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Axilla

wafen

Mediacom currently advertises:

Standard: 8000/512
Max: 15000/1000

If you need help tweaking, please visit the BroadBand Tweaks forum for TCP/IP tweaking assistance. Modifying your configuration to maximize performance is known as tweaking.

The "why can't we get a ###kbps upload??" has been discussed many times; particularly cable modem internet forums. Most users might run FTP servers, game servers, web servers, MP3 servers, or any other 24/7 activity dealing with the upload if it is fast. If the upstream is saturated, everyone will slow down to about the speed of the advertised upload. This is a TCP/IP flaw for just about all types on internet access, but only this will affect all the computers on the node rather than the single computer. There will be complaints about slow downs/huge pings/packet loss on your node. Say goodbye to gaming, hello to 56K.

DSL has more of an advantage over this. Because cable-modem users generally share a network loop that runs through a neighborhood, adding users means lowering performance in many instances. ADSL provides a dedicated connection from each user back to the DSLAM, meaning that users won't see a performance decrease as new users are added -- until the total number of users begins to saturate the single, high-speed connection to the Internet. At that point, an upgrade by the service provider can provide additional performance for all the users connected to the DSLAM. This doesn't exempt DSL users from running servers though.

The upload bandwidth use could be regulated with a cap, and a few dollars for extra MB over the cap. But still, there will be complaints about the limit. Some would want it removed.

There is no method to make everyone happy. You are just going to have to live with what you have...128 isn't all that bad for gaming, because pings are considerably lower than that of 56K, and casual uploading.

Information on signal levels: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/cmtips.html#signal

Downstream power level (Receive): -15dbmV to +15dbmV
A value of -15 or worse indicates a poor downstream signal path. A tech would aim for a value close to the optimal 0 dBmV, but a good cable modem should be capable of working within the broader range of -15 to +15 dBmV, provided the downstream Signal to Noise Ratio remains good enough.

Upstream (Transmit): +8dbmV to +58dbmV.
A value within the range +25 to +55 dBmV is within spec with 40's the most common. The lower this figure is, the better the upstream path to the UBR. If the cable modem is going offline, and the upstream signal strength is at +58dBmV, then a poor upstream path is probably the problem.

Carrier/Noise Ratio: 30dB to 36dB .
The downstream Signal to Noise Ratio must be 23.5 dB or higher, and should ideally be 30 dB or higher. The lower ratio the more noise and the poorer the performance. The Cable Modem will have to keep requesting retransmissions of packets with uncorrectable errors.

reference: same link as above

Mediacom currently offers their high speed internet access in the following areas:

•Brewton, AL •Huntsville, AL •Mobile, AL •Apache Junction, AZ•Clearlake, CA •Ridgecrest, CA •Sun City, CA •Dagsboro, DE •Gulf Breeze, FL•Milton, FL •Columbus, GA•Fitzgerald, GA •Ames, IA•Burlington, IA•Cedar Falls, IA•Cedar Rapids, IA•Davenport, IA•Des Moines, IA•Dubuque, IA•Iowa City, IA

•Marshalltown, IA•Mason City, IA•Spencer, IA•Waterloo, IA•Chillicothe, IL•Clinton, IL•Jacksonville, IL•Mineral, IL•Moline, IL•Muscatine, IA•Rock Island, IL•Auburn, IN •Kendallville, IN •Knox, IN•Burlington, KS•Osage City, KS•Marshall-Calloway County, KY•Summershade, KY•Cloquet & Proctor, MN

•Eveleth, MN•Hutchinson, MN •Litchfield, MN•Mound, MN•Pipestone, MN •Prior Lake, MN•Savage, MN•St. Peter, MN•Waseca, MN•Columbia, MO•Excelsior Springs, MO •Jefferson City, MO•Springfield, MO•Edenton, NC•Franklin/Sylva, NC •Hendersonville, NC •Brookings, SD •Vermillion, SD•Yankton, SD

reference

You can find the local home page for your community @ Mediacom OnLine.com.

Mediacom's Online Accepted Use Policy (AUP) can be here. Please review it you have any questions, like if you can run a server, etc.

Please use the following steps to configure Netscape for Newsgroups:

•Open Netscape Messenger
•Click the NEWSGROUP icon in the Component bar
•Click EDIT
•A new menu drops
•Choose PREFERENCES
•The Preferences box appears
•Double-click MAIL & NEWSGROUPS
•A new list displays
•Select NEWSGROUP SERVERS
•Locate the Newsgroup Servers list
•Verify that NEWS appears as a choice
•If it does not appear, click ADD
•Enter mail.mchsi.com
•Locate the field labeled: PORT
•Find the field labeled: SECURE
•Verify that it is NOT CHECKED
•Click OK

Please use the following steps to configure Outlook Express for newsgroups:

•Open Outlook Express
•Click TOOLS
•A new menu appears
•Choose ACCOUNTS
•The Internet Accounts box opens
•Select the NEWS tab
•New options appear
•Click PROPERTIES
•Click the SERVER tab
•Verify that netnews.attbi.com appears as the name of your server
•If it is not listed, add it
•Click OK until you return to the browser window

Source/Reference

For many online problems such as intermittent connectivity, slow speeds, etc. and most cable tv problems, you will need to contact Mediacom for support.

You can either send them an e-mail from

»www.mediacomcc.com/contactus.php

If you wish to contact a representative of Mediacom via phone, please refer to this site:

»www.mediacomcc.com/findlocal.html

For help with settings for e-mail and browsers use the support tools at »www.mchsi.com/
-----
By: lsvl - »How to contact a Mediacom office for support

Cable Modem Termination System

The CMTS provides, at the cable-provider's head-end, many of the same functions provided by the DSLAM in a DSL system. The CMTS takes the traffic coming in from a group of customers on a single channel and routes it to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for connection to the Internet. At the head-end, the cable providers will have, or lease space for a third-party ISP to have, servers for accounting and logging, dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) for assigning and administering the IP addresses of all the cable system's users, and control servers for a protocol called Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS), the major standard used by U.S. cable systems in providing Internet access to users.

The downstream information flows to all connected users, just like an Ethernet network -- it's up to the individual network connection to decide whether a particular block of data is intended for it, or not. On the upstream side, information is sent from the user to the CMTS -- other users don't see that data at all. The narrower upstream bandwidth is divided into slices of time, measured in milliseconds, in which users can transmit one "burst" at a time to the Internet. The division by time works well for the very short commands, queries and addresses that form the bulk of most users' traffic back to the Internet.

A CMTS will enable as many as 1,000 users to connect to the Internet through a single 6 MHz channel. Since a single channel is capable of 30-40 megabits per second of total throughput, this means that users may see far better performance than is available with standard dial-up modems. The single channel aspect, though, can also lead to one of the issues some users experience with cable modems.

If you are one of the first users to connect to the Internet through a particular cable channel, then you may have nearly the entire bandwidth of the channel available for your use. As new users, especially heavy-access users, are connected to the channel, you will have to share that bandwidth, and may see your performance degrade as a result. It is possible that, in times of heavy usage with many connected users, performance will be far below the theoretical maximums. The good news is that this particular performance issue can be resolved by the cable company adding a new channel, and splitting the base of users.

reference

A It is an acronym for "Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification" - an industry standard that nearly all cable companies are adopting as they upgrade their systems. Being DOCSIS - compliant means your Cable Modem will work with virtually all upgraded cable systems in North America, should you ever decide to move.

A cable modem will provide you with rapid download transmission speeds. Downloading a file that would take one-half hour using a telephone modem connection will take only a few minutes with a cable modem connection.

A cable modem provides a continual connection to the Internet. Two-way cable modems do not require the use of a telephone line.

Your service will not be interrupted or receive external static since the outer layer of the cable line will not allow any noise to enter the transmission line.

As a high-speed medium, you will be able to view many different multimedia presentations---"live" or streamed---such as concerts, movies, etc.

A Network Interface Card, often abbreviated as NIC, is an expansion board you insert into a computer so the computer can be connected to a network. Most NICs are designed for a particular type of network, protocol, and media, although some can serve multiple networks. To be connected to the AT&T Broadband network your computer must have a NIC or a USB adapter.

Abbreviation of interrupt request line, and pronounced I-R-Q. IRQs are hardware lines over which devices can send interrupt signals to the microprocessor. When you add a new device to a PC, an IRQ is usually assigned to the new device automatically; however, sometimes you may need to set its IRQ number manually. Setting an IRQ manually specifies which interrupt line the device may use. IRQ conflicts used to be a common problem when adding expansion boards, but the "Plug-and-Play" specification has removed this headache in most cases.

An IRQ is basically a work order sent by a peripheral device to the microprocessor in a computer. A processor will interrupt the task it is performing and execute the new instruction provided by the IRQ. When the new instructions have been completed, the processor returns to its prior task.

An IRQ conflict occurs when two devices have been assigned to the same IRQ. Since multiple signals to the computer on the same interrupt line might not be understood by the computer, a unique value must be specified for each device
and its path to the computer. Please note that some peripherals can share the same interrupt, but many cannot.

To determine the particular IRQ
conflict you have on your PC:

•Close or minimize all applications so you can access your desktop
•Right-click on the My Computer Icon
•Select PROPERTIES
•The System Properties window will appear
•Select the Device Manager tab
•Highlight computer by clicking on it once
•Select PROPERTIES
•A new window will appear
•Verify that you are working in the View Resources tab
•Put a dot in the radio button next to INTERRUPT REQUEST (IRQ)
•A list of numbers, 00 through 15, will appear with each number having either a designated hardware component using the corresponding setting or an available status
•Write down the listed IRQs and memory addresses in use by your system (you'll then be able to use this information to determine what IRQs and memory addresses are available if a conflict exists)
•Click OK to return to the Device Manager tab
•Verify that the radio button is selected next to View Devices by Type
•If your system has an IRQ conflict, the Device Manager will highlight the device with a conflict with an exclamation point inside of a yellow circle (to see each device listing, you may need to expand each device section under the COMPUTER heading by clicking once on the plus (+) sign next to the device name)
•If an exclamation point inside of a yellow circle appears next to any device, you may access more information about the conflict by highlighting the malfunctioning device and clicking the PROPERTIES button
•Once in the Properties window, click the RESOURCES tab
•The Resources tab provides resource settings and a conflicting device list which may help resolve the IRQ conflict

If you have identified
an IRQ conflict, you may want to consider one of the following actions:

•If the IRQ conflict involves your Mediacom Broadband-supported NIC or resulted from the installation of the Mediacom Broadband software, please send Mediacom an e-mail. Have your IRQ list available so the customer care specialist can promptly assist you.
•Contact the manufacturer of the hardware component that has an IRQ conflict
or is not responding for technical support with their product.

Source/Reference

A NIC (Network Interface Card) is defined as an expansion board you insert into a computer so the computer can be connected to a network. Most NICs are designed for a particular type of network, protocol, and media, although some can serve multiple networks.

Downloads for your NIC driver can be found at Mediacom's Software Center

Below is a list of Mediacom Online approved cable modems: