Reasons my internet/cable line was cut?

[Fervent Freyja]

Don’t know exactly where to ask this, so I’ll try here first.

Okay, so a few weeks ago my internet went out. I ended up receiving a new modem in the mail the next day after I called. It didn’t work. I was finally able to be home for a technician to check it out this week.

He told me that someone intentionally cut my line. Not any other lines in my apartment complex, just mine. From 75 feet in the air. I pressed him for more answers but he couldn’t tell me anymore. He seemed to suggest that only technicians at the company could have cut it where he found it cut because I asked if a person from another company could have done it and he shook his head no.

What’s even more puzzling, and it’s probably just a coincidence, is that hours before my Ring camera went out I was alerted to motion in my apartment. I hear a noise at my entryway but don’t see the supposed motion that it detected. Nothing else. I know that my line must have been cut hours after that because my Ring camera stopped recording anything when it lost the Wi-Fi connection with my modem and when I arrived home in the parking lot I failed to connect with it again to be sure no one was in there before I walked in.

Why in the world would someone intentionally cut my line? Does anyone know of any other possible reasons for this? Is it plausible that another technician cut my line in order to set another customer up with service at my complex and maybe that is why he seemed a little hesitant to answer my questions about it? Is that how it works?

 

[Ygggdrasil]

Copper theft? https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/copper-thefts

 

[Fervent Freyja]

Copper theft? https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/copper-thefts

That makes a lot of sense! Especially when I consider that where it was cut isn’t under my complexes security cameras- it’s more towards a wooded area!

 

[Baluncore]

It will depend on what is meant by “cut”.
Was a connector separated, or was a knife used?
Is it fibre, coax or twisted pair?

Maybe the wrong plug was pulled, but why pull any plug? Maybe to free up a line for a new user, but that would require some line assignment change back at the source.

Did it get fixed fast, or did it take some time to reallocate a connection?

 

[Fervent Freyja]

It will depend on what is meant by “cut”.
Was a connector separated, or was a knife used?
Is it fibre, coax or twisted pair?

Maybe the wrong plug was pulled, but why pull any plug? Maybe to free up a line for a new user, but that would require some line assignment change back at the source.

Did it get fixed fast, or did it take some time to reallocate a connection?

He said “cut” a couple of times. Have no idea what kind of wire it is.

Took at least an hour, maybe that tells you something?

Thanks!

 

[Office_Shredder]

I had a similar situation that might make you feel better. Verizon was wiring a new house down the block, and accidentally unplugged my internet (I think actually poorly soldered some connections is a better description). It took them about two hours of tech work to figure out where the problem was (which was particularly annoying because I already knew which pole they were working on, and presumably so did they?), and they had to come back with a cherry picker the next day to actually fix the problem.

 

[Fervent Freyja]

I had a similar situation that might make you feel better. Verizon was wiring a new house down the block, and accidentally unplugged my internet (I think actually poorly soldered some connections is a better description). It took them about two hours of tech work to figure out where the problem was (which was particularly annoying because I already knew which pole they were working on, and presumably so did they?), and they had to come back with a cherry picker the next day to actually fix the problem.

That does! Thank you!

 

[robphy]

Possibly enlightening:
https://www.reviews.org/home-security/can-burglars-cut-alarm-systems/

https://www.toptenreviews.com/break...ods-thieves-use-to-disable-your-home-security

 

[Office_Shredder]

Using the phone book, a burglar will look up your information and call you to see if you are home

I feel like this article is a little out of date...

 

[Vanadium 50]

What is this "phone book" of which you speak?

 

[robphy]

Using the phone book, a burglar will look up your information and call you to see if you are home

I feel like this article is a little out of date...

Well...
Later in the article, it does say

If you have a Facebook or Twitter account, he will subscribe to your feed and monitor your posts. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to announce that you are leaving for an extended period of time, whether to see a movie or leave the country.

Be careful about what you post online.

 

[256bits]

That makes a lot of sense! Especially when I consider that where it was cut isn’t under my complexes security cameras- it’s more towards a wooded area!

https://consumerist.com/2011/08/10/squirrles-do-17-of-the-damage-to-fiber-optic-networks/

 

[ki21]

Don’t know exactly where to ask this, so I’ll try here first.

Okay, so a few weeks ago my internet went out. I ended up receiving a new modem in the mail the next day after I called. It didn’t work. I was finally able to be home for a technician to check it out this week.

He told me that someone intentionally cut my line. Not any other lines in my apartment complex, just mine. From 75 feet in the air. I pressed him for more answers but he couldn’t tell me anymore. He seemed to suggest that only technicians at the company could have cut it where he found it cut because I asked if a person from another company could have done it and he shook his head no.

What’s even more puzzling, and it’s probably just a coincidence, is that hours before my Ring camera went out I was alerted to motion in my apartment. I hear a noise at my entryway but don’t see the supposed motion that it detected. Nothing else. I know that my line must have been cut hours after that because my Ring camera stopped recording anything when it lost the Wi-Fi connection with my modem and when I arrived home in the parking lot I failed to connect with it again to be sure no one was in there before I walked in.

Why in the world would someone intentionally cut my line? Does anyone know of any other possible reasons for this? Is it plausible that another technician cut my line in order to set another customer up with service at my complex and maybe that is why he seemed a little hesitant to answer my questions about it? Is that how it works?

The crazy thing is this is what’s going on with me at this very moment. Friday spectrum came out and were pressing me hard about switching to them. We currently have AT&T. Internet was working as usual up until Saturday morning. Our power flicks off then back on. Everything come back up as normal but our internet! I call AT&T and we go over all the troubleshooting. It comes back that the wires to my home are some how not responding. I’m waiting to find out exactly what’s going on with the wires as I write this. My thoughts are spectrum did this!

 

[StevieTNZ]

The crazy thing is this is what’s going on with me at this very moment. Friday spectrum came out and were pressing me hard about switching to them. We currently have AT&T. Internet was working as usual up until Saturday morning. Our power flicks off then back on. Everything come back up as normal but our internet! I call AT&T and we go over all the troubleshooting. It comes back that the wires to my home are some how not responding. I’m waiting to find out exactly what’s going on with the wires as I write this. My thoughts are spectrum did this!

Depends, maybe the cabinet that houses the wiring to your home lost power and didn't come back on? Not too sure, as there is no indication how widespread this power 'outage' was. More likely there was a brownout, which happened at our house years ago and damaged our Canon printer (it wouldn't turn back on for months).