A Log of A Trip to King's Cross, Trying To Use GPRS 25th November 2003 System used: Acer TravelMate 630 laptop, using Windows 2000 SP4. Sony-Ericsson GC75 PCMCIA data card (R3H). GC75 Manager version 2.0.31, driver 1.0.19. Orange "All You Can Eat" GPRS tariff. Travel route: GNER from Wakefield Westgate to King's Cross. GNER MarkIV carriage, coach C, aisle seat. ~start~ 0840: Connection attempt #1 (took approx. 5 mins to get a signal): PPP adapter GC75 GPRS: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00 DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.224.147 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.224.147 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.33.26.135 193.35.131.194 0841: Just passed Crofton, DNS disappeared. Can get to courgette.jml.net if I telnet to IP address. 0843: No signal again. Disconnect. 0844: Signal returns with full strength, passing through Bentley, reconnect: PPP adapter GC75 GPRS: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00 DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.166.48 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.166.48 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : No DNS servers allocated, and nothing resolves (as expected). Can telnet to courgette by IP address however. 0847: Disconnected since it's sod all use without DNS resolution. Full signal on the approach to Doncaster station, reconnect: PPP adapter GC75 GPRS: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00 DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.173.67 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.173.67 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.33.26.135 193.35.131.194 0850: Started getting timeouts again and we haven't pulled out of Doncaster yet. Control panel shows an almost full-strength signal. 0853: Signal drops to nothing. 7650 is showing a full signal, just south of Doncaster. 0857: Signal returns for a few seconds, but then disappears again. 0859: Full signal! Hooray! Then it dies, but not before I've started to set a mail transfer going. 0900: Laptop battery change, so a reboot. GC75 picks up a signal almost straight away but with no GPRS, then completely dies again. This continues for a few minutes, where the mobile signal appears in full strength then goes to zero with almost no in-between point. We're passing through reasonably rural areas. 0910: Signal again, about half strength. Attempt to make a connection, signal dead mid-connect. 0916: Still no signal. Restart the application (and the card) to see if I can get a response out of it. Success: it finds a signal with three bars, but no GPRS. 0918: GPRS found. Connection successful: PPP adapter GC75 GPRS: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00 DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.162.162 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.162.162 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.33.26.135 193.35.131.194 0920: Signal dead again, but we'll see if it can pick up where it left off. 0922: Ah. Didn't resume my open POP3 sessions, but shut them down and restart them and it's fine. Can't web browse though. 0925: Bye bye DNS resolution, although I can connect by IP address. Can't resurrect it, so shut down the dialup and application, and restart. 0928: Reconnect: PPP adapter GC75 GPRS: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00 DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.170.88 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.170.88 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.33.26.135 193.35.131.194 Despite O giving me DNS servers, DNS resolution repeatedly fails to news.bbc.co.uk, www.orange.net, fotopic.net. 0930: DNS resolution returns, but shortly afterwards total signal loss as we pass through the picturesque English countryside. 0935: Signal returns, and amazingly most stuff seems to work, but it's short-lived success as packets go out but nothing returns at all. DNS failed, no web browsing, no email, but a full signal on the card 0937: First PPP connection failure: "777: The connection attempt failed because the modem (or other connecting device) on the remote computer is out of order." Full strength signal, GPRS advertised as available. 0939: Retry, and get a connection: PPP adapter GC75 GPRS: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00 DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.166.229 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.166.229 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.33.26.135 193.35.131.194 0943: Manage to get some email in, but there are occasional POP3 timeouts. We're approaching Peterborough right now. 0946: Timeouts seem to have stopped, quite good connection (full strength, good GPRS) so I can get on with some work. 0950: Short-lived once more, upon leaving Peterborough the signal dropped to zero, then re-established mid-way - but long enough for my ssh sessions to die. Connectivity returns, but it's all too brief and I give up for a short while. 0955: South of Peterborough. It's very, very sporadic now. Comes back for 10-15s, then will disappear for a few minutes, even when passing cell towers (some of which must surely be Orange ones??!). Restart the card to see if it makes any difference - it does, 2-bar signal and GPRS advertised. 1000: Attempt connection, get back "734: The PPP link control protocol was terminated." 1001: Another attempt, success: PPP adapter GC75 GPRS: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00 DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.164.140 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.164.140 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.33.26.135 193.35.131.194 Start browsing, DNS stops working shortly thereafter. Can still telnet to an IP address though. 1003: Another reconnection attempt, we haven't even got any DNS servers allocated this time: PPP adapter GC75 GPRS: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00 DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.165.47 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.165.47 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 1004: Signal returns to its now familiar state of zero. 1005: Signal comes back with just one solitary red bar. I attempt GPRS connectivity again but signal dies. 1006: Full signal! Wowee! Quickly rush to connect, but the damn application is still stuck from the last attempt. By the time it sorts itself out we're down to one signal bar again. 1007: Full signal. Attempt connection, get back: "720: The connection attempt failed because your computer and the remote computer could not agree on PPP control protocols." Signal dies before I can get to it again. Restart the Manager application. 1008: Full signal. Connection successful: PPP adapter GC75 GPRS: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00 DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.166.170 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.166.170 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.33.26.135 193.35.131.194 Sadly, DNS appears to be up the spout again, and although I can happily telnet to IP addresses I can't do anything which requires a name. 1012: DNS returns, while passing through Hitchin. 1015: Full signal while approaching Stevenage. Web browsing stalls frequently though, and a couple of timeouts when using ssh (even when standing still at Stevenage platform!). 1018: Pull out of Stevenage, still waiting for the news.bbc.co.uk front page to load. 1020: Restart application, to see if I can get a better signal. That's a "no" then. 1021: Restart laptop for new battery. Pass under the first two tunnels prior to North Welwyn. 1024: Absolutely no signal at all as we pass through Hatfield. 1025: A very slight signal just south of Hatfield, but a connection attempt dies with "734: The PPP link control protocol was terminated." 1026: Full signal. Connectivity established: PPP adapter GC75 GPRS: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00 DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.168.88 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.168.88 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.33.26.135 193.35.131.194 1028: Oh bugger, the first solid nice connectivity we've had, and the train goes into a tunnel. We emerge a minute later, fail to get any sort of signal, and dive straight into another tunnel before passing through Hadley Wood and the third tunnel beyond. I drop the connection after it fails to renegotiate a signal at New Barnet. 1031: Passing through Oakleigh Park, we've got a reasonable signal and I reconnect: PPP adapter GC75 GPRS: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00 DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.164.114 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 172.23.164.114 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.33.26.135 193.35.131.194 ...and go into another sodding tunnel. 1034: No signal as we pass through Alexandra Palace. Conversely, my 7650 has full strength signal. 1035: Full signal, GPRS fails connectivity with: "720: The connection attempt failed because your computer and the remote computer could not agree on PPP control protocols." 1037: As we pass through Finsbury Park, I attempt another connection. The application crashes, so I undock the card and restart it. Full signal on return, so I attempt another connection and get back "720: The connection attempt failed because your computer and the remote computer could not agree on PPP control protocols." 1040: I give up. We're almost at King's Cross. ~end~