[FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts in Mediacom http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20657673 en Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:21:48 EDT Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:21:48 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20744398 daveinpoway : In these days of expensive fuel, it would be in the ISP's interest to get the problem solved on the first call, so that repeat tech visits would not be needed. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20744398 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:58:00 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20743807 anon : ...so I suppose it was purely coincidental that the T3 timeouts in my modem logs corresponded exactly to the times my modem lost sync, and I have not received any such error since I replaced the splitters? Modem logs are often cryptic anyway, so of course I could still see a few T3 timeouts here and there, but they would most likely be unrelated to the problem I had before (i.e., high upstream power levels).

I completely understand the plight of the field techs, but it is sad when the customer is forced to solve a problem with his or her service in lieu of the company actually providing the service.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20743807 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:23:08 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20743477 burner50 :
said by dsbm :

Thank you for that bit of information-as if I did not already know. If you had read my original post, you would have realized that the frequency of my T3 timeouts were anything but "normal."
10-15 per day is fine and that had nothing to do with you losing your connection. Your signal levels were your connection issue so you may still see that frequency of t3 timeouts.

said by dsbm :

daveinpoway, you've got me. Perhaps they did not fully understand the problem (however, with my signal levels, I'm not sure how they couldn't see that something might be amiss).
Simple answer? Lack of training and time thru the day. Walk in the door, working now? Okay see ya later... Field techs are overworked, undertrained and underpaid. It is a constant game of pass the buck and see if you can get somebody else to fix it because you dont have time to do it.

And tier 1 techs many times just want to get you off the phone so you get the generic powercycle routine. There are some very good techs that frequent this site along with mediacom brass. If a powercycle doesnt fix it, pass the buck, schedule a trouble call for a half day time slot which the tech may not make anyway. Where I worked we commonly used 2 hour windows and we all loved it, techs and subs alike.

Myself? I am an ex-field tech and others here can vouch for my technical knowledge in this area.

EDIT: Ex tech by choice, Loved the work, I enjoyed it and i was good at it. I just didnt like the company and found a job that pays six times better.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20743477 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:33:12 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20743164 anon : Thank you for that bit of information—as if I did not already know. If you had read my original post, you would have realized that the frequency of my T3 timeouts were anything but "normal."

daveinpoway, you've got me. Perhaps they did not fully understand the problem (however, with my signal levels, I'm not sure how they couldn't see that something might be amiss).]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20743164 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:55:25 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20742540 burner50 :
said by Technician 7118 :

I've been a field technician for another MSO for over 8 years,
Join the site, Its free, and you can be held accountable for the advice you give like the rest of us techs and ex-techs]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20742540 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:02:38 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20742532 burner50 :
said by dsbm :

I finally solved the problem by replacing two corroded splitters in the cable box outside my house. My upstream power dropped instantly to 46.5 dBmV, so I have a feeling that my frequent T3 timeouts are finally over. Thanks for the advice everyone! :)
Frequent t3 timeouts are normal.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20742532 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:00:43 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20735561 daveinpoway : Raises the question as to why the techs that came out didn't notice and replace the corroded splitters, but at least you found them. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20735561 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:00:09 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20733088 wth : Your modem log will still show t3 time outs, but it's normal, even with a good connection. The lower upstream level (46.5) will/should cure your disconnects.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20733088 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:28:52 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20732972 anon : I finally solved the problem by replacing two corroded splitters in the cable box outside my house. My upstream power dropped instantly to 46.5 dBmV, so I have a feeling that my frequent T3 timeouts are finally over. Thanks for the advice everyone! :)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20732972 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:00:12 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20693582 anon : Hey, I see this thread is about a week old now, so it may be resolved already, but I thought I would chime in. I've been a field technician for another MSO for over 8 years, so I may be able to give you a bit of insight.

Based off of the info in your previous post:

said by dsbm :

These are my signal levels now:

Downstream:
Frequency: 111000000 Hz (111 MHz)
SNR: 32.0 dB
Power Level: -2.8 dBmV

Upstream:
Frequency: 31500000 Hz (31.5 MHz)
Power Level: 55.0 dBmV

On further inspection, I was able to get these signal levels by plugging the modem into the outlet that my TV is using:

Downstream:
Frequency: 111000000 Hz (111 MHz)
SNR: 32.1 dB
Power Level: 6.8 dBmV

Upstream:
Frequency: 31500000 Hz (31.5 MHz)
Power Level: 47.0 dBmV

That's quite a difference.
This information tells me several things. First, look at the Downstream Power Level. This is a reading of the RF signal level at the input port of your cable modem. At its usual location, this level is pretty low, and your Upstream Power Level is *very* high - which is bad bad bad! Essentially, what is happening is that due to the low signal levels, your cable modem is having to *SCREAM* at the CMTS to be heard, and even then it's not always getting through. This is what's causing the timeouts.

Now looking at those same stats at the new location, they look excellent, well within spec. This leads me to believe that your tap levels and service drop are fine, and that the problem is somewhere in your internal wiring.

There is a 9dB difference between your CM's normal location, and the location where your TV is hooked up. This raises a couple of possibilities:

1) There are multiple splitters between your service drop and the cable modem. Each splitter introduces signal loss, so when you have a cascade of 2 of more splitters, it can become a problem. 9dB is more loss than I would expect to see from a single splitter, but is very close to what I would expect from, say, a 2-way followed by a 4-way.

Based off this, it seems likely that your TV outlet is hooked up to the first splitter in a cascade, but the outlet feeding your modem is on the 2nd, or possibly even 3rd. *IF* all your splitters are at the demark, where they should be, this is an easy problem to fix. A tech should be able to use a tone and probe kit to identify the line feeding your CM and reconfigure your splitters to give it more signal. However, there may be splitters in a crawlspace, attic, inside a wall, etc, that are not immediately apparent, that's where it gets a bit tricky. But still, any experienced tech should be able to figure it out.

2) Second possibility - the actual cable line between your demark and the outlet feeding the CM is bad. This could be any number of things - physical damage from animals or weed-eaters, a poorly installed fitting, old age, or obsolete cable are the things that come to mind immediately.

One thing I would definitely recommend is checking the connector behind the wall plate, and the F-81 connector in the wallplate. A lot of techs neglect to do this, and an old or poorly installed connector can cause all kinds of problems - signal loss, ingress, etc. Obsolete cable is also a likely culprit - older homes are often wired with RG-59 coax cable, which is smaller in diameter and has less shielding than current RG-6 cables. It could be as simple as replacing a connector, or it could involve replacing the actual cable.

So those are the 2 most likely scenarios IMO... Either one of which should be fairly easy for a decent tech to figure out. It sounds like your previous techs have either been inexperienced, uneducated, or unmotivated - maybe some combination of those things.

Anyway, I know its frustrating for you to have a problem like this, and to have to come to a forum to get help that your service provider should be giving you. I apologize on behalf of those of us who actually take pride in our jobs and try to help our customers, instead of just blowing them off...

I hope this helps, and if there's anything else I can do, please don't hesitate to let me know. I'll do my best to assist.

Sincerely,
Tech 7118]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20693582 Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:49:04 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20664196 Anonymous : You should not have to move the modem. They need to fix your issue. A technician should be able to figure it out but if not point out the difference on two outlets.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20664196 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:20:32 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20660683 Nbeacham : I agree that you should leave it in that outlet unless otherwise unable to, if you are unable to, track those cables back to the splitter and switch them at the splitter. It may even be the splitter that those cables are connected to that has the issue and may need replaced. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20660683 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:14:03 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20660475 daveinpoway : Unless there is some physical reason why you can't do this, I would permanently connect the modem to the outlet that was being used for the TV (since the modem's signal levels are much better this way), and hook the TV into the other outlet. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20660475 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:18:33 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20659902 anon : These are my signal levels now:

Downstream:
Frequency: 111000000 Hz (111 MHz)
SNR: 32.0 dB
Power Level: -2.8 dBmV

Upstream:
Frequency: 31500000 Hz (31.5 MHz)
Power Level: 55.0 dBmV

Nbeacham: To my knowledge, the techs have not replaced anything. I'm not even sure what they inspected. I will specifically request that they check the signals at the tap next time, because I have a feeling that it's simply an issue inside my home (bad splitter somewhere, maybe?). On further inspection, I was able to get these signal levels by plugging the modem into the outlet that my TV is using:

Downstream:
Frequency: 111000000 Hz (111 MHz)
SNR: 32.1 dB
Power Level: 6.8 dBmV

Upstream:
Frequency: 31500000 Hz (31.5 MHz)
Power Level: 47.0 dBmV

That's quite a difference.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20659902 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:37:08 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20659107 Nbeacham : Yes, please provide us with your full signals. Also do you know if any splitters have been replaced/bypassed. Has the technician replaced the drop? If/when you have another tech out request that he check the signals at the tap, if they are good there then the issue is most likely in your home.
--
"Some things Man was never meant to know. For everything else, there's Google."
»aosto.blogspot.com]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20659107 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:54:10 EDT Re: [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20658776 ejn74 : Please show what the rest of the levels are on you modem.
--
May your path in life be an enlightened one!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20658776 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:48:39 EDT [FL] Bad signal levels and constant T3 timeouts http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20657673 anon : This is getting ridiculous. I have had problems with dropped connections for well over a year and Mediacom has yet to resolve the issue.

Three technicans have visited my house and all of them appeared dumbfounded when I told them that I had been experiencing intermittent connection problems for a very long time. The last person to visit probably spent no more than five minutes inspecting my setup before leaving.

I have never seen my upstream power below 50 dBmV (in fact, right now it's sitting at 52.5 dBmV, and I have seen it anywhere from 55 dBmV to 61 dBmV, which is obviously when dropped connections incur), yet everyone I've spoken to informs me that my signal levels "look fine."

I have tried switching cables, outlets, modems, and routers, but nothing has worked.

I am going to call again, but what can I do to make these people address the real problem? Looking at what I have installed in my Add/Remove Programs list is not going to fix the T3 timeouts that I receive 10 or 15 times a day on average.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20657673 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:30:55 EDT