Astound → [Connectivity] Internet Out in Bethesda, MD

I woke up this morning to find the Internet is out. Cable TV is fine, but the Internet modem's third green light keeps blinking, and we have no Internet connection. Anyone else in the area have this problem?

John

If any RCN people are reading this, my Encoded MAC is 19dccd35e7506aa4e94d289fcc795be8751946c5

John

When you turn the power off you have to pull the battery so that it completely resets. It pops out, just put it back in the same way.

If that doesn't work press the Reset button on the back of the Telephony Modem with a paper clip.

Look for kinks in your coaxial cable. You can't have sharp bends as the cable is a radio frequency wave guide.

Thanks for the info, but I believe we have different set ups. I have a simple cable modem with a power cord - no battery. I have RCN cable TV and Internet; no RCN phone service.

John

Here is some more advice if you don't have a signal strenth meter.
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Cable Modem Signal Strength Suspicions

An important thing to keep in mind with cable modems is that even though they’re plugged into the same place you plug your television into, cable modems need a much cleaner signal in order to work properly. To check your cable modem signal, take your television out to the ground block and plug it in. A ground block is used to keep dangerous high volts and currents from entering your wiring by things light nearby lightning strikes and from getting into your structure. If you’re still experiencing problems, then you’ll need to call the cable company. If, however, the problem goes away, then you’re faced with an internal wiring problem. If you live in an apartment, however, you will not have access to the ground block – sometimes your best bet is to call the cable company and get old or faulty wiring replaced.

Various Cable Modem Data Lights Keep Flashing

All cable modems come with a series of lights on the front of the unit. These lights will help you determine whether or not your cable modem is connected properly. If the link LED is turned on and stays on, then your cable modem is connected to the service provider and is online. If, however, the link LED keeps blinking and the US or U2 LED never turns on, then it’s probable that you have a signal level problem between your cable modem and your cable service provider. In this case, you call your cable service provider.

If you find that the link LED light keeps blinking, but the US or U2 LEDs periodically turn on and then off, the signal level between your cable modem and your cable service provider is probably fine. However, this could mean that your cable service does not have your cable modem’s details correctly entered into their database. Simply call your cable service provider to update your cable modem details.

Thank you for your advice. An RCN technician visited the house yesterday and confirmed what I guessed was the problem: the problem is with the outside line causing the modem's upstream power to be out of spec. Supposedly a line technician will visit the drop to fix the problem within the next three days.

Regards,
John

»www.amazon.com/dp/B003T2RY7I
Motorola Signal Booster 1-Port Cable Modem TV HDTV Amplifier with Active Return Cable Modem Boost List Price:$69.99 Price: $48.50

Recommended for upstream power problems.

Sounds interesting. If the problem is not fixed or re-occurs, I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the suggestion.

John

I know one technician put in a powered signal boost in our house, and a different one said it was overboosting, and he removed it.

Without access to any test equipment, it is difficult to make your own judgement.

An RCN technician visited the house on Sunday, June 30th and confirmed that the problem is with the outside line causing the modem's upstream power to be out of spec. He said that a line technician would visit the drop to fix the problem within the next three days. It has now been over a week and as far as I can tell no line technician has shown up, and my cable modem's power is still way out of spec.

John

Can you hit this IP address: »192.168.100.1/
and post your parameters. (Mine are below)
------------
Downstream
Freq/Power: 663.000 MHz -1 dBmV
Signal to Noise Ratio: 38 dB
Modulation: QAM256
Upstream
Freq/Power: 30.700 MHz 31 dBmV
Channel Type: DOCSIS 2.0 (ATDMA)
Symbol Rate: 5120 kSym/sec
Modulation: QAM64
------------
There is some latitude as to what "out of spec" means. I am hoping that people with problems can post their numbers as it will help other people.

My readings:

Downstream Value
Frequency 735000000 Hz
Signal To Noise Ratio 38.8 dB
Power Level -4.7 dBmV

Upstream Value
Channel ID 1
Frequency 35600000 Hz
Power 55.0 dBmV

Still no RCN linesman has arrived to fix the problem!

John