- Oct 19, 2000
- 17,860
- 4
- 81
First, my setup. I currently have 2 computers permanantly connected to my wireless router (by permanant, I mean always there, unlike my laptop or PSP). One downstairs, not often used, is taking part in the wireless connection, and my main comp, used every day, hooked via ethernet cable. I do have my SSID broadcast disabled, and I currently use very high encryption to secure my network (unlike my neighbor, but that's another story). I run a cable connection with 6Mb/768Kb speeds.
My current problem started right around 3 1/2 weeks ago. My cable modem would work fine, and the data light would only blink when it should, when I was received or uploading data. At some point of that fateful day, the data light started blinking often (3 to 5 times a second), and at no definite pattern. When I download data, the thing is blinking constantly and consistently, so I wasn't sure what was going on. My first thought is someone has hacked into my network, and is stealing bandwidth. While not really that big of a threat around my area, I decided to change the key on my encryption, and upped the bits or whatever to make it tougher. After all computers, router, and cable modem were rebooted to make sure the changes were put into effect, the data light was still doing the same exact thing.
I then shut down both computers (to rule out spyware/virus), and with nothing on, the data light didn't waiver a bit. Still blinking in whatever random pattern it wanted. After cycling the power on the modem again and having no solution, I gave up.
This is where I kind of get pissed. Over the next couple three days, I notice my speed is dramatically decreased. Downloads are way too slow (I'm talking sub-50KB/s here), pages are loading slower, everything is noticabally less snappy than before. I try a few downloads at proven breadwinning servers for myself that I've used before, and they all come up with squat. I'm not breaking 100KB/s, when used to I would download at 600KB/s to 850KB/s sometimes. Hell, atleast 300KB/s everywhere I went.
After about a week of this, I begrudgingly give Adelphia a call, knowing that they weren't going to be able to help me at all. Sure enough, the guy I spoke to assumed I knew nothing about computers, and gave me the biggest amount of 1st-level tech-support network speak I've ever heard (I've worked in 1st-level tech support before, I know the routine very well). Knowing I would get nothing out of him, sort of like running into a brick wall with a car salesman, I went ahead and got off the phone.
So here I am, 3+ weeks later, and I'm tired of the slow internet that I'm paying $60 a month for. Tonight, I call, and as luck would have it, I chanced into a rep that was part of the Tier 2 support. I feel a little bit better now, because these guys typically atleast have a clue, whether they know nothing or not. I explain to him everything I've done thus far, and the symptoms of the problem, and we go through the following steps:
The rep then informs me that he's going to send the case up to escalation to let them have a look at it, and for me to call back later this evening to see what they say. He tells me it might be a modem hardware failure, I tell him I think it might be problems with the line. Anywho, fastforward to a few minutes ago, I called back to see what escalation said. The lady informed me that the 1st escalation group looked at it, and sent it on to another group, who then tried to call me at home. Problem is, I had my home phone disconnected a couple of weeks ago because I never used it, so now they will try again tomorrow with my updated cell phone number in my records.
The thing that gets me, though, is that the lady said something to the effect that they mentioned in the notes that they thought it might be a hardware issue on my end, something with my computer possibly. If they try to pin it on this, I will be truely pissed.
Sorry for the long read, but now to the important question of the day: what do you guys think?
UPDATE: I've fixed it, sort of. Went this morning and swapped out my cable modem for a brand new modem, straight out of the box. I'm now getting my advertised speeds, plus some. My connection is rated at 6Mb, however on very good servers I easily download at 7Mb speeds, and when adding in overhead, I'm getting much larger speeds than what I'm paying for.
Thanks to those who responded.
My current problem started right around 3 1/2 weeks ago. My cable modem would work fine, and the data light would only blink when it should, when I was received or uploading data. At some point of that fateful day, the data light started blinking often (3 to 5 times a second), and at no definite pattern. When I download data, the thing is blinking constantly and consistently, so I wasn't sure what was going on. My first thought is someone has hacked into my network, and is stealing bandwidth. While not really that big of a threat around my area, I decided to change the key on my encryption, and upped the bits or whatever to make it tougher. After all computers, router, and cable modem were rebooted to make sure the changes were put into effect, the data light was still doing the same exact thing.
I then shut down both computers (to rule out spyware/virus), and with nothing on, the data light didn't waiver a bit. Still blinking in whatever random pattern it wanted. After cycling the power on the modem again and having no solution, I gave up.
This is where I kind of get pissed. Over the next couple three days, I notice my speed is dramatically decreased. Downloads are way too slow (I'm talking sub-50KB/s here), pages are loading slower, everything is noticabally less snappy than before. I try a few downloads at proven breadwinning servers for myself that I've used before, and they all come up with squat. I'm not breaking 100KB/s, when used to I would download at 600KB/s to 850KB/s sometimes. Hell, atleast 300KB/s everywhere I went.
After about a week of this, I begrudgingly give Adelphia a call, knowing that they weren't going to be able to help me at all. Sure enough, the guy I spoke to assumed I knew nothing about computers, and gave me the biggest amount of 1st-level tech-support network speak I've ever heard (I've worked in 1st-level tech support before, I know the routine very well). Knowing I would get nothing out of him, sort of like running into a brick wall with a car salesman, I went ahead and got off the phone.
So here I am, 3+ weeks later, and I'm tired of the slow internet that I'm paying $60 a month for. Tonight, I call, and as luck would have it, I chanced into a rep that was part of the Tier 2 support. I feel a little bit better now, because these guys typically atleast have a clue, whether they know nothing or not. I explain to him everything I've done thus far, and the symptoms of the problem, and we go through the following steps:
- Feed the cable modem directly into my main computer via cable.
- Remove and reinstall the ethernet card.
- We run SEVERAL bandwidth tests on speakeasy.net and internetfrog.com. Speeds were ALWAYS under 1Mb/s, typically in the 400Kb to 700Kb range.
- He resets my modem remotely about 3 or 4 times, saying he was changing the configuration of the modem itself.
- He sighs in frustration, because he now knows what I told him at the beginning of the call, that I didn't think it was any of these things.
The rep then informs me that he's going to send the case up to escalation to let them have a look at it, and for me to call back later this evening to see what they say. He tells me it might be a modem hardware failure, I tell him I think it might be problems with the line. Anywho, fastforward to a few minutes ago, I called back to see what escalation said. The lady informed me that the 1st escalation group looked at it, and sent it on to another group, who then tried to call me at home. Problem is, I had my home phone disconnected a couple of weeks ago because I never used it, so now they will try again tomorrow with my updated cell phone number in my records.
The thing that gets me, though, is that the lady said something to the effect that they mentioned in the notes that they thought it might be a hardware issue on my end, something with my computer possibly. If they try to pin it on this, I will be truely pissed.
Sorry for the long read, but now to the important question of the day: what do you guys think?
UPDATE: I've fixed it, sort of. Went this morning and swapped out my cable modem for a brand new modem, straight out of the box. I'm now getting my advertised speeds, plus some. My connection is rated at 6Mb, however on very good servers I easily download at 7Mb speeds, and when adding in overhead, I'm getting much larger speeds than what I'm paying for.
Thanks to those who responded.
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