Packet Mentality
Since I returned to Seattle last weekend, I’ve been having balky performance with my cable internet. The guys on the support line say they can see I’m experiencing 25 - 60% packet loss. So, if my posts this week suck, it’s because the best 25% of my material is pouring out of my cable and onto the driveway, and passersby on the sidewalk. To their delight.
It surely is a different experience calling Comcast’s support line now than it was when I first had cable internet installed about 5 years ago. I remember the kid who originally showed up to install my cable modem - young, confused, rattled. I helped him as much as I could, but when he finally left, he hadn’t been able to make it work. After he was gone, I cabled it up correctly and it worked fine.
The support lines were much the same in the early adoption years - people who barely knew their way around Windows trying to guide you through the arcana of home networking over the phone. These were Windows 98 days, too, btw. The first call was always wasted - the tech would go through his rudimentary progressions - reboot, unplug, how many lights are blinking - then arrange for a “level two callback”. There was usually less than a 30% chance anyone would actually call back. The flat fact was, Viacom/Comcast was a tv cable company, and very few people anywhere inside or outside their company knew much about the system. And the five of us who were the first subscribers weren’t enough of a revenue stream to devote resources to.
It’s like night and day now. The techs know their equipment, know how to user their diagnostic tools and seem to be able to visualize the architecture of your setup. I’m wondering if they also have a rating system for how technically proficient the customer is, because they seem to engage me at an appropriate technical level and don’t try to bullshit me.
Still, I’m sitting here on Friday morning, two technically proficient support calls and one tech visit later, still experiencing packet loss. To be fair, the issue is intermittent - the phone techs could see the problem, but everything was dunky-whorey when the onsite visit occurred.
Another guy is due here this morning. He’ll have to deal with Mrs. Perils, or my mother in law (who experiences intermittent packet loss herself) as I’ll be at a client’s. Better posting tonight, I’m sure. Meanwhile, from what I’m seeing, it wouldn’t hurt some of you to cut down on your packet intake a little bit. I’m doing what I can to help.
