BROADBAND TECHNICAL SUPPORT ANNOYANCES

NO ROUTER SUPPORT FROM YOUR SERVICE PROVIDER

The Annoyance:

We lost our Internet access and the support technician said she could "see the modem," so nothing was wrong with our cable service. She said, "If you're using a router, it's your problem because we don't support the use of routers." I don't know if she meant the cable company didn't help with router problems, or the cable company didn't permit me to share the service with a router.

The Fix:

It's hard to tell what the support technician meant without knowing the rules of service for your cable provider. Some cable companies have a "loose" rule that you can't share the connection without notifying them and paying extra. By "loose" I mean they look the other way when you share the connection. Regardless of the rules, if you didn't buy your router from the cable company, you won't get technical support for that device.

RECYCLE THE MODEM

The Annoyance:

I go crazy being on hold for a half-hour or more when I call tech support. It's annoying that broadband service providers don't supply users with diagnostic tools and instructions.

The Fix:

It's dangerous to give inexperienced, untutored users the ability to mess around with complicated hardware equipment. However, one procedure might help you regain Internet access without calling for support. In fact, statistics show that about 50% of the time, this trick will fix your problem.

Recycle the modem. If your modem has an On/Off button, press it to turn off the modem, wait about 20 seconds, and press it again to turn on the modem. If the modem lacks an On/Off button, unplug it, wait 20 seconds, and plug it in again.

It takes a while for the modem to go through its self-testing procedures (in fact, it could take a full minute or more). You'll see lights blinking slowly, then flashing rapidly, and finally just glowing. When all the lights are glowing (for most modems, that means four glowing lights), try getting to the Internet again. Half the time you'll be successful, and the other half of the time you'll have to call technical support. But before you call tech support, recyce the router, which occasionally solves the problem.

GET BETTER SUPPORT FROM THE CABLE COMPANY

On the whole, cable companies have a terrible reputation for support (for both cable television and Internet access services). Here are some hints to improve your support problems:

• The cable companies will likely send a technician out faster for cable television problems than cable Internet access problems. Perhaps they just have more technicians assigned to the television business, but apparently most cable technicians can find and cure both television and Internet signal problems. Some people call the cable television support line and report that their television cable is down, affecting all sets in the house (which points to the cable as the source of the problem). The technicians are dispatched immediately, they find the bad cable and fix it, and the Internet access returns. This is what you call a creative workaround!

• If you have frequent outages due to cable problems, you need to see whether there's an area-wide problem with the cable. Find out whether any neighbors have cable Internet access, and if so, whether they have frequent outages due to the cable. If you can't find anyone with cable Internet access, see if anyone has subscribed to digital TV services. If so, ask if they have frequent outages (digital TV transmissions are apparently more sensitive to cable signal problems than plain old analog cable TV transmissions).

• If you find that the frequent outages are area-wide, get everyone to call the cable company and demand an inspection of all the cable in the neighborhood.

HOW CAN IT BE A CABLE PROBLEM IF THE TELEVISION WORKS?

The Annoyance:

Sometimes we lose our cable Internet connection. When we call for support, we're told the problem is in the cable (the wires) and that it will take several days for a technician to come out to fix the problem. If the problem is in the cable, why does our cable television continue to work?

The Fix:

It doesn't seem logical, but it is possible to have a problem with data transmission on the cable and still keep your television signal. Data is generally more sensitive than the television transmission to a cable that's having signal problems.

CABLE MODEMS THAT DIE TAKE FOREVER TO REPLACE

The Annoyance:

Our cable modem dies about twice a year. The cable company always replaces the modem for nothing, so the price is right. But it takes days for them to ship or deliver the new modem, while we live without Internet access. This is truly annoying! Do you have any hints about getting the cable company to move faster?

The Fix:

Anyone who can figure out how to make cable companies more responsive to problems will be rich and famous overnight, and might even be nominated for sainthood. I agree that it's hard to walk away from a "no questions asked" free replacement for equipment, but you need to decide what your priorities are. If you really miss (or need) your Internet connectivity, perhaps it's a good idea to buy your own cable modem. Even if you buy an inexpensive modem (for less than $50), how bad could it be? It's almost certainly going to last longer than your cable company's modem.

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Tip: Sometimes the problem with ever-failing modems is with you, not your manufacturer. Is the modem plugged into an outlet that might be delivering low voltage (which destroys chips)? Make sure no laser printer, air conditioner, or other "amp pig" is operating on the same circuit.

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TELEPHONE LINE PROBLEMS WITH DSL

The Annoyance:

Whenever I lose Internet access and call for support, it seems that most of the time the problem isn't with my equipment or the DSL equipment at the telephone company, it's with the telephone lines.

The Fix:

That's true for almost everyone who has DSL. Telephone lines are in sorry shape in most places, and as they deteriorate, the signal is affected. Unfortunately, data signals are much more sensitive to line problems than voice signals (and it's amazing how we all just accept a minor amount of static on the telephone line).

Telephone line problems are usually caused by the deterioration of the external sheathing, which squirrels love to chew on (when the lines are running above the street), and other, more disgusting, rodents enjoy gnawing at (when the lines are running under the street). Lines below the street also tend to sit under water if there's been a lot of rain.

When the sheathing deteriorates, the lines are exposed to weather and touch other unshielded lines, both of which cause short circuits. Your solution is to force the telephone company to install and maintain lines that are trouble-free (see the sidebar "Solving Telephone Line Problems").

SOLVING TELEPHONE LINE PROBLEMS

Telephone companies don't do a good job of maintaining lines; they replace them only when they have to. More often, they'll just "shunt" a line that's in trouble to another line until they run out of spare lines. Then they'll install a few new lines so that they can continue this patchwork repair paradigm.

My neighbors and I took our complaints about the condition of the lines to our state's public utility commission. After an exchange of documents and a hearing, the telephone company was told to install new cable. We found the public utility commission to be extremely consumer-oriented and helpful. All states have similar organizations, and if you're having a constant problem with telephone lines, contact them.