Basic Internet Connectivity And Modem Help

[kvgranna]

As the title says, I upgraded to Blast! last weekend, but speedtest and ShaperProbe remained unchanged.

I contacted Comcast chat 24 hours after the upgrade, and after an hour of coaxing the tech to send the new boot files, I was finally able to get my upgrade. Two days later, I'm back to the same old speeds.

I have a boost of 25/4 and a shaped rate of 16/2 (what I should get under my old plan).

I should (and was for a day or two) get 36/6 boosted and 25/4 shaped.

Any thoughts or suggestions? I really don't have the time nor the patience to contact online chat again. It is very frustating that a customer needs to work so hard to get the speeds that he is paying for. And in addition to my time, I am paying for a service which I am not recieving.

I have a Motorola SB 6120.

Feel free to ask me if you need any information. I can easily access the modem configuration page and can run additional Xfinity Speedtests or ShaperProbes.

[ComcastSteve · Accepted solution]

I fixed some billing data on the backend. You are now getting the proper config file. Can you post the speed results?

[kvgranna]

Awesome, thanks Steve.

ShaperProbe reports 36/6 boosted and 25/4 shaped. Exactly what I'm supposed to get.

If only the rest of Comcast's staff was as attentive and knowledgeable, everyone's life would be so much simpler.

Again, thanks for all your help. I'll report back if anything changes within the next few days.

[JamesB78]

Steve, I'm experiencing the same issue. I just called comcast support and they scheduled a person to come out to my house to check my line. I am doubtful they will find a problem with it because the line hasn't changed. My speed actually dropped significantly when I upgraded from the performance plan to the Blast plan.

I should add that I upgraded my modem to a SB6121 (to support the faster speed). Neither the upload nor download channels are indicating they are bonded.

[ComcastSteve]

You are still on a legacy D2 CMTS so the Blast! speed you see will be at 17/2. What speed are you seeing currently?

FYI, you are running on Blast!

[JamesB78]

Thanks for the quick reply. That's very disappointing, I had the performance package and wanted faster speeds so I called Sales and I upgraded to the Blast! package. Neither that sales person nor the subsequent support folks I've talked to after the modem switch have told me the infrastructure won't support Blast! speeds...so I upgraded my plan AND purchased a new modem for no reason. I was getting around 12-14 mbps before the switch, now with the new modem and Blast! package I was getting between 2-4.5 mbps last night... 

[JamesB78]

Wanted to let you know. After getting home tonight and re-running the Speakeasy speet test, it reports I'm getting 20.25 mbps downstream, 2.63 up. I didn't change anything, not sure why it's faster now. Anyway, if it stays this fast, I'll be happy!

[kvgranna]

James, run a ShaperProbe and post the results here:

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~partha/diffprobe/shaperprobe.html

Make sure no other devices are utilizing the Internet when you run this test. For example, if someone is watching NetFlix, making a VOIP phone call, etc. while you run these speed tests, then you will get inaccurate results.

[hyperbaha]

Hi Steve,

I have exactly the same issue, it looks like. I am on Blast! plan and I just got motorola SB6121 and activated it. The speeds aren't the same as I used to get with Comcast rented modem, especially upload speed went really down. On speedtest.net I used to get 36/6 with the rented modem, but with SB6121 now I only get 24/1.5.

This is the config file that was download when I first connected the modem:

d11_m_sb6121_walledgarden_c01.cm.

I appreciate your help.

[steve87507]

same here as well my area got four channel bonding february 14th ... modem seems to still have old 16/2 configuration file  from what previous reps have told me i should have the blast 22/4 configuration ...  willl send you a email aswell steve

[steve87507]

same here as well my area got four channel bonding february 14th ... modem seems to still have old 16/2 configuration file  from what previous reps have told me i should have the blast 22/4 configuration ...  willl send you a email aswell steve

[EG]

---

steve87507 wrote:

modem seems to still have old 16/2 configuration file  from what previous reps have told me i should have the blast 22/4 configuration ...

---

FWIW, there is no "22/4" Blast speed tier. It can be either 20/4 or 25/4 depending on the area.

[steve87507]

thank yoiu thats what i thought but as usual the chat reps are giving out wrong information

[EG]

Not surprising.... 

[kzamir33]

I am having a same issue. I upgraded the service to Blast and upgraded the modem to Motorola SBG6580, but the speed is worst than I used to get with performance. I feel like pulling my hair out because I'm not getting for what I'm paying. I don't know what to do...I just want to cancel the service if I am not able to get what was promised.

[EG]

Did you happen to see this very long thread about current performance/firmware problems with that device on the Comcast network ?

http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Connectivity-and-Modem-Help/Intermittent-drops-Motorola-sbg6580/m-p/112...

[Jumble]

Just noticed on my bill that I have upgraded to Blast!

Shaper Detection Shows:

DiffProbe release. January 2012. Build 1008.
Shaper Detection Module.

Connected to server 64.9.225.179.

Estimating capacity:
Upstream: 6353 Kbps.
Downstream: 22429 Kbps.

The measurement will take upto 2.5 minutes. Please wait.

Checking for traffic shapers:

Upstream: Burst size: 9928-10004 KB;
Shaping rate: 4293 Kbps.

Downstream: No shaper detected.
Median received rate: 22138 Kbps.

For more information, visit: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~partha/diffprobe

Am I actually getting the boost that I am paying for??

[Jumble]

More info for above post!

YOUR TEST RESULTS

SUMMARY DETAILS ADVANCED

Your system: Windows XP version 5.1
Java version: 1.6.0_29 (x86)

TCP receive window: 17520 current, 17520 maximum
1.0E-6 packets lost during test
Round trip time: 14 msec (minimum), 51 msec (maximum), 19.98 msec (average)
Jitter: 37 msec
0 seconds spend waiting following a timeout
TCP time-out counter: 218
0 selective acknowledgement packets received

No duplex mismatch condition was detected.
The test did not detect a cable fault.
No network congestion was detected.
No network address translation appliance was detected.

0.0111% of the time was not spent in a receiver limited or sender limited state.
98.09% of the time the connection is limited by the client machine's receive buffer.
Optimal receive buffer: 17940480 bytes
0 duplicate ACKs set

[Lilpoppaw]

I have the EXACT same problem ... except for mine is not even posting PERFORMANCE speeds... mine is more like Performance STarter ... noone has a clue and Signature support said I had a " Hacker or Virus"

Please Steve check mine out too!!   I've purchased 2 different modems and rented 2 from comcast ... all do the same thing.  No matter WHERE I'm downloading from ... it caps out at 1.9 mb/s real time download.  it's beyond aggravating.    It happened when I activated my new Blast! 

[Lilpoppaw]

well nevermind .... a lovely tech support person, Lashonda, was the first person.... out of the last 8 days straight of calling... that bothered to tell me that somehow I was paying for Blast! ... and was only listed as having " Preferred" ....

Very VERY disappointed in the customer service... and also very happy with this young lady.   How could all of those people have missed this?? they even TOLD me " well it says blast! ... must be your computer" .... I'm a network Analyst at a global Wiring company .... I'm hardly F'n stupid.   Yet she listened and let me help her troubleshoot and *BAM*   Got my BLast! Internet.  

[ctg103]

Steve

I recently upgraded from ultra (22 mbps) to blast (30 mbps). the speedtest.net does see my download speed north of 4.0 MB/s. But it's kind of misleading, since I didn't see my stable download speed increased, still around 2.8 MB/s as I was with Ultra. So I didn't see any material difference between the two tiers. (I didn't do the speedtest.net test when I was on ultra, wish I did). Is this normal for an ultra-2-blast upgrade?

[Lilpoppaw]

I have a thread going with the same exact question... I'm actually going SLOWER than I was with " Performance PLus" which I believe has had a name change to " Performance"


I level off at 3.14 MB /S  after it's initial powerboost of like 4.30 mb/s (lasts about 6 seconds )

[SteveWayment]

I was using Blast! for the last couple of months, and as others noted I also had slower download/upload speeds.  I downgraded to Performance and I'm back to my old (faster) speeds!  Shame on me for paying extra for slower speeds.  Really disappointed in Comcast.  I won't be doing that again...

[mkrubsack]

I used Comcast's MOVER's EDGE option to move my service to a new house. Still have the Blast! as my internet speed, but things are even worse at my new house.

Here's what ShaperProbe says...

DiffProbe release. January 2012. Build 1008.
Shaper Detection Module.

Connected to server 64.9.225.166.

Estimating capacity:
Upstream: 1343 Kbps.
Downstream: 26056 Kbps.

The measurement will take upto 3.0 minutes. Please wait.

Checking for traffic shapers:

Upstream: Measurement aborted due to high packet loss rate.

Downstream: Burst size: 9286-9853 KB;
Shaping rate: 15978 Kbps.

I have an Arris WBM760 modem

I would appreciate any help!

thx

[Pasata]

I'm experiencing the same issue with my connections speeds as kvgranna stated in their original post. Is there anyway my account could be reviewed as well? 

I'm signed up for Blast but this is my current connection speed based on a fresh install of windows andspeedtest.net. I had a technician come out and they told me a maintenance operator was servicing the lines and it may take a day to get my connection speeds back into the appropriate ranges.

 

Thank you.

[sminker81]

Seems alot of us are having upgrade issues.

I just upgraded to Extreme105 and my speeds have gone down from my previous Extreme50. I was getting peaks of 64 with a 54 constant, now Im lucky to get a peak of 56 with a 50 constant. What the heck. I have 28 more days to get this figured out before I lose my cancellation of contract window. I will just step back down to the 50service if the tech this weekend cant get it fixed.

[Jim721]

As bad as this is it's a common problem probly because the CSR are not in the loop of whats going on. Most likely they did not push the correct config-file for that tier of service. Keep calling back till you get the ONE person who knows what to do. Good Luck !!

[mkrubsack]

I looked at my Arris WBM760A Configuration Parameters, and see this entry:

CM Config File:    tftp://xx.xx.xx.x/d11_m_wbm760a_silver_c01.cm

Is Silver the right config for the Blast! tier ?

[EG]

---

mkrubsack wrote:

I looked at my Arris WBM760A Configuration Parameters, and see this entry:

CM Config File:    tftp://xx.xx.xx.x/d11_m_wbm760a_silver_c01.cm

Is Silver the right config for the Blast! tier ?

---

Silver is the Performance tier. The Blast config file naming convention should look like this;

d11_m_ [******] _speedtierextreme2_c01.cm 

*denotes modem model number

[mkrubsack]

Well, I suppose I may have further problems as I upgraded to the HD Premier Triple Play package and will get an EMTA and will have to exchange the modem for it. Here we go again trying to get the EMTA configured for the correct speed.

Any idea what to tell the installer (this Sunday) to get the correct speed?  In the past, he just hooks up the gear, checks signal levels, and leaves. Then I have to play roulette with the 1-800 number trying to get someone who can actually help.

[ceppy7]

I'm having the same problem with my sb6121 I purchased after the cisco modem I was renting was losing connection everytime I started an online video game. I was getting speeds in the 35mbps/5mbps range. Now I am steady getting 25mbps/5mbps. All I did was change the modem out. This is the config file that was downloaded on May 18th.

How do I fix this?

May 18 2012 18:49:33 6-Notice E102.0

SW Download INIT - Via Config file d11_m_sb6121_silver_c01.cm

[sminker81]

Well I was able to get my 105 service going. And man is it flying. Hitting 120 and levels off at about 110. Kinda curious to see if it goes up a little after a few days of being connected.

First I called comcast, they resent configuration files and reset my modem a few times.

Second, sent ComcastSteve a PM, he said I had the right config file.

Third, tech comes out, says my line is a little high since we have new nodes and wiring in the neighborhood, he tweaks it and we get the same speed results, 54 down.

Next, He calls up the tech department, he talks for a few minutes and the modem reboots. Same test results.

After that he tries a new modem, same results.

Finally he gets a phone tech person that was more inteligent and they did some troubleshooting over the phone. Come to find out my account was in the wrong "Cadence", he said its the way they group accounts and with the analog to digital changes not many of the phone reps realize its even an issue. The tech was really cool and was getting upset with his phone support because the first one he talked to wouldnt do anything he asked him to do over the phone and was acting like a know-it-all.

He said that I could of had all this done over the phone if the phone techs were trained properly. I called comcast 3 times, and also did 4 chats with different agents. So this goes to show the phone customer service reps are not trained. He said that they are switching to digital and every account is dealt with on an individual basis but there was some issues with Cadence(s) that group accounts together from the analog system. Not sure if theres more to it or not or if thats right, but it sounded good and it worked.

[Pasata]

Every few days since I had my service installed I've have to call techical support to have them reboot/ and send some sort of configuration to my modem to return it to the 30mbps download and 6 mbps up-load range for blast . Could someone explain what magic words I have to tell the operator to get them to resolve this permantly?

[EG]

---

Pasata wrote:

Every few days since I had my service installed I've have to call techical support to have them reboot/ and send some sort of configuration to my modem to return it to the 30mbps download and 6 mbps up-load range for blast

---

FWIW, the Blast speed tier is a max *sustained* speed of 25/4 in upgraded to DOCSIS 3 areas. Anything more is their short lived Powerboost speed bursting effect.

[agmorey]

What is the best Modem or Modem router combo I can purchase to get the best speed with xfinity?

[sgold]

I don't know if somebody can look at my internet, but I have very low speeds.  I'm supposed to be on performance internet, but my speeds on speakeasy are 3 download and 4 upload.  On speedtest, 7 download and 4 upload.  Not sure which is right.  

My modem is a motorola SBG 900.  

[raoden]

I am also having the same problem. Just upgraded to Blast but being capped at performance speeds

DiffProbe results

DiffProbe release. January 2012. Build 1008.
Shaper Detection Module.

Connected to server 74.63.50.40.

Estimating capacity:
Upstream: 4274 Kbps.
Downstream: 26112 Kbps.

The measurement will take upto 2.5 minutes. Please wait.

Checking for traffic shapers:

Upstream: Burst size: 4979-5060 KB;
Shaping rate: 2090 Kbps.

Downstream: Burst size: 9344-9911 KB;
Shaping rate: 15978 Kbps.

For more information, visit: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~partha/diffprobe

Config File

I also activated a new Motorola SB6121 modem yesterday when I upgraded to Blast. When my modem initialized for the first time it pulled down the following config

"SW Download INIT - Via Config file d11_m_sb6121_walledgarden_c01.cm"

I dont see any other config files being downloaded on the modems log.

Bonded Channels

I can see that my cable modem shows 4 downstream bonded channels and 3 upstream bonded channels.

Tried calling tech support 3 times and no luck. They are sending a tech to my house next saturday. I am sure it must be some configuration problem and nothing physically wrong.