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[tuftedduck]

I wonder if I may be so bold as to seek advice or comments from some kind soul.
As usual when something happens that TD does not understand.....he gets into a flap..( no pun intended).

Reproduced here is the gist of an e-mail received this am from Virgin :-

"Dear


Before we get started

We wanted to let you know about some quick work we’re doing on the Virgin Broadband service in your area soon. It’ll help make sure you’re always getting the best service possible.

The work should take 30 seconds in most cases (or up to 15 minutes in very rare instances) at some point between 3rd and 30th November. During this time, your phone line won’t be affected, but you might notice that your broadband isn’t connecting quite the same as normal for those brief 30 seconds. Hopefully you won’t notice a thing.


Once we’re done

Your service should restore itself automatically, but if not, all you need to do is turn off your modem or router then switch it back on again.

After this, it may take a few days for your connection to settle down, which may mean the occasional brief loss of service, but there’s no need to worry - just wait a minute and the router will reconnect itself, or you can just reconnect the modem yourself. If you find it keeps happening, do get in touch. We have a dedicated team ready and waiting to help make sure you’re getting the best service possible. You can email our team at support@virgin.net or call on 0845 454 2222* selecting option 3.


Want to know more? Just visit virginmedia.com/help/national


All the best,

The Virgin Media team"



Now there are not many specifics there to tell me what exactly they are going to do.

I have looked at the link they have advised but that takes me to their normal help pages where I cannot see anything specific to the matter in hand, and so far I have not managed to have the phone number or my mail to them answered.



What might Virgin be doing ?
The only change to their service that I am aware of is their impending switch of their email service from their own servers to those used by GMail......but surely that would not entail the fiddling with the router that is stated as being possibly required.


According to the Kitz Exchange Checker, there is no scheduled upgrades there, the checker reads.....

" Exchange:
Location:
Distance:-   Direct:        184 metres
    (appx)*   By Road:   161 metres
    Status   
   ADSL enabled:   July 27, 2004
   DSL Max enabled:    March 30, 2006
   SDSL enabled :   Not Enabled
   21CN due : (PSTN)   No Info
   21CN WBC (Broadband)   RFS date 30.03.11
    Broadband Access†   Market 1.........................................."


What might be happening ?

Thank you in advance..

[roseway]

As far as I recall, you have a normal BT-based connection, not LLU, so any work being done by VM won't affect your ADSL connection with the exchange, only the VM part of the connection. If it only takes 30 seconds I would guess that they are installing new equipment and have to swap the cables over from the old to the new equipment. Each subscriber would see a brief interruption of their PPP session (the login with VM) and then it would reconnect again.

[UncleUB]

As you are very close to the Exchange,you could always keep an eye out for the Virgin Media Van,and then perhaps a word in the engineers shell like.

[roseway]

The work probably isn't happening in the local exchange, but in VM's premises somewhere.

[tuftedduck]

Thank you for the comments.

@ roseway......>>"As far as I recall, you have a normal BT-based connection, not LLU"<<<.............your memory serves you very well..

When you talk of Virgin installing new eqipment, would that be at their server end of the business rather than the exchange end ?

@ unkyUb....if a Virgin Media van turned up here you would not get within a mile of it......such an event as a stranger in the place would have the whole village clustering round, rubbernecking and giving advice...


The whole thing is probably nothing to worry about...but TD does enjoy a good fret.. ...............and Virgin are so precise as to when all this is to happen ( quote :-"at some point between 3rd and 30th November"  )



Oooops...roseway has slipped in with the answer to my question above....thank you. 

[UncleUB]

TD, I seem to remember a while back that were going to move to another ISP................?

I take it you must be happy with Virgin.   

[roseway]

I just had a look at the Virgin Media National site, and clicked on 'Service fault' then 'Service status' and got this:

Sorry we cannot process your request at the moment.

Due to essential maintenance this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later.

[kitz]

>>> work we’re doing on the Virgin Broadband service in your area soon

Sounds awfully like an LLU type letter.
Out of curiosity are C&W / Bulldog available at your exchange from the adsl checker?
Virgin are moving any customers they can over to C&W LLU.


>> After this, it may take a few days for your connection to settle down,

That indicates something at the exchange - new DLM period - either BTw's or C&W's?
I know VM have some problems with their Bams being overcrowded...  but Im not aware that they are moving people to datastream which could be another possibility.
21CN isnt due for quite a while so it cant be that either.

[tuftedduck]

Thank you all for the further comments.

@ roseway............. ..........

@ kitz...........as far as I am aware,there are no LLU facilities at my exchange and the exchange checker indicates that neither C&W nor Bulldog are available here. Unless of course such are due to be installed, but as there are only 400 souls in the village, with only me as a Virgin subscriber ( the bulk of the local users appear to be Tiscali Happy Bunnies ) and there being no LLU even in the local Big Smoke, I cannot see that coming here for some long time.

Will have to wait and see... ............and see if I can have a word with the Openreach engineer who lives in the village.....he may know something even if it is not in his own direct field of responsibilty.


@ unkyUb..........yes, was contemplating a move to a different ISP and spent many hours trawling through all the various packages, T&Cs etc and eventually boiled it down to a shortlist of two.
Communicated with both of them extensively, during which chitchat they both suggested that I should put aside my wee ST330 modem and use a router instead ( no doubt, wishing to sell me their own bit of kit)
I bought my own router from a third pary and installed same in preparation for a migration.
Since doing that, 99% of the problems that I had ascribed to Virgin Media have gone away....and I now have a service from them which is good enough for me.
I can only assume that my ST330 had gone wrong in some way...and that Virgin were not responsible for my woes.
I then just stayed with Virgin...easier that all the hassle of migrating and updating e-addies etc.

Thank you again for your comments and advice. 

[BritBrat]

I also thought LLU or 21CN.

[tuftedduck]

Don't know if it relevant, but attached are my router stats and a speedtest result for today.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[UncleUB]

TD,your upstream looks very low and your ping,why are you using the Dublin server on that speedtest?

[tuftedduck]

@ unkyUb...>>why are you using the Dublin server on that speedtest<<<

No special reason, it was just the first one that came to hand....will try some of the others...

[UncleUB]

I'm no techie,but your snr margin looks high for your line attenuation.

I suppose someone will come along and say otherwise......

This might explain it

Its important to note that on very good lines which would be able to sync in excess of 8Mb and which are currently syncing at 8128 or 7616 will show the SNR Margin as being higher due to the line not having reached its full potential. Such lines may well have the output power reduced in order to minimise crosstalk for other connections, therefore the SNRM figure is not an indication of the true target in these particular cases.

Read more: http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/linestats.htm#ixzz0VDhyrlQ4

[tuftedduck]

   :cry2:

And heres me thinking that all was well......

Don't tell me any more, unkyUb, or I'll be throwing myself off the bridge....