Mobile Internet

[skinorth]

@MontyR:

thanks for your comments.  In Canada, technology is definitely not the limiting factor.

Instead, the limiting factor is, time and again, the way in which techology is provided to business and the consumer.  It costs too much, there is not enough of it, and large areas of our fine country are under-served or not served at all by the communications oligarchy which our governments have empowered to enrich themselves without reasonable return to the Canadian citizens at large.

skinorth

[LGo · Accepted solution]

Utter junk. It disconnects constantly , sometimes every 10 minutes. Has to be powered off and on, or reset all the time. Just about impossible to browse. Rogers support have no clue how to solve this problem. Sent me a replacement hub which did exactly the same thing. The voice part (telephone) is also not very reliable, about 20% of all calls are not received, simply the phone does not ring nor takes a message. I can't wait for my contract to end.

[skinorth]

@LGo:

I am sincerely sorry to hear of your problems with the RocketHub.  I must tell you that I checked last night, and mine has at this time been up for over a month continuously, without dropping a call, or any experiencing disconnects.  I have not had serious problems with the use of the RocketHub since I resolved some Windows issues well over a year ago.  I have had it in service since May 2010.  I must add that even at times when Internet connections were either flaky or non-existant due to weak cell signals, voice calls over the W35 always worked fine.

I have used my RocketHub in four different locations in Ontario.  I have used it successfully in two locations west of Toronto, in a location in Prince Edward County, and in Sudbury, ON.  No real problems were experienced.

The problems I have had with the W35 RocketHub were when originally I was running Windows Vista, which required a Microsoft patch for dhcp to function correctly.  Also, at times the Rogers cell network seems to become overloaded, and It would drop my Internet connections.

Other than those two issues, (not insignicicant when they did happen!) I have not had any serious problems.  I must add that although I did receive help from Rogers support, including the replacement of my W35 at one point to eliminate that as a possible cause of the problems I had, in the end I did find the resolution to my Windows-related RocketHub problems entirely by myself.

As far as your situation goes, the fact that you have had the RocketHub replaced, but the problems did not go away, indicates either that:

1. your second RocketHub also has problems, which is unlikely;

2. there are other issues causing your problem.  If Rogers cannot help you in resolving your problems, then you need to escalate the matter.  There are lots of others using RocketHubs out there quite successfully.  You should not be having these issues!

As other postings in this thread show, there are definitely other W35 owners who are using the device successfully, without the problems you are experiencing.

Please let us know the details of your situation.  Perhaps we can help.

skinorth

[LGo]

Thanks, skinorth, for you encouragement.

I just have given up with the tech support, as they have no clue why this is happening. Judging by the many posts of other Rogers users, mine is not a singular case, it happens to many, including a few neighbours of mine, who are also with Rogers.

I have upgraded my hub's software to version 4, and I thought this will solve the problem, as it states that v.4 should address the "occasional" connectivity problems (so obviously there were reported problems). It improved somewhat, but still persists. I believe that it's simply a matter of user overload. I live in Rural BC so there is no broadband and many people rely on wireless - if they can get it at all (mountainous terrain and distance to tower), although my signal is fairly decent. 

I don't use Windows Vista. I have Windows 7 and an older XP computer, and it does not seem to matter, it disconnects from both. The phone works even when the hub disconnects from the internet, and I have to say that the clarity of the voice is very good, but the reliability for incoming calls is not perfect. 

.

[skinorth]

@LGo:

what type of RocketHub do you have?  I have an Ericsson W35.  Do you perhaps have a Netcomm?  I ask because to the best of my knowledge Rogers has never supplied firmware updates for the W35.  I do know that the Bell Canada variant of the W35 experienced lots of disconnect problems up to about a year ago.  Ericsson developed a W35 firmware update for Bell which seemed to solve their particular disconnect problem.  There were speculations at the time that Bell also had to roll out an update for their network prior to the release of the firmware update.

But I'm not sure that the type of RocketHub you own will make much of a difference to the network capacity issues inherent in the Rogers cell network.  In my experience, the way the cellular technology (and Rogers cell network) function is that when there are a glut of cellular voice calls active in a given cell, the data calls get disconnected or dropped.  I guess (my interpretation entirely) that several issues are operative here:

1. voice calls require continuous short term instantaneous cellular network activity so they sound and function as we would expect.  I am sure there would be tons of complaints if voice calls were negatively affected by overloading.  Computers could be deemed to be more "forgiving" as they can reconnect, recover and proceed with their data transfer after seconds or minutes have elapsed.

2. from an economic point of view, Rogers probably judges voice to be more critical than data.

3. as a result of the two points above, the cell network "sacrifices" data connection continuity in favour of voice calls

In my experience, I have had my computer drop connections when my wife got on the phone, using the RocketHub.  In my case I was also in a low cellular signal strength situation, due to the distance from the tower and the geography.

In another case I know of, a W35 user near here, who can see the Rogers cell tower from his back deck was actually told by the Rogers rep that his disconnects would not stop until they upgraded the nearby cell tower.  That upgrade was scheduled to happen six months later.

I would not be surprised if Rogers is quite well aware that they are having constant data disconnects.  On the one hand, the technology seems to be designed and implemented to do this when under overload stress .

On the other hand, I would assume that they have network monitoring and management software in the cell network that would track and potentially control parameters relating to such an  issue.  Not being a cell network guru, however, that is all speculation on my part, but simply common sense based on the type of functionality included in other high tech networks with which I am familiar.

I hope that the above will help in explaining your experiences with Rogers.  It should also encourage you to either keep up the pressure on them, or to find other communications providers ASAP, if they are available to you in your area.

Rogers does not seem willing to invest the required capital to provide us with sufficient network capacity to meet its contractual obligations to its customers.  They do seem to have money, however, to invest in major league sports teams.  Go figure!

skinorth

[LGo]

@skinorth

It's the NetComm W35

At the end of my term - another year - I will try Bell or Telus, although I don't have much faith in them either. All those companies do not want to invest large amounts of money in rural areas, where the number of subscribers is maybe 1% that of urban areas. Our choices are so limited compare to the US...

LGo

[skinorth]

@LGo:

I am now confused.

There are several RocketHub makes/models available.  There is the Ericsson W35, and there are two different Netcomm models, the 3G10WVR2 and the 3G25W-R available, according to the current Rogers Wikipedia entry.

Can you please clarify which of these you own.

Thanks.

skinorth

[LGo]

@skinorth:

It's the 3G10WVR2.

LGo

[BryanT]

I agree Rogers network sucks big time. Started with Rocket stick and it was always up and down worked terrible. When I first got it 2 years ago it was great (I live in the country) then they added more and more cell users and never added capacity to the cell network and the stick gets low priorety to cell phones. They said the Rocket Hub would work much better after numerous complaints about the throughput and reliability of the rocket stick and they said the home phone service can also be added. Welll like an idiot I went with the Rocket Hub and ported my home phone that had been with Bell for 45 years (and no problems)  It worked OK for the first week then nothing but crap. Numerous calls to support with no satisfaction of service. Home phone not working and Internet up and down every day. They sent out a new Hub and it is no better and now I have no service at all. My house hold is some upset with me. When I return home I am switching back to Bell. Rogers likes taking my monthly payment but does nothing to improve or admit to a problem. I want my money back. Rogers you suck. I would not recommend this product to anyone.

Bryan T

[eddy]

People who are considering this product should do some homework and first of all determine where the Rogers towers are with respect to their location.   If you find the towers are over 5 miles away you will need an antenna just to boost the signal reception. Just wandering around the house holding this hub to get best signal doesn't always cut it.  Be prepared to purchase and install an outdoor antenna just to continuously receive a strong signal.  If you find that this device is getting a low signal bar on its own and your tower is miles away you will never get the service without drops.   If you are not prepared to purchase an antenna take the unit back before the 15 day grace period is up.  Low bars will get you service but the minute the cell phones load up the system your internet will quit working.  I am surrounded by 4 towers, the closest is 4 miles out.  The hub only concentrates on one tower at at time so you have to decide which tower is best for a strong signal.  When the antenna is attached to the hub the hubs internal antenna is over ridden by the exterior antenna and doesn't function so it won't start trying to locate another tower for a signal.   My signal without an outside antennat would fluctuate from 4 sets of bars down to 2 and back constantly.  The hub was always trying to find a signal and this behaviour never stopped doing that until I installed an antenna.  Now it sits on 4 bars non stop.  The antenna is pointed in the direction of the closest tower.   Slow downs due to heavy cell use are constant so the speeds drop like a hot potato.  I have made service calls but no help.  My speeds at early morning will come in at 4.5 to 5 Mbps down and by noon 1 - 2 Mbps down and by 3 pm 512k down is normally what I get.  After dinner speeds slowly climb to 1 - 2 Mbps.  I'm told by support the tower is overloaded and cell phones get priority.    I use the hub for telephone as well and it has worked flawless.  I have the loss of hydro issue covered with a house generator.   I am very curious, what if anything, will speeds improve  in March when Rogers makes changes.  I doubt it but I am hopeful.