Bulldog DSL 4MB London crap

Is anyone else having problems with Bulldog particularly in London ?

Their service cuts out with perfect regularity about every 20 minutes or
half hour or so. It is usually down for about 30-60 seconds before it
becomes active again.

This makes online gaming impossible and wreaks havoc with some p2p apps.

Also their DNS server is as slow as shit. Often waiting 10 seconds or more
before a page loads. Customer service is rubbish and staffed by monkeys.

"Anonymous" <Use-Author-Supplied-Address@[127.1]> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Is anyone else having problems with Bulldog particularly in London ?
>
> Their service cuts out with perfect regularity about every 20 minutes or
> half hour or so. It is usually down for about 30-60 seconds before it
> becomes active again.

Does your ADSL modem/router give you line stats?

While Bulldog provide a 4MB internet service - they often sync your ADSL
line speed at 6 or 8MB.

If your line can't cope with these higher speeds, you would get the kind of
symptoms you are describing - Bulldog can lower the sync speed on your line.

Also, is your modem/router plugged into the master socket? If not, that may
improve your SNR readings as well - giving you a more stable service

Regards
Sunil

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
"Sunil Sood" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> "Anonymous" <Use-Author-Supplied-Address@[127.1]> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Is anyone else having problems with Bulldog particularly in London ?
> >
> > Their service cuts out with perfect regularity about every 20 minutes or
> > half hour or so. It is usually down for about 30-60 seconds before it
> > becomes active again.
>
> Does your ADSL modem/router give you line stats?

Not sure, linksys router says under DSL status:

Downstream Rate: 5024 Kbps

Upstream Rate:576 Kbps

Encapsulation:RFC 2364 PPPoA

VPI:0

VCI:38

Multiplexing:VC

>
> While Bulldog provide a 4MB internet service - they often sync your ADSL

> line speed at 6 or 8MB.
>
> If your line can't cope with these higher speeds, you would get the kind
of
> symptoms you are describing - Bulldog can lower the sync speed on your line.


Very interesting. I didn't know that.

>
> Also, is your modem/router plugged into the master socket? If not, that may

> improve your SNR readings as well - giving you a more stable service

Yes it is in the master socket.

>
> Regards
> Sunil

Alright thanks for the info Sunil. I'm not too sure what to do about it at
the moment.

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Use-Author-
Supplied-Address@[127.1] says...
> Is anyone else having problems with Bulldog particularly in London ?
>
> Their service cuts out with perfect regularity about every 20 minutes or
> half hour or so. It is usually down for about 30-60 seconds before it
> becomes active again.

I was activated Tuesday, but BT didn't sign off the change over until
Thursday AM.
My phone works fine as it should.
But my ADSL won't sync. It does try to for 13-17 seconds then drops.
I'm using the old Alcatel Speedtouch USB, with the BT supplied ADSL
extension running from an engineer install filtered split master socket.

Bulldog suggested it might be my Sky box, or other devices plugged into
the master socket that is causing the problem. I unplugged everything
except the ADSL extension and still nothing helps.


Also the recieve sync speed changes every time it attempts to sync, goes
up and down like a tart's knickers. Ranges from over 6000kbps down to
5408kbps.

It doesn't even stay synced long enough for me to attempt to login to at
least make sure that my username/password work.

I was supposed to get a call back from Technical last night with an
update. When I phoned Customer services today, they said "Things are
very busy in Technical ATM, they have a queueing system, and your
request is unfortunatly at the end of it and I can't even give you a
rough timescale as to when they might get to it".

I guess that means I'm totally buggered and can't even request a line
card reset and sync speed cap until after the weekend, because I doubt
anyone who does anything useful works weekends.

I may just email Finance and billing from the bulldoghome portal while
I'm at work, and request that as a gesture of goodwill and an enticement
to get me to hang arround beyond my first months contract (which I will
not have had access to a quarter of by the time it is fixed) they will
waive the first months connection fees for the phone and broadband.
--
"Sorry Sir, the meatballs are Orf"
The poster formerly known as Skodapilot.
http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

"Anonymous" <Use-Author-Supplied-Address@[127.1]> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Does your ADSL modem/router give you line stats?
>
> Not sure, linksys router says under DSL status:
>
> Downstream Rate: 5024 Kbps
>
> Upstream Rate:576 Kbps

Does the Linksys give you an attenuation or SNR/Signal Margin/noise readings
?

If it is a low SNR problem, you could ask Bulldog to lower your downstream
rate to say 4600Kbps.. and see if that makes a difference.

Regards
Sunil

"Sleeker GT Phwoar" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) t...
> But my ADSL won't sync. It does try to for 13-17 seconds then drops.
> I'm using the old Alcatel Speedtouch USB, with the BT supplied ADSL
> extension running from an engineer install filtered split master socket.
>
> Bulldog suggested it might be my Sky box, or other devices plugged into
> the master socket that is causing the problem. I unplugged everything
> except the ADSL extension and still nothing helps.
>
> Also the recieve sync speed changes every time it attempts to sync, goes
> up and down like a tart's knickers. Ranges from over 6000kbps down to
> 5408kbps.

Sounds like an SNR problem - if you install "Dr Speedtouch"
(http://www.speedtouch.co.uk/330.asp) its possible to find out your dB and
SNR readings.

Regards
Sunil

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
says...
>
> "Sleeker GT Phwoar" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed) t...
> > But my ADSL won't sync. It does try to for 13-17 seconds then drops.
> > I'm using the old Alcatel Speedtouch USB, with the BT supplied ADSL
> > extension running from an engineer install filtered split master socket..
> >
> > Bulldog suggested it might be my Sky box, or other devices plugged into
> > the master socket that is causing the problem. I unplugged everything
> > except the ADSL extension and still nothing helps.
> >
> > Also the recieve sync speed changes every time it attempts to sync, goes
> > up and down like a tart's knickers. Ranges from over 6000kbps down to
> > 5408kbps.
>
> Sounds like an SNR problem - if you install "Dr Speedtouch"
> (http://www.speedtouch.co.uk/330.asp) its possible to find out your dB and
> SNR readings.
>
> Regards
> Sunil
>
>
>
Well.

It gets worse.
Saturday evening, noticed that the sync speed had dropped to 4meg, but
made no change.
Then later, it dropped to 3.8 and suddenly I had a reliable 3.4meg PPPOA
connection. Then it started to go flaky.

Then my mobile rang, missus's mother called to say that our phone was
dead.

DLed some windows updates, rebooted, and sync had gone back to 4meg, and
wouldn't stay connected. Phone still never came back.

Today, I nipped out to PCWorld (only them and Maplins open local on a
Sunday) and blew £40 on a Zoom PCI. Just installed it and got a rock
solid stable 4meg connection.

No phone yet though.
--
Carl Robson
"Sorry Sir the meatballs are orf"
(The poster formerly known as Skodapilot)
http://www.bouncing-czechs.com