Markie
join:2003-07-26
Kalispell, MT
1 edit | Good tech story! This is also known as "not everyone at CenturyTel is clueless, much to my surprise"
I just wanted to give Thomas in Kalispell some credit where credit is due.
We have had DSL since around when it first came out here. Any time the power went out or sometimes just randomly when it would lose sync, we'd wait HOURS for it to sync up again. Several trouble tickets and every tech just said there were "absolutely no problems", so we got cable as soon as it became available and had lots of problems with it too - but they got it fixed (it took about 8 tech visits but they acknowledged there was a problem and stuck with it until it was fixed)
Fast forward to about a year ago, CenturyTel offered us a GREAT deal to switch back to DSL and we did and they assured us the service was much better than it used to be, and of course, if it wasn't they'd fix it.
And of course, the same story repeated - trouble tickets proved worthless. Technicians just said our line quality was great and we must have an inside wiring problem or a filter issue and closed the ticket.
After days of little power outages and stuff, I was sick of it this time. When a technician came out and promptly decided to close the ticket without even checking it was working I called back and, while I tried to be polite, I told them firmly I expected our TV service contract with them canceled with no fee if they couldn't get it working *today*
So they sent out a real tech! And he called me within five minutes of my hanging up on that call. His name was Thomas, and unlike the first guy whose job was to check that the signal and line quality was good (a fact I never denied...) this guy actually was a DSL tech (who would have thought it'd be a good idea to have a real DSL tech looking at problems at an address with repeated trouble tickets where you know the line quality is good?)
Thomas spent about 1.5 hours, and replaced the filters on the side of the house (the circuit protector, not DSL filters) because he was able to sync up instantly once on the other side of them. Problem was that was a fluke chance, not a repeat performance, so he replaced the card we were on at their end and guess what...
PROBLEM SOLVED. And it runs better. Not sure if that's because we're now ADSL2+ or not (we're on the newer equipment now), but it syncs instantly (within a minute) now!
Oddly, our upstream margin is much worse than before. But it works way better and it's ADSL2+. Here's our stats:
Transceiver Revision: 5.2.2.0
Vendor ID Code: 4
Line Mode: ADSL2+ Mode
Data Path: Interleaved
Transceiver Information Downstream Path Upstream Path
DSL Speed (Kbits/Sec) 1789 317
Margin (dB) 31.0 4.0
Line Attenuation (dB) 6.5 1.5
Transmit Power (dBm) 6.5 11.9
So first I'm interested in people's thoughts on why our upstream margin dropped so low with the new equipment (though it doesn't seem to stop it working), and second why they were so hesitant to send a real tech out instead of just covering their ears for *years* and denying that there was any problem based purely on the line quality looking good? |
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 IconTime KeeperPremium,VIP,MVM
join:2004-01-07
Little Rock, AR
kudos:3 | Hello Mark Uhde,
I'd say you have a Westell modem. Your upload margin isn't really that low, but I've noticed a random problem with Westells and the firmware reporting skewed upload stats. Sometimes a reboot will fix it, other times it won't. It could be something with the newer ADSL2+ cards and the Westell firmware, as any other brand of modem I've tried (including my DSL test meter) show correct upload margins. If it doesn't cause any slow downs for you, I wouldn't worry about it. But if it does, I would look at changing to a different brand of modem.
Thanks for posting the great story about your repair though. It's rare, especially on a forum, to hear of the good stories.  Btw, I also work for CT. |
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Markie
join:2003-07-26
Kalispell, MT | Thanks, that's what the tech told me was that it was just incorrect upload stats on the modem and that it was really *very* good. As I thought.
It just took so long to find the good tech.
Now, a quick question - I already IM'd dslguy08 so sorry if this is a duplicate question (he hasn't IM'd me back yet) but is there any way to get on fast path instead of interleaved? My latency is rather high and now that I have a solid connection, it seems like it'd be a possible improvement.
Thanks,
Mark |
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IconTime KeeperPremium,VIP,MVM
join:2004-01-07
Little Rock, AR
kudos:3 | Possibly, if your DSLAM is able to be changed. More than likely it is. Let me know if dsldude08 doesn't get back with you, and I'll see if I can get someone to look at it. |
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Markie
join:2003-07-26
Kalispell, MT | Thanks, he hasn't got back with me yet but I don't know I've given him enough time The DSL line # is 406-257-2946 (something I never gave him yet)
Blessings,
Mark |
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IconTime KeeperPremium,VIP,MVM
join:2004-01-07
Little Rock, AR
kudos:3 | I'll have it checked out tomorrow, and let you know what I find out. |
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Markie
join:2003-07-26
Kalispell, MT | Thank you |
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IconTime KeeperPremium,VIP,MVM
join:2004-01-07
Little Rock, AR
kudos:3 | Hey Mark,
I tried calling to find the group that programs your area, but didn't get anywhere with the group I called. I'll try again tomorrow. |
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Markie
join:2003-07-26
Kalispell, MT | Thank you so much! It's *MUCH* appreciated. My aunt who is on fast path gets about 15-20ms better ping I found out today.
Thanks a million,
Mark |
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IconTime KeeperPremium,VIP,MVM
join:2004-01-07
Little Rock, AR
kudos:3 | Bare with me....I'm having to try to find a CO tech locally that can do it, because the support center in Louisiana said they can't get into it, due to the type of cabinet it is. I've messaged dsldude to see if he can help with getting a contact in your area. |
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Markie
join:2003-07-26
Kalispell, MT | Thank you so much, I'm happy to bare with you if it can shave 10 or 15 ms off my latency (my aunt who is on fast path with the same 1.5mb plan seems to average about 20ms latency but there might be other factors involved).
Thanks again!
Mark |
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| reply to Markie
I'm also on Centurytel 1.5M/256K service and my modem disconnects VERY frequently. Reconnection can be forced by removing power from the modem for a few seconds.
Could you see if that DSL tech will come to WI?
The Westell 6100 gives stats that are similar to yours but mine has higher line attenuation and transmit power. I'd greatly appreciate learning the significance of these numbers:
model: E90-610014-06
revision: 5.2.2.0
line mode: not defined
data path: interleaved or fast (more frequently interleaved)
DSL speed: 1786 / 319
margin: 31 / 4.0
line attenuation: 33.5 / 16.5
transmit power: 18 / 12 (+/- 2)
Anyone out there, Please advise if any of these stats are related to frequent disconnects. |
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IconTime KeeperPremium,VIP,MVM
join:2004-01-07
Little Rock, AR
kudos:3 | reply to Markie
tr_smith
Your stats look pretty good, and don't give any indication of why you're having disconnect issues. You need to have a tech come and check things out, and have them make sure your line is properly conditioned. That means checking the overall quality of the line, removing bridged taps, and making sure the cable pair is cut dead ahead, and doesn't continue on past your house, adding un-necessary footage to the loop. |
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Markie
join:2003-07-26
Kalispell, MT | reply to tr_smith
I find the line mode "not defined" interesting - I don't know enough about the modem to know what that means, but it sure sounds oddd... |
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IconTime KeeperPremium,VIP,MVM
join:2004-01-07
Little Rock, AR
kudos:3 | reply to Markie
I've seen it several times. It usually never means anything alarming. |
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