I'm having trouble with my internet connection: not able to log on to
the internet or receive email (even though it goes off very slowly).

Can I pick people's brains on this scenario - and the implications for
housebound patients dependent on their email for communication? (Deaf
and speech problems - I had a patient with MND who could only
communicate this way)

My email stopped functioning on Friday (6th)
I reported it - twice - on Saturday (7th) and was told that a. there was
package loss on pinging www.google.com (I have been checking this - it
varies between 20 and 60%) and I needed to download winmtr - remember,
my complaint included not being able to connect to the Internet - and to
go to a cybercafe to do it if I couldn't do it from home.
I managed to download the program onto a USB stick on Sunday, ran it and
exported the results to the email address I had been asked to send it to
- and an hour and a half later (still unable to connect) phoned the
helpline again.
This time I was told that:-
a. the ADSL support went home at 5.00 and the helpdesk couldn't access
their email.
(I pointed out that I had sent the email at 3.50 - so they had had time
to see it)
b. the problem was not only that the packages were being lost but also
that my line kept dropping and they would not do anything until I had
tried again from the main socket with a new microsplitter.
(My main computer is a tower and unwieldy: I tried it on my laptop with
the same ADSL modem - just the same)
c. that I needed to phone BT myself and ask for a line check
(did that this morning and was told my voice line is fine and that the
ADSL is bulk rented by the ISP, and only the ISP can ask for an ADSL
line check)
d. if BT made a visit and there was no fault from the BT end, I would be
charged for the visit.

After some discussion on phoning back, with some reluctance, the
helpdesk agreed to escalate the problem - and did tell me that I was
entitled to a refund for the time the connection was unusable.

Questions.
1. how common is it for package loss and line dropping to occur
simultaneously on a previously fault-free connection?
Is package loss a consequence of the line dropping or does it occur for
other reasons? If it is a consequence of line dropping, why didn't the
first two contacts with the help desk mention this?
2. how commonly do microspliters fail?
I have never heard of this being a cause of problems - and my connection
(via a secondary socket installed by BT and an extension) has never
caused problems before.
How would you normally detect a failing microsplitter?
3. should everyone be advised to download winmtr just in case it is
needed? My ISP helpdesk was insistent that the reports from ping and
tracert via the mail client (Turnpike) or cmd were not sufficient.
4. how common is the somewhat aggressive response of the helpdesk
becoming? Usually they have been helpful and courteous: I am not used to
being told that the problem will not be escalated until I have completed
checks on my main socket, different splitters and line check with BT.
5. if BT Voice cannot check the ADSL line, why was I told to get a line
check from them?

Finally, I am active and have both speech and hearing: the impression I
was given was that unless I was able to do all these things, the
helpdesk would not be able to even look at the problem.
So if I was disabled in any way, would I have been left unable to
communicate indefinitely?

Is cable more reliable that ADSL?

I should be able to access webmail tomorrow from the surgery.


--
Mary Hawking