to keep people from 'hanging around' for long periods of time.
Another issue... Sales sells cable to your local residences. There could be hundreds of people on the same cable before it hits the first node down the street.
The node has to be provisioned by NOC to handle the traffic. The problem in many cases is that sales is over-selling the node before NOC can get it provisioned for more usage... |
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MacLeech
The one and only
Premium
join:2001-07-14
SoCal
4 edits | EVERYTIME the modem sync's with the system, it downloads a bin file. That is what sets the bandwidth limits, number of allowed IP addresss, priority level, and a whole host of other things. A lot of things CAN cause the modem resets, but right now let's go with your idea...
Weekly auto resets could possibly be due to a mismatch in FIRMWARE revisions between what your modem is provisioned for, what TWC has currently, and what it actually has. It will continue UNTIL the provisioning is fixed or your modem updates the firmware. Log files often will indicate which it is. There isn't any sort of "no touch list" that I've ever heard of.
It's NOT common practice on TWC or RR to do "global resets". Plenty of people on this site will tell you there modem uptime is in months. The modems I have on the system are up for months. I personally reset them more then "the system" ever does.
NOC has little to do with provisioning ANYTHING for the local node. Local engineering and headend techs are the ones in control of that. Bandwidth available (as in how much capacity is used) to the node is dependent MOSTLY on how many modems are connected to the CMTS ports which is dependent on plant/headend design. How the CMTS ports are configured is pretty standardized and they're usually configured with the max bandwidth capacity available on the CMTS port for the DOCSIS version being used. Reseting modems won't change those parameters or the load on the CMTS (for more than a couple minutes). TWC's NOC main task is to MONITOR the network and contact the correct people needed to resolve issues they see.
If you could post your modem logs, I'll decipher them for you. Post you signal levels too. |
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kingsoprano
join:2007-07-21
Ridgewood, NY
| reply to MQMan
Re: Intermittent loss of connection
haha
o have been losing connection a;; day. cant download service packs for windows so i am screwed here.
this was my last speed test. before the modem reset again!
 |
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dstanic
join:2001-08-05
Yuma, AZ
| reply to MacLeech
Re: Intermittent loss of connection Arizona
Weekly auto resets could possibly be due to a mismatch in FIRMWARE revisions between what your modem is provisioned for, what TWC has currently, and what it actually has. It will continue UNTIL the provisioning is fixed or your modem updates the firmware. Log files often will indicate which it is. There isn't any sort of "no touch list" that I've ever heard of. Reseting modems won't change those parameters or the load on the CMTS (for more than a couple minutes). I wasn't attempting for this to get too technical. But, I will address 2 issues. TWC's Ambit modems, stock out of the box, have v5.72.1005 software. When they handed me a second new modem, they uploaded v5.72.1011 software. Because of the way my clients access data in realtime (constant flow, never stops) I complained about the modem lacking proper handling of small packets (packet loss was too high). Ambit was aware of the problem and sent a new version v5.72.1017 to provisioning. They uploaded the file and it solved small packet handling, TCP NO_DELAY. Everything is good to go... no packet loss. The modem still tries to re-sync once a week, each time they do it I end up with v5.72.1011 (NOT 1017 with the fix).
The problem is that when this event occurs (even if it's for 2 minutes), all my clients get dumped. If a client can't (by design) keep up with the data destined to them, the server see's them falling behind. They are allowed to catch up (15 seconds worth of data, individual queue builds)... or they will be terminated by the server. This is a realtime packet delivery system. Old data, because of GPS tracking is a no no. The server gets data from my hub connection at about 25kbps (not much). If I have 200 clients connected they each see 25kbps. Do the math. My upstream from TWC is 1.5mbps. Speed tests for whatever they are worth show around 1.3mbps. Have to take into consideration overhead.
Most people surf the internet and occasionally download files. Their requirement to upload is minimal, unless they are sending files somewhere to a single client. Big difference.
So, why does the modem feel it has to do a re-sync once a week? There is nothing in the logs until that happens. Then the logs show the authorized and re-sync sequences. I clear the logs until a week later when it all happens again. Clients get dumped and the modem resets. There is nothing in the modem, according to Ambit, that tells it to re-sync or resent just for giggles. Tech support (tier 3) has already said they do these things globally, but can remove me from the process. So who is right? You or TWC. All I know is that it is a timed event... and you say no. Wouldn't it be a kick if you worked for TWC... because you sound like you've been down this path before. I'd be willing to take this discussion off list, if you want to share your thoughts privately... |
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