Whirlpool

Has anyone had MORE problems with the VBB modem since upgrading their firmware?

It could be tower problems, but my (admittedly poor signal) which usually hovers around 1 bar of signal and 97-109db, dropped last night to -113. I've never seen it that low before. The problems started around 8:30pm Perth time. I live in Greenwood 6024.
I know my signal is very weak, but it's been RELIABLY weak most of the time. Since I instaleld the firmware on Monday, it seems to have become less reliable. More lag spikes (III's?), more disconnects, more downtime.

Is it possible to downgrade the modem to the previous version of firmware? Or is it more likely to be a tower problem?

The modem doesn't move and usually sits on 1 bar of UMTS, sometimes HSDPA signal, and that's normally fine to run two computers adequately for our needs (online gaming).

We bounce between being very happy, to wanting to smash the modem with a hammer coz it's often completely unusable. And yes I reboot the device. I'm a pro at rebooting it these days.

mububban writes...

Is it possible to downgrade the modem to the previous version of firmware?

It's been done but you need to have a copy of the older version AND you risk bricking the modem, it seems.

Most seem to have experienced benefit from upgrading and I expect your problems are network, rather than modem related. I can't see how a firmware change would affect your signal strength. It might affect how the modem deals with reduced signal, eg by ditching you to gprs, but it shouldn't show a reduced signal reading. My money is on congestion or tower problems.

At your base signal level, I recommend you consider an antenna – a cantenna in the roof space improves my signal by 20dBm. Cost is very low – RF Shop are great to deal with.

I had a steady service and upgraded in order to divert to mobile.

I have had intermittant issues ever since. I am unable to divert to
mobile. Virgin is unable to do this for me via the call centre.

mububban writes...

It could be tower problems, but my (admittedly poor signal) which usually hovers around 1 bar of signal and 97-109db, dropped last night to -113. I've never seen it that low before. The problems started around 8:30pm Perth time. I live in Greenwood 6024.

If your signal is consistently below -95dB in strength, you are unfortunately receiving a signal we consider too weak to provide a reliable service. The fact that it drops as low as -109dB even at times you consider 'normal' means you will not be able to use the service as expected until/unless we expand our coverage in your area.

The firmware will have no impact on the signal you receive, but usage by other customers in the area will reduce the total signal strength at the edges of coverage. My recommendation is that you accept that your signal will continually be flaky at best, or that you contact us to cancel the service.

Thankyou for your response Robert.

Due to living in an ADSL blackspot, I don't have much choice.

I will probably have to try the cantenna option, and if that fails I may cancel my service. Either that or accept a sub-par connection as the best I can get at the moment.

Dave Lister writes...

I am unable to divert to mobile. Virgin is unable to do this for me via the call centre.

Have you tried doing it from the handset rather than the management console. Look here under gsm codes for the "how to" :)

This is consistent with my experience. My signal has usually hovered between -95 – 98db, but since upgrading to the latest firmware several days ago, its sitting around -99db, and last night I couldn't get better than -109db with constant drop-outs, loss of signal, etc.

This on top of no internet from Friday night to Monday morning a couple of weekends ago, FIVE hours on hold to VB support before being cut off at 11:00pm, finally getting onto them Monday morning and getting cut off twice with no one calling back and..........

I better stop now, I can feel my blood pressure coming back up just thinking about it.

Overall, the service has been getting worse and worse since I started around October 2007.

This is in the northern Gold Coast, post code 4210.

Sorry, wrong fred.

The Dark One writes...

This is in the northern Gold Coast, post code 4210.

Yeah, the rain always knocks a few Dbm's off. Any moisture will interfere with the signal. Still no excuse for Virgin though.

The Dark One writes...

This is in the northern Gold Coast, post code 4210.

yep, happened to me too. I'm behind pac pines (in the park lake estate)... usually get around -83db, however with the rain this week it was way down to -101db that I saw. The unfortunate part is that for it to use GPRS it has to be manually set to GRPS-only, otherwise it will continue to try UMTS and HSDPA for ages before defaulting to GPRS of its own accord... and even then it'll only maintain the gprs connection for as long as it 'needs to' while loading the website etc. Then it goes back to trying UMTS again.

The Dark One, it's interesting that we're getting the same problem but on opposite ends of the country. Kind of reinforces the idea it might not JUST be the poor signal from overloaded towers.

We've been getting these dropouts on sunny blue sky days too.

We moved our modem around the house, pointing it in the direction of the local towers that the very helpful VBB phone guy gave me yesterday. We got excited because it went to a best of 95 in one spot, but mostly it was 101-109 and at 8:30pm on the dot Perth time, it crapped out. We rebooted, it worked for another 20 minutes, then it died at 9pm and stayed dead.

I'm going to try a cantenna in my roofspace because we have no other options in my area of 6024 Greenwood WA.

Hopefully this magical phantom "fix/upgrade" supposedly due int he first week of August does something, anything, to improve signal.

We've gone from loving VBB to hating it :-(

mububban writes...

I'm going to try a cantenna in my roofspace because we have no other options in my area of 6024 Greenwood WA.

Try it, but I don't think its your signal strength. I constantly get 71 > 77 dbms in clear sky and still get dropouts. If the cantenna does do good you should look into RFShop's grid antenna.

AFCfan writes...

Have you tried doing it from the handset

or alternatively, pop the SIM into a (spare?) mobile handset. Using it this way at least you'll have the phone working if it's a modem problem.

I've goen cold on the cantenna idea, seeing as people who get 5 bars of HSDPA and a "reliable" signal around 60-77 are also complaining of dropouts and disconnections etc.

Over the last few days, we've had a signal between 99 – 105, but it's been kind of reliable. Slow, around 200k maximum speed, and somewhat laggy, but kind of working. Remember, our needs are very simple (playing WoW online).

Last night it couldn't get a signal although connected on the usual one bar of signal. It died as I got home around 6pm. Seems to be worse when everyone (like me) come home from work and check emails, then it gets better after 7:30pm.

Just shows how stressed the network is, that you cna practically set your watch by the times that school finishes, work finishes, and people have dinner then go to bed. It's uncanny how the signal goes up and down so predictably.

But still stuck with no alternative so......

also remember that the signal strength has no relationship to the line speed. :-)