VDSL2 Line Switch - SF

[andersensam]

Hi all,

Getting my Sonic VDSL2 service setup has been an uphill battle for the last few weeks and after calling into support almost daily for the last few weeks, I'm still at a bit of an impasse with AT&T.

I live by Market & Guerrero in SF, supposedly only a few blocks away from the CO (website states loop length around 2300ft/700m).

The line was provisioned, modem sent out, AT&T showed up on time to get everything connected. Turns out there was a miswire at the MPOE which was promptly resolved when I pointed out to the tech that the lines weren't matching with what I was seeing upstairs inside the unit.

Finally, I'm able to get a sync and see 26Mbps down with 3Mbps up. I run upstairs to run a speed test and check the modem for errors, but don't see any. I'm running close to sync rate.

AT&T tech calls in to get this ticket closed, but is rejected due to foreign voltage on the line.

AT&T tests connectivity to the CO and sees a totally clean line. Since Sonic still detects an issue (which isn't necessarily a big deal with VSDL2), they then cut me over to a different line (in the sidewalk panel) and that 26M down drops to 16M, and 3M up drops to 1.2M. As far as AT&T and Sonic are concerned, this is fine since there are no faults or foreign voltages detected. The modem now is on ADSL2+ fallback.

I had a Sonic tech out to check internal wiring and was able to bump the 16M to 18M, but no change to the upload. Tests directly on the MPOE get almost the same (slightly higher) sync as inside the unit. Neighbors are reporting significantly better speeds (Pearl & Haight), with some getting 5M+ on their uploads.

Understanding the very short distance to the CO and the fact that my speed tests indicated that things were running smoothly, how is it possible to see such a dramatic drop? Is there anything I can do to have another line tested and get close to, if not back to, the sync rate I was seeing and verified?

1.5M sync on the upload (with annex M turned on) is a severe bottleneck for remote working and makes the line unusable as far as I'm concerned.

Apologies for the wall of text, but I am frustrated and tired of calling in, relaying the same story without end. This circuit was installed to allow me to work from home and escape terrible service from Xfinity.

Any suggestions here?

[spencerw]

Hello,

Since the copper infrastructure is so old, multiple lines that run to the same location can vary greatly in the speed they can provide. This is due to the lines being degraded over the decades and different pathways used to get to the location which adds to the overall distance from the CO. Since your neighbors are able to obtain faster speeds, its possible that we could increase your speed by getting you onto a better copper pair. This would require having AT&T dispatched out again and requesting a pair change however this is not guaranteed to solve the problem. As we have already seen, the copper lines are inconsistent so switching to a different pair can have the opposite impact on the line. I am happy to work with you on this and hopefully get your speeds up. Please DM me so we can start working on this.

Thanks,

[andersensam]

Hi all,

Posting an update on this debacle as it has spiraled into other issues.

First, I'd like to thank spencerw for the help in getting the line switch issue resolved. He was quick to respond over DM and was able to get AT&T out pretty quickly.

During the first round of troubleshooting, before posting on here, I ordered a second line to use X2 service and get around the upload bottleneck, especially with the horrendous upload speeds on ADSL2+ mode.

Following the resolution of the initial problem, I was able to get back on VDSL2 mode and saw speeds of roughly 30/5, which is in line with expectations understanding the distance from the CO. Line tests were running well, everything was great leading up to the delivery of the second line.

AT&T shows up and is in the sidewalk panel again -- I assume they are getting ready for the delivery of the second line. Anticipating that my router is going to start flapping, I unplug the modem, using my other service to keep working. At night, long after the crew took off, I plugged the modem back in, but was unable to get any traffic to pass.

There are all kinds of issues on the line now.

I have a static IP setup on my account. With the first modem (SmartRG), this seemed to cause an issue during the original provisioning. I logged into the members portal to switch back to DHCP to eliminate this potential issue.

After doing this, I am unable to get any sync at all on the line.

I chat with support and it seems that I have broken the system, requesting a new IP address via DHCP while a line delivery workflow was in progress. Nothing can be done.

I call in the next day after no service overnight and am told that this is a serious issue that will take time to fix. AT&T comes out to take a look at the line again, doesn't deliver a second line, and the tests are running ok. Still unable to get a sync on the line. The 'resolution' is to do some backend config and force ADSL2+ mode again (without Annex M) until the line can be delivered.

I am told that AT&T will be out on Friday (April 24th) to deliver and hopefully wrap this up. Nobody shows up. I ask for an update, but AT&T's center is closed.

Monday nobody comes by. I ask for an update, don't receive any answer.

I also receive an email asking about installation, saying that I need to pay a $99 fee for the cross connect to be done. At this point, I'm about to lose it. The cross connect was completed, as the previous tenant had bonded X2 service. This was confirmed by the Sonic tech that visited before the pair swap occurred.

During all of this troubleshooting, one of the techs has removed all of the unused crossconnects from the MPOE.

So the icing on this ridiculous cake is that I'm being asked to pay $99 to resolve an issue that was created from other support tickets. Seriously?

I am still stuck, over a week later, on ADSL2+ mode, which I can't use for video calls, which are required for my job. I have no updates from AT&T or Sonic about line delivery. I am being charged for service I can't use, AND and now being asked to pay $99 to fix an issue I didn't create.

While I would love to support a local ISP, this is hitting my threshold for ridiculousness and I am at the edge of cancelling service and paying Xfinity for business internet to remedy my issues with them.

[spencerw]

Hello,

We are sorry for the delay in getting the second line delivered. It looks like its now scheduled for Thursday 04/30. The installation fee is a normal thing we charge folks with your service however given the struggle we've had getting the service activated, we will be waiving that fee. Regarding your active line, I am in contact with our network operations team to get some clarity on what they've done as a stop gap effort to get your service back up in the mean time. If its possible, I will work with them to get your service switched back to VDSL so you have the bandwidth you need.

[andersensam]

Now 5/12 and still nothing here.

I've called into support and hear that the "facilities issue" with AT&T was resolved in the middle of last week and that I'm back on the list for line delivery.

Got another email asking if I've plugged in the new modem, which happened weeks ago.

Asked today for an update and was told that AT&T said the "facilities issue" was scheduled to be resolved on 5/6 but that there hasn't been an update, directly contradicting what I was told last week.

Not sure what the issue is here, but perhaps I'm better off cancelling the 2nd line and waiting for this issue to actually be fixed, then restarting the process.

Since I broke a provisioning workflow, I am still stuck at ASDL2 speeds even though the modem is back in VDSL2 mode. Been waiting in limbo for weeks and week for an update and nothing. Support won't update anything since it may break the line.

If there isn't going to be any update, please do something about this workflow and at least get back the speeds I was seeing before. According to the Pace, I should be seeing 40/5 based on line tests, which leads me to think I'd get at least 30/4 real-world.

In other news, support followed up about the $99 fee and asked more questions after not responding for over a week. I let them know that I asked the AT&T tech if he'd be so nice as to run another jumper to cross connect properly. He did it, free of charge. Took maybe 30 seconds to get out the spool and cut it.

Not entirely sure what I'm paying for at this point.

[david.c]

Hello,

Sorry for such a poor experience with upgrading service. I see our provisioning team is actively working on your upgrade order and we are currently waiting on AT&T like you mentioned. I will personally monitor this upgrade until it is complete and see if anything can be done to speed things up since its already long overdue.

Line 1 is looking good and we have restored your speeds to 38Mbps download and 4.5Mbps upload on a VDSL2 connection.

You mentioned the $99 install fee for the upgrade and that cost is for a Sonic tech to dispatch out and cross connect the 2 lines so your bonded connection works correctly.

We currently see a cisco modem/router connected but not the Pace 5268 from 2-wire that we should have sent out. For the upgrade order to continue we need the modem/router we provided to be plugged in instead of the cisco device. Once the install is complete you can use your own bonded modem.

[andersensam]

Hi David,

Thanks for the response.

After the most recent AT&T tech left a jumper, per my request, I completed the cross connect myself -- this will not be needed from Sonic.

The Cisco router you're seeing in my Meraki MX device. It's probably showing because the Pace is in passthrough mode. I've turned that off during resets and other calls with support, but it is functioning as expected for the time being.

If needed, I can do another factory reset when AT&T delivers the line for this workflow to complete.

Thanks.

[david.c]

Currently the workflow is on a step where its looking for the 5268ac and we can push it past this step but your connection could stop working.

Good to hear you were able to complete the cross connect. There will be no $99 install fee if you were able to complete this step.

It might be a good idea to speak with support again when you have the time and we should be able to complete your upgrade.