HSDPA Dropouts

[huzzy]

I am having trouble with my Exetel/Optus HSDPA connection. It connects faultlessly every time, however after approx 5 minutes data stops being received. I have to disconnect and then reconnect to get another 5 minutes of use.
I have tried the following:

Selecting different frequencies from within the option: eg 850mhz, 2100mhz, 3g only, 2g only, Auto etc etc
Swapped modem
Re-installed connection software
Swapped computer
Fresh install of Vista

I am using Vista Business SP1 32bit.

Any suggestions or solutions would be greatly appreciated!

[huzzy]

I forgot to mention, signal quality is not an issue, I have 4 - 5 Bars of 3G service and the same for 2G.
When I am connected for those few minutes, the connection works faultlessly, I can ping Exetel DNS and get 150ms - 180ms with zero packet loss.

[CoreyPlover]

Try running a command like "PING www.google.com.au -l 1 -t" in the background. This will continually ping, say, Google which ensure there is continuous traffic in the background keeping your connection alive

[huzzy]

Thanks Cory,

I have tried this (saw it in another thread) and it appears to extend my usualy 5 minutes to approx 8 - 10 minutes, but dropouts still occur.
Is this a global thing amongst all Exetel HSDPA customers, or is it only those with specific hardware or in specific locations?

[jokiin]

Thanks Cory,

I have tried this (saw it in another thread) and it appears to extend my usualy 5 minutes to approx 8 - 10 minutes, but dropouts still occur.
Is this a global thing amongst all Exetel HSDPA customers, or is it only those with specific hardware or in specific locations?

do you have another computer you can try it on, preferably with XP?

[offroad]

Yes, we are having similar problems on 2 x PC's using 4 different modems with 4-5 bar signal strength in Ramsgate NSW. We thought it was isolated to our local tower but not by the sounds of it reading in here...

Our modems remain connected to HSPA 2100mhz, they never drop out or go back to UMTS. It just goes to sleep. We sent support some graphs showing the traffic which then just stops for 2-5 minutes then starts up again, total 100% packet loss.

Will try the Ping 'fix' tonight and report back.

[jubadub]

huzzy wrote

... It connects faultlessly every time, however after approx 5 minutes data stops being received. I have to disconnect and then reconnect to get another 5 minutes of use. ...

I have seen pretty much the same problem - for me it would generally keep going longer than 5 minutes but sometimes less than an hour. As you say the "connection" as such is not lost, it is just the data that dries up. Later on this problem got so bad that I had to disconnect and reconnect maybe 30 times before I could get any data at all from a website. Then I discovered that someone else had had the same fault and found the solution: http://forum.exetel.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=29691

As it turned out my system stopped misbehaving before I could give this solution a try so I don't know whether it was a certain fix in my case. Now I have been on-line without a dropout for several days - without using this fix. But if you are still having problems it may be worth a try. Here is what Corey wrote:

As Gidget says, you can try hardcoding either 220.233.0.3 / 220.233.0.4 into the "Use the following DNS servers" under the TCP/IP > Properties configuration page of the network adapter. You can even try 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 (being public DNS servers external to Exetel). Having no DNS address there actually means "obtain DNS Addresses automatically", which usually works for most (all) of the HSPA setup I've dealt with.

You can also configuring the DNS servers in the preloaded (Optus) Wireless Broadband software that comes with the modem. Under Tools > Options > Profile Management > pick the Exetel connection (with APN exetel1) > Edit > Advanced > DNS settings > Static > hardcode the 220.233.0.3 and 220.233.0.4 addresses

[CoreyPlover]

If the "data dries up" 5 minutes (or even an hour) into a session, it is unlikely to be a DNS issue. The hardcoding of DNS could be useful however for when you connect without getting any websites to work at all. A good test of whether your issue is a DNS issue is to try accessing http://66.102.11.104 instead of http://www.google.com.au. This will bypass DNS and attempt to resolve the website directly.

I, too, have experienced the data drying up on occasion. I don't know the cause nor a foolproof resolution. It either comes back on it's own, or I disconnect and reconnect but for me it is only intermittent and not always at, say, 5 minutes into a session.