Is it just me, or was Verizon's support better when it was based in India?

elliott1977

I've recently upgraded to FIOS, and so far it's been a bad experience on almost all fronts....kind of wishing I'd stuck with DSL...one of the main problems being the DSL support was so much more helpful...FIOS tech support can't seem to help with anything..

My main issue I'm having is connectivity on my laptop is inconsistent. Sometimes it's fast, sometimes it's about as slow as dial-up. I know the laptop's wireless connection is outside the scope of Verizon's support, but when I had DSL I had similar issues, and support was able to recommend changing some settings on my modem that resolved the issues. Now FIOS support, which seems to be US-based compared to DLS's India-based support, has no idea what to do...

I guess after that rant, my question is, does anyone have any idea what settings I could try playing with on my wireless modem to resolve the connection problems I'm having with my laptop?

Like I said, sometimes it's blazing fast, other times it's so slow it's unusable. I don't have any wireless phones, or any other wireless devices besides a cell phone in the house that could be causing interference. There's nothing different than when I had DSL, other than now the modem is in the other room, which could be the problem...

I'm using a MacBook Pro btw... Has anyone experienced any similar issues, or have any ideas?

Thanks!!

Accepted answers

Anti-Phish1

I assume you've verified your speeds up/down are okay using a wired connection?

Very often problems like this can be the result of a neighbor on the same wireless channel.

Click on the Wireless Settings icon.
Select Basic Security Settings from the left menu.
Under Channel, the default is automatic. Try changing the setting to 1, 6 or 11 and see which one gives you the best speeds.
Click APPLY

All comments

Anti-Phish1

I assume you've verified your speeds up/down are okay using a wired connection?

Very often problems like this can be the result of a neighbor on the same wireless channel.

Click on the Wireless Settings icon.
Select Basic Security Settings from the left menu.
Under Channel, the default is automatic. Try changing the setting to 1, 6 or 11 and see which one gives you the best speeds.
Click APPLY

smith6612

Does the same problem occur on Ethernet? We need to rule out the Wireless first as Wireless itself is another animal in itself. If Ethernet doesn't show such issues, the first thing you need to do is attempt changing the Wireless Channel in the Verizon router. I don't know of any tools for Macs that can search for nearby networks and what channel ranges they are running on, but the key is to find the least populated channels to use for your router to ensure you are not receiving any Interference. Additionally, what might sometimes help (at least in the case of older ActionTec routers) was setting the router to use only Wireless G mode.

elliott1977

Thank you!

Yes, forgot to mention, connection is fine when I plug straight in via ethernet...

Well, I've changed to channel 6 from automatic, and so far I'm seeing the fastest speeds I've ever gotten on wireless. 14.5 up/5.2 down.... Why couldn't Verizon support have told me this in 5+ calls?

Anyway, thanks! Hopefully it keeps up...

Elliott

dslr595148

That is great to read/hear.

Please mark as solved.

somegirl

@elliott1977 wrote:
I've recently upgraded to FIOS, and so far it's been a bad experience on almost all fronts....kind of wishing I'd stuck with DSL...one of the main problems being the DSL support was so much more helpful...FIOS tech support can't seem to help with anything..
My main issue I'm having is connectivity on my laptop is inconsistent. Sometimes it's fast, sometimes it's about as slow as dial-up. I know the laptop's wireless connection is outside the scope of Verizon's support, but when I had DSL I had similar issues, and support was able to recommend changing some settings on my modem that resolved the issues. Now FIOS support, which seems to be US-based compared to DLS's India-based support, has no idea what to do...

Seems your main issue is resolved, glad to hear it!

As for US-based tech support... I can tell you that the turnover rate for phone positions in most US call centers is crazy. It's a stressful job, it generally doesn't pay very well, and chances for promotion are few and far between. People get burned out or find a better job, and the center has to train someone new to replace them. When I worked in a call center years ago, they had to double up and stagger the training classes for new hires to keep up with the attrition rates.

I don't know what it's like in call centers outside the US, but I would certainly hope they have more people keeping the job for longer, allowing them to gain knowledge through experience.

HankW1

Have you used the Verizon Fios PC optimizer that changes your settings to get the highest possible throughput?

lostmysmile923

While Tech support is great for problems YOU can fix ..............Support for problems THEY need to fix is nonexistence bother calling Customer Resolution either. They take your complaint and tell you its going to someone who will call you. After 5 days I'm still waiting.