eircom - line problem - who's responsibility?

lpw

Hi guys,

need a bit of advice/help/divine intervention.

Have just signed up for eircom in the Sandycove area. At the start the modem was refusing to sync, called support, and the speed was then set to approx 2mb. This allowed some degree of syncing however the connection has been incredibly unstable.

AFAIK we are well within 5kms of the Dun Laoghaire exchange.

When talking to the CSR they were offering to send an engineer out to take a look - however basically the CSR said that there's no notice of this - and it would be anytime within 2-3 days and if I was lucky I would get a phone call beforehand. Is that actually accurate? Because there's no way anyone in the house can be off work for that length of time on the whims of a potential engineer visit.

Back to the line - managed to get an old analog phone, was checking the sockets - sounded crackly, and then at other times could not even get a dialtone.

Was told by the CSR previously that if the engineer came out and found no fault with their equipment it would be a 150 Euro call-out charge. We're living in an apartment and the wiring is probably the same since the 70s. In this situation, who would be liable? Would calling an engineer out just say its the building's problem, that's 150 squids please?

As an FYI - when the line was up, these were the stats I was getting last:

set to adsl_g.lite
speed 1920 / 96
line attn: 54/31
noise margin: 6/6

Any help/advise greatly appreciated!

Cryos

Looking at the stats, it looks like you may be near the 5k edge (in terms of cabling infra somewhere between 4km and 5km based on 13dbx1k)

Your line will probably have to be dropped to 1mb until the actual issue is found (bad wiring or distance issue).

Do you know if your neighbors have the same issues ? In terms of who is liable if internal wiring is at fault, its a good question either the landlord or management company (if any). But it could be a grey area, your landlord may only be obligated to provide a standard of wiring that provides you with voice service.

These are my initial thoughts, someone with more experience in the apartment scenario may be able to shed a light.

MyKeyG

I used to work for a telecommunication reseller. The most natural thing in the world when you think you have a fault is to contact your service provider. They have a line test system that returns a green or red result. If it's red it's automatically assigned to an engineer. If it's green and you insist on an engineer who finds no issue with Eircom equipment you WILL have to pony up the dough.

In any case quite bluntly if the issue does concern the equipment in the private residence then it's the owners problem. Like the other poster said I don't know if you have any rights as a tennant to a certain level of telecom services.

lucernarian

MyKeyG wrote: »

I used to work for a telecommunication reseller. The most natural thing in the world when you think you have a fault is to contact your service provider. They have a line test system that returns a green or red result. If it's red it's automatically assigned to an engineer. If it's green and you insist on an engineer who finds no issue with Eircom equipment you WILL have to pony up the dough.

In any case quite bluntly if the issue does concern the equipment in the private residence then it's the owners problem. Like the other poster said I don't know if you have any rights as a tennant to a certain level of telecom services.

There's a thread on the Vodafone forum, several pages long, where an eircom linesman was reported as saying there was no problem with a line purely on the basis that the automated test results on his blackberry gave the line the green light. This line is about 4km long but cannot even sync as high as 1024 mbps, despite living very close to her father who enjoys a stable 3 mbps. I wouldn't place so much faith in the "green or red" test after reading that and it's known that eircom only have a remit to provide a working voice service and in theory 28.8k dialup modem access. I imagine the test is designed to seek out issues that will only affect voice, and if it spots an issue that will interfere with broadband it's just coincidental. E.g. a short circuit.

cryos wrote:

Looking at the stats, it looks like you may be near the 5k edge (in terms of cabling infra somewhere between 4km and 5km based on 13dbx1k)

I'm familiar with that guide alright. As an aside: with the gauge of wiring eircom mainly use and at the frequency eircom pick to measure attenuation at, it's 12dB per km. But all that is irrelevant anyway:) With a line operating under fault conditions, if the crackling is to be believed, then the attenuation reading can't exactly be trusted. Furthermore, modems on "amber" lines report attenuation in the low 50s usually, even if that means it has a lower attenuation than shorter lines! I've seen this on rural lines on a number of exchanges, including my parent's line which I know from eircom to have an attenuation of 78dB. (It's also about 4 miles long) The modem reports 53dB They're also stuck on 1 mbit even though there's a very healthy signal margin because of the amber line classification.

Another thing that's apparently not being noticed is that the upload is not even able to reach 128 kbps and I've only seen that reported on boards when there was a fundamental fault with a line and usually interfered with voice. As it stands, the OP has said that sometimes there isn't even a dialtone so I imagine the landlord will have to check out any extension sockets or extra wiring. Eircom are responsible for everything from the exchange up to and including the main master socket (usually in hallway).

I also call bull**** on the callout charge. Unless things have changed very recently, it was about €120 euro for an hour's work. If the CSR can't even get that figure right I wouldn't trust him/her about anything else. Call eircom again and hopefully you'll get someone competent who will send a linesman asap.

You don't have to mention broadband to them, just tell them that the line is very crackly and sometimes doesn't even have a dialtone. That's reason enough for a visit from eircom.


Edit: I would get the landlord involved if there is more than one socket in the apartment. It's up to the landlord to check the wires for the extension sockets if they were put there before you moved in. And if you do have other sockets, try using the modem in the main socket in the hallway. It could result in better stability.

dub45

Have you any idea of the state of the internal wiring? How many apartments are involved would you say?

It is very possible that if the wiring is in place since the '70's that various extensions etc have been added on possibly not correctly and so, on so that the internal wiring may be a bit shambolic.

Before agreeing any callout with Eircom (with the potential charge) I would suggest a word with the landlord - he should be able to tell you what has gone on in relation to the wiring, add ons, etc over the years.

Remember if it does go back to the 70s then you are talking of 30/40 years deterioration and it doesnt take too much at all to degrade a broadband signal.

The wires inside the sockets have probably corroded too to some degree.