Basic Internet Connectivity And Modem Help

[dhumphreys52]

When everything is working, it's working great. But for whatever reason for the last several nights it is dropping out. I talked to support last night and they reset a few things and got it working. But, again, tonight, my son starts watching a movie on Netflix and it has dropped out again. If I reset the modem, sometimes it works, sometimes not. I'm waiting to talk to support again now and see if I can get a technician out. In the meantime does anyone have any suggestions? I'm using my own modem, a Toshiba PCX2600.

Toshiba Cable Modem Diagnostics Page

  CM Info: MODEL PCX2600 ; HW_REV 19.0.0 ; SW_REV 3.0.14
  MAC Address 00-08-0D-B9-54-4A   SerialNO. 9312145738   Version Capability D1.1     CmStatus:operational ServerBootState:operational   sysUptime:0d:00h:04m:15s CMTS MAC Address:00-0C-31-F3-78-CE   Last CmStatus - prior reset:     Power Level:      Received: 4.0 dBmV Transmitted: 44.1 dBmV     Received SNR: 32.8 dB     Frequency:      Downstream: 507.000 MHz Upstream: 30.000 MHz

[niko6266]

I'm having the same issue with my service. It started last Friday. I called in today and they told me that it could be a failing cable modem. My cabling is all Comcast and was replaced last year. I'm willing to give it a try but don't want to shell out $50 and not be the issue.

Here are my settings from the Motorolla 585100

Downstream Value

Frequency	711000000 Hz Locked
Signal to Noise Ratio	35 dB
Power Level	-2 dBmV The Downstream Power Level reading is a snapshot taken at the time this page was requested. Please Reload/Refresh this Page for a new reading

UpstreamValue

Channel ID	4
Frequency	23200000 Hz Ranged
Power Level	48 dBmV

Also this is what netstat -e is showing:

Interface Statistics

                           Received            Sent

Bytes                    3299316320      2231519004
Unicast packets            49289408        28113564
Non-unicast packets           32280           44156
Discards                      36036           36036
Errors                        17784               0
Unknown protocols                 0

[dhumphreys52]

LOL. I finally got somebody in tech support that was reasonably helpful and they said it was the same thing.

I went ahead and scheduled a tech visit to check the signal at the pole, which is no cost. If it is inside the house it probably is the modem as it is 7 years old. Doubt it's the wiring as I did all of my own wiring when we moved in three years ago and it's worked perfectly up until recently.

[JamesR]

Good luck with it.  please post back and let us know how it goes.

[niko6266]

Anyone have a suggestion as to what to buy? Should I stick with Motorolla? Should I go for the DOCSIS 3.0 just to have it for future growth?

[JayInAlg]

If the modem is owned by you, it is suggested that you rent from Comcast for a couple of weeks and see if anything improves.  You can pick up a rental at your local Comcast office.

If you going to buy, then you should go with a D3 modem, the most popular is the Motorola SB6120 widely available.

[dhumphreys52]

---

One thing that my wife reminded me when we discussed this the other night was that our connectivity issues seemed to begin when Comcast began the analog tier shift. I don't know if that's just a coincedence bu that is when the problems seemed to begin. We shifted from basic only to Digital, but I don't think that would matter.

I thought the shift to digital was supposed to free up bandwidth . . . maybe something in my neighborhood is screwy?

[BillBrentwood]

Not your modem unless Comcast has destroyed thousands of modems across their network.  For about the last 8 weeks and have had the same issues.  I reset the modem, router and PC. I replaced the modem.  No solution.  Comcast has done something to their network that has caused these problems and they do not want to admit to.

[dhumphreys52]

I think it's been about two months since I began having problems as well. I'm in Indiana; where are you located?

---

BillBrentwood wrote:

Not your modem unless Comcast has destroyed thousands of modems across their network.  For about the last 8 weeks and have had the same issues.  I reset the modem, router and PC. I replaced the modem.  No solution.  Comcast has done something to their network that has caused these problems and they do not want to admit to.

---

[BillBrentwood]

Central Tennessee

[dhumphreys52]

Well, they didn't leave any paperwork, but the CSR indicated that there was some sort of issue at the pole that was resolved when they came out yesterday. Strangely enough my Speakeasy speeds actually dropped from 20D/2U to 18D/2U. Maybe my signal was too hot?

[niko6266]

After since the issue on Saturday the issue hasn't appeared again (at least in the frequency that I had seen). It did go down last at 2010-09-21 12:46:24 so it is happening but not every hr. If it does again on Friday that will be the 3rd weekend that this has happened. I'll report back tomorrow if the problem occurs again. It's good that I didn't buy a new modem yet.

[empekay]

According to comcast, they are upgrading the software and people's modems dont like it, basically saying, they screwed up and dont want to admit it. I've been having problems all week, and so have a lot of people all over the country.

I got kicked off earlier, and I have friends on AIM once we got back on, from CO, WA, CT, TN saying they all got booted at the same time, and its been happening all week. It's not your modems, routers, cable lines, boxes or anything (except maybe a select few) but if you can relate, it's comcast.

The man I spoke with "Martin" from comcast chat had the audacity to say I needed to buy a new modem after he told be it was the software the techs are applying, because it was apparent to him, mine was old and needed to be replaced. I've bought both a new modem and router less than 3 months ago.

I don't know if comcast outsources some of their support, but when I call Microsoft CSR India, they dont contradict what they say 30 seconds apart.

Comcast needs to train their CSRs better, or atleast make a sheet of what to copy and paste to a question, like they usually do.

[niko6266]

If it is true that they have been sending down software updates then no wonder why no one ever trusts what comes out of of their support tech mouths. Why would you if you find out that they were doing this behind our backs without any official statement? Yeah I know that it is bad publicity but doesn't it make it worse that they say to go buy a new modem when it is functioning perfectly?

So far this evening I haven't had a issue like the past two weekends so it looks promising.

[CC_Dete]

Hi  empekay - thanks for sharing this with us. I'd be happy to look into this for you and engage the right people. Are you able to share data from your friends so we quantify the issue. I'd like to have the telephone numbers that will access those accounts. This will allow me to verify the firmware versions of each to find any recent upgrades. I am not aware of any software upgrades taking place nationally, but I'd like to get this to the responsible group once I have the data. You can reach me at Detreon_Roberts@comcast.com

While you're collecting that data, I'll have a friend in engineering validate what firmware updates, if any, have occurred on your account.

[Steve_Lawrence]

I should like to add my 2c to this thread and iterate that I too have having intermittent disconnections, over the last 2 months.

My internet has been pretty rock stable for 4 or 5 years, and now cannot go a day without some sort of interuption. Most often 5 or so times a day, and sometimes no longer than 10 minutes apart.

I'll be collecting a definitive list of when it happens for a future posting.

Steve

[niko6266]

Steve,

I had issues about 2 years ago and it turned out to be my lines. I had crappy splitters from the Shack which were causing all sorts of noise on the line. If you have any of these older cables remove them.

Monoprice has a good set of cables for a cheap cost that are RG6 F Type Quad Shielded. I did lose internet last night at around 11:20 according to my modem logs but it isn't impacting me when I am using it.

[Steve_Lawrence]

Thanks Niko,

I'm familiar with the 'splitter' issues one may encounter. I had a tech come in and complain that my splitters were bad (although I had specifically bought them for their tolerance). He.. replaced them with the kind of garbage  one gets from the shack

However, I'm completely certain that the issue does not lie within my house. Over the years I've experienced a variety of network issues (routing loops, poor signal water in the junction box at the end of the road, etc) which Comcast always sends a tech out to fix, and invariably these days I simply let them and then clue the poor guy in when he arrives - they leave after I've demonstrated (a tech cannot fix a routing loop from my house ).

I possess cable testers with which I can demonstrate tolerance between my incoming line and my cable modem hookup. The cables in my house haven't gone anywhere in 4 years. Unfortunately I have no 'signal' information on my modem's admin page. It's a Thomson, and only a 'passed startup' bunch of check boxes show up.

One supposes I could petition for a replacement of modem. Mine has to be like 10 years old.

Steve.

[JamesR]

Just take that old modem down to the Comcast Payment center and swap it out. (Make sure that you get a written receipt for the modem that you return) (Wait a few days and then call in to make sure that you have been given credit for the return of the old modem.

[CC_Dete]

Thanks all for your input. Very valuable information here.

[CC_Dete]

Hi empekay - I had a friend in network engineering check this out and he was able to confirm that there have not been any recent firmware updates. Has the connectivity trouble continued?

[dave1027]

I have to echo the recent problems.  It has gotten somewhat better this last week.  Before that my connection to the internet was dropping daily.  Seems each time I had different results.  Sometimes I could ping the default gateway but could not access anything else.  No errors in the modem log.  I called Comcast support and got somebody down in Mexico I think.  They were pretty much clueless.  If the problems continue I'll probably make the jump to DSL.

[CC_Dete]

@dave1027  - have you given thought to separating the device into a modem and router rather than using a gateway?

[EG]

Wonder if he means the Comcast WAN default gateway ?

[CC_Dete]

Nope - the device in use is literally a gateway modem/router

[EG]

I understand that but he did not specify exactly. He stated "default gateway" which typically refers to WAN.

[CC_Dete]

Gotcha! I checked the account really quick 

[EG]

I was referring to poster dave1027 Dete.

[dave1027]

Hi,


The default gateway I spoke of was not my gateway.  I have a Linksys cable modem and a Linksys router, btw.  Not a combo unit.


The gateway I spoke of is the comcast gateway.  I get this from the comcast dhcp.  Mine is 71.193.30.1


When I can ping the default gateway but have no internet access that tells me the breakdown is in comcast's servers.

[RayMatthews]

I've been having the same problem since last Friday 9/24.  I thought it was my wifi router, but I disconnected it and I have the same problem.  It appeared to be a failing Cable Modem (I have the Motorola SURFboard Model SB5101), but it worked fine all day yesterday and this morning.  Before I replace the cable modem, I'd like to know for certain that it wasn't some sort of network service issue.  Before I replace this modem, I'd also like to know if Comcast offers a faster Internet upgrade which may require a different kind of modem.

I currently have "Comcast High Speed Internet".  I've spent the last hour on the Comcast site and I've yet to find out where they spell out the upgrade path and the options in Internet Service that they offer.  xFinity, apparently, is not yet available where I live (Sandy, Utah).  At this point I'm very frustrated.

[Steve_Lawrence]

If I recall ( I've been looking for the link that tells you how much bandwidth you've used this month - I didn't find *that* )

But, I found what you're looking for (plans) in 'My account' then 'High Speed Internet' then something about the plans and 'learn more'. It depicted something basic (368k up, 1.5Mb down), something normal (6Mb up / 1.5 down) something 'boost' and then a 50/10 plan for like $100.

Steve.

[commanguy]

Here is some information from the High Speed Internet FAQ pages. Xfinity is just a branding name change. If your area supports DOCSIS 3.0 then these speeds should be available. Pricing is dependent on the area so calling your local office for information on pricing is advisable.

With the launch of DOCSIS 3.0, what are all of the speeds that Comcast High-Speed Internet offers?

DOCSIS 3.0 Speed Plans
Tier	Speeds
Performance	12 Mbps download/2 Mbps upload               (up to 15 Mbps/3 Mbps with PowerBoost)
Blast!	16 Mbps download/2 Mbps upload (up to 20 Mbps/4 Mbps with PowerBoost)
Ultra	22 Mbps download/5 Mbps upload (up to 30 Mbps/7 Mbps with PowerBoost)
Extreme 50	50 Mbps download/10 Mbps upload

[dave1027]

You know,  I don't need 50 mbs.  I just need the thing to remain working reliably, 24/7!!!

Comcast commercials like to make fun of DSL's twisted pair wires but I could make a heck of a commercial for DSL.  It goes like this:

Scene shows a person on a computer.  They turn and yell to somebody, "cable's down again!"  The other person goes and picks up the phone and hears the familiar dial tone and says, "At least I can always count on the phone to work".

That's why I will never get IP phone.  You never know when it will be out.  My land line ALWAYS WORKS.

[RayMatthews]

Thank you, gentlemen.  The upgrade plan information you provided was accurate. If anyone wants to locate it, go to this page http://www.comcast.com/Corporate/Customers/Internet.ashx  and select the Shop > Highspeed Internet menu option.  

I've submitted a support request with Comcast to determine if the intermittent Internet loss is a problem with my cable modem or something else.

[dhumphreys52]

Mine just went out for a few minutes. Like Dave I was able to ping Comcast's WAN gateway, but no other sites. Mine was 69.243.164.1.

FIX THIS PROBLEM!!! This is UNACCEPTABLE customer service. My dollars can just as easily be spent somewhere else.

[pambam]

I called service last night because I cannot connect either.  The service tech reset the modem, and he says it is my computer.  Tried to renew IP address but it wouldn't go through.  I think it is something on the comcast server.  Thinking maybe I need to try Verizon instead of buying new computer.  Anyone have any suggestions?

[kkonkle]

Just another name for the list.  Ann Arbor, MI.

My wireless connection will work fine for hours and then 2 of the 4 lights on the cable modem go out and start slowly blinking and I have no connection at that point... sometimes it will resolve itself after a minute or two, other times I have to restart all devices.  It's a roll of the dice as to whether it will actually stay up again after that. 

This is pretty much a daily occurance.  Sometimes it goes out once, sometimes it need to be reset over and over.

[goldengirl50]

So I'm seeing the connectivity issues is a common thing for Comcast.  I've had this service for 2 months now and have connectivity issues as well as the phone going out.  I've had technicinicans out on numerous occassion and they are some worthless dummies.  My service will work for a week and out for 2 weeks, this is insane.  I guess I'm going back to verizon FIOS because this very much unacceptable.

[BethKatz]

Comcast has a lot of customers. Most of them have solid service. Some of us don't for various reasons. For example, my television signal was fine until last night. Now I need a tech to come out even though my internet is fine.

If you have an issue, start a new thread, include the information asked for here, and the customers here will help you help yourself.

But sometimes connections just don't work and take some fiddling to fix.

[dave1027]

It had been working for a couple of weeks without a hitch.  I thought I was in the clear.  Today I must have had half a dozen outages.  I guess I have a decision to make.  I'm not calling back to comcast service only to have them tell me it's my cable modem again.

Here's portion of the modem log:

2010-10-11 16:50:46	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 16:49:54	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 16:45:58	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 16:45:56	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 16:45:54	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 16:45:52	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 16:45:50	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 16:45:48	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 16:45:46	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 16:45:44	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 16:45:42	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 16:45:40	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 16:45:38	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 16:35:18	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 16:06:18	critical	No Ranging Response received -T3 time-out
2010-10-11 15:42:24	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 15:39:03	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 15:37:40	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 15:29:37	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 15:17:18	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 15:17:16	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 15:07:30	critical	No Ranging Response received -T3 time-out
2010-10-11 15:07:29	critical	No Ranging Response received -T3 time-out
2010-10-11 14:52:18	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 14:51:27	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync
2010-10-11 14:51:23	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync
2010-10-11 14:51:23	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 14:51:23	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 14:51:10	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 14:51:06	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 14:50:25	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 14:50:13	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 14:49:15	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 14:32:52	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 14:32:50	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 14:32:48	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 14:32:46	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 14:32:44	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 14:32:41	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 14:32:39	critical	Started Unicast Maintenance Ranging - No Response received - T3 time-out
2010-10-11 14:13:41	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 14:13:32	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing
2010-10-11 14:13:25	critical	SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Failed to acquire FEC framing

[bryantn]

East TN...

I've used Comcast for broadband now for nearly a decade (prior to that verizon dsl).  I've been very happy with the service for most of that period.

Lately (over the course of the last 2 months) I have been experiencing lost connections multiple times per day, usually lasting no longer than 1 to 2 minutes, but up to 10 minutes at a time.  I have spoken with multiple family members who also use the service, and they have been experiencing similar problems.  In the case of my mother, her router (an older Linksys wireless-g model) abruptly stopped grabbing an IP from the modem.  The standard canned answer of course was that there was a problem with the router.  I had her buy a new router (which she needed anyway) and took the old one home with me only to discover that it works just fine.  I could give other examples, but I think that one makes the point.

The problem for me is as such:

Our local power company is rolling out fiber optics in our neighborhoods.  For myself, if everything worked right, I would probably remain complacent and keep my cable service, however with the connections behaving this way, and the grumpy noises I'm hearing from friends and family, I would expect that Comcast will lose many of us to the competition soon.

Nuff said. 

[Ellavemia]

How did you get someone to agree to come out and check the line at the pole?

[vusaraga]

Same exact problem I have been experiencing since this past Friday.  I assume this is a entire COMCAST network issue?  My neighbors that also use comcast has been getting intermittant drops also.

I would love to try out Verison FIOS if it was available in my area...  wishingful thinking though.

Funny that the COMCAST network outage board does not show any issues.  Must be set eto green to keep their bosses happy.

[Redec]

Same issue here in Middle TN. Only happens at night. I keep getting the run around. I call every night for 2 weeks and still no answer to whats going on. What p's me off more than anything is they had scheduled a service guy to call me this morning. Well no phone call ever came. I call to see whats going on and they inform me the ticket was canceled and they cannot give me a reason why. P*** poor service right there. If I pulled this at my job I would be fired. Comcast....you need to get your stuff together becasue AT&T is about to put up lines out here. See how long you crappy services last.

[dhumphreys52]

---

Ellavemia wrote:

How did you get someone to agree to come out and check the line at the pole?

---

I told them that I personally ran all of the cable myself when I bought the house, almost four years ago, nothing had changed, and that the problem had to be on their end because none of my other wiring that I added (telephone, external HD antenna coax, and RG-6 Ethernet) was having an issue. To be honest I got a little short with the lady on the phone.

[dhumphreys52]

---

vusaraga wrote:

Same exact problem I have been experiencing since this past Friday.  I assume this is a entire COMCAST network issue?  My neighbors that also use comcast has been getting intermittant drops also.

I would love to try out Verison FIOS if it was available in my area...  wishingful thinking though.

Funny that the COMCAST network outage board does not show any issues.  Must be set eto green to keep their bosses happy.

---

If I could get FIOS I'd switch in a heartbeat. For the same price I'm paying now I'd get faster Internet and a bucketload of HD channels.

[CC_Dete]

For those of you still having connectivity issues, please email us at We_can_help@comcast.com. We will look into this for you.