Strange Happening

I was on the Internet last night reading various news pages when all of a sudden I wasn't able to go to a new page. I tried running a speed check and that didn't work so I turned off the ATA and also my wireless modem. After several attempts of turning them on & off I went to bed with the hope that it would be OK in the morning. It wasn't so I called Verizon. I was on the cell phone talking to a tech for almost an hour when he decided to get someone with more experience.
While he has gone I tried playing around with different passwords that I had used it the past and finally got one to work before the tech came back. I find it hard to believe that the password changed on its own and I am sure I didn't change it.
Just wondering if anybody has experienced this happening to their modem where the password changed on its own ??
I have the ATA in front of my wireless modem.
Is it possible to have the VOIP go out but still have the DSL working? I assumed that my problem was with the DSL so I called Verizon first but would a ATA failure prevent me getting the Internet ??

I doubt the ATA had anything to do with it. If VOIP has failed, doesn't mean your high speed internet connection has failed and it's possible to have connectivity. Verizon's Tier 1 is a huge waste of time. You're never going to get anywhere with those clowns. My guess is your modem dropped the logon and pswd for whatever reason. Verizon's Tier 1 fix for everything is scripted hard rebooting sequence, but I digress.

I'm also a Verizon DSL customer and my service problems with them were an epic.

I assume your modem is also a router, b/c I didn't quite follow when you said your ATA is in front of the modem?

Yes I did mis-speak about the ATA in front of the wireless modem router .http://forums.voipo.com/images/icons/icon8.gif I too have had many problems with Verizon DSL In fact one of the Techs at VT have me his own personal cell number to call at any time I had a problem. I generally try the normal procedure before I call him on the cell.. Don't like to take advantage of him.

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Originally Posted by roehrle

I was on the Internet last night reading various news pages when all of a sudden I wasn't able to go to a new page. I tried running a speed check and that didn't work so I turned off the ATA and also my wireless modem. After several attempts of turning them on & off I went to bed with the hope that it would be OK in the morning. It wasn't so I called Verizon. I was on the cell phone talking to a tech for almost an hour when he decided to get someone with more experience.
While he has gone I tried playing around with different passwords that I had used it the past and finally got one to work before the tech came back. I find it hard to believe that the password changed on its own and I am sure I didn't change it.
Just wondering if anybody has experienced this happening to their modem where the password changed on its own ??
I have the ATA in front of my wireless modem.
Is it possible to have the VOIP go out but still have the DSL working? I assumed that my problem was with the DSL so I called Verizon first but would a ATA failure prevent me getting the Internet ??

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Verizon DLS in NJ?

Do you have an Actiontec DSL modem or a Westell 327W?
Either way, any "orange, amber or red" lights on these modems indicate a variery of failures, the most common being a Radius Authentication failure which prevents Verizon from validating your credentials. While this has nothing to do with voip or voipo, it will prevent both the Internet and any voip provider from working.

By the way: This is my 500th post here! Break out the cake!

I have the Westell 327w. The light was red over the Internet
label.
"prevents Verizon from validating your credentials" ????:confused:

Any ideas on what caused the password to change??
First time in 2 years for that to happen....i think

Could be a modem hardware/firmware issue. Did you ask Verizon for a new one? Is your DSL a dry loop? I don't know if you got socked with the snow up there, but does your connectivity drop with certain weather conditions? Have you considered going hard wired as opposed to wireless. The former is less secuirty issues and IMO, better trade-off performance wise.

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Originally Posted by NY Tel Guy

By the way: This is my 500th post here! Break out the cake!

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Happy 500th yea of moderate posting habits! :D

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Originally Posted by roehrle

I have the Westell 327w. The light was red over the Internet
label.
"prevents Verizon from validating your credentials" ?:confused:

Any ideas on what caused the password to change??
First time in 2 years for that to happen....i think

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Every time your DSL connection signs on to the Internet, the DSLAM (cabinet your Westell connects to in the central office) sends a request to a totally separate server to validate that you are who you are supposed to be in the form of a username and password. Sometimes when this radius server fails, you cannot be validated as an authorized user of DSL through no fault of anything you did (or didn't do).
The offshoot is this: no authentication, no Internet, no Internet = no voip.

I'll bet you never had to enter the password in that 2 year period, right?
The authentication failure caused the red light to stay lit meaning that you had no "authorized connectivity" to the Internet even though you had a physical connection through your Westell.
Why did the password change? Dunno....:p one of the Telephony mysteries of faith I guess....

Just know that without the green lights, you will lose access to the net and your voip connection if it ever happens again.
When these Radius servers fail, it usually covers a large area of customers who all have the same issue.

Dry loop and regular DSL works the same way in case anyone else was wondering. The only real weather issues that affect DSL is/are lightning storms which tend to cause random disconnects when lightning storms move through an area.

I'll answer several question from previous posts.
I have a Verizon dry loop DSL for 2 years. I was on Voicewing before coming to VOIPo
I have the Linksys PA2Pt ATA from POIPo
I think I lost the modem password once before when I changed my password to Verizon Central. The VZ tech told me that caused my DSL to go down ?? This sounds strange but may be true ?
When I enter the Verizon Westell 327w from my computer I see that I can change my username and also my password. Before I can do that there is a box that appears that looks like a MSXP format asking for a password. Is this the same password the 327w is using?
If I was more knowledgeable about the modem I could have gotten back on-line without the help of the Verizon Tech. That's why I'm trying to clear up some of the many questions I still have and I appreciate you guys trying to help me get on-board.

I'll defer on the 327 then as it is beyond my knowledge, skill and ability. Maybe some Wi-Fi types on DSL Reports can help out on the Verizon forum?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by roehrle

I'll answer several question from previous posts.
I have a Verizon dry loop DSL for 2 years. I was on Voicewing before coming to VOIPo
I have the Linksys PA2Pt ATA from POIPo
I think I lost the modem password once before when I changed my password to Verizon Central. The VZ tech told me that caused my DSL to go down ?? This sounds strange but may be true ?
When I enter the Verizon Westell 327w from my computer I see that I can change my username and also my password. Before I can do that there is a box that appears that looks like a MSXP format asking for a password. Is this the same password the 327w is using?
If I was more knowledgeable about the modem I could have gotten back on-line without the help of the Verizon Tech. That's why I'm trying to clear up some of the many questions I still have and I appreciate you guys trying to help me get on-board.

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If you change your password on Verizon Central, it effectively changes your login for all account functions for your DSL. Your Westell has no Idea that you did this and you must also change the password in your modem setup page as well.

This is a common occurrence and a lot of people have done this.

So remember, if you change your password on the Verizon Central page - you will lock yourself out of using your account and your DSL modem will NOT be able to authenticate with the Radius Authentication Server. This applies to DSL accounts only and not FiOS.

Does that help?

NY Tel Guy
Yes..so I'm not crazy. I thought that was what happened but it didn't seem logical. You would think VZ would give you a big warning when you change your password on VZ Central that it was going to cut off your modem. Probably would save VZ a lot of phone calls letting people know. I'm assuming that if you just change the password on the modem then you can't get on VZ Central unless you change that password also.:confused:

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Originally Posted by roehrle

NY Tel Guy
Yes..so I'm not crazy. I thought that was what happened but it didn't seem logical. You would think VZ would give you a big warning when you change your password on VZ Central that it was going to cut off your modem. Probably would save VZ a lot of phone calls letting people know. I'm assuming that if you just change the password on the modem then you can't get on VZ Central unless you change that password also.:confused:

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Nope you are not crazy, in fact going forward with FiOS, Verizon dropped the requirement for a username and password for those accounts. This probably greatly reduces the number of "nuisance calls" to the help desks.

Changing the password on the modem "first" will just lock you out of the Internet and then you'll not be able to get to Verizon Central to change it there. You will also not be able to call them if you have Voip.
Think of it - changing your password out of sequence could cause the collapse of civilization as we know it....oh wait! Wall Street has already started that process.:eek:
So it has to be: Change password on Verizon Central (write it down!), then change it in the modems setup page.

Here is a step-by-step just in case........;)



If you have a Westell VersaLink 327W modem and have recently changed your Verizon Online password, you need to follow these instructions.

1. Open a Web browser and type 192.168.1.1 in the address bar and hit ENTER on your keyboard. The Enter Network Password screen should appear.
2. In the User Name field, type your Verizon Online user name.
3. In the Password field, enter your previous Verizon Online password, and then click OK. The Westell Advanced Home screen appears.
   Note: If the Westell Advanced Home screen does not appear, try again using the Westell VersaLink 327W default user name and password settings:
   
   1. Default user name: admin
   2. Default password: password
   
   
4. In the Connection Overview area, click edit. The Edit VOL Connection screen appears.
5. In the Account Password field, type your new Verizon Online password.
6. Click Save.
7. A confirmation box appears to make sure you really want to save your new password. Click OK.

I just had another run-in with VZ. Just recently I discovered that I could increase my download speed from 768kb/s to 1.5mb/s. (at no cost increase) I called and got a very nice lady who changed it and also she lowered my fee from $29.99 to $19.99. After a couple of weeks of only getting 989kb/s I decided today to go on the VZ chat line to see if I could get closer to 1.5mb/s. I was told that I was only signed up for 1mb/s and was doing fine. I thought I remembered that VZ only has 4 tiers...
789kb/s, 1.5mb/s, 3 mb/s, 7 mb/s.
I Didn't argue with her since I didn't have any proof at the time. Is it possible I have a new tier rate ??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NY Tel Guy

If you change your password on Verizon Central, it effectively changes your login for all account functions for your DSL. Your Westell has no Idea that you did this and you must also change the password in your modem setup page as well.

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I missed that all together, yep that would cause problems.

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Originally Posted by roehrle

I just had another run-in with VZ. Just recently I discovered that I could increase my download speed from 768kb/s to 1.5mb/s.

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That would depend on your distance from the CO. You didn't get stuck with a 1 or 2 yr commitment for the lower rate? I have never been able to run at advertised speeds. Close to it, but never at it. Too many variable with network traffic and routing to get advertised speeds. One of the Tier 2 Verizon Techs suggested using this tool to check connection and voip performance: http://myspeed.visualware.com/voip/

Verizon is finally installing FIOS in neighborhood. Not sure if I'll make the jump.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by roehrle

I just had another run-in with VZ. Just recently I discovered that I could increase my download speed from 768kb/s to 1.5mb/s. (at no cost increase) I called and got a very nice lady who changed it and also she lowered my fee from $29.99 to $19.99. After a couple of weeks of only getting 989kb/s I decided today to go on the VZ chat line to see if I could get closer to 1.5mb/s. I was told that I was only signed up for 1mb/s and was doing fine. I thought I remembered that VZ only has 4 tiers...
789kb/s, 1.5mb/s, 3 mb/s, 7 mb/s.
I Didn't argue with her since I didn't have any proof at the time. Is it possible I have a new tier rate ??

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To see what your connection quality is do the following for me:

In your address bar of your browser, type in:

192.168.1.1/transtat.html

or it could be 192.168.1.1/transtat.htm

But either way, post all the readings from that page here.
If you can highlight, copy and paste what that page says, we can make a pretty quick diagnosis.

Transceiver Revision: 7.2.3.0 Vendor ID Code: 4 Line Mode: G.DMT Mode Data Path: Interleaved Transceiver Information Downstream Path Upstream Path DSL Speed (Kbits/Sec) 1184 448 Margin (dB) 11.5 21.0 Line Attenuation (dB) 57.0 31.5 Transmit Power (dBm) 6.0 11.8

Why are you interleaved. Are you out in the boonies or very far from a DSLAM?

Don't know what happened to the chart info. It looked good when I stuck it in the message box put was scrambled when it posted ??

Several years ago I was having problems and one of the higher level tech's that was communicating with me on almost a daily basis suggested using the interweave. It apparently solved the problem at that time. Please don't ask what the problem was because like I said it was from 1 -2 years ago when I first got on VZ. I think it was because of a problem I was having with Voicewing at that time:mad:

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Originally Posted by roehrle

Don't know what happened to the chart info. It looked good when I stuck it in the message box put was scrambled when it posted ??

Several years ago I was having problems and one of the higher level tech's that was communicating with me on almost a daily basis suggested using the interweave. It apparently solved the problem at that time. Please don't ask what the problem was because like I said it was from 1 -2 years ago when I first got on VZ. I think it was because of a problem I was having with Voicewing at that time:mad:

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Generally they do this because of a noisy line or a great distance.

Then the next question is ..
Which one is better??
I don't think that is something I can change by myself ???

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Originally Posted by roehrle

Then the next question is ..
Which one is better??
I don't think that is something I can change by myself ???

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No you can't.

If you are getting a decent, reliable connection, maybe let it go.
Otherwise, you need to get an upper level tech to do some line testing.

Better yet, especially if they don't charge, see if you can get a tech out to measure from your house. They talk directly to the NOC and can try different changes on the fly to see what works best.
That is if they care..:rolleyes:

I had all kinds of problems when I first got DSL and then more when i got VW. They ran a new line from my house to the junction box. and then another line from that junction box. They had to replace something in that box because of corrosion. The lines were all over 40 years old. That seemed to fix the multiple problems I was having. As I said before I had my own special tech that was working with me for days. Even had his phone number so I could call him.:p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by roehrle

Transceiver Revision: 7.2.3.0 Vendor ID Code: 4 Line Mode: G.DMT Mode Data Path: Interleaved Transceiver Information Downstream Path Upstream Path DSL Speed (Kbits/Sec) 1184 448 Margin (dB) 11.5 21.0 Line Attenuation (dB) 57.0 31.5 Transmit Power (dBm) 6.0 11.8

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Ok here's the deal:

1. Verizon provisions all DSL as Interleaved because it lessens tech support calls for them.
2. Line Attenuation: 57 means you are at the outer limits of higher speed DSL
3. Transmit power: 31 is almost off the scale but is related to your distance from the Central Office
4. DSL Speed: is not synced at the max speed probably because of your "less-than-perfect line conditions.

Can you go to the modem and look again and let me know which of the stats are your Margin readings? Is it the 6.0 / 11.8 numbers? Or is it the 11.5 / 21.0?

That would make a big difference.

A noise margin of 6.0 is always on the verge of losing sync because of excess line noise caused by many, many things.

Before we go any further - get me those readings.

I have a friend who works for Verizon who can poll your line LIVE and look at the actual versus capacity of your line and make some adjustments etc. if need be but we are not at that stage yet.

I not sure what you are asking for me to report
The downstream was 14.5 db
The Upstream was 21.0 db
Is that the info you wanted ??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by roehrle

I not sure what you are asking for me to report
The downstream was 14.5 db
The Upstream was 21.0 db
Is that the info you wanted ??

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Well if those are your noise margin readings, those are excellent but that would not explain your speed being slower than the speed tier you are supposed to be subscribed to.

So what are the numbers we are looking for??
A higher db or lower with the margin ?
I'm surprised that something is looking good on my set-up

Quote:

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Originally Posted by roehrle

So what are the numbers we are looking for??
A higher db or lower with the margin ?
I'm surprised that something is looking good on my set-up

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Generally speaking, noise margin numbers are better the higher they are. The downstream is usually lower than the upstream but yours are showing a good range. The modem constantly adjusts the speed relative to the line quality so as to prevent dropouts (disconnects).
If you shut the modem off, turn it back on - your speed will usually increase because it tries to sync at the speed closest to what you are provisioned at.
What speed tier are you supposed to be on?

BTW - your noise margin numbers are absolutely fine.