I have a Telstra supplied 4G Sierra modem, on a 3G network. There is an indicator on the modem that switches between 3G and DC. When on DC communications are much slower. What does DC mean in the context of Broadband ? Is it a “backup” type of transmission ? The modem seems to use DC a lot so maybe I’m in an area of unreliable comms.

Rumpole,

Have a read of this – it may be of some help.

http://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Mobile-Broadband-3G-4G/Faulty-Sierra-Wireless-Bigpond-Mobile-WiFi-4G-Unit-3G-vs-DC/td-p/198523

Captain, thanks. Interesting to see others have the same problem.

Telstra often have no idea of what the problem is or could be, and aren’t really interested in fixes for such things.

So, they lose a few customers because of compatability issues with bits of their network, and similar things. Plenty more where they came from.

In the meantime, they’ll try to pin the blame on you, suggesting that you’ve got your equipment set up wrong, and telling you to try this, try that, try everything.

They may indirectly blame some fault in their exchanges, towers, etc., while protesting that it can’t possibly have had anything to do with your problem. They’ll always also tell you that the exchange/tower problem is now fixed, thus absolving themselves from any continuing problems.

As well, Telstra tech staff will tell lies about what they have or haven’t done. I’ve had personal experience of that and was able to prove it, but most people have to accept at face value claims that the problem has been checked and/or fixed.

We were having frequent slowdown and dropout problems with our D-Link modem/router.

I felt that it was getting overheated, as it has no heat vents in the top of the casing (for future reference, heat goes UP, D-Link).

I bought a 12 volt case fan with silent bearings from Jaycar, put a power plug on it and gave a 240v/12v power pack. Sat the modem on top, so the air goes up through the vents in the bottom (!), and dropouts are VERY rare now.

captain_spalding said:

We were having frequent slowdown and dropout problems with our D-Link modem/router.

I felt that it was getting overheated, as it has no heat vents in the top of the casing (for future reference, heat goes UP, D-Link).

I bought a 12 volt case fan with silent bearings from Jaycar, put a power plug on it and gave a 240v/12v power pack. Sat the modem on top, so the air goes up through the vents in the bottom (!), and dropouts are VERY rare now.

Huh! Similar problems with my home modem (Dynalink). It would overheat on hot days and stop working, necessitating a restart. I propped it up on two blocks off wood. Problem mostly cured. I thought about using a case fan, but was too lazy to go down the street and buy one. It appears to have vents, but doesn’t. Perhaps judicious holes drilled into the case would work, too…

I have had problems with Sierra dongle modems overheating and refusing to work. I put them in the freezer for a few minutes to fix the issue.

Michael V said:

]Huh! Similar problems with my home modem (Dynalink). It would overheat on hot days and stop working, necessitating a restart. I propped it up on two blocks off wood. Problem mostly cured. I thought about using a case fan, but was too lazy to go down the street and buy one. It appears to have vents, but doesn’t. Perhaps judicious holes drilled into the case would work, too…

I have had problems with Sierra dongle modems overheating and refusing to work. I put them in the freezer for a few minutes to fix the issue.

Our D-Link does have actual vents – if you puff some air through the front vents, it comes out the bottom vents, and vice versa.

Creating air space underneath helped somewhat, but it still had problems. That, together with the rather warm feeling on the top of the casing, is what convinced me it was a heat problem.

Putting overheated bits of gear in the freezer is a novel idea, but i do wonder about the cumulative effects of heating and rapid cooling on circuit board paths, solder, sockets, etc.

Putting overheated bits of gear in the freezer is a novel idea, but i do wonder about the cumulative effects of heating and rapid cooling on circuit board paths, solder, sockets, etc.
——

Me too, but when the boss wants the daily data sent to him, you do what you have to.

>Putting overheated bits of gear in the freezer is a novel idea, but i do wonder about the cumulative effects of heating and rapid cooling on circuit board paths, solder, sockets, etc.

Generally semi’s and passive components are spec’d for thermal cycles within a given range over some period (respectable suppliers), years say (this goes to severety of thermal cycles, rate of change), based on calculated statistical failure rates, from these probability of failure rates can be calculated for composite of parts operating in situ. Like in a modern telephone exchange it’s nice to know what the probability of failures might be into the future. A lot of this though depends how hard components are pushed, which has about it switching speeds, currents and voltages applied, max temp’s etc.

Getting adequate cooling is often a problem as equipment becomes more compact and it operates in near proximity to other equipment that drives up the ambient temperature. Like the derating that’d apply to something 25-35 degrees is not the same as from 45-55 degrees.

Laptops are good example of the compactness and limits of cooling, mine regularly overheats, but think it folds back the amount of work the CPU does to attempt to avert that. The grahics drive hardware falls over regularly too (possibly a software bug, but I think it temperature related).

For a lot of stuff convection cooling is hardly enough, but then the sound of fans can be maddening, and fans themselves add a component that can fail, and they do.

Lot off the stuff off the shelf for regular consumers probably only just works reliable af the suggested temp range, if you took some sample from multiple batches from the production line and tested them. Contast this with what is required of satellite systems and all the design and reliability testing that goes into that, which happened to see a documentary regards a way back, quite an education.

captain_spalding said:

Telstra often have no idea of what the problem is or could be, and aren’t really interested in fixes for such things.

So, they lose a few customers because of compatability issues with bits of their network, and similar things. Plenty more where they came from.

In the meantime, they’ll try to pin the blame on you, suggesting that you’ve got your equipment set up wrong, and telling you to try this, try that, try everything.

They may indirectly blame some fault in their exchanges, towers, etc., while protesting that it can’t possibly have had anything to do with your problem. They’ll always also tell you that the exchange/tower problem is now fixed, thus absolving themselves from any continuing problems.

As well, Telstra tech staff will tell lies about what they have or haven’t done. I’ve had personal experience of that and was able to prove it, but most people have to accept at face value claims that the problem has been checked and/or fixed.

I can back this up. I complained about service speed (wireless; they are “unable” to give me ADSL). They took me through a rigmarole about “your computer is at fault” until I could demonstrate that as soon as I left my local area, speeds immediately improved. They then admitted that the local tower was overloaded and that speeds slowed significantly during peak times (which was pretty much 0600 – 2359). They told me that the tower was being upgraded in the next 6 months. After 12 months there was still no improvement. I asked when the upgrades were occurring; they started me through the whole “your equipment is at fault” process again. It’s now been over four years and still no upgrade. I left them a couple of years ago (my current provider uses the same Telstra network but at a cheaper price).

It was so funny: when I told Telstra I was leaving they tried to offer me enticements to stay; the thing is that the enticements failed on every level: they offered me equipment I didn’t want with an increased allowance I couldn’t use bundled into a two year contract at a price that was higher than I was paying then and more than I would pay when I moved. Seriously, if they deliberately tried to make every aspect of the service worse then they could not have done much better than what they offered.

Obviousman said:

Yes. when i transferred our phone and internet services to another provider, Telstra called me and offered me free theatre tickets, free dinners, cut rate this, reduced that etc.

I, too, pointed out that, even after all those ‘freebies’, it would still cost me more to stay with them to transfer.

I also mentioned that, had they, at any stage during the many years i’d been a loyal and prompt-paying customer of theirs, given me any of those freebies, i might have been just a tad more hesitant about leaving them. But, as they hadn’t, i wasn’t.

The unfortunate thing is that no matter how crap Telstra are as a provider, you often find that going to another provider (especially based on price) delivers even worse service.

And when things fall over (and they will at some point) there is a lot to be said for having your ISP own the copper that is delivering your data to avoid the inevitable finger-pointing by both Telstra and your ISP with you being the poor idiot in the middle.

Carmen_Sandiego said:

The unfortunate thing is that no matter how crap Telstra are as a provider, you often find that going to another provider (especially based on price) delivers even worse service.

And when things fall over (and they will at some point) there is a lot to be said for having your ISP own the copper that is delivering your data to avoid the inevitable finger-pointing by both Telstra and your ISP with you being the poor idiot in the middle.

Largely, those are the reasons i stayed with Telstra for as long as i did.

I’ve found that other ISPs can be both better and worse than Big T. The one we have now has been good for us. Of course, it’s Telstra’s copper, as you say, but it functions just as well with an independent’s name on the bill as it does with Telstra’s name.

I supposethat, at least, independent ISPs have Telstra to blame – unlike Telstra, they don’t have to immediately resort to pinning the blame for any problems you’re having on you, the customer.

>And when things fall over (and they will at some point) there is a lot to be said for having your ISP own the copper that is delivering your data to avoid the inevitable finger-pointing by both Telstra and your ISP with you being the poor idiot in the middle.

My service is so fast and reliable I hope for breakdowns just for something different.

Had chap over from england recently, did the rounds of the stock water with me and asked what if I have a breakdown, I said that’d be good because it get to walk home for a change, not a bad walk and all, anyway I went on further to say someone would likely come along and offer me a ride and fuck the walk up anyway.

I reckon there should be a class action, someone needs to start one

unreliable service, quality of service issues etc

must be some clever solicitors around willing to take on a class action

overloaded towers are not good enough

And their customer service is way below standard.

Divine Angel said:

And their customer service is way below standard.

Give ‘em a break – English isn’t their first language.

Divine Angel said:

And their customer service is way below standard.

Oh, I don’t know about that. The chair of Telstra called Mrs V to wish us a happy New Year, and invite us over for afternoon tea.

I’d be happy if we could go back to overhead telegraph lines, and the old phones you crank the handle and get a lady the other end and she asks what number you want to ring, I like retro.

If that happened and the interest in new high speed telcom’s declined we might get a bank back in this one horse town, with staff in it.

Michael V said:

Divine Angel said:

And their customer service is way below standard.

Oh, I don’t know about that. The chair of Telstra called Mrs V to wish us a happy New Year, and invite us over for afternoon tea.

Gee, Michael, and to think i was worried about getting MY pills.

I’ve never had phone calls from furniture (yet).

captain_spalding said:

Michael V said:

Divine Angel said:

And their customer service is way below standard.

Oh, I don’t know about that. The chair of Telstra called Mrs V to wish us a happy New Year, and invite us over for afternoon tea.

Gee, Michael, and to think i was worried about getting MY pills.

I’ve never had phone calls from furniture (yet).

Are you thinking I need pills? What for? I reckon I am OK. Well, OK most of the time (twitch).

Michael V said:

captain_spalding said:

Michael V said:

Oh, I don’t know about that. The chair of Telstra called Mrs V to wish us a happy New Year, and invite us over for afternoon tea.

Gee, Michael, and to think i was worried about getting MY pills.

I’ve never had phone calls from furniture (yet).

Are you thinking I need pills? What for? I reckon I am OK. Well, OK most of the time (twitch).

My doc calls that kind of pills smarties. You’d be smart not to take ‘em.

Telstra aren’t the only stupid ones out there.

I had an ISP which, when i changed address, wanted to charge me $140.00 to shift my account from the old phone number to the new one.

Work required at their end: miniscule to the point of invisibility. Cost at my end: hefty. I said they should waive that fee, and they said no.

I told them i was terminating my account with them, and went shopping for a new ISP.

Over then next few weeks, while my account with them ran out, the old ISP badgered me, trying to persuade me to stay with them. They offered various things, but i felt they’d had their chance.

Eventually, one of their people offered to reduce the transfer fee. I said no. Then, they offered to waive the fee altogether.

I pointed out that i’d asked for that weeks previously, and if they’d been reasonable then, we wouldn’t have been talking on the phone now. With which, their rep agreed.

And i signed with another ISP.

Nicely done, Capt :)

I still remember a Telstra dude named Herman. He was the worst customer service person I have ever come across (this was before Telstra outsourced). Thanks to him, and my subsequent complaint, I had all sorts of fees and charges waived :)

the TIO is your friend. you certainly getting a reaction from your isp when they get a call from them.

JudgeMental said:

the TIO is your friend. you certainly getting a reaction from your isp when they get a call from them.

Yes, TIO is useful. Needs much more in the way of resources than what it has.

I lodged a complaint with them years back, when an ISP fed me a series of fairy tales about why they couldn’t provide me with a service.

Soon got a response from the ISP – seems that they were too embarrassed to admit they’d over-extended their promises, hadn’t been clear on what they could/would do, and had given no guidance to their staff about what to tell people (hence the catalogue of disparate fictions). Appears their marketing people had told them to just pretend it wasn’t a problem, and it’d go away.

I told them that customers could handle the truth, and would respect them for it, and that they should send their marketing people to AA.

I told them that customers could handle the truth, and would respect them for it,

correct, not too much to ask and far less hassle for them in the long run. we understand problems arise, it’s ok, just let us know.

>I told them that customers could handle the truth, and would respect them for it, and that they should send their marketing people to AA.

You want them to srat talking to customers like Jim Carey in Liar Liar.