I don't want to get too far afield on this question, but in answer to Jim and Anne, Mine is the "other big ISP" in the USA that had joined with AOL then the 2 companies severed their relationship. It's also the ISP that gets a zillion complaints on Internet Forums if you need to vent. The cable/internet company has: - checked for electrical problems / appliance surges - "noise" in the house and neighborhood - wires in and out, but ampliphiers on the pole keep showing intermittently bad (but it takes the ISP months to find the glitch) - given me every excuse in the book and I've proven each one wrong - we've isolated and "hidden" me so neighbors can't be on my account - the ONLY way the company "sees" the issue is by running continuous ping tests, 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week (and the signal drops out HOURLY) Symptoms - Not just "slow" pages but it literally sits at one "progress bar" when the signal has been dropped -- and if I try F5 then, i'll get the you have no Internet page (see below) - AOL if open says good-bye first (AOL is set to time out like 6-7 secs after the signal has already dropped; but internet Explorer waits longer, like 11 seconds before it stops working after a signal drops) - This means gmail gives me a hint about being dropped-- if open it will report "Chat is not available"-- when the signal comes back, the WE tray notification tells me "Internet Connect, strength Excellent AND gmail - if the drop continues long, then I get IE's "diagnose internet connection" page (i.e. "ya don't have internet access, silly person") - *sometimes* at the same time, TV has audio that sounds like "ha-ba-cha-da-ah-ah-ma"-- cutting in & cutting out, so it sounds like a cell phone instead of TV audio (related to the digital feed problems this cable has intermittently) I saw help articles for how to disable the Windows Notifications but not what each notification implies or shows. I just read John's reply. I knew about doing a single cmd and the ISP told me I could type say ping www.yahoo.com -t The -t is a continuous ping but the results give limited info (secs to return is all) . So I'll try the 2 box method you described to see which side is dropping out first. Thank you for the instructions. I'd like to think that sometime I'll have good 'basic cable' and wireless considering I'm forced to pay $110.00 for the basics! (They aren't charging me for the router cos it's a test.) Judy On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 11:42 AM, Jim Rickenbacker(3) <j3mr2@borisbrooks.com > wrote: > Judy, > > The "balloon notification" only tells about the wireless connection from > your computer to the router. It doesn't tell you about the service. My > notebook also pops up the balloon occasionally. I'm not sure why. Most > likely there was a burst of interferrence (from any number of sources) that > momemtarily disrupted the connection or it may just be reconnecting after a > period of inactivity. If your balloon opens repeatedly throughout the day > you may have an appliance or somethng near you that is causing a periodic > burst of interferrence. > > The best way to check the actual internet service is to look at the cable > modem lights. In general if the "Cable" "Online" and "Power" lights are > steady on the service is connected. If one or more of them are blinking the > service was dropped and is reconnecting. Under normal connected conditions > the "Ethernet" light should be the only one blinking. There may be some > differences depending on the specific modem but most cable modems work this > way. > > Pages loading quickly after a (sometimes very long) delay can have many > causes, including the above. Many of these causes are outside your ISP's > control. Identifying the exact cause may be very difficult. > > Jim Rickenbacker > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "J.A. Florian" <cageycat@gmail.com> > To: <rootsweb-help@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 9:31 AM > Subject: [ROOTSWEB-HELP] ISP//Connection question > > > > We all know those "balloon notifications on the Windows Explorer Toolbar. > > For example, one balloon might open to say that you have an Internet > > Connection and the quality of the signal strength. > > > > Well, I want to know the kinds of reasons that a balloon would open to > > tell > > you (repeatedly throughout the day) that you have an Internet Connection > > and > > the quality of the signal strength is excellent. > > > > My ISP and I have been fighting for years about repeated drops of > service. > > I contend that the balloon notification would not continually open to > tell > > me I have an Internet Connection, unless the service drops out and comes > > back (thus, the balloon opens). Am I right? Note this is not the only > > "symptom" of being dropped; the notification is just one reason I know > the > > connection was temporary/intermittently dropped. For example, I can be > > "on" > > a web page and ask to go to a different page...but it doesn't load > fast... > > then, the notification pops open...then the page loads fast or loads if I > > do > > refresh. > > > > I had plain wireless, modem only--- lots of signal problems. They put in > > a > > router with the modem. It hasn't helped much. Therefore, the ISP > > contends > > that "something" must be dropping the signal between the modem and > > computer. Note: I am less than 3 feet from the modem and router. > > Previously, I was 8-10 feet away, direct line of sight (no obstacles), > > with > > the same symptoms occuring. We also tried a hard-wire directly to the > > computer. > > > > I contend it is not a problem with my computer because this is the 4th > > laptop over the past 4 to 6 years, and with each laptop (different > > manufacturers) the intermittent problem has remained the same-- some days > > better, some days worse. > > > > Any ideas? > > > > Any ideas for how I can prove to the company that it is their problem/ > > their > > equipment dropping the signal? > > > > Judy > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ROOTSWEB-HELP-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- -- WASHINGTON COUNTY PA WEBSITES::: http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.com/~florian/ Coordinator of the Washington County PAGenWeb: http://www.rootsweb.com/~pawashin/

In my experience, cable internet service got better when CC took over from TW. Also, in my experience, DSL is way more reliable than cable internet if you can get DSL. Supposedly it doesn't have the max speed of cable but I haven't found it to be noticably slower. My 3 mbps DSL seems about as fast as my 6 mbps cable internet and is far more reliable. This sort of intermittent problem is very difficult to find so you are really dependent on getting an experienced cable/internet engineer that knows how the whole system works. It's hard to get one of these to work on an individual problem since there's usually only one of these for the local office or maybe for entire area. What has worked for me in the past is a letter of complaint to the local regulatory entity with a copy to the CEO of the ISP. In my case, this got the attention of local management and the assignment of an engineer who found the problem and made sure it was fixed. Jim Rickenbacker ----- Original Message ----- From: "J.A. Florian" <cageycat@gmail.com> To: <rootsweb-help@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 1:11 PM Subject: Re: [ROOTSWEB-HELP] ISP//Connection question >I don't want to get too far afield on this question, but in answer to Jim > and Anne, > > Mine is the "other big ISP" in the USA that had joined with AOL then the 2 > companies severed their relationship. It's also the ISP that gets a > zillion > complaints on Internet Forums if you need to vent. > > The cable/internet company has: > - checked for electrical problems / appliance surges > - "noise" in the house and neighborhood > - wires in and out, but ampliphiers on the pole keep showing > intermittently > bad (but it takes the ISP months to find the glitch) > - given me every excuse in the book and I've proven each one wrong > - we've isolated and "hidden" me so neighbors can't be on my account > - the ONLY way the company "sees" the issue is by running continuous ping > tests, 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week (and the signal drops out HOURLY) > > Symptoms > - Not just "slow" pages but it literally sits at one "progress bar" when > the > signal has been dropped -- and if I try F5 then, i'll get the you have no > Internet page (see below) > - AOL if open says good-bye first (AOL is set to time out like 6-7 secs > after the signal has already dropped; but internet Explorer waits longer, > like 11 seconds before it stops working after a signal drops) > - This means gmail gives me a hint about being dropped-- if open it will > report "Chat is not available"-- when the signal comes back, the WE tray > notification tells me "Internet Connect, strength Excellent AND gmail > - if the drop continues long, then I get IE's "diagnose internet > connection" page (i.e. "ya don't have internet access, silly person") > - *sometimes* at the same time, TV has audio that sounds like > "ha-ba-cha-da-ah-ah-ma"-- cutting in & cutting out, so it sounds like a > cell > phone instead of TV audio (related to the digital feed problems this cable > has intermittently) > > > I saw help articles for how to disable the Windows Notifications but not > what each notification implies or shows. > > > I just read John's reply. I knew about doing a single cmd and the ISP > told > me I could type say > ping www.yahoo.com -t The -t is a continuous ping but the results give > limited info (secs to return is all) . So I'll try the 2 box method you > described to see which side is dropping out first. Thank you for the > instructions. > > I'd like to think that sometime I'll have good 'basic cable' and wireless > considering I'm forced to pay $110.00 for the basics! (They aren't > charging > me for the router cos it's a test.) > > Judy

Just an update on today... Once again today, they finally SAW some issues at the local node feeding my area from the next largest city. I have repeated, intermittent packet loss (sometimes with high power and high flaps) -- this has been going on every day/week/month for over 5 years! This problem ONLY shows up on their continuous ping testing (not on quick tests). What's weird is, there seems to be a definite pattern, although no one can decipher why. The pattern is (1) packet loss and loss of service for short periods of time that ALWAYS hit between quarter to the hour and 10 after the hour, EVERY hour, so it could show at 6:45a, 7:05a, 7:59a, 8:49a, 9:12a, etc all day and night and (2) modem's have high power, flaps and packet loss---leading to total loss of service on FRIDAYS, worsening by 11am..with total city outages by 3pm Fridays. They get it back up fast but the pattern is perplexing. I've often suggested that some piece of eqipment from the local node or going back to Engineering at the "head end" (2 hours away) is re-setting itself once an hour. (Cable TV also used to shut itself off at 2am every morning). I *have* made numerous complaints. There is no "regulatory body" over cable/internet, like the FCC does for utilities. I've complained from the headquarters, to my state's Division head, to the local supervisors, to Engineers, etc. Engineers have come from the "head end" to my house... I've got the direct numbers to the local supervisor over the local PM techs that come to homes; I talk to the local 2nd in command monthly-- often weekly; I complained to the BBB (which brought more attention than I thought it would)..... but, alas, the service problems continue! So, the bottom line today is, I didn't have to prove (once again) that it's not my computer, because they finally saw it on the continuous ping testing and on the node. I fear before I'm done fighting the company, I'll need an Engineering degree! LOL I sure know more than I ever wanted to know about how signal travels through wires to translate into pics and sound... and how computers communicate back and forth during packet transfers! The intermittent connection sure makes it hard to upload my websites! Thanks for the ideas and letting me vent, too. Judy On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 3:09 PM, Jim Rickenbacker(3) <j3mr2@borisbrooks.com>wrote: > In my experience, cable internet service got better when CC took over from > TW. Also, in my experience, DSL is way more reliable than cable internet > if > you can get DSL. Supposedly it doesn't have the max speed of cable but I > haven't found it to be noticably slower. My 3 mbps DSL seems about as fast > as my 6 mbps cable internet and is far more reliable. > > This sort of intermittent problem is very difficult to find so you are > really dependent on getting an experienced cable/internet engineer that > knows how the whole system works. It's hard to get one of these to work on > an individual problem since there's usually only one of these for the local > office or maybe for entire area. What has worked for me in the past is a > letter of complaint to the local regulatory entity with a copy to the CEO > of > the ISP. In my case, this got the attention of local management and the > assignment of an engineer who found the problem and made sure it was fixed. > > Jim Rickenbacker >