Im having an issue now with RCN. A nice tech did me a cable flap test and docsis ping which shows a 1% less differential on the cable flap test indicating noisy link as per cisco. Also docsis ping shows tons of power adjustments, 79% successrate.
With RCN vs Time Warner, who would have the better engineers so that they would be able to track down such an issue? And would Time Warner NYC would I be less likely to have issue in the first place?
For some reason I would think Time Warner would be more competitive and hire the choice employees. However does anyone who works in the field know if this is true?
Previously I was on Optimum Online and they indeed have the top level techs. Service was so good though I never had any issues for the most part. However, since I moved to NYC I no longer have that option and Im having issues with my RCN.
As a former tech support agent for high speed internet for RCN, and having taken many calls from Manhattan and Queens, I would have to say that your location, and the UBR you're assigned to, will determine your plight. I felt on average our engineers and such were of high quality, but there were always exceptions. I suspect this would be similar with other companies, by and large. I have been gone for two years, but from when we first went into NYC, it was a building by building war, with pre-existing wiring and systems providing quite varied results. If your building has been rewired by us, I would say our engineers are up to the task to help resolve your problems, but with layoffs, and consolidations within the bankruptcy mode, the squeaky wheel is frequently the watchword. If you are calling in, get identity of everyone/anyone you speak with, and stress that you want them to document the call in detail. You don't say what your "issues" are, but at worst, RCN eventually fixes things, and with luck and a bit of charm and intelligence, you could speed up the process. I have no experience with Time Warner in your area. RCN wants to keep customers, so threatening, when all else fails, to leave for Time Warner can also be a good tack.
No need to apologize for anything. I thought your reponse was exactly on point.
Im curious, are you still working for another cable provider now (you dont have to say if you dont want and I would completely understand) and did you get affected by RCN layoffs or you decided to make a career change on your own accord?
In terms of building rewiring, actually thats the sticking point right now. We were rewired with those big conduit pipes in the building before I was here of course. We have 2 sets of wiring, one for Time Warner and one for RCN. RCN says they are not responsible for the wiring unless it was part of the maintanence contract. However other non RCN employees tell me it should be covered if RCN installed the wiring, so I dont know. It was like pulling teeth with RCN. I have never dealt with RCN before bankruptcy, and I have a feeling back then when RCN was not, they would have been so much more responsive to solving issues. RCN even had a young kid tech yell at me cause my signal levels were fine but a nice tech for RCN confided in me those cable flap results which indeed show a noisy link. Now Im not a cisco engineer and only know sheer basics, but as Im trying to figure out my issue im learning as to what the cause is and RCN wasnt straightforward with me. If one has to have that attitude now to deal with RCN especially cause of the bankruptcy its probably just worth it to switch to Time Warner, then when RCN gets its act together to switch back or look at options then.
Do you happen to know if RCN used C-COR Nodes/Amps in the building? We have
2 C-cor boxes in the basement. Not sure if Time Warner and RCN used the same equipment possibly or if one was amp, one was node or whatnot, just a curiousity thing more than anything else though. With RCN's inbuilding wiring, you would think that the wiring would have been better. One of the people I spoke with said it could have been the drop was overcrowded (we are in a multitenant building, 7 apartments in each section, multisection, multifloors) so 7 apartments to the drop wouldnt sound like too much and thats assuming everyone was using RCN on my floor.
With Time Warner, I would gather the wiring is the same wiring that was in the building when cable tv was installed to the building but considering there were digital upgrades and 2 way and the like, that would mean that any amps or splitters would have had to be replaced so they probably had to do some upgrades.
my apology was only for the situation you find yourself in, and that there isn't much anyone can offer in a general way. *g* I was laid off, and haven't found any full time regular work, with anyone, let alone a different cable company. Comcast was doing a little hiring regionally, but I wasn't able to snag anything there. I wouldn't know what equipment was used, as they tend to buy whatever is the best deal at the time, and it's been over two years since I have been in the loop, so to speak. Also, any cable company buying at relatively the same time, may end up with what the industry is buying to solve the same hardware problems. As has been mentioned elsewhere in the ng, checking with neighbors who are RCN customers might give you some added info/ammo to get them to successfully resolve the problem. You can ask someone to research your building, and see if there is any other evidence of issues. When I was still there, if this was done, and evidence of flapping showed up beyond your call/complaint, it streamlined getting someone out there to effect a fix. It used to be an easy task to check a location's history for flapping and levels. In spite of the bankruptcy status, they have adroitly used this legal dance to "disappear" lots of debt, and may end up better off, I don't know. But they took Paul Allen and other big time venture/"investors" for a decent ride. If they haven't been forced to mortgage their self-built fiber optic networks too drastically, they stand to come out of this as a strong plus for consumers. They started the whole bundled services ball rolling which has caused the rest to follow or suffer, and brought competition in the bigger markets. They have brought seemingly good priced packages for phone & TV to their customers. They seem to be in a better place for survival than Adelphia, i.e.., atm, imho. Good luck.
dj
"Adam Julius" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@rcn.net...
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