[09:54] <qwebirc14139> what's this?
[09:55] <qwebirc14139> hello?
[23:00] <starcannon> Hello
[23:03] <soundray> Hi SealedWithAKiss
[23:03] <SealedWithAKiss> soundray, hey.
[23:03] <SealedWithAKiss> PM?
[23:03] <soundray> How are you connecting to your router?
[23:03] <soundray> No, this is not used for anything else atm, so we're fine here
[23:04] <soundray> Ethernet or WiFi?
[23:04] <SealedWithAKiss> soundray, I was using a wireless router but right now I have my NIC connected directly to my modem to eliminate the wireless router as the problem.
[23:04] <SealedWithAKiss> So a direct wired connection.
[23:04] <soundray> Good thinking :)
[23:04] <soundray> Does your router have a Web interface for configuration/management?
[23:04] <SealedWithAKiss> Of course, 192.168.1.1
[23:05] <soundray> Can you get to a status page there?
[23:05] <SealedWithAKiss> I'm not connected to a router though, I am connected to a modem. Unless your referring to a modem, I don't know what terms you use outside of the UK.
[23:05] <SealedWithAKiss> I can yeah.
[23:05] <SealedWithAKiss> That's 192.168.100.1
[23:05] <SealedWithAKiss> I'll check it out now.
[23:06] <SealedWithAKiss> I'm logged into the console.
[23:06] <soundray> Your ADSL modem acts as a router, too. We'll call it modem if you prefer.
[23:07] <SealedWithAKiss> To avoid confusion, I would prefer to use the term modem. Let me thank you in advance for offering to help.
[23:07] <soundray> Can you get status information about the line?
[23:07] <soundray> What we're particularly interested in is a value in dB, for the downstream signal-to-noise ratio, SNR, line noise or similar
[23:08] <SealedWithAKiss> Would you like a link to a screenshot? Makes things much easier, I can upload to imageshack. If you prefer I can try to find the relevant information.
[23:08] <soundray> Screenshot is fine
[23:09] <SealedWithAKiss> Okay, instead I will paste some text to pastebin. It should serve the same purpose as the screenshot.
[23:09] <SealedWithAKiss> http://pastebin.ca/1593207
[23:10] <SealedWithAKiss> That's for downstream.
[23:10] <SealedWithAKiss> Please let me know whether you need any more information.
[23:10] <soundray> 39.5 dB
[23:10] <SealedWithAKiss> That's the value.
[23:11] <SealedWithAKiss> Means nothing to me, absolutely nothing.
[23:11] <soundray> That's not terrible, and the "symbol rate" isn't too bad, either.
[23:12] <soundray> If you have a poor splitter, or you're too far away from the exchange, those values go down
[23:12] <soundray> So no easy hardware solution. Give me a minute
[23:13] <SealedWithAKiss> Well I am paying for what was advertised to be 8MB broadband.
[23:13] <SealedWithAKiss> Earlier my download speed dropped as low as 1.6Mb/s and my upload speed as low as 0.02Mb/s.
[23:13] <soundray> I take it you've looked for troubleshooting info on virginmedia.com?
[23:14] <SealedWithAKiss> I have tried troubleshooting using the most common troubleshooting methods.
[23:14] <soundray> Well, they advertise an unrealistic maximum. When you read the smallprint, you'll find that they don't promise that :(
[23:14] <SealedWithAKiss> I have also tried technical support, but these guys are just continuously disconnecting me.
[23:15] <SealedWithAKiss> I understand that the service is advertised as 'up to 8MB'. Meaning that they're covered for anything below that value.
[23:16] <soundray> You're renting the line from BT, right?
[23:17] <SealedWithAKiss> Virgin Media is the only British ISP that doesn't require you to have an existing BT line. Virgin Media also supply my land line telephone connection.
[23:17] <soundray> Yikes
[23:18] <soundray> You were saying that your speeds came down recently. Before that it was good?
[23:20] <soundray> I think the cause of the trouble could be contention
[23:20] <SealedWithAKiss> My speeds weren't anything near 8Mb, but they were satisfactory for browsing/e-mailing/downloading music etc.
[23:21] <SealedWithAKiss> Essentially, it wasn't noticeably slow.
[23:21] <SealedWithAKiss> Since booting into Ubuntu my browsing speeds have significantly improved.
[23:21] <soundray> If contention is the problem, your downloads will be faster in the early morning, when other users are presumably sleeping
[23:22] <SealedWithAKiss> Though www.speedtest.net is reporting a similar results in both Ubuntu and Windows eliminating the OS as the source of the problem.
[23:23] <SealedWithAKiss> Totally, but right now it's 11:22 PM and Monday tomorrow. I would expect many people to be in bed already, preparing to be awake for work etc.
[23:24] <soundray> Anyway, I'm sorry I can't seem to help you on the technical side
[23:24] <SealedWithAKiss> I have had a similar problem before, as it goes. Only last time it MUCH worse. I was only hitting 10 kb/s when downloading. After a modem reboot the connection would perform optimally for a few minutes, and then just sink. The modem needed replacing on that occasion.
[23:25] <SealedWithAKiss> That was a SB5100 I think.
[23:25] <soundray> Regarding Virgin Media support, try there geographic number: 01752 300300
[23:25] <soundray> *their
[23:25] <soundray> There are a few more listed on saynoto0870.com
[23:26] <soundray> Ringing those sometimes gets you through to a higher support level
[23:26] <SealedWithAKiss> I am already pissed about the customer service, so would prefer to use 150 from my land line which is free. They're already robbing me.
[23:26] <SealedWithAKiss> On one occasion, I asked the advisor to connect me to 2nd line support.
[23:26] <soundray> You don't have a call package with free UK landline calls?
[23:27] <SealedWithAKiss> He said that nobody was available. Then I asked him to transfer me to a colleague, apparently none were available. Finally I asked to speak to his manager/supervisor and again, it wasn't possible. After that he hung up.
[23:27] <SealedWithAKiss> I only have incoming calls on my land line because the bills were too expensive.
[23:27] <soundray> Okay
[23:28] <soundray> Yeah, these guys are trained to take the mickey out of you
[23:29] <soundray> One thing that helped me once was to ring the press officer in a particularly unhelpful company.
[23:29] <SealedWithAKiss> To say that the technical support personnel were incompetent would be an understatement.
[23:29] <soundray> She gave them hell, and I had the most courteous and competent ringback :)
[23:29] <SealedWithAKiss> Sounds like that one worked out particularly well for you!
[23:29] <soundray> Yes, unexpectedly so.
[23:30] <SealedWithAKiss> They appear to think that my current connection is acceptable. You know, I know that many of these guys get a hard time. So I'm nice on the phone, and always very polite. It just so happens that the 'nice guys' are usually the ones that are easily pushed aside and walked over.
[23:32] <SealedWithAKiss> When I ran the speed test in Windows I was also getting ridiculous ping response times.
[23:32] <SealedWithAKiss> Something in the region of 2000 ms.
[23:32] <soundray> They must also get the most annoying callers. But if they were any good, they'd be able to distinguish stupid from smart requests.
[23:33] <SealedWithAKiss> I guess yeah. Well this guy was adamant that my browser/P2P software was to blame.
[23:34] <SealedWithAKiss> How my P2P software came into it I don't know.
[23:34] <soundray> You probably don't want to spend any extra money on the problem, but if you did want to invest a little, you could book a "personal secretary" (usually also from India) to ring them for you.
[23:34] <soundray> They might be more successful than you, since they know their own kind :)
[23:34] <SealedWithAKiss> Well they're not usually Indian. They're Scottish. I don't know what has changed.
[23:35] <SealedWithAKiss> Perhaps, yeah. Nice suggestion.
[23:35] <soundray> Anyway, that's all I have for you... not much, sorry.
[23:36] <soundray> When I lived in the UK, I had a similar problem, but mine was solved with a splitter upgrade
[23:36] <SealedWithAKiss> Okie doke, well thank you anyway. I think that you did everything you could to diagnose the problem.
[23:36] <soundray> Doesn't apply in your case, I know.
[23:36] <SealedWithAKiss> What exactly is a splitter?
[23:36] <soundray> It separates voice from data on an ADSL line
[23:37] <soundray> so does not apply to your cable modem situation
[23:37] <SealedWithAKiss> Oh right, I see.
[23:37] <SealedWithAKiss> You seem as though you've worked as a network engineer at some point.
[23:37] <soundray> You might get a little more from #networking as Slart suggested
[23:38] <soundray> No, I'm just a hobbyist
[23:38] <soundray> I'm a professionally trained diagnostician, though :)
[23:38] <SealedWithAKiss> It appears as though the hobbyists usually turn out to be more technically knowledgeable than those with the fancy pieces of paper.
[23:40] <soundray> Hobbyists' knowledge tends to be highly specialized, though
[23:41] <soundray> I've been through all this ADSL stuff, but my son asked me a question about IPv6 the other day, and I had to pass
[23:41] <SealedWithAKiss> I am quite the hobbyist myself, though I am also training for various IT related qualifications.
[23:42] <SealedWithAKiss> Ah I see. Now I could tell you a little about IPv6 and a little about IPv4 but my knowledge doesn't run too deep.
[23:42] <SealedWithAKiss> Though in other areas of networking I could probably tell you quite a lot. So yeah, sounds about right.
[23:44] <soundray> Anyway, it's an hour later here, and I'm working tomorrow... need some rest
[23:44] <soundray> Hope you find a solution!
[23:44] <SealedWithAKiss> Sure, sorry.
[23:44] <SealedWithAKiss> Take care, and thanks for your help!
[23:44] <soundray> NP :)
[23:44] <soundray> Bye