Leicester broadband connection problems

[Drumbeat]

Anybody else having problems with their broadband internet connection in Leicester? The service has been dire since Thursday,Dec 11th. I fire up my iMac and then Firefox and up pops Google.......for a few seconds. Then the internet connection dies on me, total loss of service for at least three minutes. Then all is ok again, then the connection drops again. It's doing my head in!
When the broadband connection dies, all the lights on the modem (apart from the 'Power' light) disappear. It's an NTL Home 100 model. I notice in my computer's Network settings that when I lose the internet connection, my IP address changes to 169. When the connection decides to return, my correct 86. address then displays in Network settings.
I have twice rang India, and got nowhere. It's the same old script-read stuff.......unplug cable lead from modem, plug lead back in etc.
I have twice e-mailed Virgin Media and it seems, in my case, that their policy is to not bother responding to queries. They take my money via Direct Debit, they don't care.
I have checked Virgin's Service Status online. OK, so it does say there are UK connection problems. However, should this fault really be taking so long to suss out and get sorted? Nearly two weeks on from the fault occurring and, well, it's just pathetic.

[Axegrinder]

All lights including the ENET light? Sounds like the modem is rebooting itself, you need a new modem as the ambit 100 is getting quite old now.

[Drumbeat]

Hi,
Yes all lights go out. They gradually return when the connection fires up again.
Who do I contact about a replacement modem? The call centre people in India didn't
want to know when I asked if it was due to my ancient modem. So who do I ring at Virgin.....on what number?
Thanks for your rapid reply Axegrinder.

[*sloman*]

If its an Ambit 100 call VM and get a ambit 255/256.

I had the same problem 5 months ago with my ambit 120.

I thought mine was due to faulty power adapter dropping the connection and not the modem its self.

I borrowed my friends power pack from his 120 and it worked all day. When he used mine he had the same problem.

Had new modem within 2 days.

call 151 or 150 or 0845 454 1111 (its hit or miss if you get a UK person i think)

[Drumbeat]

Thanks for your reply Sloman. I have just been on the phone to VM, and actually got through to a UK call centre. The gist of it is that a VM engineer is coming out tomorrow afternoon to sort the problem.

[gazleics]

I too am having the same problem in Leicester with my modem randomly rebooting, Mine is also an ntl home 100.

[whydoIneedatech]

Hi,
Yes all lights go out. They gradually return when the connection fires up again.
Who do I contact about a replacement modem? The call centre people in India didn't
want to know when I asked if it was due to my ancient modem. So who do I ring at Virgin.....on what number?
Thanks for your rapid reply Axegrinder.
You may get a better and quicker result using the Newsgroups, set up link below, just send your details and fault issues to them.

Tech Support via Newsgroups.

virginmedia.support.broadband.cable is the one that you want to use and here is the set up link http://www.virginmedia.com/customers...setting-up.php

[Drumbeat]

I too am having the same problem in Leicester with my modem randomly rebooting, Mine is also an ntl home 100.



Gaz,
I will let you know, via this forum, what the Virgin engineer does tomorrow regarding the broadband connection problems I'm encountering.

[Shaun]

I'm having similar issues- thought it was down to downgrading to the 10Mbit service vut obviously not!

[Nikesh]

I'm in Leicester too and my internet has been fine. :)

10Mb in LE3 btw...

[Drumbeat]

I'm in Leicester too and my internet has been fine. :)

10Mb in LE3 btw...

This is how daft VM is. According to a pre-recorded 151 fault-line message, the Leicester areas of LE3,LE5,LE67 were having broadband internet connection problems. Nikesh has proven this to be untrue.

---------- Post added at 22:20 ---------- Previous post was at 22:19 ----------

I'm having similar issues- thought it was down to downgrading to the 10Mbit service vut obviously not!

Shaun, will let you know here what the NTL engineer says/does tomorrow.

[caph]

Drumbeat, Virgin are busy upgrading their network to 50Mb at the moment and they don't seem to care who they shaft in the process. You may well find that you're up the creek for a couple of weeks. You won't get any apology or explanation though. Mine lasted a couple of weeks and I was getting dial up speeds throughout.

[horrorwood]

This is how daft VM is. According to a pre-recorded 151 fault-line message, the Leicester areas of LE3,LE5,LE67 were having broadband internet connection problems. Nikesh has proven this to be untrue.


I am in LE67 and on 20mb. Not disconnected in ages, and always full speed, so I would say that is wrong.

[Drumbeat]

Thanks for all your replies.
The VM engineer arrived today and solved the connection problem by taking away the old modem, replacing it with the Ambit 256 model.

[Nikesh]

Glad you got it sorted. :)

[Drumbeat]

Thanks Nikesh. Me too!

[Anonybocks]

Hi everyone,

had the same problem twice over, the first time was about the same time as the posters here (Mid Dec ish) - booked an engineer then the problem sorted itself out so canceled said engineer (mistake!).

Had the same problem recur just over a week ago (modem drops connection, rdy and sync lights blink randomly and go out, modem reboots etc etc). Re-booked engineer after pointless and costly phone conversation with Mumbai or wherever operative.

Engineer turns up and takes one look at modem (ntl home 100) and says "Oh it's a silver one, I'll just pop out and get you a replacement", he then explains that after the upgrade the network is now DOCSIS 3(?) compliant and the modem is only DOCSIS (2 or 1?) - Ok so the eyeglaze started to develop at that point. After the comedy procedure of doing the swap out - including texting the MAC address - deep joy for all concerned - the modem locked on beautifully.

But the rub is VM claim the home 100/250 etc are "capable" of receiving the XL service (I'm on "L" btw). This may be true, but if the modem can't negotiate a connection due to a standards issue what's the use???

i don't know if VM "know" what modem each user has but it seems to have a policy of "If they don't complain, leave alone"

Good news is the ambit 256 delivers what you're paying for (10Mb in my case).

[Drumbeat]

Hi Anonybocks,
When the NTL/Virgin engineer saw my modem (the same one you had) he said straight away "this is the problem". He replaced the modem with an up-to-date model and since then I have had no connection problems. It seems the NTL Home modem some customers are having problems with is, as you know from experience, not capable of receiving a decent broadband connection.
(By the way.......NTL's online 'CUSTOMER SERVICE' (what a joke!) have responded to my emails at last. Only emailed them a month ago! One reply told me to unplug the NTL Home modem....plug it back in etc. The other response asked me to call their Fault Line. Neither of the idiots have realised the modem has been changed).