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Irish Broadband Ripwave still causing you problems??

  • 19-11-2004 8:30pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,660 ✭✭✭


    Hey all,

    I was just wondering from the ripwave users if they are still having as torrid a time as last weekend? Ever since last Friday evening my internet access has been extremely hit and miss, with approximately 60 percent of the time actually being able to access the site I want to, this situation is obviously intolerable.

    I've put in a service call, but too late to get any action on it until Monday, so I'm just gonna keep calling until I get satisfaction, or until I decide to give up on it altogether (I'm keeping my fingers crossed on the satisfaction). I wouldn't mind but before last Friday I was as happy as a pig in... well you know, and now I'm fuming (half because of my connection the other half because my g/f won't stop annoying me about it [its not my fault!]).

    Anyway how is the ripwave crew doing?

    Baz_

    P.S. Did the maintenance last night make any difference to any ibb customers?


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,315 ✭✭✭ballooba


    My connection is pretty crap but I think its more to do with my wireless LAN. Getting about 7kB Down and about 12kB up.

    Is the cable between the router and the wabbit just a normal Cat 5 cable?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,288 ✭✭✭✭Standard Toaster


    I'm averaging 60k/s down no probs....though I'm always on orange...never green.
    The maintenace hasn't affected me good or bad.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,315 ✭✭✭ballooba


    This is depressing me. I'm maxing 3kB down on morpheus.

    I think they might have me contended as a business user as it is fastr during the day.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,288 ✭✭✭✭Standard Toaster


    You have to get onto them mate. You might as well be on dialup.

    Here's a quick screen grab


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    where ar u based ballooba? I know plenty of people that had to get rid of ripwave because it doesnt improve, myself for example, if possible i would highly recommend breeze 1 meg, i am getting 124k downloads from a microsoft site and p2p is running gr8, all together i get the full 1 meg


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,315 ✭✭✭ballooba


    I don't think it's a problem with my signal gline.

    I had been getting 50kB when I first got Ripwave. I have been using it through a router now for a while and I presumed that the poor bandwidth I was getting was due to a bad connection to my router.

    I've now hooked up directly to the modem again and I see that I am getting crappy speed still. I'm going to give them a call on monday and ask them what the hell they are at.

    I won't be springing the extra 20 euro a month for Breeze. I'm just going to ride it out until BreezeMax is available.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    they will tell u wat they told me, they take ur modem back and test it, if it is working they refund u, if not they reeplace the modem


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,315 ✭✭✭ballooba


    Gline do you think per chance it's time you gave it a rest with the dodgy advice on Ripwave?

    I have just said that it's not a problem with my signal. I'm averaging 17dBm TX Power and -90dB Signal Strength.

    The problem is with my bandwidth which I'm fairly sure is to do with Network Shaping and IBB will hopefully confirm this on monday.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    Mayb eit is with u, but nearly everyone i know and a lot of people on boards are having problems with ripwave, and even the installation guys from IBB which i talked to said it is a crap product. If it works for you, you are one of the very few lucky ones. And if IBB were very quick to rfund me its obvious that they are used to people sending it back. As you know yourself most of the posts here are negative towards ripwave becsause it is crap. Let me know how u get on with it and what IBB say


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,733 ✭✭✭Zaphod


    Baz_ wrote:
    I was just wondering from the ripwave users if they are still having as torrid a time as last weekend? Ever since last Friday evening my internet access has been extremely hit and miss, with approximately 60 percent of the time actually being able to access the site I want to, this situation is obviously intolerable.

    For two months prior to last weekend, my Ripwave had been fine. After the w/e, I was lucky to be able to get it to connect at all. Ringing IBB was pretty much a waste of time - turn it off and back on seems to be their standard reply.

    Eventually I found that by watching the signal meter and careful repositioning of the modem (rotated about 40 degrees off previous position) I was able to get reasonably stable connection again (BTS 130 - RTE high site) and decent download speeds again. I'm not sure what reconfiguring they did over the w/e, but there was no way I could get any sort of decent connection if I kept the modem in its original position.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,355 ✭✭✭Ardent


    I've gone from being very happy with the service throughout October to being extremely unhappy and angry with it thoughout Novermber, so much so that I am considering demanding a full refund.

    The weekend just gone was the second weekend in a row where I've been unable to get on the internet whatsoever. I rely on broadband to connect to work at the weekends and in the evenings so you can imagine how I'm feeling. Over the last three weeks my "always on" broadband connection has been off 75% of the time - when it HAS been on I'm lucky to get dial-up speeds. I felt like smashing the f*cking modem off the wall yesterday (flashing red in more ways than one). I've never experienced such poor value for money in my entire life and god knows I've been ripped off a few times.

    I've made my feelings known to an IBB support tech and he's going to try something to see if it improves. Apparently, the reason my service has degraded so spectacularly is because of all the new customers they've got who are using the same mast (Guinness). At this moment in time, after what I've gone though, I'd strongly advise anyone thinking of going Ripwave not to do so, particularly if a decent, reliable internet connection is in anyway at all important to them.

    I'll let you all know whether I'm still a customer or not in a couple of days after the support guy has made his proposed changes.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    I rest my case


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 370 ✭✭Adey2002


    There was another thread about how to improve your signal for Ripwave but I can't find it at the moment. Basically you make a shield for your modem using tin foil and a shallow bow/baking tray. Line the box/tray with the foil then place the breeze modem within the tray. The theory being that signals are reflected back giving a better signal. Not sure how well it works but its worth a try. (If you can find the original post, the poster actually uploaded pics of it).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,355 ✭✭✭Ardent


    Adey2002 wrote:
    There was another thread about how to improve your signal for Ripwave but I can't find it at the moment. Basically you make a shield for your modem using tin foil and a shallow bow/baking tray. Line the box/tray with the foil then place the breeze modem within the tray. The theory being that signals are reflected back giving a better signal. Not sure how well it works but its worth a try. (If you can find the original post, the poster actually uploaded pics of it).

    I tried that. If anything, that just makes it worse.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,315 ✭✭✭ballooba


    gline wrote:
    I rest my case

    I really wish you would... :p


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    ballooba wrote:
    I really wish you would... :p
    LOL


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,406 ✭✭✭✭GreeBo


    Same problems here, was fine for the first 2/3 months and now it is unusable.
    Started getting very bad about 3 weeks ago and has been coming and going in fits and starts ever since. This weekend I was dropping 30% of packets so browsing was impossible. D/L's were maxing out at 9KB/s.

    I'm on the verge of pulling the plug on this one to be honest. :mad:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    What did IBB say to you ballooba?? did you manage to get it sorted???


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,315 ✭✭✭ballooba


    gline wrote:
    What did IBB say to you ballooba?? did you manage to get it sorted???

    In college until seven these evenings and my house is half taken apart by builders working on it. So haven't really been bothered to ring up yet, might ring them this evening if I'm home on time.

    [edit] I starting to echo Greebo's sentiments and yours Gline. I gave it a chance if it's not working satisfactorily by the weekend then I'm pulling the plug.

    IBB unfortunately is my only option at the moment though so it looks like I may have to fork out for Breeze which I don't really want to. [/edit]


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    I will say one thing, the breeze is EXCELLENT, getting full speed upload and download all of the time. I would definitly recommend it. Although it is more expensive which is a bummer, but the 1meg is amazing speed and seems reliable after 2 weeks that i have it anyway, but i will give it more time before i start saying its REALLY reliable until i have had it awhile, Sorry to hear about ur ripwave, it sucks when u have it for awhile and get used to it then it stops working :(


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,315 ✭✭✭ballooba


    Well the way we had it working wasn't very aesthetically pleasing. It was hanging from the top of a window from string in an upstairs bedroom with a line going across to the wireless router.

    Now that the whole house has been done up "It's not fair" on my mam to have it set up like that. Wanky set up by anyone's standards.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    LOL, sounds a bit mad alrite


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,355 ✭✭✭Ardent


    Just to provide an update:

    It's been three days since my rant on this thread and all is well again with the world! I didn't get the name of the IBB support guy I was talking to on Monday but whatever he did (he spotted it straight away whatever it was) has resolved the issues I've been having with their Ripwave service. Over the last two days, from what I can tell, my modem has not dropped it's connection once and my bandwidth has pretty much returned to what it was at when I first joined IBB's service. The acid test is this weekend but the signs so far are very good.

    I'm very grateful for the way the support guy on Monday listened to my grievance - I was fairly irate on Monday - and for spotting a way to improve my service. One his colleagues, who I had had several conversations with prior to Monday, kept fobbing me off in a very annoying way and either chose to ignore the obvious quick fix he implemeted or was simply not aware of it.

    I don't know what the moral of this story is, maybe that some support staff care more about their customers than others and that you should you keep calling back until you get someone who actually gives a sh*t or knows what they're doing.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    In my experience "you keep calling back until you get someone who actually gives a sh*t or knows what they're doing" is exactly what i had to do to get breeze installed, it was only when i spoke to a supervisor that anything got done


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 245 ✭✭Enigma365


    What was the small fix? Our ripwave drops its connection all the time(every couple of hours) and can take up to 30 minutes to regain it. It is really frustrating.

    Do I need to contact them for the fix?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,406 ✭✭✭✭GreeBo


    I was just on to them, they have added me to a list and will ignore me as soon as they can.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,315 ✭✭✭ballooba


    Figured out the dealio with my connection.

    Three Rock is just plain knackered. I moved the modem to a different area of the house where I get the same kind of signal but from RTE. The speed went from 10kBs down to 50kBs down.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,660 ✭✭✭Baz_


    hmmm that sounds like an idea, pity i live only 2 klicks from three rock, I don't think I could pick up rte if i wanted :(


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 245 ✭✭Enigma365


    Talked to them today on phone. They said my connection had been put on nomadic mode previously and so there was nothing else they could do.

    I explained that my problem was not one of speed but of stability and that when connected, the speed was perfectly acceptable. I also explained that one of the big problems we are having is that when the connection drops, it takes a long time to reconnect. I suggested that we be taken off nomadic mode, as there is only one transmitter(110) we get a usuable signal from.

    Hopefully this may make reconnecting to the service more speedy at times when we do lose connection.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,406 ✭✭✭✭GreeBo


    Enigma365 wrote:
    problem was not one of speed but of stability
    This is the bit that I dont get. When mine works its great, its everything I could want or expect from a NLOS Broadband connection.
    But it just wont work continuously and its nothing at my end that is changing. If anything there should be less interference as the trees have shed their leaves since I got it installed.
    Ahwell, Im giving it until end of Dec and then Im gone.
    Its a crying shame that they couldnt have made this a stable product. The modems would have walked out the door if the service was there.
    :(


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    GreeBo wrote:
    Its a crying shame that they couldnt have made this a stable product. The modems would have walked out the door if the service was there.
    :(
    I agree


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1 appsy


    Hi guys,
    Wanted to know if anyone is using ripwave or the breeze products
    in marino and if so how do they find them. as I am thinking of
    getting one of them.

    Also does anyone know when ntl will be available in the area ?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,510 ✭✭✭sprinkles


    Ardent wrote:
    Just to provide an update:

    It's been three days since my rant on this thread and all is well again with the world! I didn't get the name of the IBB support guy I was talking to on Monday but whatever he did (he spotted it straight away whatever it was) has resolved the issues I've been having with their Ripwave service. Over the last two days, from what I can tell, my modem has not dropped it's connection once and my bandwidth has pretty much returned to what it was at when I first joined IBB's service. The acid test is this weekend but the signs so far are very good.

    I'm very grateful for the way the support guy on Monday listened to my grievance - I was fairly irate on Monday - and for spotting a way to improve my service. One his colleagues, who I had had several conversations with prior to Monday, kept fobbing me off in a very annoying way and either chose to ignore the obvious quick fix he implemeted or was simply not aware of it.

    I don't know what the moral of this story is, maybe that some support staff care more about their customers than others and that you should you keep calling back until you get someone who actually gives a sh*t or knows what they're doing.


    Let me know how it goes over the weekend. I had virtually no service this week but it seems to be working fine this morning, which is nice. I'm contemplating upgrading to the breeze but will this solve the issue. Does the breeze work??


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    sprinkles wrote:
    Let me know how it goes over the weekend. I had virtually no service this week but it seems to be working fine this morning, which is nice. I'm contemplating upgrading to the breeze but will this solve the issue. Does the breeze work??
    I went from ripwave (WHICH DIDNT WORK FOR ME) to breeze 1 meg lite, i am VERY satisified, very good overall service, however i waited ages for it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,211 ✭✭✭Tazz T


    Ripwave is awful tonight on 3 rock. I've been averaging 5.4 kb/sec all night.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,660 ✭✭✭Baz_


    at least im not getting dropped every ten seconds, wanky ****ing three rock.

    I'm gonna ring them and ask to be put on the sandyford industrial estate mast tomorrow, see if thats any better, couldnt be any ****ing worse.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 813 ✭✭✭mrplop


    I think it would be a good idea if everyone just sent their Ripwave modems back and just tell IBB to stick it.
    It's not good enough for IBB to promise a service they can't deliver -
    Navini's catchphrase is "internet at the speed of thought." They should have picture of someone with learning difficulties next to their caption.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    mrplop wrote:
    I think it would be a good idea if everyone just sent their Ripwave modems back and just tell IBB to stick it.
    It's not good enough for IBB to promise a service they can't deliver -
    Navini's catchphrase is "internet at the speed of thought." They should have picture of someone with learning difficulties next to their caption.
    It seems to be a good description of about 90% of ripwaves users, just doesnt seem to be able to deliver a good enough service


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,814 ✭✭✭Drapper


    Anyone have bad pings on IBB last night ?? MINE was really unstable !!!!

    D

    C:\>ping www.boards.ie

    Pinging www.boards.ie [82.195.131.130] with 32 bytes of data:

    Reply from 82.195.131.130: bytes=32 time=924ms TTL=59
    Reply from 82.195.131.130: bytes=32 time=405ms TTL=59
    Reply from 82.195.131.130: bytes=32 time=601ms TTL=59
    Reply from 82.195.131.130: bytes=32 time=499ms TTL=59

    Ping statistics for 82.195.131.130:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
    Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 405ms, Maximum = 924ms, Average = 607ms


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,355 ✭✭✭Ardent


    sprinkles wrote:
    Let me know how it goes over the weekend. I had virtually no service this week but it seems to be working fine this morning, which is nice. I'm contemplating upgrading to the breeze but will this solve the issue. Does the breeze work??

    Sprinkles, I wasn't at home all weekend but I was able to remotely check whether I was connected or not - I was connected whenever I checked.

    Also, on inspection since Monday night, my bandwidth has been rock solid. My download speeds are typically 57k/sec, I haven't seen any disconnections in over a week. I'm a happy camper again. When it works, Ripwave is a brilliant product.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    "when" being the main word, LOL :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,660 ✭✭✭Baz_


    when being the very operative word, I rang them today to ask them to lock me onto the rte base station, I don't think it will help, but its the second last step before i cancel, the last step is getting them to lock me onto three rock instead of having me on nomadic, and if they don't work, then I'm going for a refund :(


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,814 ✭✭✭Drapper


    C:\>ping www.boards.ie

    Pinging www.boards.ie [82.195.131.130] with 32 bytes of data:

    Reply from 82.195.131.130: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=59
    Reply from 82.195.131.130: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=59
    Reply from 82.195.131.130: bytes=32 time=7ms TTL=59
    Reply from 82.195.131.130: bytes=32 time=7ms TTL=59

    Ping statistics for 82.195.131.130:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
    Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 7ms, Maximum = 12ms, Average = 9ms



    YEHARRRRRRRRRR PING IS BACK !!!!!!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,660 ✭✭✭Baz_


    this is a ripwave thread drapper, you low ping bastard


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    Lol


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,814 ✭✭✭Drapper


    OPsssssssssss sorry !!!! :-(


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,260 ✭✭✭MrVestek


    ffs, i hate when people post off topic like that. A friend of mine is on IBB at the moment seeing as it's his only viable option at the moment. ADSL can't reach him, lines aren't good enough, and he's about 100 meters away from the nearest ntl connection (bummer) . The thing that gets me is, he doesn't seem to mind the fact that he gets low speeds and stuff all the time, he's definatly not getting the service he paid for, and from the likes of it neither are any of you.

    Chairman of Ireland Offline and some top brass from IBB were on Newstalk 106.8 there yesterday debating this and the IBB guy was constantly saying things like 'well adsl isn't your only option... wireless broadband requires no extra equipment accept and ariel and modem....' i'm sorry.... the ariel aint extra equipment? Since when? I know it sounds kinda childish but it really annoys me when people say things like that, especially seeing as the IBB guy hadn't got a clue most of the time when asked questions by the presenter, yet Damien was trying to butt in with the answers and the present wouldn't let him speak. Well not that he wouldn't let him speak... just kinda ignored his answers in general and tended to focus more on the IBB guy. I'm surprised that they didn't have a phone in... ALOT off irate IBB customers would have gotten on then, as i'm sure most of you would have too.

    The reason they actually had this debate is because of some guy who was literally only few meters away from the Guiness mast, was the only one he could pick up and yet couldn't get a signal... strange no?

    Anyways, bottom line is... IBB shoud stand for Irish Bloated Bollocks (which is basically what they feed you over the phone with their poor excuses anyways...). Ohh and the installation costs are phenominal.

    That said (just to make a few people jealous) i'm on NTL 1.5Mbit connection and get top constant download speeds of 190kbps...

    *walks away whistling trying to avoid the taunts and broken glass being hurled at him...*


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭gline


    But there a lot of people on the breeze package having no problems 1meg up 1meg down. it is a known fact that the ripwave product in general is sub-standard, IBB would be better off discontinuing it or improving it dramatically. But their breeze product seems to be great, ive had it for about a month now and no issues and i know plenty of people have had it over a year and no bother either.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 336 ✭✭lampsie


    Just as an update in general:

    About 3-4 weeks ago, my rock solid ripwave performance nose dived dramatically...as it did for a number of others, judging by the sudden increase in ripwave posts here. Anywho, a lot of very shaky connections later, things seem to have come full circle in the last week or two. My ripwave connection is now performing as it did before all the problems began, my pings have returned to 105-115 average to jolt.co.uk, and download speeds generally max out around 59KBs (!).

    Its a shame - although RipWave CAN be made to work well, it looks like its simply not mature enough yet for wise scale deployment. It seems to be pot luck whether you will get a good connection, rather than any kind of scientific approach IBB can take to ensure it will work for you. Breeze works well because...well, you either have line of site or not, and if you have LOS, it just works(tm). Well, mostly :)

    It was foolhardy (some might say brave) of IBB to launch this technology without giving it a proper trial - a proper trial would have shown that its prone to, er, being a bit crap at picking up signals. But who knows? Maybe a firmware upgrade out of the blue might suddenly make it all better, but I think it basically just comes down to an inherent limitation in the technology used.

    Wah, rambling a bit, sorry :)

    - lamps


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,406 ✭✭✭✭GreeBo


    mine went down altogether at about 12 last night, so I went to bed.
    This morning I had a quick check and it was back up and actually seemed quite nippy i.e. I could actually browse the internet.

    It was almost like having broadband in your own home. /me wipes tear from eye

    I'll do some proper tests later and report.


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