ADSL Support Information

Summary:

There are four common technical issues with the ADSL services as listed below and you can recognize the type of issue depending on what your modem or computer is reporting. Sometimes a field technician is required to attend, sometimes it's due to privately owned equipment or how they have been set up .

• Service can’t connect ADSL/LINK light OFF/BLINKING
• Service can’t connect ADSL/LINK light ON
• Intermittent disconnecting
• Internet running slow

The fundamental checks are required to be done by the customers as the telephone needs to be in full working order before the ADSL could be examined. Most of the times, the root cause of ADSL problems are technical problems with your telephone service, which needs to be fixed by the telephone service provider.

Connection Issues

How do I check the lights of the ADSL modem?

If you have any problem with connecting to the Internet, remember to check the lights of the modem first. Every modem is different from each other, so that refer the modem manual to make sure these light difference. e.g.: Netcomm Modem - Check the front lights of the modem.

• ADSL Light - The ADSL light determines if there is any data flow or traffic coming in and out of your connection to the local exchange (The exchange is where the telephone lines are connected to for calls and ADSL)
• PPP Light - The PPP light is blinking when the connection communicates with the Exetel servers, the PPP light cannot be solid without the ADSL light is on.

The most common connection issues are No Sync and No Auth .

What is No Sync issue with ADSL services?

If your ADSL service is not working it can be a No Sync issue.

Indications

• Internet does not work
• ADSL light is off or flashing
• PPP light is off

Solutions

• Reset the modem back to factory default -> Enter the Username and Password. As well as change the encapsulation.
• Re-enter your Username and Password
• Check the ADSL light again by directly connecting the modem to the wall socket.
• If the ADSL light is still off or flashing continuously, borrow another modem from a friend or a relative and test again.
• If that fails request Exetel to perform a port reset on your connection. After the port reset, turn off and on the modem and test again.
• If that fails request Exetel to lower the profile of your connection, the interference of the telephony equipment could be causing no sync.
• If that also fails the next step is to contact Exetel and log a case.
• This involves the wholesale supplier investigating the service from the exchange up to the network boundary point of your property
• To resolve your problem quicker make sure to provide us all the required information and fill the templates properly.

Note: Generally once a case is logged, supplier may send a technician to check the service up to the Network Boundary Point to determine if there is any issue with the infrastructure. If there is no issue with the infrastructure you will be charged $220 (for Telstra) or $220(for AAPT/Optus) as the service cost.

What is No Auth issue with ADSL services?

If your ADSL service is not working it can be a No Auth issue.

Indications

• Internet does not work
• ADSL light is solid
• PPP light is off

Solution

• Change the encapsulation within the modem configuration to be PPPOE, LLC. If that encapsulation does not work try PPPOA, VC MUX.
• Change VPI and VCI settings to 8 and 35.
• Reset the modem back to factory default -> Enter the Username and Password. Also change the encapsulation.
• If that fails then borrow another modem from a friend or relative and test again.
• If that fails request Exetel to perform a port rebuild on your connection, after a port rebuild has been done turn off and on you modem and test again.
• If that also fails then you need to contact Exetel and log a case.
• This involves the wholesale supplier investigating the service from the exchange up to the network boundary point of your property
• To resolve your problem quicker make sure to provide us all the required information and fill the templates properly.

Note: Generally once a case is logged, supplier may send a technician to check the service up to the Network Boundary Point to determine if there is any issue with the infrastructure. If there is no issue with the infrastructure you will be charged $220 (for Telstra) or $220 (for AAPT/Optus) as the service cost.

What is ADSL Dropout?

Drop out is when internet connection disconnects and reconnects periodically.

Indications

ADSL Light - The ADSL light determines if there is any data flow or traffic coming in and out of your connection to the local exchange (The exchange is where the telephone lines are connected to for calls and ADSL)

PPP Light - The PPP light is blinking when the connection communicates with the Exetel servers, the PPP light cannot be solid without the ADSL light is on.

Notice the ADSL light, this type of problem occurs when the ADSL light turns on and off.

Solution for Dropouts

• Connect the modem directly to the wall socket and see if there is any improvement with the connection.
• If that fails test the connection with a borrowed modem.
• Try by making the extension shorter that leads up the modem and you can use 2m cable.
• If that fails request Exetel to try lowering the profile of your connection to be more stable, you will then need to monitor the connection for 24 hours.
• If that also fails the next step is to contact Exetel to log a case.
• This involves the wholesale supplier investigating the service from the exchange up to the network boundary point of your property
• To resolve your problem quicker make sure to provide us all the required information and fill the templates properly.

Note: Generally once a case is logged, supplier may send a technician to check the service up to the Network Boundary Point to determine if there is any issue with the infrastructure. If there is no issue with the infrastructure you will be charged $220 (for Telstra) or $220 (for AAPT/Optus) as the service cost.

My phone line has crackling on it, this causes the Internet to disconnect and reconnect

If your phone line has crackling on it, it is better to contact your telephone provider, once the telephone has been fixed Exetel could check into the ADSL problem. This could also resolve your ADSL problem as a full working line is required for the ADSL.

What is packet loss?

Packet loss is when one or more data packets fail to reach the destination.Packet loss may occur due to a drop out issue.

Slow Speed

What speeds can be expected from ADSL2?

The ADSL2 speeds are varying depending solely on the distance from the exchange, quality of the copper, the copper length and age of the copper line. All the customers will not be able to get the maximum theoretical 24000/1100kbps ADSL2 line speed. Speeds should be reaching around 1200kbps as the minimum and up to 18000/1000kbps leaving for overheads .

What are the factors avoiding the maximum ADSL speed?

• Obviously your distance from the exchange where your ADSL service is connected, the condition of your phone line, the condition of the wiring in your house, electrical interference from other sources and sometimes the age and model of your ADSL modem can all reduce your speed bellow the theoretical maximum.

• Because ADSL can give you a very large bandwidth connection to the Internet, the actual speed of the site you are accessing and the amount of available bandwidth on the Internet itself also becomes a much larger factor. For example, a company web site might be connected via a 100Mbps connection to the internet, and the web server might have a sustained I/O rate of 30Mbps. With ADSL, if you and several other people are trying to download from that site at the same time, the server could be trying to service 60-80Mbps. Servers that could once handle 50 or more simultaneous downloads with ADSL are now taxed to handle 2-3 connections. The result is that even if you have a 20Mbps circuit, you will find that you can only download at about the same rate as ADSL for many sites.

Why do I get slow ADSL speeds during different times of the day?

At different times of the day or night the network could become busier as more users are downloading and this makes the Internet connection slower. Test again and again until you see an improvement. We cannot guarantee that the Internet works in the full speed every time as this is a residential grade service.

What are the solution for Slow Speed of ADSL connection?

If you have slow speed isuues, please follow the below steps.

• Connect only the modem directly to the wall socket and see if there is any improvement with the speed.
• Power-cycle your modem (leave your modem switched off for about 15 minutes) and then recheck the speed
• If it is a wireless connection, please try connecting the modem and the computer using the Ethernet cable.
• If you have a non-recommended filter, change to a recommenced one. Filters that worked fine for ADSL1 may not work so well with ADSL2
• Try connecting the modem with an alternate telephone cable to the first wall socket in your house.
• If that fails then try making a hard setting with a borrowed modem.
• Try by making the extension shorter that leads up the modem and you can use 2m cable.
• If that also fails the next step is to contact Exetel to log a case.
• This involves the wholesale supplier investigating the service from the exchange up to the network boundary point of your property
• In order for Exetel to resolve your problem quicker please provide us with the information that we need and have the templates filled out.

Note: Generally once a case is logged, supplier may send a technician to check the service up to the Network Boundary Point to determine if there is any issue with the infrastructure. If there is no issue with the infrastructure you will be charged $220 (for Telstra) or $220 (for AAPT/Optus) as the service cost.

How to check if my ADSL connection is slow?

Go to http://speedtest.exetel.com.au/ to run a speed test on your Exetel connection.

For more information on speed tests that you may need to perform when you contact Exetel, please refer Tests Requested by Exetel for ADSL2

I was previously on ADSL1 plan with Exetel and I have upgraded to ADSL2. Why is the speed slower?

ADSL2 connections are generally more sensitive than ADSL 1, they also run on different frequency. The ADSL 1 connection runs off a different provider so the way that your service is connected to the exchange could be different. This could be the reason why the speed is slower.

I have changed ADSL plans, why am I getting the same old speeds ?

If you have changed to another ADSL 2 plan while being on an ADSL 2 plan already, the speeds don’t vary but the matter of distinction between the two plans would be the download capacity. However if you have changed from an ADSL 1 service plan to ADSL 2- then you could expect a speed change which however is not guaranteed. If it is the latter and if you think you’re not getting the speed required you may contact residential support.

When I am downloading a file with my ADSL connection, it shows as 200KB/s that is a lot slower then 1500kbps

The measurement of KB/s and kbps are totally different.

Slow P2P Speed

Are P2P speeds guaranteed with ADSL?

There is no guarantee that P2P applications or any other third party applications would be getting full speeds as Exetel holds no control over them. If a P2P application is slow it does not necessarily mean that the internet is slow as P2P relies on many different factors (numbers of people sharing the content, the upstream speed of those sharing the content, the links between those sharing the content and Exetel). These and other factors are out of Exetel's control.

The ADSL connection runs slow whenever a P2P application is turned on, why is that?

ADSL connection can run slower when a P2P application is turned on because P2P applications will use your upload and download at the same time and will 'saturate' your connection. The 'A' in ADSL stands for 'Asymmetric'. It means that ADSL can only efficiently transfer data in one direction at a time.

Furthermore, ADSL's asymmetric nature means that the user has to choose between uploading or downloading - ADSL does not do both well at the same time.

For example, a user with 1500/256kbps ADSL1 may be able to download at 1200kbps from a particular site. But if he/she tries to upload, even at 30kbps at the same time, he/she would find the download speed drop to 800kbps or lower

Supplier Tech Visit

What does a service technician supposed to do when he attends to an ADSL fault?

Service technician's are intended to either prove that a service is in full working order or they're out to fix up problems up to the network boundary point.

Service technicians are not intended or hired for the purpose of fixing up privately owned equipment.

What is the process of having a Tech visit when there's a fault with ADSL?

A Fee For Service is imposed to investigate a possible issue with the DSL infrastructure as claimed by the end user. Once the end user agrees to the terms and conditions of the Fee For Service the reported service issue will be logged to the relevant wholesale service supplier and a wholesaler technician to investigate a possible issue at the exchange/field will be organized.

If the wholesaler technician that investigates this reported service issue find an issue with the infrastructure the Fee for Service will not be applicable and the Wholesaler technician if skilled to rectify the issue will do so if not it will be handed over to a more skilled Wholesaler technician

If the wholesaler technician that investigates this reported service issue returns with a negative results saying that the service up-to the Network Boundary Point (NBP) / Main Distribution Frame (MDF if the service is activated at an apartment building) is running fine using licensed test equipment the Fee For Service of $220 for ADSL from Telstra and $220 for ADSL2 from AAPT/Optus will be charged to the End user. (The wholesaler technician should be able prove to the end user that the service is working)

Once this has been confirm the reported service issue will be ruled to be in full working order. The end user from this point onwards should use their own resources to identify and resolve the issue with the check of their privately maintained equipment.

The wholesaler technician will visit at the time and date agreed between Exetel and the End user. If the end user is not in attendance at site on the agreed date and time the Fee For Service will be applicable.

Why Exetel asks to retest my ADSL equipment when I know there are no problems?

The reason why Exetel request that all equipment is checked before having a technician is because there could either a piece of hardware that is causing the problem or there could be a cost if the service is proved to be in full working order.

Other

What is a port rebuild/ reset?

The port rebuild/reset option will be commonly used to reset the port from the exchange. This function rebuilds the port to its correct configuration as per the data contained in the original records. This can be done remotely by the support engineers.

I can’t browse certain web sites from Exetel ADSL service. What should I do?

If you can't browse certain websites, please check whether the DNS settings are entered as,

Primary :220.233.0.4

Secondary :220.233.0.3.

Also make sure that no proxy settings are selected in the browser.

There was a huge thunderstorm last night and my adsl connection has stopped working.

If your ADSL service is not working after huge thunderstorm, it could be that the modem is malfunctioning. First power cycle the modem and if it doesn't resolve the problem borrow a modem and see if that makes a difference.

If you need further assistance please contact Exetel support.

What can interfere with my ADSL service?

Where there is any 'interference' of any nature that disrupts the higher frequencies used for ADSL, your ADSL service will not work properly or at all.

This would normally be signified by your ADSL light, or LINK light (depending on your ADSL modem make and model number) flashing intermittently.

Interference can come from a number of places, ranging from;

Unfiltered devices plugged in

- other phones, faxes, digital foxtel, back to base alarm system, any other device plugged into a phone socket on the same telephone number of the ADSL service.

Exposed wiring within the premises

- any form of exposed wiring, due to general line and premises conditioning, commonly called 'wear and tear'

Water in the pit at the exchange or network boundary point

- Usually happens after a weather event, where water collects and/or drains into or near exchange equipment

Other telephone exchange equipment

- commonly called by Telstra Wholesale as 'foreign device or battery'

Local Area Connectivity Issues

The Internet from ADSL stopped working and my network connection is showing "Limited or No connectivity"

If your ADSL connection is not working and showing "Limited or No connectivity" it is best to check LAN cable between the computer and the modem and also you may try a modem reset.

My ADSL modem is reporting that the connection is online, the Internet light can be seen on the modem but I am not connected

If your ADSL modem is reporting that the connection is online it means that your modem is currently connected to Exetel's servers without any issue.

If you still can't use internet, the problem seems to be with the computer connected to the modem. It would be best to turn off Anti-virus and firewall applications on your PC and retest everything.

My Internet disconnects a lot, I am connecting the computer to the modem through wireless?

If your internet service disconnects a lot when you are connecting the modem and the computer through wireless it is recommended that you connect the modem directly through an Ethernet cable.

Service loss due to Telephone line modifications

What will be the result of modifications to the telephone line?

If you make any changes to your telephone service, it will result in disconnection of your ADSL service.

The method that Telstra actions on a telephony service is quite complex that generally make an ADSL service inactive. With all ADSL services there is coding on the telephone line that allows for a connection to be operational, if Telstra or your telephone provider makes any changes to a telephone line they would first "turn off" the phone service. Once a phone line is "turned off" the programming that allows for the ADSL connection to operate is wiped out and un-restorable. The only way for Exetel to restore the service is lodge a new application through the supplier and if such a case occurs or happens contact Exetel to inform the Provisioning department, if you wish to reactivate your service.

The owner of the telephone line or the telephone provider responsible for this type of Internet service restoration issues and contact Exetel Provisioning department before making any changes to the telephone line. Listed below are some of the reasons for the Internet service loss:

• Unpaid telephone bills
• Change of account holder on the telephone line
• Telephone line moved to another address despite keeping the number
• Change of telephone number
• Change of Telephone carrier

Internet stopped working since I changed ownership of the telephone, why is that?

If you changed the ownership of your telephone service, it would result in disconnection of your ADSL service. The coding of the ADSL would be removed by Telstra since there were changes made to the telephone, it is best to contact the Provisioning department to resolve the matter ASAP.

What will happen to my ADSL connection if I do not pay my telephone bill on time?

If you do not pay the telephone bill on time, the telephone connection could be disconnected, which will result in a disconnection of your ADSL service attached to the telephone line. This is due to, an active phone line is required to keep the ADSL service active.

What should I do if both the ADSL and the telephone services are not working?

If your ADSL and telephone services are not working you need to check who your supplier is and follow the below steps.

• If you are obtaining the service via AAPT- Exetel is unable to action any further until the telephone line is fixed, it is best to contact your telephone provider. If problems persist after the phone line is fixed, please contact Exetel.

• If you are obtaining the service via Optus or Telstra - It is best to contact Exetel as we are able to fix the phone line before having the ADSL examined