Ok I have high speed cable internet through comcast. I am at roughly 5mbs give or take. When it works it works great. Lately the last week or so it seems I have had intermitten outages. Some last for a few minutes others longer.
I haven't pinpointed what the issue is. I have a netgear wireless g router that its connected to. I don't think its the wireless router.
When it is out the internet light is out on the cable modem itself. I have resorted to unplugging the cable coax cord physically. I have also unplugged the power supply and let it drain for a minute or two. I always get it back. However it has happening with maddening frequency now.
Where should I start in my investigation? What is the ip for cable modems? Can I tap into them directly and look at the interface? Do they have their own interface like wireless routers have?
Could this be a dhcp issue? Could it be in some loop where it needs to reset itself to the comcast hub?
Just to note it can stay on for hours at a time but for the last week or so I have had it go out at least once a day. Maybe more when I am at work - I haven't had a full day download session in awhile to know if it goes out when I'm not around using it.
Could the cable modem itself be faulty? Its a rental unit from the company - I've had the same one since I've signed up for it a year or two ago or so.
Just to ramble on a bit more this reminds me of a problem I had back when I was on dialup. I had a terrible time maintaing a connection and having dropouts. Eventually they sent a inspector and they ended up replacing a line to the house for a frayed or faulty line. I wonder if something similar might be the case? I have the cable routed and split a couple of different places before it gets the cable modem itself. Should I inspect the split points inside to check for a loose connection? Is there a way to test that over the network? Maybe a bandwidth load test?
FYI I just recently signed up for the netflix trial again and have been able to watch full length movies and tv shows on my xbox 360. While the system is on it seems to be at full power - its just when it flashes off I can't get any service.
I want to try to detect the problem for myself before going through the hassle of customer tech support.
Thanks in advance.
Edit - Well I just did a visual inspection of the cabling in the house. So far it doesn't seem to be anything obvious. The other tv its hooked up to is just fine as far as a tv signal. Nothing appears to be frayed or dislodged. The splitter in the basement seems to be ok and the connections seem solid.
Should I try replacing the splitter in the room with the cable modem? Could that be going bad?
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Last edited by yoda313; 25th Jul 2010 at 19:43.
Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw? -
The 3 likely culperates, 1 downloading can overheat cable modems and this causes them to shutdown, 2 if a splitter has been used such as a gold plated splitter it can loose the signal, the 3rd could be caused by feedback from the router (especially when it has been setup for port forwarding). Our issue was resolved when our ISP installed an amplifier (senario 2).
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Overheating from downloading? Would video streaming cause the same symptom? Could it be freaking out?
Amplifier - can a simple powered three-four way splitter improve reliability?
Thanks lowellriggsiam. I'll try to check these out later in the week.
Edit - portforwarding? I am not network savvy so I have not done anything special to them - basically default settings. How would I check and correct this?Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw? -
That sounds an awful lot like this: Internet going slow? Here's the fix! (No need to change ISP!)
Read that for one possible easy fix.
I've read a LOT of complaints about similar issues lately.
I wonder if something is "going around" on DNS servers again?Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
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I HATE COMCAST. I HATE COMCAST. I HATE COMCAST.
That said, I've had issues on and off for years with Comcast. With respect to an amplifier, a tech installed one about 8 months ago and said I would never have another problem. Worked great for 4 months then no service again. New tech came out and said "who installed the amplifier? You can't have an amp on an internet connection"
Go figure; he unhooked the amp and things have been fine ever since (knock on wood).
Bottom line - don't trust Comcast (but they are the only game in town) -
don't know about netgear modems but all the motorola cable modems i've had use http://192.168.100.1/ to get to the modem interface.
if the modem is old and uses docsis 2 it might be worth looking into a newer docsis 3 modem. iirc doc 2 modems are good to 10mbps and doc 3 to 100 mbps. all comcast is moving to docsis 3, but they aren't giving out new modems unless you lease one of theirs. i currently get up to 60 mbps from my comcast cable and unless the cable tv/phone and internet go out i never lose connection. we use a trendnet "n" 300mbps wireless router hooked into a motorola 6120 modem.Last edited by aedipuss; 25th Jul 2010 at 21:12.
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"a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303 -
Same here, Motorola cable modem at http://192.168.100.1/ You can get status information there. Signal stregth, logs, etc.
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also try http://192.168.0.1/ it's another common interface ip.
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"a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303 -
I know you have Comcast but try using http://10.10.10.1/
A Linksys tech support guy told me years ago that using http://10.10.10.1/ worked better for Time Warner Road Runner ISP when using cable routers. I've also used this on my cousin's Linksys wired router as well. My cousin said she no longer gets loss of internet connection on any of her 3 computers in their home.
If you're going to get a splitter then get one from Comcast. I've used the radioshack ones which were so crappy. The one's I've gotten from my local cable company Oceanic Time Warner Cable were much better. Just my 2 cents!Last edited by budz; 25th Jul 2010 at 22:01.
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I know you have Comcast but try using http://10.10.10.1/
A Linksys tech support guy told me years ago that using http://10.10.10.1/ worked better for Time Warner Road Runner ISP when using cable routers. I've also used this on my cousin's Linksys wired router as well. My cousin said she no longer gets loss of internet connection on any of her 3 computers in their home.
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"a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303 -
I understand about the cable modem....I'm merely suggesting he use 10.10.10.1 instead of the 192.168.1.1 on his router.
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Thanks for all the advice guys.
I have decided to do a system reset on the wireless router. I am back to the default setting. All I have changed from the default is the password.
I just remembered I'll have to change the wifi setting.
I'm hoping the wireless router reset will work. If not I'll have to dig deeper.
Edit - well I did the reset but only 20 minutes later and the cable modem reset itself again.
I have one vote to get a amplified splitter and another vote against doing that.
Should I try a amped splitter and see if it helps my situation?
Also I'll try logging into my cable modem and see what I can see.
Edit 2 - Ok I have a motorola surfboard 5120 modem. I was able to get into the interface page with the 100 ip listed earlier.
I have no idea what I'm looking for.
Should I be trying to assign static ips? I have the wireless router set up to get automatic dns and automatic everything and its now on the default modes. Should I specify ranges for my xbox 360, ps3, wii and xp computer? Would that stabilize things?
Edit 3 - I'm gonna give Lordsmurfs suggestion a try. I configured my wireless router for the opendns system. I am up and running. My xbox 360 and ps3 can both go online. I don't have enough time tonight to test the longevity of the system but heres hoping this works.
Edit 4 - Well after wasting half a night I am back online for the time being. I tried resetting the cable modem to its default settings but it never seemed to work right.
On a whim I switched the splitter in the room that the computer and cable modem is in. I think its the unpowered splitter that came with the modem. It replaced the dynex one I was using. Almost immediately the internet light came back on the modem.
I'm going to hook it back up to my wireless router and see if it will be stable now. It would be amazing if the splitter gave out and was causing the problems.Last edited by yoda313; 28th Jul 2010 at 19:32.
Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw? -
bump
its been a few days and in case nobody read the edits and were interested it seems my internet is holding steady now.
It seems that replacing my splitter in the room with my cable modem has done the trick. Almost instantly after switching splitters my internet light on the cable modem went on and stayed on. I was able to reset my wireless router and get it going again with the cable modem.
I am very happy to avoid going through a tech call and all that hassle.
FYI it is not a powered splitter.
Thanks for all the advice. I don't know if this will help others but anything is worth a try.Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw? -
Each time you split a cable coax you get about a 3 dB drop in signal level. It sounds like you may be borderline. Or you have a bad splitter.
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Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
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When the internet light on the modem is not lit, The router, software, PC, everything but the modem and the cable coming from the pole is OUT OF THE PICTURE, and irrelevant. That light out is also ABSOLUTE PROOF to Comcast that their equipment is at fault. See next paragraph.
Get the splitters from Comcast and NO ONE ELSE. As soon as you put someone else's equipment in the loop, Comcast can say it is not their problem. Use their stuff, and they are required to make it work.
Also, call Comcast and complain until they fix it. Mention not paying the bill until it works properly. A while back, I had three seperate service calls, guys came with laptops, signal strength meters, gave lots of reasons it should be working, but no fix for why it often failed. Complaint calls got louder. Finally, an older guy came out. Got out of the truck, took one look at the pole, muttered several expletives deleted, climbed the ladder and fixed it permanently in about 10 minutes. -
Never use anything less than a 2Ghz splitter. Monster and Philips are the only two I'd suggest.
Monster - http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2F...reative=390957
Philips - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HSGM6Q?ie=UTF8&tag=thdifa-20&linkCode=as2&camp=17...SIN=B000HSGM6Q
Philips is also available at many Lowe's and/or Home Depot stores. Radio Shack doesn't have crap.
The best splits are done immediately as the line hits the building outside. Each room would ideally have a dedicated line from that point on, including the modem. Only split as is absolutely necessary.Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
FAQs: Best Blank Discs • Best TBCs • Best VCRs for capture • Restore VHS -
HaH! I got tons of splits in my home but....got tons of amps outside on the telephone line and in my home....helps when my parents are good friends with the former CEO & now Chairman of the board of the local Time Warner cable company...had lots of problems in the past and had the outside repair crew work on it....interference down the street was causing problems with our digital cable....I don't like to name drop but when the problems weren't getting solved it got frustrating....so now one of the cable repair guys told me don't even bother contacting customer service cause they're idiots...he told me just call the repair supervisor and whatever problem I may have will be dealt with.
I gotta agree with using Comcast's equipment because otherwise they're gonna say it's not their problem and won't fix it....all of my splitters in my home are from Time Warner....I've also been warned about using a cable router in my home as well. Time Warner says it's not supported. -
Hmm...
Maybe I'll stand pat for now.
I am having a stable signal now and that is what I was looking to regain. If I tinker more with it I could be right back where I started.
Thanks for the advice.Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw? -
My Provider even states that the cable modem should be on the first one to two splitter where the cable comes into the house and not to split it again.
If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself.
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