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Thread ID: 52689	2004-12-26 20:59:00	Strategy for keeping a rural internet connection connected?	Oggy (5399)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
307851	2004-12-26 20:59:00	Hi Spent a couple of days with the rellies in the country. They have a flakey internet connection which I guess is nothing new for rural dwellers. It is a more a real problem than just an annoyance though as they only seem to be able to keep it going for about 20 minutes at a time which isn't long enough at the connection speeds they're getting to download updates to stuff like anti virus software. (Believe it! I tried to update their AVG and lost the connection twice after about 20 minutes with the update not completed). Anyone found a clever way to keep a flakey rural connection going?	Oggy (5399)
307852	2004-12-26 21:06:00	firstly string the modem to suit the phone line. turn off any "discconnect when idle" settings. use a decent modem !	tweak'e (69)
307853	2004-12-26 21:39:00	Hi Spent a couple of days with the rellies in the country. They have a flakey internet connection which I guess is nothing new for rural dwellers. It is a more a real problem than just an annoyance though as they only seem to be able to keep it going for about 20 minutes at a time which isn't long enough at the connection speeds they're getting to download updates to stuff like anti virus software. (Believe it! I tried to update their AVG and lost the connection twice after about 20 minutes with the update not completed). Anyone found a clever way to keep a flakey rural connection going? Besides moving, or a satellite broadband product theres not a lot. It would be good if NZ had a program like HiBis in Australia (government subsidies for broadband in rural areas), although us Aucklanders wouldn't see any benefit. :@@:	Ash M (46)
307854	2004-12-26 22:30:00	1) IMHO the starting point is to find out what is causing the modem to drop the connection. I'd begin by getting Telecom to run a check on the line. 2) If that comes up ok, ask if they can monitor it for 30 minutes to see if there are any noise impulses on the line. 3) If the owners have a fax machine, do a Telecom fax-back test to see if the line lacks bandwidth, that could give some clues. This was an 0800 number but I can't find it in my records and anyway it is years since I used it and it may have changed by now so take a look in the front of the phone book. The old version used to print out a little graph showing the frequency response across the fax bandwidth. This is very similar to the bandwidth requirments for a computer modem. 4) Next I would time the drop-outs to see if they are at regular intervals. Very regular could be a time out of some sort or even a thermostat cycle on a fridge. If line quality is poor, electrical noise could become a problem. 5) It doesn't sound like an electric fence problem, but don't discount that either. Turn on an AM radio, tune it to a empty frequency down at the bottom of the band and listen for cracks, buzzes or pops that coincide with the drop-outs. Don't have the radio too close to the computer or it will be swamped by RFI, put it on the other side of the room and turn the volume up. Check that turning the monitor and the computer off don't affect the noise level coming from the radio before you start monitoring. 6) If you find no answers, consider getting a Dynalink Rural modem, they can really make a difference. Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
307855	2004-12-26 22:49:00	Thanks Billy. They don't have a fax and they have spent a little time with a Telecom fella checking the connection and doing ping tests which didn't really prove anything. I'll forward this onto them though and they may be able to isolate the problem. Cheers	Oggy (5399)
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