Routers

[luv2cook]

Has anyone on DSL had a router go down? I've been told that good ole Southwestern Bell has a broken router affecting all of Texas. I cannot check my e-mail and am using my mother's computer. Anybody have an idea how long that takes? It's very irritating...I've called them 9 times this month and am considering going with cable...

[hawkslady]

I live in Sealy. That's about 20 minutes west of Katy. I haven't had any problems with the phone line or my internet service. I haven't heard of any problems. I hope you're problems end soon.

[kwormann]

You are lucky (or maybe not) to have DSL...>SW BEll has been trying for MONTHS to find phone lines for us......

[slknight]

It's not just a DSL service that has routers go down. Any ISP (Internet Service Provider) can have trouble with their routers, including someone big like AOL. I have cable modem service (ATT Roadrunner) which is generally great. However, the past 2 days they were having trouble with some of their routers in the Northeast. Although most of my internet service was fine, I could not connect to a few sites in New York (I am in Boston). luv2cook-I definitely understand your frustration. I was trying to access my company's site (I work from home) so it was definitely a problem. I guess what I'm trying to say is that switching to cable isn't necessarily going to fix the problem.

[miamadre]

Not only did swbell have trouble yesterday, microsoft did too. Some people could not connect to several of their sites including MSN, microsoft and expedia.

But swbell sucks. If any of you are considering getting dsl from them, and you have another option, take the other option. I have had dsl service from bell for almost a year and there have been problems consistantly with their service and billing departments. But, on the other hand, I could not live without high speed service again. I guess I am stuck between the rock and the hard place.

[Vanessa]

A lot of people had problems yesterday. I have cable and it has been pretty reliable although once in a while there are some problems but we are happy with cable.

[sneezles]

hawkslady
Just had to post when I saw you're in Sealy-I'm in Fayetteville so we're kinda neighbors! I'm a Houston transplant to the country and I drive through Sealy when I go to Katy or all the way into Houston. Ever been to Fayetteville?
BTW- not only do we not have DSL, we don't have digital cell phones either-one of the few things I miss about the big city-that and a descent graocery store!

[mb]

i live in s. florida and have had DSL since June (well, that's when we were PROMISED to get it - i think we probably actually got it in september...) there has been nothing but problems with the service (bellsouth). in fact, we haven't been able to connect for 1 week already - no apologies either! luv2cook - i feel your pain!!! we are in the process of switching to a new service (telocity); hopefully they will be less irritating! a week without internet at home is too long!

[Laura B]

I have heard other people I know mentioning how much trouble they have had with their DSL. Also, it is more expensive than cable modem service, at least around here. We got a cable modem about 6 months ago, and I love it. It rarely goes down. However, my computer's connection goes down frequently because we have a personal router in our house to network our computers. Once every day or every other day I have a problem and have to go and reset the router. Long and frustrating story.... But when I get frustrated I think about what dial-up was like!

[This message has been edited by Laura B (edited 01-26-2001).]

[luv2cook]

okay. I'm back! I HATE SWBELL! Absolutely do NOT go with them if you are Pacific Bell Nevada Bell, too. Their customer service is absolutely horrid. Take the cable, for god sakes. One more time and I'm switching. On the phone with them for an HOUR today.

Hawsklady, you live in Sealy? Small world. My sister-in-law lives there. Wonder if you know each other!

[kellygrrl]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the boards and have been hopping about checking out the different threads - what fun! Anyway, when I saw "routers" I had to check it out. Imagine my surprise when I saw you were talking about DSL! I've been a technical support manager for a DSL company out of CA for almost a year now. Without posting a book here about why DSL goes down, let me try and be brief:

First, routers do occasionally "go down". Who you get your DSL from sometimes makes a difference on how often they go down. If you have your DSL from a third party provider, or "CLEC", such as Covad or Northpoint, rather than directly from a phone company, you have to deal with that providers' network in addition to the phone company's. I.E., more variables in the mix. When a router goes down it is treated as a major emergency and the Network Engineers for whatever ISP you're with work non stop to get it back up. Sometimes though, it has nothing to do with that. All DSL lines go thru what's called a "DSLAM" at your local phone company's "Central Office", which is the local office in your neighborhood where all lines go thru. A DSLAM is a device which aggregates all the DSL lines and sends them out to the internet. These devices are owned by either the phone company or the 3rd party provider, or CLEC. If the DSLAM goes down, the provider or CLEC has to dispatch a tech to repair it.
Once the lines leave the DSLAM they go thru the phone company's "cards", then out to the net. If either of these things breaks down, everyone will be affected. If it's on the phone company's side they often have to dispatch a technican to repair or replace the card in the CO, which can take from one to several hours, depending on the difficulty.
Another reason lines go down is due to the lines themselves. BellSouth is notorious for being one of the worst providers in the industry, and it's primarily because of their network. The lines are extremely old, corroded in some areas, and coverage is lacking. Sometimes it's your inside wiring; wasn't done correctly in the first place so service is degraded. Other times a switch goes out in the 'B-BOX', the box in your neighborhood where all the phones are gathered before they go to the Central Office. Still again it can be a configuration issue; just as you have network settings on your computer, your ISP and CLEC have settings in their switches which identify your unique "PVC" which is a virtual connection which enables you to get to your provider and the internet. Occasionally these settings get corrupted and have to be "rebuilt". This requires both parties to be in communication and compare information.

As you can see, there's a myriad of reasons why your connection may go down. The good news is that the majority of providers have pretty stable networks and outages are rare. Really the crux of any DSL company is their tech support department, if their technicans can respond to you quickly it helps get the ball rolling with the 1 or 2 other companies they may need to interface with them to get your line back up. If you're considering DSL, it's a good idea to call their tech support dept. before signing up during peak times to see what their hold times are like.

Overall, even with occasional unforseeable outages, DSl is a better technology; the line and bandwidth you have is yours; not shared with other people in the neighborhood. Cable can be just as good though, depending on how saturated the subscription rate is in your neighborhood. The only real disadvantage is having an ADSL line as opposed to an SDSL line; due to the hundreds of variables in line quality in residential areas, most providers won't guarantee more than 125k up or down on an ADSL line. An SDSL line is guaranteed for at least 80% of it's promised speed, so if you can get the "home office" package it's usually worth it. It's possible ADSL lines will be phased out in the near future, since they are so hard to support.

Whew! Hope that wasn't boring and shed some light on the whole DSL thing.

Now that I'm off my soapbox I think I'll go make a stew - http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[luv2cook]

welcome, kellygrrl, thanks for all that info. Good to know but our service here is no choice. ASDL is what you get. Most, if not all, the problems I've had have been on their side. Today, for example, I've called 2x. My common problems are this: password entry dialog - cannot contact server sims2.rcsntx.swbell.net. The other is login failed 0037P. Then there's always crashes on their end or authentication errors. When I got home from getting my nails done (a whole 45 min) my computer was locked up with a password problem. When I called AGAIN she told me that my operating system was corrupted regardless of teh fact that this problem didn't start until the day I got DSL. Hmmmm. Oh, no, no coincidence on their end!

I've called 1/2, 1/4, 1/7 (2x), 1/10, 1/18,1/22 (4x) 1/23, 1/25, 1/26 (2x) What would you think if you were me? I'm ready to call it quits and get "beep, beep" roadrunner cable service...and each time I have to listen to all this crap that doesn't pertain to me and usually takes at least 5 to get through that. I've been on the phone today alone for 1:40:00! oh, and I've been told to reload the software 4 times in those calls when it was something else. Fortunately I resisted...

[This message has been edited by luv2cook (edited 01-26-2001).]

[kellygrrl]

luv2cook - sorry, off the computer for few days - but, ugh!! What a horrible experience! I hear a lot of stories about users having recurring problems but yours is right up there with the worst. It sounds like there is something fundamentally wrong with your line. They really should send a technician out to check it. It's ridiculous you should have to call that many times! As for the "reload the software" or "your operating system is corrupted" excuse, sorry, but that is a *classic* tech support cop-out line. Granted, there are times both get corrupted, but considering the timeline of when this started happening it's highly doubtful. One thing you might try is have them or a friend walk you through deleting the TCP/IP protocol (if on Windows) and reloading it. It's a fairly simple procedure and sometimes fixes problems that don't seem to have a resolution. Another thing you might try is requesting a "Level 2" tech. Level 1's know just the basic trouble shooting skills, and often recommend people reload their software or operating systems if they don't know what else to do, which is dangerous business. Barring that, if you've already reloaded their software, and they're not willing to work with you to get these problems resolved, I would definitely consider cable. You might ask Roadrunner what their subscription rate is in your area, or ask for references of customers close to you. You'll share the connection w/others in your neighborhood, but it might be worth it considering the current level of service you're getting.
Oh, and don't forget to tell customer service to credit your account for the downtime! Good luck!