Frustration Time

Internet users in Lianga using the SmartBro wireless broadband internet connection, which included myself, had to contend with two days of downtime when the whole setup suddenly suffered mysterious problems.

Download and upload speeds slowed to a crawl, browsers started to hang or freeze and many favorite websites simply refused to be accessed. Surprisingly, online gamers found out that their favorite games were still able to run even if slower and with occasional server lockouts. Yahoo Messenger addicts managed to stay online but had to deal with unstable connections. Truly a perplexing situation for many users who simply did not know how to deal with it except howl in frustration.

Even at the time this entry was posted, internet access has remained a little bit chancy. But the fact that the internet service has been gradually restored, even if not yet to full efficiency, is some indication that somebody out there, at least, must be doing something to resolve whatever has been plaguing the system and trying to make sure it will be again running smoothly as before.

In fairness to SmartBro, it is premature to assume that the problem or problems that did caused the internet downtime was their own fault or that it was something within their system that was amiss. Or if it was, they may have identified the problems already and were fixing them as fast as they could.

Be that as it may, for many of us who had to live away from our keyboards for two full days, it was still hell.