NTL modem dropping line.

Infini · 09-01-2005 5:29pm #1

I'm wondering. My NTL cable modem has been dropping the line for no reason a few times in the last 24 hours. I unplug the modem and turn it on again and its fine but it occurs again a while later. Has anybody else had a similar problem. It happens every 2 hours or so. The general line speed has been fine just to note and i'm in the D7 area.

wideband · 09-01-2005 5:34pm

yep...i had that problem also about a year ago

NTL ran a new cable from the fascia board into my house, they said the old type of cable gives problems.....i havn't had any problems since.

Infini · 09-01-2005 5:40pm

wideband wrote:

yep...i had that problem also about a year ago

NTL ran a new cable from the fascia board into my house, they said the old type of cable gives problems.....i havn't had any problems since.

The problem is though that it only did this on rare occasions before and only once on them occasions and i've had an active line for 36 hours continiuously before until i turned the modem off but its been doing it repeatedly for the last day and it's irritating. :mad:

CiaranC · 09-01-2005 7:22pm

It happens from time to time with my NTL connection too. Not too often though. I was losing connection over the last few days myself, but it seems ok now. The solution, as with everything NTL, is to wait until it stops happening.

Infini · 09-01-2005 8:08pm

It seems O.K. now. Might have been an exchange service or something but these unexpected line outages are really pissing me off! :mad:

wideband · 09-01-2005 8:36pm

it used to happen to me possible twice in week and then not for a forthnight....and as i said above the cable replacement fixed it

Infini · 09-01-2005 9:16pm

wideband wrote:

it used to happen to me possible twice in week and then not for a forthnight....and as i said above the cable replacement fixed it

I recently replaced the cable from my CATV point to the modem and I'm fine getting a sync with the downstream. The problem is that the ready light has been flashing instead of going solid. At the very least this is getting annoying. Even as i write this it dropped the line AGAIN! TWICE!!!

capistrano · 09-01-2005 9:27pm

I too am in D7 and I have been having exactly the same problem all weekend. So it looks like it's an issue in this area.

However, it's been fine since about 8pm this evening.

I phoned NTL yesterday and they told me nobody else reported a problem and they are sending out an engineer on Tuesday. I was going to cancel but now maybe I'll get them to replace the cable!

Infini · 09-01-2005 9:36pm

capistrano wrote:

I too am in D7 and I have been having exactly the same problem all weekend. So it looks like it's an issue in this area.

However, it's been fine since about 8pm this evening.

I phoned NTL yesterday and they told me nobody else reported a problem and they are sending out an engineer on Tuesday. I was going to cancel but now maybe I'll get them to replace the cable!

It's 9.30 and its still happening to me. It fine and then it seems to crash and reboot for no reason. Unless the weather has affected it somehow.

capistrano · 09-01-2005 9:41pm

Infini wrote:

Unless the weather has affected it somehow.

I thought that too, but their support person denied all knowledge of any weather related problems in our area.

I don't use their email but I did notice that that their email server (pop.ntlworld.com) was down Friday and Saturday. So they wre having some technical problems anyway.

Moriarty · 09-01-2005 9:58pm

Have you phoned NTL, infini?

Infini · 09-01-2005 10:17pm

Moriarty wrote:

Have you phoned NTL, infini?

I can't now. Might try tuesday if this keeps up but it might start working normally tomorrow. Usually these things work out within 24 hours.

Moriarty · 09-01-2005 10:20pm

What the hell is the point in coming on here and moaning, but not phoning them?

Sigh.

capistrano · 09-01-2005 10:26pm

Infini wrote:

I can't now. Might try tuesday if this keeps up but it might start working normally tomorrow. Usually these things work out within 24 hours.

But they need to be told when things go wrong. Otherwise they'll never improve the service - you gotta stick the puppy's nose in the piss!
Besides if you called they might realise that there is a broadband issue in D7 and not just an isolated case in my house.

Infini · 11-01-2005 12:39pm

I phoned the guys today. They weren't sure and are also sending out a technichan to my house. In my case it may be that the modem is faulty. (It came in a plastic bag instead of a box when I got it). Still I won't know for certain until tomorrow...

capistrano · 11-01-2005 1:16pm

My connection has been constant since Sunday evening. Whay about yours, Infini? I cancelled the engineer today as it is working agian.

Infini · 11-01-2005 3:06pm

Still dodgy but they said it might be the modem itself.

capistrano · 11-01-2005 3:14pm

Infini wrote:

Still dodgy but they said it might be the modem itself.

Please let me know how you get on. Thanks.

Infini · 12-01-2005 3:49pm

Well the mystery is solved. The guy from NTL came round and checked the line. It turns out that the reason the sync was coming on but not the rdy light was because of signal degriation between the cable modem and the CATV point. He said that the signal needs to be between -4 and +4 dbs. The one at my end was -17. In anycase the solution's to either have a line directly laid into the room (which the NTL guy said the guy installing the modem should have done and also what wideband mentioned) or install digital compliant signal boosters that allow 2-way connections in the places where the cable line splits. Should also note that y-splitters degrade the signal performance by -5db.

capistrano · 13-01-2005 2:22pm

Did the engineer actually do something? Like replace the cable or install a booster. If so, is everything working fine now?

I'm asking because an engineer is coming round to check mine tomorrow.

Infini · 13-01-2005 2:30pm

He used a device that checks the strenght of the signal. Found the y-splitters were degrading the signal in my case. Also said the guy installing the modem should have put in a seperate CATV for the modem the first time. Have you tried getting a sync and rdy light from your CATV point by plugging the modem directly into it?

capistrano · 03-02-2005 3:43pm

My NTL line dropping problems seem to be all solved. They replaced the junction box where the cable enters the house, which was old and seemed to be degrading the signal. They also boosted the signal strength generally in the area. It's been working flawlessly for a week now and what's more the picture quality on the analog TV channels has gotten much better - they used to be pretty crap.

On the modem configuration screen it is now showing the signal stength as 4dBmv, whereas it used to be about -14dBmv!

So, I'm a happy NTL camper again!

Infini · 03-02-2005 4:09pm

Yeah I know what you mean. The signal on my CATV point is nearly 4DB when its plugged directly in but I drops to -6DB in the bedroom. Guy from NTL's coming to install a brand new point in my room on tuesday. No more crap internet for me!!!

causal · 03-02-2005 4:20pm

capistrano wrote:

<snip>
On the modem configuration screen it is now showing the signal stength as 4dBmv, whereas it used to be about -14dBmv!

Hi,
How do you access the NTL modem config screen?

Thanks

causAl

seamus · 03-02-2005 4:24pm

Open your browser.

Connect to http://192.168.100.1/

You can't really configure anything, just look at the details.

daramullally · 03-02-2005 4:35pm

seamus wrote:

Open your browser.

Connect to http://192.168.100.1/

You can't really configure anything, just look at the details.

By the way, the user and password is root.

Drapper · 03-02-2005 4:35pm

seamus wrote:

Open your browser.

Connect to http://192.168.100.1/

You can't really configure anything, just look at the details.

#
Think they are having signal issues in D15 area too fine signal unitl end of Jan !!! Pings betwen 8 - 10 are crap on a 1.5meg line !!! Thisnk its an upstream issue !! the down is fine !!!

Anyone know what the problem might be ??

capistrano · 03-02-2005 5:09pm

daramullally wrote:

By the way, the user and password is root.

The user and password on my setup are both "admin".

causal · 03-02-2005 5:54pm

capistrano wrote:

The user and password on my setup are both "admin".

Yeah both those logins work, thanks guys.

Out of interest, how do these values compare with other people?
Downstream Receive Power Level : 1.94 dBmv
Downstream SNR : 35.14 dB
Upstream Transmit Power Level : 39.00 dBmv

causAl

capistrano · 03-02-2005 6:41pm

I'm getting:

Downstream Receive Power Level : 4.04 dBmv
Downstream SNR : 35.55 dB
Upstream Transmit Power Level : 56.25 dBmv

mad m · 03-02-2005 7:02pm

Downstream Receive Power Level : -13.5 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 33.6 dB
Upstream Transmit Power Level : 57.0 dBm

Ah im off to ring them that power level is not good.

Drapper · 05-02-2005 5:16pm

A good link

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/cmtips/signal.html#goodlevs

Drapper · 08-02-2005 2:52pm

mad m wrote:

Downstream Receive Power Level : -13.5 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 33.6 dB
Upstream Transmit Power Level : 57.0 dBm

Ah im off to ring them that power level is not good.

Did you get sorted out?

mad m · 08-02-2005 5:11pm

Well when i went off that time to ring them,a customers services person went off to contact the broadband technical section but came back saying they had gone home at six o clock.

So at moment my Downstream Receive Power Level is -10dBmV,i just havent had a chance to ring them.Sometimes its ok then sometimes when im just browsing,ive to click "Go" or a link twice to get it going.Would that be down to the power level?

Ill ring them now and see what they say.

Just off phone with a girl now,said to ask one of technical team what should be an acceptable Downstream Receive Power Level so she went off and got it arse ways and said my download speed should be Blah blah blah.I asked her nicely to ask them again and she said they were all busy and she was lucky to ask/got an answer in first place.Will try again tomorrow.

capistrano · 09-02-2005 9:36am

Unless it actually not working they won't do anything. The technican said that the acceptable range was -15 to +15. I was having problems at around -10, but that might have been down to some dodgy cabling I put in myself

NTL modem dropping line.

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