switching to Bitstream

[Russell Fulton]

Hi Folk,
I'm with Orcon and yesterday I got an email from them saying that
Telecom had set up my new bitstream account. So I changed the account
name from ***@jeststart.jet.net.nz to ***@orcon.net.nz as instructed
and told the router (DLINK 504 if it matters) to reconnect. THis
resulted in an authentication failure so I shot some mail off to Orcon
and reverted to jetstart. This morning our link is very unreliable and
has been dropping out regularly (it is normally rock solid). Attempts
to call Orcon are either met with an engaged signal or a *very* long
estimated wait time suggesting that something is up.

I'm guessing that the two things are not related but would like to know
for sure. If they are related I'll stick on the phone until I get to
someone...
--
Russell Fulton, Information Security Officer, The University of Auckland
New Zealand

[Russell Fulton]

Post by Russell Fulton
I'm guessing that the two things are not related but would like to know
for sure. If they are related I'll stick on the phone until I get to
someone...

This would appear to be the case. Later in the day Orcon had a message
saying that there was a Telecom ADSL outage this morning.

When I got home I had another try with bitstream and in connected
without a hitch <shrug>.

I see my down stream speed is now 320 and upstream is 160Kpbs and I have
an IP address that APNIC says is allocated to Orcon, so I definitely am
on Bitstream.

The only fly in the ointment is that the download speeds (for FTP of
files over 1MB) stay at about 17KBps rather than something nearer 30KBps
that I had expected.

Any clues? Before I start asking Orcon...
--
Russell Fulton, Information Security Officer, The University of Auckland
New Zealand

[paul warner]

I just switched tonite. I got the email last nite but as my speed had
gone from 32KB to 250KB I decided to leave until tonite. No problems with
logging on to Orcon.

One question. Have you been able to access any form of usage meter. I
suspect that the Telecom one is no longer available and the Orcon one seems
aimed at the old Jetstart system..??

Post by Russell Fulton

Post by Russell Fulton
I'm guessing that the two things are not related but would like to know
for sure. If they are related I'll stick on the phone until I get to
someone...

This would appear to be the case. Later in the day Orcon had a message
saying that there was a Telecom ADSL outage this morning.
When I got home I had another try with bitstream and in connected
without a hitch <shrug>.
I see my down stream speed is now 320 and upstream is 160Kpbs and I have
an IP address that APNIC says is allocated to Orcon, so I definitely am
on Bitstream.
The only fly in the ointment is that the download speeds (for FTP of
files over 1MB) stay at about 17KBps rather than something nearer 30KBps
that I had expected.
Any clues? Before I start asking Orcon...
--
Russell Fulton, Information Security Officer, The University of Auckland
New Zealand
--
This message is part of the NZ ADSL mailing list.
see http://unixathome.org/adsl/ for archives, FAQ,
and various documents.
with "unsubscribe adsl" in the body of the message

Regards,

Paul Warner

***@bigfoot.com

[Jithen Singh]

You wont be able to access the Telecom usage meter, now that you are with
Orcon.
The Orcon meters, still reports data usage, from the time last time you have
disconnected.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-***@unixathome.org [mailto:owner-***@unixathome.org] On Behalf
Of paul warner
Sent: Tuesday, 2 November 2004 6:26 p.m.
To: Russell Fulton; ***@lists.unixathome.org
Subject: Re: switching to Bitstream -- more info...

I just switched tonite. I got the email last nite but as my speed had gone
from 32KB to 250KB I decided to leave until tonite. No problems with
logging on to Orcon.

One question. Have you been able to access any form of usage meter. I
suspect that the Telecom one is no longer available and the Orcon one seems
aimed at the old Jetstart system..??

Post by Russell Fulton

Post by Russell Fulton
I'm guessing that the two things are not related but would like to
know for sure. If they are related I'll stick on the phone until I
get to someone...

This would appear to be the case. Later in the day Orcon had a message
saying that there was a Telecom ADSL outage this morning.
When I got home I had another try with bitstream and in connected
without a hitch <shrug>.
I see my down stream speed is now 320 and upstream is 160Kpbs and I
have an IP address that APNIC says is allocated to Orcon, so I
definitely am on Bitstream.
The only fly in the ointment is that the download speeds (for FTP of
files over 1MB) stay at about 17KBps rather than something nearer
30KBps that I had expected.
Any clues? Before I start asking Orcon...
--
Russell Fulton, Information Security Officer, The University of
Auckland New Zealand
--
This message is part of the NZ ADSL mailing list.
see http://unixathome.org/adsl/ for archives, FAQ, and various
documents.
"unsubscribe adsl" in the body of the message

Regards,

Paul Warner

***@bigfoot.com


--
This message is part of the NZ ADSL mailing list.
see http://unixathome.org/adsl/ for archives, FAQ, and various documents.
To unsubscribe: send mail to ***@lists.unixathome.org with
"unsubscribe adsl" in the body of the message

[Scott Pettit]

Post by Jithen Singh
You wont be able to access the Telecom usage meter, now that you are with
Orcon.
The Orcon meters, still reports data usage, from the time last time you have
disconnected.

You should be able to see a total upload and download in the box above your
sessions too...

Given that Bitstream's cycle actually does align with Orcon's cycle seeing as
the ISP provides it, it will be accurate.

[Jithen Singh]

Im using Orcon Bitstream, cant say ive had any issues at all with regards to
speed.
I get good speeds (~30kbps) to most locations no matter what I download.

Also, remember you will now be on a static IP address using Bitstream from
Orcon ..

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-***@unixathome.org [mailto:owner-***@unixathome.org] On Behalf
Of Russell Fulton
Sent: Tuesday, 2 November 2004 5:59 p.m.
To: ***@lists.unixathome.org
Subject: Re: switching to Bitstream -- more info...

Post by Russell Fulton
I'm guessing that the two things are not related but would like to
know for sure. If they are related I'll stick on the phone until I
get to someone...

This would appear to be the case. Later in the day Orcon had a message
saying that there was a Telecom ADSL outage this morning.

When I got home I had another try with bitstream and in connected without a
hitch <shrug>.

I see my down stream speed is now 320 and upstream is 160Kpbs and I have an
IP address that APNIC says is allocated to Orcon, so I definitely am on
Bitstream.

The only fly in the ointment is that the download speeds (for FTP of files
over 1MB) stay at about 17KBps rather than something nearer 30KBps that I
had expected.

Any clues? Before I start asking Orcon...

--
Russell Fulton, Information Security Officer, The University of Auckland New
Zealand

--
This message is part of the NZ ADSL mailing list.
see http://unixathome.org/adsl/ for archives, FAQ, and various documents.
To unsubscribe: send mail to ***@lists.unixathome.org with
"unsubscribe adsl" in the body of the message

[Andrew]

I'm getting slow speeds & unreliability myself, as of today. I have
however been connected on Bitstream using Orcon for about a couple of
weeks, with no prior problems... just tried calling their help desk to
see what was up but there was a 19 minute wait -- will hope it gets
better & try again later.

Andrew

Post by Russell Fulton

Post by Russell Fulton
I'm guessing that the two things are not related but would like to know
for sure. If they are related I'll stick on the phone until I get to
someone...

This would appear to be the case. Later in the day Orcon had a message
saying that there was a Telecom ADSL outage this morning.
When I got home I had another try with bitstream and in connected
without a hitch <shrug>.
I see my down stream speed is now 320 and upstream is 160Kpbs and I have
an IP address that APNIC says is allocated to Orcon, so I definitely am
on Bitstream.
The only fly in the ointment is that the download speeds (for FTP of
files over 1MB) stay at about 17KBps rather than something nearer 30KBps
that I had expected.
Any clues? Before I start asking Orcon...

[Sascha Beaumont]

19mins? Thats not bad.

I've been calling Orcon pretty much every business day for the last
week - after I've *supposedly* been upgraded to bitstream yet am still
running at 128k :-/

Most I've been on hold is about 50mins, averaging around 30 and only
once (when I called at 8.30am) was I on hold for less than 20mins.

A good week and a half after I've been billed for my first month of
256 bitstream, I'm only getting 128k bitstream. Unfortunately all I
can do is keep calling and complaining (and not paying the bill) until
they sort out the problem :-(

Post by Andrew
I'm getting slow speeds & unreliability myself, as of today. I have
however been connected on Bitstream using Orcon for about a couple of
weeks, with no prior problems... just tried calling their help desk to
see what was up but there was a 19 minute wait -- will hope it gets
better & try again later.
Andrew

Post by Russell Fulton

Post by Russell Fulton
I'm guessing that the two things are not related but would like to know
for sure. If they are related I'll stick on the phone until I get to
someone...

This would appear to be the case. Later in the day Orcon had a message
saying that there was a Telecom ADSL outage this morning.
When I got home I had another try with bitstream and in connected
without a hitch <shrug>.
I see my down stream speed is now 320 and upstream is 160Kpbs and I have
an IP address that APNIC says is allocated to Orcon, so I definitely am
on Bitstream.
The only fly in the ointment is that the download speeds (for FTP of
files over 1MB) stay at about 17KBps rather than something nearer 30KBps
that I had expected.
Any clues? Before I start asking Orcon...

--
This message is part of the NZ ADSL mailing list.
see http://unixathome.org/adsl/ for archives, FAQ,
and various documents.
with "unsubscribe adsl" in the body of the message

[Mark Thompson]

Post by Sascha Beaumont
19mins? Thats not bad.
I've been calling Orcon pretty much every business day for the last
week - after I've *supposedly* been upgraded to bitstream yet am still
running at 128k :-/
Most I've been on hold is about 50mins, averaging around 30 and only
once (when I called at 8.30am) was I on hold for less than 20mins.

Hang on, you're actually getting an answer? I get a busy signal.

[Bart Hanson]

Post by Mark Thompson

19mins? Thats not bad. I've been calling Orcon pretty much every
business day for the last
week - after I've *supposedly* been upgraded to bitstream yet am still
running at 128k :-/
Most I've been on hold is about 50mins, averaging around 30 and only
once (when I called at 8.30am) was I on hold for less than 20mins.

Hang on, you're actually getting an answer? I get a busy signal.

I have been on Bitstream for around 2 weeks now. Rock steady and a
fixed IP across router reboots.
If I need to contact orcon I send an email and receive a reply with a
case number.
Sometimes these take a few days to be answered but eventually they are!

Another thing, I have been going to
http://www.jetstreamgames.co.nz/speed/ADSLdownload1MB.html
and have only been getting around the 128k's until this morning and it
looks like 256k! (The full Monty)

Bart Hanson.

[Andrew]

Well, turns out I wasn't actually on bitstream, bit of a
misunderstanding there... my changeover date was in fact yesterday.
What I actually GOT from the changeover was: No DSL at all. great! DSL
appears to have been disabled on the line, I can't even connect to
attempt authentication. Orcon were nice enough to provide me with a
free dialup account in the meantime, but dialup?! It's been like this
for around 24hrs now...

Andrew

Post by Mark Thompson

19mins? Thats not bad. I've been calling Orcon pretty much every
business day for the last
week - after I've *supposedly* been upgraded to bitstream yet am still
running at 128k :-/
Most I've been on hold is about 50mins, averaging around 30 and only
once (when I called at 8.30am) was I on hold for less than 20mins.

Hang on, you're actually getting an answer? I get a busy signal.

I have been on Bitstream for around 2 weeks now. Rock steady and a fixed
IP across router reboots.
If I need to contact orcon I send an email and receive a reply with a
case number.
Sometimes these take a few days to be answered but eventually they are!
Another thing, I have been going to
http://www.jetstreamgames.co.nz/speed/ADSLdownload1MB.html
and have only been getting around the 128k's until this morning and it
looks like 256k! (The full Monty)
Bart Hanson.

[Matt]

That happened to me too last Thursday. I was told to wait till Monday
to see if it was re-connected, and offered a dial up connection ... but
I don't have a 56K modem so that was no good. It kicked back in again
Friday afternoon.

Matt

Post by Andrew
Well, turns out I wasn't actually on bitstream, bit of a
misunderstanding there... my changeover date was in fact yesterday.
What I actually GOT from the changeover was: No DSL at all. great!
DSL appears to have been disabled on the line, I can't even connect to
attempt authentication. Orcon were nice enough to provide me with a
free dialup account in the meantime, but dialup?! It's been like this
for around 24hrs now...
Andrew

[Andrew]

OK, for those people complaining about not being switched over, or
getting only 128k -- you should feel lucky, because I haven't had DSL at
ALL now for a week. I really don't know what I can do because it's
practically impossible to get through to anyone
Is anyone worse off than me or do I win the booby prize for this one?

Andrew

Post by Andrew
Well, turns out I wasn't actually on bitstream, bit of a
misunderstanding there... my changeover date was in fact yesterday. What
I actually GOT from the changeover was: No DSL at all. great! DSL
appears to have been disabled on the line, I can't even connect to
attempt authentication. Orcon were nice enough to provide me with a
free dialup account in the meantime, but dialup?! It's been like this
for around 24hrs now...
Andrew

Post by Bart Hanson

Post by Mark Thompson

19mins? Thats not bad. I've been calling Orcon pretty much every
business day for the last
week - after I've *supposedly* been upgraded to bitstream yet am still
running at 128k :-/
Most I've been on hold is about 50mins, averaging around 30 and only
once (when I called at 8.30am) was I on hold for less than 20mins.

Hang on, you're actually getting an answer? I get a busy signal.

I have been on Bitstream for around 2 weeks now. Rock steady and a
fixed IP across router reboots.
If I need to contact orcon I send an email and receive a reply with a
case number.
Sometimes these take a few days to be answered but eventually they are!
Another thing, I have been going to
http://www.jetstreamgames.co.nz/speed/ADSLdownload1MB.html
and have only been getting around the 128k's until this morning and it
looks like 256k! (The full Monty)
Bart Hanson.

[Dave Mill]

If you don't have DSL you should phone your ISP. Your ISP should then
fix the problem.

It's a pretty basic process, I'll explain a bit about it.

Your ISP will phone the ISP Jetstream helpdesk and tell them that you
have a fault. They will either get the fault fixed on the phone or
they will log a fault with the appropriate people. They will then
chase up Telecom until the fault is fixed. They will pass relevant
information back to you at appropriate times.

If this isn't/hasn't happened then your ISP doesn't care about you.
They may have reasons for this, eg. Jetstream is fairly unprofitable
for ISPs but this really isn't your concern. If they don't care about
you then you need to find an ISP that cares. There are some out there.

Yes, I work for an ISP. Yes they care. No, this isn't their post or viewpoint.

Dave

Post by Andrew
OK, for those people complaining about not being switched over, or
getting only 128k -- you should feel lucky, because I haven't had DSL at
ALL now for a week. I really don't know what I can do because it's
practically impossible to get through to anyone
Is anyone worse off than me or do I win the booby prize for this one?
Andrew

[Andrew]

Yep well I did call my ISP, many times -- was told a fault was logged
with Telecom last week...
Anyway was away until yesterday, but fully expected to have DSL back by
the time I returned, this was not the case. Orcon was engaged for quite
a while yesterday and today, but when I eventually got through to
someone they did call telecom, again -- and telecom said there was no
problem initially but whoever it was I was speaking to persevered and as
of about an hr ago I finally have DSL back, yay.

I'll take your word for the "ISPs that care" bit but in this instance it
seems to be just whoever you happen to end up talking to.

Andrew

Post by Dave Mill
If you don't have DSL you should phone your ISP. Your ISP should then
fix the problem.
It's a pretty basic process, I'll explain a bit about it.
Your ISP will phone the ISP Jetstream helpdesk and tell them that you
have a fault. They will either get the fault fixed on the phone or
they will log a fault with the appropriate people. They will then
chase up Telecom until the fault is fixed. They will pass relevant
information back to you at appropriate times.
If this isn't/hasn't happened then your ISP doesn't care about you.
They may have reasons for this, eg. Jetstream is fairly unprofitable
for ISPs but this really isn't your concern. If they don't care about
you then you need to find an ISP that cares. There are some out there.
Yes, I work for an ISP. Yes they care. No, this isn't their post or viewpoint.
Dave

Post by Andrew
OK, for those people complaining about not being switched over, or
getting only 128k -- you should feel lucky, because I haven't had DSL at
ALL now for a week. I really don't know what I can do because it's
practically impossible to get through to anyone
Is anyone worse off than me or do I win the booby prize for this one?
Andrew

[Bart Hanson]

Post by Andrew
I'll take your word for the "ISPs that care" bit but in this instance
it seems to be just whoever you happen to end up talking to.

Absolutely true,

This morning (Thursday) around 9.15 am I wanted to add another mailbox
to my new orcon account. (First the 10 minute wait with the 1 minute
interval automated voice saying just 1 more minute) then a helpful chap
who does not confirm the new name so the send/receive test message to
the new pop account fails.
I ring back, same 1 minute message for about 15 minutes (or so it
seems) to confirm details.
Next person, a lady, real helpful, and confirms all details, and
apologises for other operator getting it wrong the first time.
I login and send/receive test message to new account OK.

moral: It is WHO you talk to.

Bart Hanson.

[LEE Tet Yoon]

Post by Bart Hanson
Absolutely true,
This morning (Thursday) around 9.15 am I wanted to add another mailbox to my new orcon account. (First the 10 minute wait with the 1 minute interval automated voice saying just 1 more minute) then a helpful chap who does not confirm the new name so the send/receive test message to the new pop account fails.
I ring back, same 1 minute message for about 15 minutes (or so it seems) to confirm details.
Next person, a lady, real helpful, and confirms all details, and apologises for other operator getting it wrong the first time.
I login and send/receive test message to new account OK.
moral: It is WHO you talk to.

Out of interest, why did you call them up rather then use the online account service utility. Is there a problem with it?

[Ian Batterbee]

Post by LEE Tet Yoon
Out of interest, why did you call them up rather then use the online account service utility. Is there a problem with it?

Orcon's account self-management stuff was offline over the weekend and
monday... there was a notice up saying it would be restored during
tuesday and to complain only if it wasn't back by Thursday (IIRC)

Although as of right now, it doesn't seem to be fully back... I remember
I used to be able to see the fact that I had the DSL service on my
account, but now the only service showing is email, and there's no
option to add anything other than a dialup account... give it a few more
days and it will probably be fixed.