lordthor2001 wrote:
Westell modem, wired network (nothing is wireless). If there are t-storms anywhere within the region I start with the intermittent dc's and escalate to complete loss of internet when the storm arrives. I lose connection for hours. And no, not on my end... reboot and restart everything and can't check status online BECAUSE I CAN'T GET ONLINE.
Why does this happen to everyone?
It's what happens when there is a lack of shielding or wiring is allowing noise into the line. Thunderstorms are well known for blowing up the error counts (CRCs specifically) and bombing the SNR briefly whenever there is electrical activity in the air. VDSL (The Standard) and VDSL2(+) is known for having issues on degraded lines and dropping out for the same reason you're seeing issues due to the high frequencies they use (which are, by the way easy to weaken. Consider how radio waves are!).
Think of the trunk line as a giant antenna with noise shielding over it. If a part of the shielding is missing, you've got noise asking to come in. On longer lines, you also have a longer antenna, meaning any lack of shielding can make a bigger difference on how much the line can tolerate. Speed also determines tolerance; higher speed means less tolerance. A lack of twist in the cabling as well, since twisting cable pairs helps to reduce noise as well, can also cause things.
If you're seeing drops, Verizon needs to check for an issue on their end as they have the longer bundle of wiring.. Home wiring is typically not a problem as noise issues from lightning won't easily be picked up by home wiring unless it's in really bad shape or lightning is rather close, but it is a good idea to isolate it using a Home Run and good Twisted Pair Wiring.
