Internet Regularly Going In and Out (hard drive, modem, email, wifi)
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I moved late last Autumn, and ever since then, my Internet connection goes in and out pretty frequently. I was concerned the day it was installed because it took the tech literally half a day to install it. At first the problem was not too bad, but then it seemed to grow worse and worse. The last few days have been really bad.
A tech came out in January and advised me that they had other complaints in the area, and that it was probably due to the fact that "fiber" was being installed nearby. He said to expect the problem to continue for about 45 more days. Well, 45 days came and went, and the problem persists. Two more techs came out in the last couple of months and said there are "bad lines." The last one told me the place (which ironically is not even at this location but a few blocks away) is a mess, and that there were a lot of lines, but trying to find a good one was not easy. He said he hooked me up to the best one he could find. Well, the problem persists. I think it is getting worse in fact.
Are there any Internet techs here who can explain this a little more to me? I am not sure exactly what they mean by "lines," but common sense seems to dictate that if you have bad "lines," then you replace them, right? I have begun to suspect that this problem is going to persist until I move again. I never had this problem at my old residence. My ISP is U-Verse by the way, if that helps.
^^^ I live in an old but highly desirable part of town very near the university, couple of banks, couple of groceries, some restaurants and other businesses such as dry cleaners, florist, petrol station, a variety of shops, etc. I am not far from downtown, the medical district, and the cultural district. It is roughly 3.5 miles from my former residence. It is a good, central location near just about anything you might need. I do not have any problems with other utilities such as electric and gas. U-Verse is the only big problem I face, and it seems to be getting worse.
I told ATT, if there are a lot of "bad lines" such that it is impossible to find a truly good one for me, then should not you replace your lines if you cannot otherwise fix them? There was no reply. This week I contacted the executive offices and left word about this continued problem. I mentioned that one of the techs told me that "fiber" was being installed in December/January, and that it was supposed to be "better" than whatever they use now. I asked, if this is so, cannot you simply switch me to the "fiber" lines? Mind you, I am not really sure what I am talking about with this terminology, but common sense seems to dictate if your service is off more than it is on, then they MUST do something about it.
The ONLY thing offered to me in recent weeks was a gadget to connect to my modem. I think the tech called it a "stabiliser." There is literally, physically, no room for it. There is no room for anything in this apartment. I have fallen several times since I have lived here as I tried to climb over boxes and navigate the narrow path from the front door to the galley type kitchen at one end of the room and the loo at the other end of the room.
The problem is quite obviously not my modem but their "lines." Why are they not fixing their lines instead of asking me to attach this rather awkward, clumsy, bulky thing to my modem? I do not understand any of this. ATT is RICH, RICH, RICH. Internet, phones, and telly ARE their business. Why do not they fix their bloody lines?!?! It is so frustrating.
Last edited by PhinneyWalker; 04-14-2023 at 08:54 AM..
I would suggest contacting AT&T through your regular 800 service number and requesting a “service escalation” to a manager. Request to speak directly to a manager also and explain your situation. Give him/her an “earful.”
Be sure you provide them with your ongoing case number/ticket number, so that they can review the history of the situation. Based on what you experienced, AT&T should be appalled.
You can continue requesting escalation up through the next level if your internet service is not restored promptly to your satisfaction. That should keep pressure on them to get your situation addressed. “The squeaky wheel gets the oil”, as the old saying goes.
You may want to also request a refund for the previous months in which you have received subpar service. You shouldn’t have to pay for internet service that isn’t working properly and reliably.
I would suggest contacting AT&T through your regular 800 service number and requesting a “service escalation” to a manager. Request to speak directly to a manager also and explain your situation. Give him/her an “earful.”
Be sure you provide them with your ongoing case number/ticket number, so that they can review the history of the situation. Based on what you experienced, AT&T should be appalled.
You can continue requesting escalation up through the next level if your internet service is not restored promptly to your satisfaction. That should keep pressure on them to get your situation addressed. “The squeaky wheel gets the oil”, as the old saying goes.
You may want to also request a refund for the previous months in which you have received subpar service. You shouldn’t have to pay for internet service that isn’t working properly and reliably.
Are they not obligated to fix their bad "lines?" That is what I want to know. Telling me to attach some gadget to my modem (there is literally no room in here---I was climbing over stuff the other evening and fell again, and this time my knees took it pretty hard).
As for payment, I cannot complain about that. My service is free to me based on my age and income and the government programme. I can either have Internet or phone or telly. I have not watched any telly in at least 8-9 months, and I already have a good deal on phone service, so I chose Internet. I am grateful for the free service, but I am disgusted by these on-going problems.
Aside from the Internet going in and out all day and all night, I also complained to the executive office about text messages to my mobile. I do not have mobile service with them, and I told them a couple of years ago to delete my number from their system and NEVER text me again about ANYTHING. I told them to email me instead, and if a tech needs to speak to me, s/he can knock on my door and speak to me face to face.
This month I discovered they never deleted my number even though they promised they would do, and the text messages for tech appointments and "surveys" about their service poured in again. I am really sick of this. I complained BITTERLY to the executive office about this. I was appalled at the reply: "We will not text, phone, or knock on your door ever again." Bloody hell! That is NOT what I told them. I told them NO TEXTS, and preferably NO PHONE CALLS especially robo calls for "surveys." Personally, I think this is a deliberate "misunderstanding" to avoid fixing the problem with the Internet going in and out all day and night.
They put in "fiber" in this area between late December and the end of February. Fiber is supposed to be better than the old system (whatever that is exactly), so why do they not just switch me to the fiber system, at least until I move to an area where their "lines" are not so bad? I emailed the executive off with this suggestion, but there has been no reply.
If your using a splitter that is likely the problem if its not working correctly you will lose your internet and the modem will try to reconect when the signal is lost.If the splitter is bad you will lose the signal over and over all day long.
The University of Waikato in New Zealand recently celebrated their 50th anniversary of computing. At the event, someone made a complaint about the internet. The complaint was that the internet has ruined the development of democracy and exchange of information.
This thread just has me thinking openly, back to my days in tech support.
Sometimes there would be clients who would perceive their system (their web browser, these days) failing to complete DNS lookups as "the internet going out".
Just as well, there were also cases where the networking equipment was just misconfigured or, inexplicably, the site had ended up plugging one end of an ethernet cord in a loop back around to another port on the same switch (HOW and WHY??! lol), causing their woes. Unbeknownst to them. Meanwhile, their internet itself was just fine.
In light of all that, it might be worth checking the entire chain from your primary device, all the way to the wall where the connection leaves your premises and becomes the ISP's territory. Is the network a simple:
ISP line in -------> modem-router -------> Phinney's_device
?
Or other components in the chain? When you're experiencing an outage, what is the state of each device? (indicator LEDs, software state, etc)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pineapple674
The University of Waikato in New Zealand recently celebrated their 50th anniversary of computing. At the event, someone made a complaint about the internet. The complaint was that the internet has ruined the development of democracy and exchange of information.
Yes. Not the internet, per se, but the way in which people (and big corpos and government) have ended up [mis]using it. The internet was suppose to decentralize and democratize information and global communication. But, idiotically, most have flocked to the centralized and top-down dominated spaces of the internet because it was just "easier".
Are they not obligated to fix their bad "lines?"
They put in "fiber" in this area between late December and the end of February. Fiber is supposed to be better than the old system (whatever that is exactly), so why do they not just switch me to the fiber system,
Fiber is the backbone and the main line done by Telecoms, then you have other service providers and their own lines coming to your house. Then there are the lines inside your walls.
The problem might be there which has nothing to do whether you have old copper lines or fiber as your main line. Bad line seems like a generic term they might be using to didge the blame.
The insulation of the lines might be damaged or letting interference interrupt the signal because of this but the ISP should be able to test the connection from their end to the device you are using to receive Internet service to see how stable and good the signal is. If it appears good and stable at multiple checks, then the problem might be with your modem. Hard to tell without running multiple diagnostics especially when the problem is occurring.
What did the ISP say when they check the line during such an outage?
Have they already confirmed the culprit was at their end or something with the external lines?
As YAB mentioned, you need to check the status of each components in the chain when it is happening.
The ISP should be able to check all the way down to the modem but from that device to anything you are using at home network is on you.
What is your modem make and model and how old it is?
How old is the related wiring in the house? Have there been any pest problems?
Sounds to me like your provider doesn't understand what the problem is. Technology has gotten to the point where folks are trained in some things and not others, and understand less, but simply do what they do. Too often the burden falls on the consumer to understand the problem.
But while this "sounds" like a provider problem, as others have said you do need to check each component in the pipeline between the feed to your modem and everything from there to the last component in the chain ( the actual computer and hard drive you are using ).
I also have AT&T fiber, 1 Gbps, and have had times when the "internet" goes down. Sometimes I have to reboot the modem, and the problem goes away. Sometimes I have to reboot my router, and the problem goes away. My "speed" varies from time to time, but that I have no control over ( unless it is due to a modem or router update ). I just make sure that every component on my end can handle the intended speed ( e.g., the speed of the modem, the speed of the router, the speed capacity of the cables, wifi, hard drive, computer, etc ). What you get will be the speed of the slowest component in the pipeline. In my case the slowest component is usually the website itself. Doesn't matter how fast your internet is "provided" if the website is not operating at that speed.
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