DSL starts and stops all day every day

B'ham Dude · 05-11-2009, 09:22 AM

Hi everyone - New guy here. Joined because I've got a frustrating issue with my DSL connection from AT&T.

Easiest way to explain it is that the connection starts and stops. I'll open a new page or click on a link, and the system will load about half the page, then it will stop for 10-15-20 seconds, then load some more, maybe stop for another 10-15-20 seconds, then finish. While it's loading data, the "Ethernet" light on the modem will blink, but will stop flashing (i.e. stay lit but not flash) when it pauses. It does this 90% of the time. There are a few times where it works fine, but I have this problem the majority of the time.

This is a relatively new problem. I switched to this service from cable in January and all worked fine initially. My computer at the time died, so I bought an iMac a couple months ago. Everything worked fine with it initially. Then, this problem started to appear. I'm running OSX 10.5 and the standard Mac firewall.

Last bit here: an AT&T tech came out about a month ago and checked the system and actually witnessed the start-stop of the connection. He didn't find any problems but did replace my modem for free. This didn't help at all. I finally called tech support again last night (after ignoring the problem for a while) and they say it must be the computer. But, I have a Dell laptop that experiences the same problem when connected wirelessly to the same connection. My iPhone has problems too.

Long explanation here, but I'm looking for some insight. Many thanks, G in Bham.

**johnwill** · 05-11-2009, 05:57 PM

Register at DSLReports and run their Line Quality Tests. It's best to run this test with a direct wired connection to eliminate any wireless issues from the results. It's useful many times to run this test several times, and we'd like to see each of the results. Post the results link from the top of the test display page for each test run here.

The link to post is near the top of the page and looks like:

If you wish to post this result to a forum, please copy/paste this URL
http://www.dslreports.com/linequality/nil/2357195 <- sample only, yours will obviously be different!
and your IP will be disguised.

Copy/paste that link here.

Note: You will have to enable PING (ICMP) request response either in your router (if you have one), or in your computer's firewall for direct modem connections. This is very important to get the most important part of the test to run.

DSLReports

Here's also the Line Quality Tests FAQ to help you understand the results. This will answer some questions about the line quality display.

05-11-2009, 09:22 AM	#1 (permalink)
B'ham Dude Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 1 OS: Mac OSX 10.5	DSL starts and stops all day every day Hi everyone - New guy here. Joined because I've got a frustrating issue with my DSL connection from AT&T. Easiest way to explain it is that the connection starts and stops. I'll open a new page or click on a link, and the system will load about half the page, then it will stop for 10-15-20 seconds, then load some more, maybe stop for another 10-15-20 seconds, then finish. While it's loading data, the "Ethernet" light on the modem will blink, but will stop flashing (i.e. stay lit but not flash) when it pauses. It does this 90% of the time. There are a few times where it works fine, but I have this problem the majority of the time. This is a relatively new problem. I switched to this service from cable in January and all worked fine initially. My computer at the time died, so I bought an iMac a couple months ago. Everything worked fine with it initially. Then, this problem started to appear. I'm running OSX 10.5 and the standard Mac firewall. Last bit here: an AT&T tech came out about a month ago and checked the system and actually witnessed the start-stop of the connection. He didn't find any problems but did replace my modem for free. This didn't help at all. I finally called tech support again last night (after ignoring the problem for a while) and they say it must be the computer. But, I have a Dell laptop that experiences the same problem when connected wirelessly to the same connection. My iPhone has problems too. Long explanation here, but I'm looking for some insight. Many thanks, G in Bham.

05-11-2009, 05:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,774 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: DSL starts and stops all day every day Register at DSLReports and run their Line Quality Tests. It's best to run this test with a direct wired connection to eliminate any wireless issues from the results. It's useful many times to run this test several times, and we'd like to see each of the results. Post the results link from the top of the test display page for each test run here. The link to post is near the top of the page and looks like: If you wish to post this result to a forum, please copy/paste this URL http://www.dslreports.com/linequality/nil/2357195 <- sample only, yours will obviously be different! and your IP will be disguised. Copy/paste that link here. Note: You will have to enable PING (ICMP) request response either in your router (if you have one), or in your computer's firewall for direct modem connections. This is very important to get the most important part of the test to run. DSLReports Here's also the Line Quality Tests FAQ to help you understand the results. This will answer some questions about the line quality display. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience