Very odd broadband problem

wb

I am posting this at 9:30 pm, as it is likely that I wont be able to later.


Every evening, from around 10:30, my connection goes down (eircom broadband home).

This has been happening for about 2 months now. I have tried everything. I Cleared the temp files checked for viruses etc etc etc. I even done a system restore, but no joy. The funny thing is, it will be fine the next morning.

When it happens, I keep getting the 'this page cannot be displayed' page. The (very) odd time, a page will load, but within a minute, the connection will go back down again. I really cant understand this, as my lan connection appears to be ok. I rang eircom, and he said everything looked fine, and to call back when it happens (the trouble is that it always happens late, when they are closed)

Has anyone got any ideas

I'm starting to consider getting a new ISP at this stage..


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

TriWannabe

have you tried using a different pc or laptop?

normar

Look at your modem and check if the sync light goes off. If this is the case then there is a disconnection in the copper connectivity back to the Broadband Server in the eircom exchange. This is independent of whatever programme you are running and requires that the copper line to the server at the exchange is faulty intermittantly.

Check your wires internally, and have eircom run a test on your phone line.

If the sync light remains on while you are having this problem then you have an internal computer problem.

Ziycon

I know that this may seen a bit crazy but is anyone else in the house unplugging cables before they go to bed at night like power cables or maybe even phone cables?

TriWannabe

i actually had the same problem for about 6 months but it was at random times each day. Had to reboot modem/router each time. got new router but was still happening. eventually it dwindled down to maybe having to reboot once a week to 2 weeks maybe. dont know why. iam using smart.

Cabaal

I know this sounds strange but does the issue change happen later/earlier depending on how early or late it gets dark in the evenings...could be street lights,
yes I know it sounds crap but I've come across it a few times before

wb

Still working, but for how long??

have you tried using a different pc or laptop?

No. I don't have any, but will try get a lend of one.

Look at your modem and check if the sync light goes off. If this is the case then there is a disconnection in the copper connectivity back to the Broadband Server in the eircom exchange. This is independent of whatever programme you are running and requires that the copper line to the server at the exchange is faulty intermittantly.

It seems to go on and off when I am having the problem. If it is a problem with the eircom exchange, is there any reason why it would only happen late at night?

I know that this may seen a bit crazy but is anyone else in the house unplugging cables before they go to bed at night like power cables or maybe even phone cables?

I thought this at first, but it happens when I am home alone too.

I know this sounds strange but does the issue change happen later/earlier depending on how early or late it gets dark in the evenings...could be street lights,
yes I know it sounds crap but I've come across it a few times before

Hmm. Ill check this out.


I have often re-set the modem, and sometimes it works for a few minutes. Is there anything that I can check to be certain that the problem is not with the pc?

Thanks for all the replies by the way - Much Appreciated.

No to submit this, before I go offline again :mad:

moloneyg

Hi all,

I had the same issue, and i found that my phone socket in the wall was a bit loose, after i replaced the wall socket and phone cable to modem it went away, happens very seldem for me now, but my connection is behind a curtain, and anytime my nephew is over it happens, he is 3 years old and plays hide and seek behind the curtins :-)

Can you check your connections and is there anybody moving around beside them.


Gerry

kaizersoze

Do you have a monitored alarm or a Sky digibox connected to the phoneline?
Do you have a filter on every device connected to the phoneline?
Does it stay down for the remainder of the night?
Does the phone work normally during the outage?
Did you try rebooting the modem when it happens?
Due to the regularity of the timing it sounds like it is either something in your house that comes on or goes off (like the alarm or Sky box trying to dial out) at the same time every night or something in the exchange.
Try to rule out as much as you can in the house. Before it normally happens, unplug everything from the phoneline and plug the BB modem directly into the line without a filter and see what happens.
It could be somthing as stupid as someone sitting down to watch tv around the same time every night and the phone cable is trapped under the chair:) , so check the path of the phone cable to see if it runs close to something that may cause interference.
If you still have problems then ring Eircom again but be more forceful.

wb

Thanks for all the replies. very kind of you. Seems to work tonight for some reason :eek: No doubt it will be down soon though.

Do you have a monitored alarm or a Sky digibox connected to the phoneline

No. The phoneline has 2 wall sockets. one socket has been 'split' and has 3 phones running from it, the other wall socket is upstairs and has my pc on it.

Does it stay down for the remainder of the night?

Normally, I play around with it for about half an hour trying to fix it, but never do, so yeah, It is usually down for the night. The latest I have tried is 3am and it was not working.

Does the phone work normally during the outage?

I think so, but I must check this out.

Did you try rebooting the modem when it happens?

Yep, but to no avail. - sometimes it will work for a minute or two after a re-boot, but it does not fix it properly.

Due to the regularity of the timing it sounds like it is either something in your house that comes on or goes off (like the alarm or Sky box trying to dial out) at the same time every night or something in the exchange.

We dont have a house alarm or any set device, so Im not sure what it could be. It may be a problem at eircoms end so.

Try to rule out as much as you can in the house. Before it normally happens, unplug everything from the phoneline and plug the BB modem directly into the line without a filter and see what happens

Cheers for that. I will try that. Thanks kaizersoze, I appreciate the help. The fact that it is fine during the day (while I am at work) is the most puzzling.

dub45

does your router have the facility to time access? some can be set up to allow access during certain times - just wondered if this had been inadvertently set up at some stage?

wb

dub45 wrote:

does your router have the facility to time access? some can be set up to allow access during certain times - just wondered if this had been inadvertently set up at some stage?

Not that I know of. How do I check this out?

Black Swan

Long shot, but... Not sure of your cpu or ram capacities, or how your bundle of software is configured, but do you have an A/V package that is scheduled to scan at the time that your system goes down?

Another long shot... Have never tried running a WiFi router off of a modum dialup, so I am not certain you could do this. If you are doing such a thing, could a bandwidth hog have cracked your security and is now sucking up your capacity moving huge data files (videos, music, etc.) the same time every night, perhaps when he gets off work or whatever? This happens to us frequently, especially with LimeWire users, when we visit free WiFi hotspot coffeehouses. One jerk will run a programme that knocks all the rest of us surfers and email users off line, and we get the same denial of access messages as you have claimed.

TriWannabe

eh, sorry for asking here but can someone tell me how do i start a new thread? cheers

TomTom

If the sync light is dropping off it may not be an issue with the pc at all.
How long is this going on? Are you in a built up area and are the council working at night?

The fact that it is working all day and goes at a set time would indicate some sort of interference. Copper wire like them all is prone to this and considering the age of eircoms infrastructure this could be an isue. If possible try get hold of eircom while it is down and get your line tested.

kaizersoze

TriWannabe wrote:

eh, sorry for asking here but can someone tell me how do i start a new thread? cheers

Click here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=259
Then click the "New Thread" button near the top left of the page.

krazydavie

kaizersoze]
Do you have a filter on every device connected to the phoneline?

you never answered kaizersoze
as i found this to be a common about
lines being dropped.( not as long as your though).

wb

krazydavie wrote:

kaizersoze]
Do you have a filter on every device connected to the phoneline?

you never answered kaizersoze
as i found this to be a common about
lines being dropped.( not as long as your though).

Basically, I have 2 wall sockets. The first one (downstairs) has a filter. It also has a 3 way splitter to which other phones are connected. The second wall socket is upstairs and this is where I have the pc. I dont think it is a filter problem, since it was ok for a year, and it is also fine during the day.

Long shot, but... Not sure of your cpu or ram capacities, or how your bundle of software is configured, but do you have an A/V package that is scheduled to scan at the time that your system goes down?

Hmmm. You may be onto something here. I recently installed a new AV. Must check it out.

If the sync light is dropping off it may not be an issue with the pc at all.
How long is this going on? Are you in a built up area and are the council working at night?

Yep, I live in Dublin where there is work going on most of the year! Not aware of any around me at the moment, but It is another possibility.





Thanks again everyone. I will investigate the suggestions.

probe

I have a problem like this in one location with a Zyxel ethernet BB modem. It started to happen every night all of a sudden after a funfair arrived in the area. This funfair (not in Ireland) had some very heavy power consuming kit powering various mega amusements with lots of power on/off cycles.

The problem more or less stopped after the funfair left, although once in a blue moon, the connection goes for no apparent reason on a one-off event basis.

Anyway I put it down to power surges in the mains electricity supply caused (in my case) by heavy loads on the electricity network being switched on and off. The only solution I found is to re-boot the DSL modem after it happens.

10.30 PM seems a bit early for ESB storage heaters to be switching on - are there any industrial users of electricity in your area who might be switching heavy plant on or off at this time?

As an aside is your DSL modem from the Zyxel stable by any chance?

probe

wb

10.30 PM seems a bit early for ESB storage heaters to be switching on - are there any industrial users of electricity in your area who might be switching heavy plant on or off at this time?

Not that I know of, but I must check it out as it happened again last night.

As an aside is your DSL modem from the Zyxel stable by any chance?

Sorry, Im not great with computers. Do you mean the brand? It says 'Netopia' on it.

I have an old modem from when I was connected in a different address, so I will try that one too. Thanks.

wb

Well, I MAY have solved the problem. I changed the modem to an old one that I had and so far so good :eek:


Thanks to all who answered. It was very informative, and much appreciated.