I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse in Embarq http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20940754 en Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:04:57 EDT Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:04:57 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20989655 anon : WOWzers, I remember back a few years ago I was having big time issues with my DSL. I has setup a date and time for a tech to come out. Funny thing is whenever he drove up my DSL started boosting bigtime. He came in checked everything and it was normal. I could not believe it. About an hour after he left it back to crap. Now tell us how do you know they dont do this purposely? ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20989655 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:27:42 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20988198 Soldae : it shouldn't be doing that. If powering off is resetting it, you may want to do a chat with a tech via www.myembarq.com/Contact_us.php and have them send out a replacement. Just let them know what it's doing.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20988198 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:21:32 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20987233 Shadowex3 : He said what he'd seen with his own eyes defied explanation and left without checking anything outside of my apartment, it's my own phone cord, it's about 8 feet long, and we've swapped out EVERY cord in the house more than three times. Everything in my apartment has been replaced numerous times over several apartments throughout the complex. It's not anything of mine.

[edit]

Any idea what could cause a modem to constantly come out of bridge mode? Every time I reboot this thing now I need to set it back into bridge mode... It's almost like the reset button is stuck but ive checked and its fine >.>]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20987233 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:18:16 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20985980 Soldae : How long is your phone cord to the modem? Is it the one that came with the modem? I still think it's a port problem, but it's possible interference could be building on your line and breaking the connection, doubtful but possible. Also, what happened with the tech after everything measured correctly? Did he just leave?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20985980 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:52:21 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20982523 Shadowex3 : I haven't used the surge protector since the first call.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20982523 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:35:18 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20981987 anon :
said by Shadowex3 See Profile :

A physical, mechanical issue with a connection that is so severe it causes the connection to drop down to ~50-100kbps download but leaves upload at 500-600kbps is impossible, that would require the entirely physical plug-and-socket issue to somehow tell what the content of the signals being sent and recieved are.
This isn't meant to be commentary on the whole your scenario -- just the one specific point quoted above.

Upload and download communication occurs over different frequencies. Upstream communication occurs somewhere between 25 kHz and 138 kHz, while downstream communication occurs somewhere between 138 and 1107 kHz. It varies according to the standard used. (»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.DMT)

It is entirely feasible for something, like a surge protector, to interfere with the downstream frequencies that are much higher than what voice communication occurs over, while leaving upstream frequncies unaffected.

That said, the simple way to see if that's the problem is to bypass the equipment in question. I think you did something like that, but I'm not rereading your posts to see exactly what occured. It's very likely techs heard "surge protector" and thought that was the problem.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20981987 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:49:58 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20981528 Shadowex3 : Which is what I thought but the moment anyone so much as hears that I own a surge protector they ignore anything else. Any clue as to why DHCP renew seems to be a sometimes effective short-term fix?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20981528 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:19:31 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20981172 anon : As an Embarq tech who has done DSL for the past 10 years let me say that surge protectors can cause problem on DSL. I've seen it too many times to count. BUT over the years, the manufacturers of these products have made them to pass the DSL signal with minimal signal degradation.

So if you had a surge protector w/telco protection from the 90's you had a problem. More current surge protectors are OK.

As to Embarq_Llewi conversations with you concerning the surge protector, he was probably following a trouble shooting guide that might not be current.

Heck, I've found beer logo neon signs causing a problem, a home networking device that uses the power lines of the house, baby monitors and a whole raft of different things.

A quick read of your problem points me to the DSLAM port, especially with the loosing the sync light. That's were I'd start if I was in your area. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20981172 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:55:10 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20981080 Shadowex3 : Well, the tech came and went and as I expected he checked from the modem to the wall and the results were as expected. First he checks from the modem after seeing me do a speedtest and have dialup for a download and a nearly 600kbps upload. The results of that were a complete inability to get a connection either through the surge protector OR without it.

Then he plugs directly into the wall and gets a perfect connection. Flustered he checks back at the modem again and even through the surge protector also gets a perfect connection.

In other words the connection is exactly the same with no detectable/measurable differences. Neither the DSL modems internal ability to measure signal and line quality (I popped it out of bridge mode to use that) nor the tech's handheld device were able to measure any difference between a surge protector and a straight connection. Magic completely un-measurable and undetectable surge protector interference that only affects download speeds and connectivity but not upload speeds does not fit in the world of empirical science. A physical, mechanical issue with a connection that is so severe it causes the connection to drop down to ~50-100kbps download but leaves upload at 500-600kbps is impossible, that would require the entirely physical plug-and-socket issue to somehow tell what the content of the signals being sent and recieved are.

So here I am, once again at ~50kbps-200kbps with a perfect untouched upload and dropping my connection rather often (though a DHCP renew often seems to magically fix the disconnect for a bit).

Mr. Llewi I would very much like to work with you, however you must understand if I am very skeptical of anything being said or done other than more of the surge protector BS (especially since I haven't used it in ages and only plug it in when I will not be around to turn off the computers in the event of a storm).

I also no longer believe that embarq does not harass users who use peer to peer programs, or anything with the appearance of a peer to peer program. It's too suspicious that everytime I use utorrent or any other programs I have which establish multiple direct connections among users (supreme commander's multiplayer for example) that suddenly this issue is brought on.

Either embarq IS running some kind of anti-peer2peer system, or something about the nature of that kind of connection is causing my issue because of some kind of software incompatibility or hardware quality issue. I don't particularly care which it is, but it's rather annoying that it's almost impossible to update my collection of linux distro cd's anymore.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20981080 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:31:13 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20952741 Tarheels Fan :
said by Shadowex3 See Profile :

Thanks for the offer but while staring at a lost connection yet again today I already called and set up to have someone come out here, finally, and check everything from the modem outwards.
I would still send your # to llewi as he can follow up with the ticket and make sure the issue is resolved.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20952741 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:06:53 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20952101 Shadowex3 : Thanks for the offer but while staring at a lost connection yet again today I already called and set up to have someone come out here, finally, and check everything from the modem outwards.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20952101 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:44:32 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20951328 embarq_llewi : Hello Shadowex3,
I had a chance to read through your post and can tell you have had considerable concerns with the service. I would like to help, and would ask that you send your phone number via private message. I will research what I can and if necessary send a technician to test your connection. I would like to explain that in some cases it is difficult to have a technician be at the location at the time you are experiencing trouble with the line. I will attempt to monitor the connection and communicate with you to see if we can determine what is causing the service instability. Thank you for your patience and for being a valued Embarq customer.

Lamont L.
Embarq Customer Support
embarq_lamont@embarq.com
For additional support please visit www.embarq.com/freetv or call 1-877-646-3282
Voice | Data | Internet | Wireless | Entertainment
--
Lamont L.
Embarq Customer Support
Embarq_lamont@embarq.com
For additional support please visit www.embarq.com/freetv or call 1-800-339-1811
Voice | Data | Internet | Wireless | Entertainment
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20951328 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:08:21 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20943776 Shadowex3 : Ok that makes more sense than port on my router/computer, and yeah that's almost exactly what happens. Aside from my connection always degrading down to dialup speeds whenever I lose it entirely it's always in the form of the light being on with no connection and then the light catches up and goes off.

As far as the definition of insanity goes rebooting may work as a temporary fix but when it's been proving ineffective at solving the overall issue 5 or 6 times then you're going into crazy person territory.

Besides the odds of having the same issue over the space of a decade with god knows how many different computers, apartments, cables, modems, and routers are a little extreme. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20943776 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:32:08 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20942586 Soldae : Sorry I wasn't more clear, the DSLAM port is the physical port you're plugging into at the central office (or remote, I can't remember exactly if it's always in the central office or not). That port, if faulty, can cause erratic...everything. From slow speeds, to random loss of sync, to your internet light going out but the DSL light staying on. And also, the definition of insanity doesn't apply to the computer world. Let's say you start Utorrent and for some reason the computer locks up. You reboot and do it again. This can result in the same result, or a different result, depending on the issue. Same goes for your problem and the fact that you won't talk to the same person the next time you call, and each rep has either more or less knowledge than the last.

You need to either email one of the techs that are on this board (they aren't on often, but will help). Or you need to call and ask for a supervisor. It's possible it's an entire card issue (another part of the DSLAM you connect to), but the only way is to let more people know. And yes, what you'll have to do IS insane, but your issue seems sporatic, which sucks :(]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20942586 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:54:02 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20942403 Shadowex3 : In order: Cute conspiracy theory jab, repeating the same thing over and over expecting a different result is the definition of insanity not the definition of a proven repair technique, and they did make notes because each tech I've called I've had read off to me the notes from the last calls so they don't waste both our time.

There's no specific time, the last tech even suggested that the problem was that our filter was bad and every phone call made our download speed get worse but left our upload speed untouched. I do have a router and the only time I've bypassed it was before we had the other computers up and running and the connection speed still degraded over time then as well as now.

As far as ports go all I know is that it seems torrents almost almost always barely work at an abysmal speed even when a friend right down the street gets a great speed on the exact same one. Getting the latest version of ubuntu is an all night affair, and no I'm not running linux so that's not an excuse either.

[edit]

And yes this is my first post here, largely because I'm tired of seeing everyone sing the praises of the great and wonderful Embarq while those of us who are unfortunate enough to live in monopolized apartment complexes consider the greatest improvement that techs now actually talk to us instead of just laugh about how we can't go to anyone else before hanging up.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20942403 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:36:49 EDT Re: I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20942153 Soldae : Let me make sure I have it right, you believe the techs are goofing up your connection when you're off the phone, but when you call they decide "hey, he's calling again, lets make the connection correct until he's off the phone."?

Everything you have mentioned is a proven technique to fix issues that you speak of. Granted, one of the techs you spoke with should've realized that there is more of an issue here other than something physical in your house. However they rarely make notes, so each tech you spoke with would've went through the same routine and, unfortunately, probably wouldn't give you the benefit of the doubt.

I noticed you just signed up for DSLreports. The guys on here can probably help a good bit more and give you some ammunition to fire at the techs.

From what I've gathered, your speeds go all haywire. Do you notice it happening during any specific time? Do you have a router, and if you do have you bypassed it in any of the many times you've called in? My guess right now is that you have an issue with the port you're connecting to (yeah, this is a major theme on DSLreports, a lot of customers seem to have those issues quite a bit, and they tend to do different things).

Also, remember that there's a phone number for their new "BFF initiative"...geez I can't stop laughing every time I say that.... Not sure what it is off the top of my head, but you can also try that number if the tech support doesn't help. But I would try the tech support via phone again and ask for a supervisor. Don't give up, otherwise your problem will never be fixed.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20942153 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:18:10 EDT I'm reminded of the bouncer speech from roadhouse http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20940754 Shadowex3 : To put it simply paying for a 3mb/600kb line and more often getting closer to 1.5-2mb/300kb is something we've learned to deal with, but over the last few months it seems to be a law that my connection will go from it's stated down to 1.5 and then from there quickly degrade to nearly dialup speeds, all the while still having an upload of 300-600kb.

Now service to this complex has always been poor, as you would expect in an area with an absolute monopoly. I'll admit that things have improved, when I mention where I am I'm no longer outright laughed at and hung up on, but at the same time even though I now actually speak with someone who at least pretends to be helpful we're still far below what I would consider the minimum standard of customer service and had we ANY other choice of ISP at all we would've switched a long time ago.

As for what little help I HAVE gotten, mostly it consists of me being given every excuse imaginable. I've been told that my problem is that I run the line from the filter to the modem through a surge protector, then that I don't reset my modem daily, after that it was that I don't leave it turned off long enough when I reset it, then it was that we were given a filter when we should've been given a splitter, that was corrected to say that while we were given a splitter and then it was replaced by one of THEIR techs for a filter when it was fried courtesy of life in the lightning capitol of the world so we actually have what we're supposed to but it's bad so just the other weekend we replaced it. I have replaced cables with dozens of other cables and tested my cables dozens of times, the only things I have never followed up on were the suggestions that I plugged the cables in backwards or other such monsteresque nonsense.

I have been nice and rectified all of these issues. I have been nice and never argued when yet another excuse was found for someone to not be sent out to check for mistakes on their end. I have been nice and listened to excuse after excuse, all of which are conveniently blamed on us. I still live with a connection which constantly cuts in and out and while it is currently running at it's rated speed (when it is running) is most assuredly going to drop back down to dialup levels soon enough.

When it does then I will have done everything demanded of me including plugging the cables in backwards "just in case", and it will be time to not be nice. I will not accept that nobody will be coming out to check on their signal quality, I will refuse that it is because my cables are plugged in backwards, and I most certainly will not believe it is because I use a surge protector (which I have not since the very first call, essentially suicide here in florida) and that this somehow causes a physical problem that causes my download to drop to 56kbps but leaves my upload untouched, and I do not believe it is a coincidence that resetting my modem for at least 30 seconds does nothing except when I am on the phone with an embarq tech at that very moment.

I know that people from embarq read this forum. Read this, think about it, and remember that Randi hasn't sent you a check for a million dollars yet so you'd better be prepared to come out and find me a REAL explanation for whats going on, one that doesn't involve magic and wireless surge protectors that still cause problems even when they aren't being used.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20940754 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:30:29 EDT