3 mobile problems..

bbam

We've had 3 mobile for a while and getting totally fed up...
We do have signal ranges from 2 bars 3g to 4 bars HDSPA, not the best but not impossible..
The problem is the mast seems to be congested all the time (except 3am of course).. IS there anything I can do about it??? I don't think there is but thought I'd ask anyway..

If I were to try o2 mobile, do they utilise the same network? and be just as congested as 3??

We're too far from the exchange to get fixed line, are there other options I could investigate without spending vast sums of money...

When I ring 3, we first have to go through the usual crap tests and settings and once an operator told me we were on the most congested part of their network and just put up with it..:eek:

Ping is 147ms
Download 0.96Mbps
Upload 0.05Mbps

William Powell

bbam wrote: »

....
signal ranges from 2 bars 3g to 4 bars HDSPA, ....

...

Ping is 147ms
Download 0.96Mbps
Upload 0.05Mbps

Sounds as if you are one of the lucky ones

Thats nothing like maxed out and the Ping is not to be sniffed at on a 3G network, honestly that really isn't that bad, because its NOT broadband its MOBILE broadband and if your getting those speeds most of the time I wouldn't go swtiching to another network as they could be as bad or worse - anyway thats my opinion.

bbam

the thing is that alot of the time there is good reception but I cannot get any activity on the connection...

I ran another test and it states I'm connected slower than 98% of the country.

William Powell

bbam wrote: »

the thing is that alot of the time there is good reception but I cannot get any activity on the connection...

I ran another test and it states I'm connected slower than 98% of the country.

Now you have something to complain about but there's no reason another Mobile Broadband ISP will be any better, all you can do is try them out first. I've just been talking to some mates on the phone and it seems both vodafone and 3 are making ridiculus claims to try and keep customers (18 months and free new router that will fix all you problems :rolleyes:) so beware if you contact any of the providers as they will all tell you anything to get you on contract.

Sound like your problem is contention, definitly is if you can get a good connection late at night or early morning.

bbam

William Powell wrote: »

3 are making ridiculus claims to try and keep customers (18 months and free new router that will fix all you problems :rolleyes:) so beware if you contact any of the providers as they will all tell you anything to get you on contract.

Indeed, my sister who is on the same mast was talked into this by 3, new 7Mbps modem would solve world hunger with it's speed... no use if the mast is congested all the time :eek: Bloody disgrace

William Powell

bbam wrote: »

Indeed, my sister who is on the same mast was talked into this by 3, new 7Mbps modem would solve world hunger with it's speed... no use if the mast is congested all the time :eek: Bloody disgrace

There should be a Midband thread, "Whats the most outrageous claim you've heard made by a mobile broadband sales person".

tails_naf

William Powell wrote: »

There should be a Midband thread, "Whats the most outrageous claim you've heard made by a mobile broadband sales person".

Good idea.

for a lot of these 'broadband' peddlers - if the engineering department were 1/2 as good as the sales department, we'd have nothing to worry about

HEXIOUS

Wasting time with three mobile
I was with 3 for 18 months, most of it with very poor service, they have a very bad con-tension ratio....

now I am 11 mts with brisknet and no probs, would recommend a satellite connection:D



and this is my speed at peak time, on 1meg package

jor el

[QUOTE=bbam;72345260the thing is that alot of the time there is good reception but I cannot get any activity on the connection...[/QUOTE]

Mobile signal is largely irrelevant to the Internet connection, except when the signal isn't there of course. Ringing to complain will get you nowhere, because there's nothing they can do about it. They've over stated, over sold and over subscribed the service. Leave them, and find a different provider, preferably not a 3G provider.

bbam

So today was an all time low, herself couldn't get online at all.
With a heavy heart I rang the support line....

First chap I spoke to as ever was extremely polite, noted my problems and ran some tests, did a ping test which apparently was perfect, no dropped packets.
He could name the two masts near me and explained that the one I'm connecting through was very congested... tried a few more things and he decided I shouldn't use firefox and try IE instead.. Opened IE and eventually got it to load google... "there you go, firefox was your problem, only use IE" and he said goodbye and hung up..

Within two page loads the usual "server not found" crap whenever I try a website.. so I rang straight back..

Got a nice lady on the phone and tried all the same guff again even though she could see I had only been on the phone.. she recommended bringing my laptop to a repair center as their system was "operating perfectly"..
I stepped up a gear and asked her about the congestion on the mast... Conversation followed like this...

>your mast isn't congested...
*Yes it is, last operator told me so..
>No it isnt..
*Can you tell me the name of the mast I'm using
>No we don't have the names.
*Yes you do, the last operator told me the name.
>He couldn't, we don't have that information.
*He did, was he lying, are you lying or am I lying? How come I can tell you the name of the mast then?
>Please hold... OK so we'll escalate your situation and see what can be done.

I came back 20 minutes later and broadband has been working reasonably well again... Would it be possible for them to have done anything or am I just reading too much into it...
My contract is finished so I'll definitely be leaving as soon as I get ANY other broadband system, I hate being taken for a mug :mad:

Sorry for the rant but they are some bunch of chancers... They have a great manner on the phone and only this stopped me from blowing up and stringing nastiness down the line to India..

-=al=-

Blaming browsers for a problem is a farce never mind the nonsense of blaming your system... granted this could be a problem for some occasions but they're at it all the time

Cowboys Ted

HEXIOUS

bbam wrote: »

So today was an all time low, herself couldn't get online at all.
With a heavy heart I rang the support line....

First chap I spoke to as ever was extremely polite, noted my problems and ran some tests, did a ping test which apparently was perfect, no dropped packets.
He could name the two masts near me and explained that the one I'm connecting through was very congested... tried a few more things and he decided I shouldn't use firefox and try IE instead.. Opened IE and eventually got it to load google... "there you go, firefox was your problem, only use IE" and he said goodbye and hung up..

Within two page loads the usual "server not found" crap whenever I try a website.. so I rang straight back..

Got a nice lady on the phone and tried all the same guff again even though she could see I had only been on the phone.. she recommended bringing my laptop to a repair center as their system was "operating perfectly"..
I stepped up a gear and asked her about the congestion on the mast... Conversation followed like this...

>your mast isn't congested...
*Yes it is, last operator told me so..
>No it isnt..
*Can you tell me the name of the mast I'm using
>No we don't have the names.
*Yes you do, the last operator told me the name.
>He couldn't, we don't have that information.
*He did, was he lying, are you lying or am I lying? How come I can tell you the name of the mast then?
>Please hold... OK so we'll escalate your situation and see what can be done.

I came back 20 minutes later and broadband has been working reasonably well again... Would it be possible for them to have done anything or am I just reading too much into it...
My contract is finished so I'll definitely be leaving as soon as I get ANY other broadband system, I hate being taken for a mug :mad:

Sorry for the rant but they are some bunch of chancers... They have a great manner on the phone and only this stopped me from blowing up and stringing nastiness down the line to India..

Hi bbam,

Man I feel your pain...
was in same position last year. When I started with three the signal was ok, my signal dropped off slowly over 18 mts, with last six months with little to no reception even outside the house. I wasted six months trying to sort it with no promise of recovery of service.

none of the other mobile broadband companies worked for me, so I got a satellite one instead (brisknet), I now have had 11 months with no drop of in service. upgrades were done in the early am's too.

there is light at the end of the tunnel,:D
look for another ISP

HEXIOUS

-=al=- wrote: »

Blaming browsers for a problem is a farce never mind the nonsense of blaming your system... granted this could be a problem for some occasions but they're at it all the time

Cowboys Ted

I agree with -=al=-,
they tried the same lark with me.
I even Re-installed the OS, and still did not work.
they even asked me to use my pc somewhere else, as this was a likely problem.
they just like passing the buck.

& all they want is money...sell sell sell

downwithpeace

Dealing with Three is hit and miss, when i had the contention issue here i had the mast ID (Some link around here has them) with information on how long i was able to stay connected at any given time and when possible the max speed i was able to get, first guy only annoyed me so i said i would call back but the second guy was very good and after i gave him the details he didn't even bother asking the browser you use, try down the road questions and said he added the mast to the engineer list as it was under a high load, just under a week i was getting great speeds.
Get as much detail as you can bbam when you call them, make them feel you know more then they do and don't be afraid to ask for a technician, if the exist.

As i said hit and miss, one guy told me getting 0.40 was good compared to some places in the world.

LaVail

Probably a bit of a naive question but who's supposed to be regulating the likes of three? I mean are comreg or the department of communications actually taking the time to see if these cowboys are providing a stable service to its paying customers? To be honest I dont think three will ever be up to par where by every user gets at least 0.5mbps at any given time of the day. If you look in every national and local paper in the country there are ad's from three on a daily basis.

They continue to throw new users into an already overcrowded and un stable platform and just start taking money out of their bank acc's without in my opinion ever putting the money back in.

Service is laughable in my area for over 10 months but three dont give a s**t. I cant understand how this company are let get away with what they do, its actually an embarrassment and sure the government couldnt give a hoot which makes it even worse.

jor el

LaVail wrote: »

I mean are comreg or the department of communications actually taking the time to see if these cowboys are providing a stable service to its paying customers?

No. Comreg doesn't actively monitor or enforce any ISP in the country. Comreg also believes that the claims maid by mobile ISPs (that the service actually is broadband) are fine, thanks largely to our last minister for communications, Eamon Ryan.

LaVail

jor el wrote: »

No. Comreg doesn't actively monitor or enforce any ISP in the country. Comreg also believes that the claims maid by mobile ISPs (that the service actually is broadband) are fine, thanks largely to our last minister for communications, Eamon Ryan.

Disaster! It seems that the major companies are getting away with what they like and ordinary users have little or no protection and no voice in many cases.

I was told by three that I must put up with my 60kbps download speed and basically told me to F off.

I pay my bills and thats the response im given? Yet if I want to terminate my contract without fee's they will send a debt collector after me but they can operate any way they like without fear of fines or relevant bodies investigating them when they provide a quality of service that was available in Ireland 10 years ago

Ireland is a country full of corruption and cowboys and it doesnt look as if it will change any time soon, what a disgrace.

Sponge Bob

Mobile broadband only feasibly works up to 2-3km form the mast, after that the sevice does not work.

Forcing mobile operators to publish ACCURATE coverage maps would be a start. Sadly the one that did do so, ie Vodafone, have now started to publish a rather crap BS one like all the rest of them. Having said that it is still the most honest.

T-rev

read your contract and then try the small claims court. not fit for purpose springs to mind.