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Problem description: Modem won't connect to ip periodically. Attempted fixes: Checked all the cables. Called comcast, they want to charge me to send a technician out and I think it's bullshit. Looking into alternative but I bet they have a monopoly here. Recent changes: Nope. -- Operating system: W7 64 bit. Using one desktop that's physically connected via ethernet cable and sometimes a tablet and a laptop wirelessly. System specs: Motorola Surfboard SBG6590 modem. Bought it brand new less than two months ago. Comcast is my provider. Location: U.S., Florida I have Googled and read the FAQ: Yes I don't know much about computers but here's a log from my modem. Wondering if it's saying anything? http://imgur.com/a/OJ0X9 rizuhbull fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Jun 30, 2014 |
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Jun 30, 2014 22:12
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| # ? May 11, 2024 23:05 |
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Post the modem signal levels from the Diagnostics page.
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Jun 30, 2014 22:23
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Alereon posted:Post the modem signal levels from the Diagnostics page. http://imgur.com/lscRLNQ
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Jun 30, 2014 22:34
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None of the buttons on the left side of the page take you to a status page showing the connection information including signal levels? If not, visit the Comcast office and pick up a replacement modem and see if the problem persists. If you have the same problem, you can return the modem to avoid being charged a rental fee. If that fixes it, RMA your modem, continue using the rental from Comcast, and Ebay the replacement to recover your investment.
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Jul 1, 2014 00:46
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Alereon posted:None of the buttons on the left side of the page take you to a status page showing the connection information including signal levels? If not, visit the Comcast office and pick up a replacement modem and see if the problem persists. If you have the same problem, you can return the modem to avoid being charged a rental fee. If that fixes it, RMA your modem, continue using the rental from Comcast, and Ebay the replacement to recover your investment. http://i.imgur.com/K3IYwk4.png rizuhbull fucked around with this message at 08:34 on Jul 1, 2014 |
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Jul 1, 2014 08:15
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Your signal is too weak for a connection to be established If you have splitters between your modem and the wall remove them, and if you are using a thing or long cable to connect the modem to the cable jack replace it with a short, normal thickness one. That said, your signal is so weak that none of that is likely to help at all. A Comcast technician will likely need to resolve the issue with your lines. Since you are not using a Comcast-provided modem it will be necessary for you to agree to pay for the visit if the problem is found to be with your equipment, but since the problem is with the lines you won't actually be charged. Note that this is one of the reasons why it's recommended to use the ISP-provided modem and not purchase your own. They never argue about truck rolls, and you get free replacements or upgrades whenever you have trouble or your modem is outdated. Also, if you ARE going to buy your own equipment, the point is generally to buy something better than what the ISP gives you, not lock yourself into the same crappy hardware they give out with their lowest-end service.
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Jul 1, 2014 16:20
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Alereon posted:Your signal is too weak for a connection to be established If you have splitters between your modem and the wall remove them, and if you are using a thing or long cable to connect the modem to the cable jack replace it with a short, normal thickness one. That said, your signal is so weak that none of that is likely to help at all. A Comcast technician will likely need to resolve the issue with your lines. Since you are not using a Comcast-provided modem it will be necessary for you to agree to pay for the visit if the problem is found to be with your equipment, but since the problem is with the lines you won't actually be charged.
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Jul 1, 2014 22:04
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The signal the modem is receiving is extremely weak, so while modem quality can make a difference when signal is borderline, your signal is so bad that it definitely would not work correctly. I've had this issue twice in the past, the first was due to a failed Comcast-installed 8-port splitter in an apartment building, the other was a loose fitting between the line and premises. Both were fixed by the Comcast tech without issues. The Comcast rep you speak with should be able to see your modem signal levels and tell The device you bought is not a modem, it is a combination modem/voip gateway/wireless router. That's why it cost more than the good quality modems that were on sale, and why it is so large. The wireless router it comes with is so bad as to be borderline unusable, a friend of mine managed to more than double her wireless performance by switching back to the 5 year old router Comcast replaced when they installed that modem. This was the only way to get wireless performance good enough to stream Netflix in HD from the adjoining room, even through a top-end Intel Wireless-AC adapter. While I understand that you don't want to spend a lot per month, at $7/month rental it would take two years to reach the break even point and start saving money vs renting a modem. Keep in mind too that the DOCSIS 3.1 standard was released in October 2013, if you own your own DOCSIS 3.0 modem then you would need to replace it when Comcast upgrades their network. It took about two years after DOCSIS 3.0 was released before Comcast began completing upgrades to their network, and initially it was only needed for the higher speed-tiers. My experience with owning a modem is that the top-quality Motorola I purchased died shortly after the one year warranty expired, so I lost money vs renting.
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Jul 1, 2014 23:31
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Alereon posted:The signal the modem is receiving is extremely weak, so while modem quality can make a difference when signal is borderline, your signal is so bad that it definitely would not work correctly. I've had this issue twice in the past, the first was due to a failed Comcast-installed 8-port splitter in an apartment building, the other was a loose fitting between the line and premises. Both were fixed by the Comcast tech without issues. The Comcast rep you speak with should be able to see your modem signal levels and tell
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Jul 2, 2014 02:13
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If you already have the modem and can't return it or get a refund you can keep using it, I would recommend getting a better wireless router if you use the wireless network though. As for the reps not checking signal levels, they typically at least check the logs every time I've called in. Have you tried calling during local business hours when it's more likely that they will have trained staff available? You shouldn't have too much trouble getting a technician scheduled if you mention the really bad signal levels and agree that you'll pay if they find your equipment is at fault. The time this happened to me and it actually was the modem I'd purchased the tech didn't even charge me for the visit when I agreed to just rent the modem, though he may have been being nice.
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Jul 2, 2014 02:22
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So what levels should I be getting?
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Jul 2, 2014 23:58
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Here are my signal levels: First is the Signal to Noise Ratio, or SNR, which describes how clearly the signal stands out from background noise, higher is better. The minimum is 35dB, I'm at 37-38dB, you're at 33-35dB, below minimum. Next up is the Downstream Power Level, which is the strength of the signal received by your modem. The number presented is how far off from optimal the signal is, so perfect is 0 dBmV. The signal must be between -15 dBmV and +15 dBmV. I'm at +3 +4 dBMV, meaning my signal is slightly too strong, yours is at -12 to -14 dBmV, extremely weak and borderline functional. The final stat is the Upstream Power Level, which describes how strongly your modem has to transmit for its signal to be received at the correct strength. The ISP has to receive the signals from all connected cable modems at exactly the same strength, so everyone's modems vary their transmit strength to achieve this. Lower is better, the maximum is 52 dBmV. I'm at 38-43 dBmV, you're at 54 dBmV, above the functional max. The biggest issue is the Upstream Power Level, when the power level exceeds the maximum the modem is required to reboot and resynch in an attempt to get a working connection. This is most likely causing the symptoms you're actually noticing. In general though your signal is extremely weak so even when a connection is established you'll have high packet loss and poor throughput. Since the signal isn't borderline but is obviously bad it should be a slam-dunk to get a technician come out and fix it.
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Jul 3, 2014 01:53
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| # ? May 11, 2024 23:05 |
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Neat info. Here's an updated pic after removing one splitter. Parts look better but not nearly enough, yeah. Especially the upstream. http://imgur.com/fF72AVC
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Jul 3, 2014 03:08
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