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Thread ID: 142785	2016-09-09 09:16:00	Latency, timeouts, lost connections	pctek (84)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1425830	2016-09-09 09:16:00	I have had this since 1st September. Changed modems 3 times, checked both PCs, although grandaughters tablet has same issue....swapped filter, checked wiring from the gate. All good. Spark, well, I go round and round, they go through the usual reboot modem, unplug phone etc....then "complex support will phone me". What I then get is a call where I am on hold, get a Manila call centre person and get the same ****, reboot modem etc. Posted the lot on Geekzone, cause it will take too long to repeat it all, here: www.geekzone.co.nz Includes pings, tracerts. One thing I have noticed, if I reboot or swap modem, it's OK for about 10 - 20 minutes, then back to crap again. The longer it's on, the worse it gets, starts off occasional, goes to often, disintegrates to barely usable. Earlier I went to log in to Geekzone and couldn't, tried to email and it wouldn't send, timeout on smtp server etc. Rebooted again so I have a few minutes to go again. Thought I'd post here cause of Chilling Silence thread : pressf1.pcworld.co.nz Original modem was Sparks Thompson I've had since moving here (which hasn't been any problem at all). Tried another old modem (some crap brand) I had, and currently using sons Netgear. Not that it makes a difference really. Son has auto DNS on his PC, I use Googles on mine. That makes no difference either......he's rather grumpy cause he can't play his new (online) game properly since he got it a few days ago. Speedtest.net: Ping 23 Download 12.68 Upload 0.94 Sparks Speedtest: Download Never completes, timeouts, get error Upload: 12.96	pctek (84)
1425831	2016-09-10 01:13:00	Tracking down the source of the problem is the first thing you have to do. It’s not that hard. Most of the time with all the ISP’s you have to prove the problem is not at your end. From the phone jack to the road and beyond back to the exchange/ base is their problem. What you can do is go back to basics. Reading the other forum, all 4 pages of it there’s no clear proof of where the fault lays, the modems/routers all appear OK, all that’s definite is when you first connect everything goes as it should for a short while then degrades rather quickly. What you do (and this is where a laptop will be good) go to the 1st phone jack that comes from the street, the main feed, disconnect all the other phone jacks that are in the loop (even replace the phone jack- see further on - re your hubby), plug in the router, plug in the computer, new or previously unused Ethernet cable, see what happens. If it still plays up then the problem is outside of your house and you have to convince Spark it THEIR fault/Problem. If it works OK then there’s an internal problem. If it is internal you need to connect one point at a time, until it plays up again. Since the “tests” have been done Re your hubby who you stated in the other forum used to do that sort of thing in his job, all that is doing is saying the connections are OK while doing a test, which is exactly the same as when you first connect, what it doesn’t tell you is what’s failing /degrading over time. Find the fault point if it’s internal, one connection at a time, don't assume any connection/cable/device is working correctly. Connections/jack points/Wiring can degrade over time, and faults don’t show until a consistent usage is put on them. Reminds me of a similar job /problem I had with a customer years ago. Their internet would drop completely after a couple of hours. Changed Modems, cables everything including the kitchen sink it felt like, even called their ISP when it did drop and they said the connections were fine and tested to within the spec's :confused: I would like to say it was skill that found the problem, but it was really sheer luck/mistake.:waughh: The problem was actually the Multibox that the Computer/Modem/Speakers were plugged into, all the lights on – no one home to the internet. It was one of those cheap warehouse jobbies, as soon as a load came on and things heated up internally for some reason the modem(s) played up over the internet connections. The computer and internal LAN ran fine still. Changed the Multibox to a quality one and the problem never happened again.	wainuitech (129)
1425832	2016-09-10 04:02:00	I had a similar problem a few years back. Turned out to be a phone jack mounted on an outside wall had a bit of corrosion. It wasn't the jack point that the modem was connected to, but was in the daisy chain. That's a reason why all other jack points should be removed, and preferably fit a new one as the No1 point.	Terry Porritt (14)
1425833	2016-09-10 08:43:00	Most of the time with all the ISP’s you have to prove the problem is not at your end . What you do (and this is where a laptop will be good) go to the 1st phone jack that comes from the street, the main feed, disconnect all the other phone jacks that are in the loop (even replace the phone jack- see further on - re your hubby), plug in the router, plug in the computer, new or previously unused Ethernet cable, see what happens . If it still plays up then the problem is outside of your house and you have to convince Spark it THEIR fault/Problem . If it works OK then there’s an internal problem . If it is internal you need to connect one point at a time, until it plays up again . Find the fault point if it’s internal, one connection at a time, don't assume any connection/cable/device is working correctly . Connections/jack points/Wiring can degrade over time, and faults don’t show until a consistent usage is put on them . Reminds me of a similar job /problem I had with a customer years ago . The problem was actually the Multibox that the Computer/Modem/Speakers were plugged into, all the lights on – no one home to the internet . I 1)I know, that IS the hardest bit 2)Yes . . . . sick of it now . Resume tomorrow I took out our bell phone after an argument with husband about that . It made it worse!! LOL . Now explain that one . So put it back, all happy (after the reboot) . Then pulled out the caller ID box - the old school one . All happy . For quite a while . Aha . One thing I hadn't removed . So put it back, nope all still happy . For ages . And ages, and ages . So long I thought something fell out of the sky and fixed it all . Just as we were relaxing it went to **** again . So went off to Hamilton with every single thing except modem unplugged . Sadly son decided to bugger off out and not use the net . The modem currently in doesn't tell me when it goes out . . . and I hadn't left any pings running or anything . It was crap when I came back, so that tells me nothing . So I will resume tomorrow and take all the jacks off as you say . Laptops . . . . nah don't own such a thing but thats OK, we'll go jack to jack this time . Minus wires . 3)I know all about multiboxes, had some of my portable hardware killed off other peoples . I am picky about them and yes swapped that first off days ago .	pctek (84)
1425834	2016-09-10 20:02:00	The helpful guy on Geekzone gave me his line test results this morning. Suggest 3 things. Today we are playing around, this morning things were great...so I think, maybe, I have tracked it down. Investigate further later... One thing, if Spark had done that in the first place I would have been way happier. Having the call centre people go round and round with the usual reboot your modem, just puts you off them altogether. Anyway.....progress is made now.	pctek (84)
1425835	2016-09-10 22:11:00	Hope it's sorted. Fingers crossed. One thing I don't see much time spent on in that thread is plug in filters, they are a common point of failure. For testing purposes you can disconnect all filters and phones and connect the modem directly to the jackpoint. The filter is only needed for the phones. What I do for these kind of problems is eliminate the house all at once by cutting away all my wiring in the etp and temporarirly connecting a jacpoint directly to the incoming wiring with nothing else connected. That way you've immediately proved it into either your router or the line/ cabinet etc and I know you've already swapped the router many times. I'd plan on getting a master splitter installed at some point even if it's not the issue, they are just better all round. I know this can be frustrating I've experienced it myself. I had a cable fault and knew it but spark would not listen, then when they finally sent a tech he tried to convince me my connection was slow because I had too many PCs. He replaced the filter and left and I reported the fault again as he was driving out of my property. The next tech found a faulty joint down the road and actually fixed it. Another question I usually ask is how does the phone line sound, a lot of faults cause some noise on the line you can hear. Reporting a noisy phone as well as poor internet or even instead of can sometimes get better results.	dugimodo (138)
1425836	2016-09-10 22:45:00	Hope it's sorted. Fingers crossed. One thing I don't see much time spent on in that thread is plug in filters, they are a common point of failure. Another question I usually ask is how does the phone line sound, a lot of faults cause some noise on the line you can hear. Reporting a noisy phone as well as poor internet or even instead of can sometimes get better results. Swapped filter early on. Nope, no noise. The thingy at the gate had moisture (and ants) in it. Still has. No noise....I know what water does....diagnosed a few of them. Probably should give it a bit of CRC and seal it a bit better though anyway. Well it seems cured. I've done nothing as yet except remove the old school caller ID unit. Everything else is as is. Wet gate gadget. All jackpoints as is, bell phone in. Net stable, son on his game and not had any lag or timeouts all morning. Husband giving me ****, why didn't I pull that out before? Er...cause I forget about that fact the phone goes in it, then that goes in the double adapter with the bell phone. Didn't separate them until now... Speaking of old school - I've bought one of these: www.grouponnz.co.nz (Not from there though). LOL. Old school but not really. And granddaughter was pleased to get to "fix" the caller ID gadget. She's basically ripped it apart. Looked ok, smelled a bit...whatever.	pctek (84)
1425837	2016-09-10 23:18:00	So it was internal after all. That's why it had been mentioned, start at the 1st entry point, disconnecting everything else after that removes other possible internal problems. That's the same thing that happens with my cable if it plays up. Connect the PC or laptop directly into the Vodafone Modem, removing the Router/switches etc. If it still plays up after that its a Vodafone problem somewhere. They don't like it to much when you prove its their gear, but they cant deny it either. :)	wainuitech (129)
1425838	2016-09-11 03:00:00	Well..............um. Timeouts came back at 11:30am. Arse. Not so bad...........but meh, see how it goes, play with wires and jackpoints tomorrow perhaps. Actually thinking maybe it's just when the ants walk across the wires	pctek (84)
1425839	2016-09-12 09:41:00	Seriously. This is bizarre. My son left at around 11:30am yesterday...when the timeouts came back. he sh=ut down the PC and left. It came right. All day. All night. This morning great. I didn't trust it though. So I turned his PC on again and left it on all day. It was 99.9% OK, once or twice a bit of a hesitation on NZherald but nothing that couldn't be attributed to random traffic. So he walks in the door just earlier and walks into his room and clicks on Chrome and the modem dies. Totally. I reboot it, it dies again. Now that is bloody weird. It's not his PC, I have messed with that recently, he had an issue getting his latest game going. I'm going to change the network cable but really? He just sat there, he hadn't touched the PC, cables or anything.	pctek (84)
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