Showing posts with label Streamyx.... Show all posts
Showing posts with label Streamyx.... Show all posts

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Interesting Sights in Google Earth

My Streamyx line is very unstable again, SNR margin fluctuating like hell since last 2 weeks. Few days ago, error 676 and 678 visited again, called TM, they said connection in Klang Valley area got problem and they were fixing it, but according to some of my friends near my area, they didn't face any connection issue. So how to explain? I faced error 676 and 678 for almost a day even when the line was stable...

Well, I am not plan to talk about Streamyx in this post, but I want to share some interesting sights that can be found in Google Earth.

No parking space?
(Google Earth coordinates 52.069207,4.3139865)


Ancient man listening to mp3
(Google Earth coordinates 50.010083,-110.113006)

Check out more at PC World - In Pictures: The Strangest Sights in Google Earth.
Of course, there are more than that can be found in Google Earth...

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Streamyx 4.0Mbps ?

Do we really need 4M of speed? Consider the factors:

Stability
-Copper line can support 4M of speed but most of the copper wires here are old and in bad quality. If the SNR margin is low for line capped 1M or below, you will face stability issue if upgrade to a higher speed, the SNR margin will drop when the line is capped to a higher speed, the SNR margin will become too low, then it will brings disconnection issue. Refer to my post - Get rid of Streamyx intermittent connection. I heard that TM only provides this service to customer that meet the minimum requirement of SNR margin(e.g. minimum of 15db for line capped at 1M). It also depends how far you are from the local exchange, cannot be too far from the exchange. Sometimes even you are near to the exchange, you may also have connection problems because of poor copper line. And it is hard to get full speed that offered by the package, speed is only on best efforts basis.

Expensive
-RM198! non-promotional RM268!
In other countries, you can get more than 10M at cheaper price.

Throttling
-4M with throttling , no point to subscribe if you only want higher bt speed (different if using of VPN services or methods of bypassing throttling are working). We no need 4M if just for surfing, may be it will helps in smooth news and multimedia streaming.

This time TM come out with new METRO.e technology that provides speed from 4Mbps to 1Gbps for businesses, so is Streamyx 4.0M package related to the new tech?
Some rumour says that current packages will be upgraded to higher speed soon. We hope it's true.
Anyone has experienced with the 4M package?
Now we can wait for the price to drop, or wait for WiMax to come...

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Streamyx bill view in Firefox

I just realized that Streamyx bill now can be viewed in Firefox. Before this, when you select the bill period and click on the preferred language, it had no respond, and we only can viewed the bill in IE. Is it caused by TM MCM&B system update or Firefox latest release? However, account information update is still not working in Firefox, the system cannot save the profile after editing.

Monday, April 30, 2007

Say NO to Streamyx installation

That day I helped my friend to format his PC. He just subscribed to Streamyx Super Duper Deal package- RM77, 1M, free modem and some useless offers. The story is he let an agent did the installation, and the agent charged him RM50 for a network card! after found out my friend's PC doesn't has one. This is ridiculous, with RM50 we can have 2 branded network adapters but instead my friend got a unbranded one. I still have no idea what is the brand of the expensive card after looking through the box again and again. Then during setup of windows for my friend, windows can't detects the network card, I looked for the driver cd inside the box but nothing was inside! We have to called back the agent to send us the cd! He said he forgot to include the cd...
By the way, the network card is using Realtek chipset, I found out after installation of the driver.
Then a day after this I was told that another friend of my also let TM to do Streamyx installation and what happen was he was charged RM80 for 4 splitters! I don't know why he needed that much of splitter and it was too expensive.
They are trying to suck money from installation as much as they can do...

The "exclusive" card

Free 'Billion' modem
Default password is "password" not "admin"
Wrong information in the manual and website

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Streamyx payment update

I pay my Streamyx bill using CIMBClicks. The first time I paid was on friday, I checked my bill balance everyday at MCMB (Multimedia Customer Management and Billing System) after the payment was made and the balance only updated after a week. I sent CIMBClicks a message asking about the slow updating, according to their reply, payment update is based on billers as for their side they have transferred the payment on the second working day after the transaction is made. Then I tried to pay on friday for one more time, same thing happens, it took one week to update the payment. But when I paid on monday, the payment was updated after 2 days. TMNet MCMB update delay for payment on friday...?

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Streamyx connection error 678 & 676

Yesterday my connection downed at around 3am. I was connected at that time and suddenly I can't access to any website, so I disconnected and tried to reconnect again, but I kept getting error 678 : the remote computer did not respond and error 676 : the phone line is busy. I tried to restart my modem and PC and replugged telephone line, but still can't get connected. ADSL light was stable and SNR margin was normal, but failed to connect, really strange...
Looks like it was Streamyx internal problem, I tried for half an hour and the problem still the same, only thing can do is waiting it to become normal again, TM helpline not 24hours operated. However when I woke up in the morning, I can connect as normal again...Streamyx........

Friday, January 5, 2007

Streamyx rebate approved

Finally get the rebate.
They took around 3 weeks to process my rebate request. Fast enough?
I faced connection problem for around 2 and a half months but only get bill rebate for two months...better than nothing...
Notice the 99cents , TM want to save the single cent?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Sir/Madam,

APPROVAL OF ACCOUNT ADJUSTMENT

Account No : 200xxxxxxxxxxx

We would like to inform that your rebate request for the above account has been approved. The amount of RM 87.99 will be reflected in your next bill.

We apologise for the delay in rectifying this matter and any inconvenience is regretted.

Please click here to submit your enquiry or feedback.

Thank you for being our valued customer.



Regards,

Customer Care Support
TM Net Sdn. Bhd
Website: www.tm.net.my

**This e-mail is automatically generated. Please do not reply.**

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, December 22, 2006

Get rid of Streamyx intermittent connection/ Unstable DSL light/ Frequent disconnection

Solve Streamyx disconnection issue in shortest time with this guide!

Check your SNR(Signal to Noise Ratio) margin and line attenuation if you are facing problems above .
SNR is a measure of the level of noise that can be tolerated before signal or data loss; SNR Margin is the difference between the actual SNR and the SNR required. It shows you the strength and stability of your connection, the higher dB the better connection stability.
Line attenuation shows you how much the signal degraded between the connection, the lower dB the better the connection. The longer distance you are from the local exchange, the higher the line attenuation.

For SNR Margin:
<= 6dB
- bad connection/frequent disconnections(Disconnected in 1-5 minutes) or can't connect at all
7dB - 10dB
-Consider average connection but still have disconnection issue
11dB - 20dB
-Good connection with no connectivity problem
21dB - 28dB
-Excellent line quality
>= 29dB
-Fantastic!

For Line attenuation:
> 60dB
-Bad Line Quality
50dB - 60dB
-Acceptable
40dB - 50dB
-Good
30dB - 39dB
-Great
20dB - 29dB
-Excellent
<20db
-Fantastic!

Simple guide to view SNR Margin and line attenuation

Go to 192.168.1.1 (common address for most of the modem) with any browser and log in with your modem username and password (Refer to the modem manual for username and password)

Kasda or ZTE modem:
WAN-> DSL-> DSL param-> Local/Remote SNR Margin & Local/Remote Line Atten.

D-Link modem:
Status-> ADSL -> SNR Margin & Line Attenuation Downstream /Upstream

Aztech modem:
Status-> Modem Status-> DS Margin & US Margin


What to do if having low SNR margin and high line attenuation?
-Try to bypass splitter and any line extension, direct connect from modem to phone socket
(although most of the chance it doesn't help! just bypass it and have a look)
-Disconnect lightning surge protector(because it will reduce the signal strength)
-Disable alarm system(if any) in house, it said to reduce the signal strength in some case.
-Call TM and they will send you technician, when the technician come, 'remind' them to:

1. Check the local exchange or DSLAM
2. Check the black cable that connect from telephone pole to your house, the cable may too old(exposed to sunlight & water) and needed to change
3. Check the wiring at the "black clip" that connected to the black cable from telephone pole (the copper wire that exposed may oxidized, reconnect the copper wire). It's the connection between your house and the pole.
4. Check the telephone pole (connection of black cable that connected to your house and the plugs up there)
All steps above should free of charge.
You can do step 3 by yourself if you want to, have to climb up to the roof.
Check also internal wiring in your house, and make sure every wire connection point you have is in good condition. Oxidized copper wire may cause to poor line connection.
If all are fine, then the house internal wiring may be too old and the line quality is bad.
Rewiring with fresh new line solve the problem most of the time.
But rewiring is not free of charge, only do it at last resort.


If your line was capped at a high speed, it will decreases the SNR margin, the SNR margin decreases as the line speed increases because the required SNR increases.
For example, if increasing the speed from 512Kbps to 2MBps raises the required SNR from 20db to 30dB then the margin left will decreases from 25dB to 15dB (assumed the actual line SNR margin is 45dB then 45dB-30dB = 15dB.)
If your subscribed package doesn't use that much of bandwidth, you can call TM to downgrade the line speed. Example, you are subscribed to 512K download and you are capped at 2M or higher download rate(Speed will still at 512K even you are capped at higher speed, the higher speed may be is for future upgrade purposes). Most of 512K users are capped at 1M for now. You can find your line speed on the same page you view SNR margin and line attenuation, different modem has different name for it, e.g. Downstream/Upstream Data Rate, US/DS Rate, Up /Down speed.

If you have disconnection problem or cannot fully utilize Streamyx, ask rebate for the difficulties period you faced by sending your request to custcare@tm.net.my, attention to billing department.

I am writing this guide because I faced the problem before and too much of frustration and disappointment at that period. Hope this guide will help and save your energy and time.
I experienced unstable ADSL light since activation. My downstream and upstream was single digit. Downstream range was 0-6dB and upstream was 0-8dB, line attenuation for downstream and upstream was 60dB-63dB. I can't connect at all at that time, sometimes I can get connected but I can't surf anything because the ADSL light started to blink after a few second. Then I called TM, the technician came and done some regular checking, after that they climbed up the roof of my house, I think they did something to the wiring at the black clip that connect the black cable from the telephone pole. Then my upstream greatly improved to 19dB-21dB, but downstream still very low around 0-9dB. The ADSL light still blinking(blinking-> stable for 10 seconds-> blinking again-> process repeated), although sometimes it became stable and can get connected, it will started to blink again in time not more than 1 hour. The strange thing was after midnight, around 1am -4am, the ADSL light became very stable and the downstream was 7-9dB, I can get connected with no problem at that time. At daylight time, the ADSL light will keep blinking and only stable for a short period(less than 1 hour) at uncertain time. I only can connect when the light became stable, have to wait for stable light(took 1 or 2 hours, sometimes 3 or 4 hours or even longer time), really wasted a lot of time. It just like depends on the "mood" of the line in order to get connected. So, I continue to call TM to report the problem, in between I had checked all the wiring and tried to solve the problem with all kind of solutions that I able to do, but the problem still remain. The technician already came many times and done a lot of repeated checking, in the end the technician climbed up the telephone pole and did something to the wiring and plugs up there, finally my ADSL light can stable for all the time and no more disconnection problem. My downstream jumped to maximum 21dB, and the range is from 12dB-21dB. But the line attenuation still the same values(distance factor, not much can be done), 60dB-63dB.
Guess how long they took to fix the problem? 2 and a half months!

More Troubleshooting on Streamyx

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Solve your Streamyx connection problem

Have problems connect to the internet using Streamyx?

Investigate and solve Streamyx connection by yourself.

-Make sure all the cables are well plugged into the modem(Power cable, Telephone Line, Ethernet Cable)
-Switch on and check your ADSL modem light status

ADSL/DSL Light : Should be on and stable
Ethernet/Act Light: Should be on and blinking(if got data activities)

If all the status lights are normal as above, you still cannot get connected:

-Check your username and password

-Username format is LoginID@streamyx, you may wrongly type .com (not needed) after it

-If you face "Error 769:The specified destination is not reachable", make sure your network card device is functioning and you have enable it.

-Create new dialer and configure Domain Name Server (DNS)
Preferred DNS Server: 202.188.0.133 /Alternate DNS Server : 202.188.1.5

-Restart your modem(switch it off, wait for few seconds, and then switch it on again)

-Reboot your PC


If your ADSL/DSL light is continuous blinking and you can't connect at all / You are connected but you can't surf anything because the ADSL/DSL light is blinking (e.g : stable for 10 seconds and blinking and the situation repeat)

-Make sure your phone line is functioning

-Lift your phone and check for dial-tone (with modem switch-off), you should hear a clear tone, without noise. If modem is switch-on, it's normal to hear some hissing noise

-Try to disconnect your modem from your current phone line connection and check the noise. If the noise is there, call 100 to report the faulty

-Ensure your splitter/microfilter is functioning, try with another splitter

-May cause by faulty connection, check whether all the line is connected to the right slot
E.g Modem and telephone line should connect to the correct slot of the splitter

-Direct connect the line from wall socket, bypass splitter, fax machine and any parallel connector/extension

-Restart your modem(switch it off, wait for few seconds, and then switch it on again) to resynchronize the modem with the DSLAM(DSL Access Multiplexer) at the local exchange if in case you lost connection to the exchange

-Try with another modem

-In the case you are connected but can't surf the net, you can test whether your connection is functioning:

  1. Go to Start - Run , type cmd , click ok to open the command prompt window
  2. Then type "ping 219.93.218.177"(without quotes) and press enter to ping streamyx gateway
  3. Then type "ping 202.188.0.133"(without quotes) and press enter to ping the DNS server
  4. If the connection is there, you should see something like this

Reply from 219.93.218.177 bytes=32 time="x"ms TTL="x"
(for gateway ping)
Reply from 202.188.0.133 bytes=32 time="x"ms TTL="x"
(for DNS server ping)

Then try to ping any website, example like typing "ping www.google.com"(without quotes)

If you see "destination host unreachable" or "requested timeout error", that mean your connection got problem

The problem may cause by bad/old phone line quality or bad copper line quality and connectivity from your house to the exchange.

-If the ADSL/DSL light is still blinking, you need to call 100 or 1300-88-9515 to get technician to fix your problem. I will prefer to call 100. Provide them with enough info and details of your streamyx problem and request your report number.
Read my next post for guide to solve Streamyx intermittent connection problem/unstable DSL light

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Streamyx Installation Do-It-Yourself

No need to pay RM88 for installation!
Step by step self installation:

1.After apply for streamyx, you need to activate your line. You can SMS STXACTV Login ID to 33535 for activation after 3 days of registration. You will receive a reply and it charges 30cent. The line will be auto activated after 7 days of registration if you do not activate yourself.

*Before you activate your line, you need to make sure your modem ADSL/DSL light is on and stable, if the ADSL/DSL light is blinking, you should not activate the line. If you do so, you cannot connect even you have activate it and the bill will start from the day you activate. So do not activate the line if the ADSL/DSL light is still blinking.

2.After the activation, you just need to setup your modem then it's done!

Is that easy, don't give away RM88 for just the setup of the modem!
If you pay the RM88, TM will send a technician just to configure your modem that only use about 5 minutes time.

Do-It-Yourself!