Alltel/Verizon Data Transmission Cluster $&@#

[Mavens]

I need help, desperately....

Our company has 12 handheld devices (Symbol MC70) which our sales staff uses to tranmit their orders to the home office using a proprietary industry software through an Alltel data plan to our FTP server. I have troubleshot the living **** out of this issue and it all seems to be pointing to an Alltel issue. Whether or not it has anything to do with a conversion to a Verizon network, I have no idea. I'm no IT guy, so bare with me....

We are able to read our FTP server, but we are not able to write to it, but only when using Alltel. We are able to transmit these exact same files via other public wi-fi hotspots, so the exact same files are being written to the FTP server as long as we do not use Alltel.

We have been told by the tech support at our software provider (who has spoken to Motorola, the device manufacturer) that there is a possible issue with the "activation wizard", and that it may not work if our account has been transfered to the Verizon Network (I have no idea what this means, like I said, I'm no IT guy... I'm just the guy that knows the most in the company = I'm screwed and have to try to figure this out...) Does anyone have any kind of clue what might be going on here? Is there a work around of some kind that might allow us to transmit data from these smart devices to our FTP server?

I'd REALLY appreciate any feedback I could get on this issue.

Thanks in advance....

Oh, if it helps, we're located in northern lower Michigan, in the Traverse City area.

*EDIT* one other tidbit I jsut thought of... our third party IT provider was able to set his blackberry up as a modem and tranmit these exact same files via Alltel to our FTP server... is there some sort of coding or authorization that needs to be changed in the device to allow it to transmit data???? I'm throwing darts, obviously... again, any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks...

[jfunker]

Hey, I'm from TC too! I know they just switched to verizon officially in our area on June 1st, and my blackberry data service was down for a bit. Have you talked to Alltel? Maybe have them try and re-activate your phones?

Another question too: Did you guys just get this plan? Has it worked previously? As far as I know, when you send/receive data, it's one operation. There is not a setting for downloading, and then uploading. No reason for them to be separate.

Good Luck!

[Mavens]

This is an old Data Plan that has been working for well over a year now (and ceased to work at some point between the evening of May 18th and morning of the 19th). I've spoken with no less than 10 different people from Alltel and finally, just this morning, spoke with some guy out of Grand Rapids who sounds like he knows what's up. Has something to do with Static IP addresses, or MIP's or something like that. I'm an Accountant, not an IT guy, so I didn't fully comprehend it. Our IT people are supposed to be contacting this guy, and then translating it (IE: dumbing it down for me) to me.

I'm praying that this guy comes through, he seemed to know what I was talking about.

Hopefully this takes care of it.

Thanks for the response though!

PS: when is it going to warm up!!!!???

[nylla]

I've got more or less the same FTP/Alltel problem. I am an IT guy. I've been working on this for many hours. Finally decided to google on "alltel ftp" and found this post.

I just have an alltel wireless internet card/modem. I only use ftp once a month. It was working just fine. Now it will not work no matter what I do. Including restoring my C: drive back to a month ago when I know the ftp was working. Still won't work. Which is when I decided it must be alltel.

I would sure appreciate you posting any resolution of this matter as I am getting nowhere with alltel.

thanks -

[Mavens]

Here's what I got...

Our devices operate with dynamic IP addresses and evidently, during the verizon switchover, port 20 has somehow become disabled. We have not been able to get Alltel to nail down the exact cause and we haven't been able to get then to correct the issue. What we HAVE been able to do is switch one of these devices over to a static IP (and for whatever reason, Alltel tech support is telling us that this is an enormous pain in the *** for them and that it will take weeks, possibly months... we have 12 fricking devices.... :-| are you kiddin me?). This somehow allows the devices to circumvent the port 20 issue and, at least in one testing circumstance, we were able to communicate/transfer data to our FTP server with one.

So now the hurry up and wait game goes on as we continue to twiddle our thumbs hoping that someone at Alltel gets off their A$$ and does something for us w/r/t switching these over to static IP addys...

It is unreal to me that after a month of troubleshooting and having narrowed down the exact problem, that we can't get SOMEONE at Alltel who can figure out what the exact problem is here and throw a god damn switch. UN... REAL...


Anyway, hope this helps you out, I know I'm about ready to punch someone in the throat over this.

[digitard]

It's not quite as simple as throwing a switch. The data system is fed it's info on what type of account you have via the billing system. Unless you have a BLACKBERRY, Data Card or something like CDPD maybe they pretty much auto-assign you as a Simple IP device (aka Dynamic). Since the billing system codes for data feed the actual data system they're having to work around that somehow (I never paid enough attention to the deep workings of that system to know what tweaks in the data system can be used to circumvent the feed).

Sure, they probably could just simply change your profile type from SIMPLE to another type that supplies a Static IP but the problem is everytime the billing system does its standard "checkback' with the various systems to make sure everything is setup right that would disable and you'd be back at square one.

So. Most likely they're working on each number individually and having to make the appropriate individual profile adjustments, and have something done to the profile (or billing) to keep it from resetting each checkback. Not to mention they have to work in a way that will make sure that if they are using a non-standard code on your account it wont get audited off by the system either since your plan wont match the code. It's a game of balances.

At least that's how I remember it... but I've been out of the game for about 8 months now (left the company).

[Mavens]

Originally Posted by digitard

It's not quite as simple as throwing a switch. The data system is fed it's info on what type of account you have via the billing system. Unless you have a BLACKBERRY, Data Card or something like CDPD maybe they pretty much auto-assign you as a Simple IP device (aka Dynamic). Since the billing system codes for data feed the actual data system they're having to work around that somehow (I never paid enough attention to the deep workings of that system to know what tweaks in the data system can be used to circumvent the feed).

Sure, they probably could just simply change your profile type from SIMPLE to another type that supplies a Static IP but the problem is everytime the billing system does its standard "checkback' with the various systems to make sure everything is setup right that would disable and you'd be back at square one.

So. Most likely they're working on each number individually and having to make the appropriate individual profile adjustments, and have something done to the profile (or billing) to keep it from resetting each checkback. Not to mention they have to work in a way that will make sure that if they are using a non-standard code on your account it wont get audited off by the system either since your plan wont match the code. It's a game of balances.

At least that's how I remember it... but I've been out of the game for about 8 months now (left the company).

I guess that makes sense, but, man... it sure seems like they lack a LOT of flexibility if managing 12 devices is this big of a pain in the *** for them.

[nylla]

Thanks for posting your current status, Maven. It does help. Sounds more like to me that they're just purposely blocking FTP port 20. Could be some Verizon policy. Sucks.

fyi, I'm in northwest Florida. Our official change over date is July 12.

I haven't bothered to call Alltel because the problem is so esoteric I know it's going to be hard to get help and then with the changeover I assumed the tech support was going to be uninterested in my problems. So I'm waiting until the official changeover so I can call Verizon.

My guess is someone, somewhere, at some point in time used FTP to send some movies or music files and someone at verizon said, "I'll put a stop to that."

I've always had dynamic ip address. It always worked. My customers have dynamic addresses but none are on alltel or verizon and it (ftp) works. You ain't getting the whole story. And don't static addresses cost more per month? Back door rate increase.

I'll keep reading and posting to this thread. Hope you will too. Especially if a true resolution arises.

One more thing about static addresses. I did have one customer install video security that he wanted to be able to check over the internet. We set that up but he had to go to a static ip address. No big deal. His ISP just wanted an extra $5 per month. Took less than 24 hours.

later -