Generally unhappy with Sonic FTTN

[lewellyn]

I had rebooted both my gateway and router, but things aren't working still and I can't find any good diagnostic messages to help me along.

Unfortunately, I have to throw in the towel at this point. My speeds on the Sonic/AT&T FTTN line are far too slow and unstable (I was seeing 3-17 Mbit/s earlier while my other provider was giving me 150 Mbit) especially for the price point in 2016, I cannot successfully use it with my router, the voice service is useless (the ATA didn't yield a dialtone for an old modem I had lying about and that's my only POTS device I could find in any boxes, I can't use Sonic's voice product with SIP phones, Accession apparently does not work or I somehow missed the email with my password…), support is bad, and so on. It's just been a miserable experience. Maybe I'll try again once Sonic's done with their growth spurt and they can offer me a more compelling product.

It's been a wasted couple of weeks for me, and that makes me sad. Hopefully I can hide the holes that AT&T felt they had to drill rather than using proper mounting brackets. I hope Sonic manages to come out from this growth spurt/AT&T partnership unscathed because it just felt like I couldn't find anyone useful on any call to support.

[matausch]

hello Lewellyn,

I am not affiliated with sonic but I am a customer of them.
I should be able to help you at least with your problem that your router doesn't get a public IP.
I don't live in SF butI fly in and out of san Francisco airport almost every week and if you want I could try and help you regarding your router. I guess you are located in SF?

the DMZ plus mode is not perfect but the closest someone can get to a bridged mode.
it works for me and a lot of others.
I am sure we can get it working for you too.

let me know if you would like to get help

rainer

[lewellyn]

hello Lewellyn,

I am not affiliated with sonic but I am a customer of them.
I should be able to help you at least with your problem that your router doesn't get a public IP.
I don't live in SF butI fly in and out of san Francisco airport almost every week and if you want I could try and help you regarding your router. I guess you are located in SF?

the DMZ plus mode is not perfect but the closest someone can get to a bridged mode.
it works for me and a lot of others.
I am sure we can get it working for you too.

let me know if you would like to get help

rainer

I appreciate the offer, but in general it seems that the FTTN offering simply cannot work for me. For starters, the speeds are nowhere near promised and I get sent to the forum for troubleshooting when I call (how do I even post about that usefully? ). This isn't an acceptable solution for me, as I'd assume that someone who can look at the account/line would need to be involved with the solution to that. As I've had this installed for almost 3 weeks now, it's really time for me to give up and get rid of Sonic though I really wanted to make it work.

[dherr]

Previously you noted "I rarely see more than about 20 mbit from Sonic FTTN)". If you have Sonic FTTN X1 service then that is just about the max speed (more like 23, but still close) and it is hard capped by AT&T.

The X2 product can double that if it is available for you, but it really sounds like the service is not what you need.

If you want to consider the faster U-verse speeds (like X2) then you might want to look at DSL Extreme since they don't bundle VOIP with the service. Just note that the price they quote is not the long term but an introductory period.

[lewellyn]

I do, indeed, have X2. In fact, when I first got it installed, I was seeing nearly 50 Mbit for a couple of hours. I've randomly seen it have appropriate speeds since, but the speed always plummets soon after.

[dherr]

Ah, yes. Now it seems so quick and easy to find your post on 2/3 noting your X2 install. You are quickly approaching the cutoff for the 30 day cancel. It would be nice to hear that Sonic ends up working out for you, but you need to do what works for you at this point. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[bobrk]

Yeah, I"m surprised that Sonic couldn't make it right for you. Generally, their support is unparalleled.

[Guest]

Yeah, I"m surprised that Sonic couldn't make it right for you. Generally, their support is unparalleled.

Sonic support is very good but this shared infrastructure is Sonic's Achilles heel. While Sonic support wants to help, they're at the ILEC's mercy for copper infrastructure. I haven't had a lot of issues with AT&T technicians. I generally have good rapport with them. When they arrive, I ask them some questions that shows I'm familiar with how things work on their end and discover they're quite open to suggestions, answering questions, and more importantly proactively eliminate potential roadblocks. When I had Fusion FTTN installed, my tech made sure all bridge taps were gone by placing a ticket with a linesman even though the tolerances were within AT&T's guidelines. In cases where I've had to work with technicians after the fact or I am not there in person, it's been hit and miss.

It's quite possible lewellyn's tech did the same only to have the line go back quickly thereafter. But my tech gave me his business card and said in no uncertain terms that if I have any issues within 30 days, give him a call.

[bobrk]

I've only dealt with Sonic in these shared infrastructure situations, as in Downtown San Jose there are no native Sonic options.

My AT&T tech got it right the first time, and hung around for quite some time while we waited for Sonic to solve their confusion with the ATA. Since then, the service has been fine and I really haven't had to contact them.