View Full Version : Those BLINKIN lights - Southampton Outage?
paul nolan
21-05-2008, 14:08
after always reading about Southampton notorious issues due to the age of the network, I've always been pretty lucky and not really had any issues.
The last couple of weeks the On Demand DTV service and Internet have been up and down more than I can remenber.
both lights on the V+ box and the Modem are blinking (how those lights aren't as notorious as the 360's "ring of death, i don't know).
the Technical stuff page shows and IP of 0.0.0.0, the On demand pages are saying quote "1092", and the Medic / Yellow button is showing "TwoWay Network down"
when accessing the modem diagnostics I get a lovely netwo access "denied" message.
anyone else have issues in Southampton?
paul nolan
21-05-2008, 16:54
Still "blinking" blinking...!
It was 14 hours last time. 5 hours so far this time.
And our friends in tech support in asia are "blinking" useless.
Thank goodness for mobile phone web access.
Im also in Southampton and my internet has been fine all day. must be more local than a general southampton issue.
PaulH225
21-05-2008, 21:54
Also fine here in SO16 and again, has been all day as far as I can tell.
paul nolan
22-05-2008, 05:07
It finally came back on yesterday at 6:11 pm, so it was at least another 6 hours out in the end.
and looking at the Modem event log, it looks as if there was another outage around 1 am this morning.
oh well..... hopefully all will be fine going forward
paul nolan
22-05-2008, 10:40
Oh joy...
My wife has just phoned me at work and it's down AGAIN!
paul nolan
22-05-2008, 15:49
Its still down today...
When accessing on demand, the V+ box has a 1021 error today. Which (according to tech support) is a server level problem.
Hopefully we'll be back up again soon.
paul nolan
23-05-2008, 06:14
After a lot of self diagnostics. I think i've found a problem with the coax from the wall to the splitter. Hopefully replacing this will resolve all problems.
I'm in SO15 my internet stopped worked yesterday afternoon, still down :(
paul nolan
23-05-2008, 08:51
Aww... Don't make me think my fiddling with th coax and the odd 10 minutes of connection was a fluke.
whydoIneedatech
23-05-2008, 08:54
Aww... Don't make me think my fiddling with th coax and the odd 10 minutes of connection was a fluke.
If its your V+ box then give them another call on 151 and tell about the cable.
strange thing is the middle light on the stb (black pace one) stopped blinking yesterday evening, which normally means internet starts working again ( I have that through separate NTL modem), but no joy :(
I had hoped overnight, with everything being completely turned off and unplugged, come thins morning, starting it all up properly in order from cold it would be ok.
paul nolan
23-05-2008, 09:10
If its your V+ box then give them another call on 151 and tell about the cable.
I've got a call out booked for sat pm. And as it's a simultaneous problem with V+ and modem its guaranteed the problem is between the splitter and the server.
the server status says that they are playing with webmail, so maybe it's like the billing issue the other month, i.e. while upgrading one thing they've temporarily broken the internet.
whydoIneedatech
23-05-2008, 11:27
the server status says that they are playing with webmail, so maybe it's like the billing issue the other month, i.e. while upgrading one thing they've temporarily broken the internet.
Different servers
Looks like my problem was related to the billing changes, not a Soton thing!
When I lived at my parents (5 years ago) the broadvand was in my name (phone and TV in dad's)
I moved out, took broadband with me.
Today I phoned up customer services, 45 min phone call with tech support, was told some-one had the same mac address as me! The woman then said do you know mr x y, i said yes, that's my dad, and confirmed by giving her address, and phone number. She said they'd send me a new modem, as that was easier than my dad cancelling his internet, even though I explained he doesn't have internet!
Spoke to my dad earlier, he said 2 days ago, he got a bill, which was £25 more than normal, so phoned up virgin to query it, they told him extra £25 was for his internet! he told them he doesn't have internet, so they cancelled it, thus cancelling my broadband!
So I phoned them up again, on phone for nearly 1 hr again, and woman says it's a fault so will take 72 hours to fix :(
new modem turned up yesterday, plugged it in last night, phoned them up activate it (on the premium rate number, but you get it refunded) and internet is working again :)
one problem is email doesn't work :( if I log in to webmail it goes straight to an options screen to configure forwarding etc, if I try to pop my mail, it won't let me, says I'm not allowed to! Couldn't get through to tech support last night, so used the emails support form, hopefully that's not a waste of time.
got an email this afternoon saying I should phone up the free 150 number, as there is a problem with my account. So I phone that up, am told they can't help me, as they can only deal with billing problems, can't see my broadband username details, so I phoned up tech support, who were very apologetic, and helpful, explained that my accounts had got disabled, the chap re enabled them and asked me to check all 3 email accounts I have via webmail while he waited, and they all worked, but what a palava :(
paul nolan
29-05-2008, 23:09
I'm still getting blinking on and off.... it's less frequent than it has been but it's still happening.
I found (perhaps coincidentally) that how changing how tightly the Coax is screwed into the F Splitter sometimes helps the V+ and the cable modem find an IP
I've tried swapping over my F-Splitter and replacing the Coax but that's not done the trick.
I'm now wondering if it's signal levels. The Green Box is right outside the house and when the V+ and seperate modem were installed they had a 10 db attenuator into the V+ and a 6 db attenuator into the modem.
looking atthe "technical stuff" page on the V+ I get the following signal related readings:-
SNR: 32.0 dB, 32.0 dB, 29.0 dB
AGC: -14 dBmV, -14 dBmV, -15 dBmV
Return Power: 58 dBmv
and the following on the Modem
Downstream Receive Power Level : -3.1 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 39.0 dB
Upstream transmit Power Level : 60.0 dBmV
are these levels about right? too high? too low?
IANAtech but I think your Upstream power level is too high.
If nobody offers advice to the contrary, I'd recommend you contact Tech Support via the dedicated newsgroup (between 8am-10pm) and ask them to check.
I suspect they'll want to arrange a tech visit.
Good luck!
Need help getting onto VM's Tech Support newsgroup? (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showpost.php?p=34527446&postcount=6)
TraxData
30-05-2008, 01:17
As ceedee has said, your upstream power level is way too high, you need a tech out.
whydoIneedatech
30-05-2008, 08:46
I'm still getting blinking on and off.... it's less frequent than it has been but it's still happening.
I found (perhaps coincidentally) that how changing how tightly the Coax is screwed into the F Splitter sometimes helps the V+ and the cable modem find an IP
I've tried swapping over my F-Splitter and replacing the Coax but that's not done the trick.
I'm now wondering if it's signal levels. The Green Box is right outside the house and when the V+ and seperate modem were installed they had a 10 db attenuator into the V+ and a 6 db attenuator into the modem.
looking atthe "technical stuff" page on the V+ I get the following signal related readings:-
SNR: 32.0 dB, 32.0 dB, 29.0 dB
AGC: -14 dBmV, -14 dBmV, -15 dBmV
Return Power: 58 dBmv
and the following on the Modem
Downstream Receive Power Level : -3.1 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 39.0 dB
Upstream transmit Power Level : 60.0 dBmV
are these levels about right? too high? too low?
Power levels are way to high you do need to call Tech Support about them if you can wait till sunday 1st June you can call free from a virgin landline on 151.
paul nolan
04-06-2008, 15:02
gaaaaah....
had techs out yesterday who removed the attenuators, lowering the signal by 10db for the V+ and 6db for the Modem. giving me a resonable upstream signal of 52-53ish
the 'net worked fine over night.... until at 13:50 I noticed those damn blinkin lights again.
looking at the settings on the V+ menu I currently have an upstream power of 0 db.
what makes it worse is the engineer said the box outside my house is completely oversubscribed to an extent that he put in a request for a cab box audit and possible to site a second box next to the first.
I'm on the Mother in Laws computer at the moment (tiscali)..... is there anyway of getting back onto the VM newsgroups from here?
homealone
04-06-2008, 17:55
I'm on the Mother in Laws computer at the moment (tiscali)..... is there anyway of getting back onto the VM newsgroups from here?
sorry, you can only access the virginmedia newsgroups from a VM connection ..
Anyone else in Southampton only getting 1 meg speed? been like it a good hour now :(
southampton here, i keep getting disconnected when im downloading or uploading on torrent.
SO15, internet was working before I went to work this morning, hasn't been working since I got home, middle light flashing on Pace STB, again :(
southwell
19-06-2008, 21:10
Basingstoke tempramental since 6pm.
still not working so phoned the server status number, no probs in this are, website says no probs, so phoned 151free number, spoke to some-one who said my signal levels are too low, so they are sending an engineer out tomorrow morning!
Interestingly he said that I may find that between now and then I may find I have intermittant connectivity, but should still let the engineer come and do his checks. Put the phone down, and as if by magic the ready light stops blinking, goes solid, and internet works again
Virgin man came and went , checked signal levels on STB and on modem, both were fine.
He did tell me that there are loads of problems to do with an amp in the cabinet for so15 area. He asked if I had problems with the tv guide, I said yes, and my dad who also lives in so15 moaned to me about the tv guide not working on his stb sometimes.
he said they've been expecting new part for a while, and he said he has been told it should be fixed by Thursday, apologised that that wasn't much help, but if problem is no better next weekend, I should ring up again.
He said he had another 6 tickets to do today, all most probably same problem.
If the supposedly steady lights blink , then it's highly unlikely that the CM will actually regain connection to the assigned uBR. Best bet would be to unplug it, and then plug it back in!
I don't think I can say that any simpler.
Problems again!
Sat afternoon broadbadn stopped working, but worked again Sunday morning. Stopped working mid Sunday afternoon.
Wasn't working when I got in from work, so phoned up again, an engineer is coming out next Monday!
But as if by magic broadband works again (this happened last time I phoned them)! I swear that the router/switch./whatever I'm connected to is plugged in to a power socket next to the one the cleaner there uses. every now and again the cleaner unplugs me by mistake, but if I'm lucky an NTL/Virgin person notices and plugs me back in, otherwise no-one notices til I phone them :(
Usual thing, ready light blink, everythign else off, every now and again sync starts flashing furiously, then gives up.
IF it's any help I'm in the waterlooville area (cosham/portsmouth). Both our boxes have been blinkin yet the internet on the cable modem is fine.
This is not the first problem we've had, only a few days ago the cosham area had major problems.
Got in from work today, and there was a message from tech support on the telephone, saying they have cancelled the engineer visit next week, as the fault has been fixed. He did say what it was but I couldn't understand what he said (accent, not jargon), but that I shoudl contact them again if I still have intermittent broadband.
So far so good, broadband is working ok, and for the first time in ages the middle light isn't blinking on the Pace STB.
whydoIneedatech
10-07-2008, 22:04
Got in from work today, and there was a message from tech support on the telephone, saying they have cancelled the engineer visit next week, as the fault has been fixed. He did say what it was but I couldn't understand what he said (accent, not jargon), but that I shoudl contact them again if I still have intermittent broadband.
So far so good, broadband is working ok, and for the first time in ages the middle light isn't blinking on the Pace STB.
You would be better calling up Customer Services and asking for an upgrade to a Stand Alone Cable Modem as with our present Pace box you can only receive 2Mb but with a SACM you can upgrade to 20Mb if you wanted, plus you would get a better connection.
I have got a standalone modem. I originally had both throught the stb but got fed up with internet suddenly not working, and having to turn off stb to fix it, obviously a pain if missus was watching tv at the time, so phoned up demanding fora separate modem a few years ago, as when I lived at my parents I had a separate modem and never had a problem with it.
whydoIneedatech
11-07-2008, 09:14
I have got a standalone modem. I originally had both throught the stb but got fed up with internet suddenly not working, and having to turn off stb to fix it, obviously a pain if missus was watching tv at the time, so phoned up demanding fora separate modem a few years ago, as when I lived at my parents I had a separate modem and never had a problem with it.
Sounded like you had just a STB when you mentioned the blinking light on a Pace box.
Best to call Tech Support if intermittent.
For help with your TV or Phone and for Broadband Technical Support:
Call Product Support/Faults on 151 from your Virgin Media Phone. It's absolutely free.
Or call 0845 454 1111 from any other phone line.
And again it has stopped working :( At least this time the phone message says a Southampton and Poole outage, still annoying though :(
got in from work, broadband not working, unplugged it all again got phonebill out etc so I'd have account number etc and I've noted previous outages on it so I could have agood moan. went up shops to get milk, then thought I'd have 1 last try before phoning, and broadband works again.
I guess this local problem still hasn't been fixed, I'll have to start ringing them the moment it goes down in future, I guess I've been too leniant:(
Stopped working again last night :(
Work again 1st thing before I went to work. During the day it stopped working. phoned them up when i got in from work, was told they will reregister my modem, and that will fix it. So hopefully i won't be updating this thread any more, finger crossed!
ARRRRRGH
internet stopped working last night
worked this morning
phoned them up when I got in from shops and it had stopped working
engineer said he couldn't connect to my modem, so sending an engineer out on Monday again :(
About to write down all my outages (this thread is useful for that) so I can write it all down properly with dates and contact complaints :(
it get's worse! They just phoned up to confirm the engineer visit on Wednesday! No I said engineer is due today! We have Wednesday in our records, so i outlien all problems I've had.
It seems a bit strange them phoning to confirm engineer visit, they don't normally do that :(
He says he'll ring back after he has checked to see if engineer can come out today. Phones back to say they can't will be Wednesday PM :(
Letter will definitely be written after this fiasco :(
At least the chap I spoke to today was polite, friendly, and gave me a direct line number if it's not resolved.
Great, I'm at work, missus was off today, she is aware of all troubles, left notes with her of it all, as doscumented on this thread ;)
So engineer turns up, says he has had 6 calls today in same area as us, another to go to, and can confirm it is cabinet in the street, which he can't do, but hopes they will fix it within next couple of days!
Where have I heard that before, hmmn, :(
---------- Post added at 17:54 ---------- Previous post was at 16:14 ----------
missus says a bit later he came back, they sent some-one out to the cabinet who has aparently fixed it, so fingers crossed.
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