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bbqguy
join:2013-07-29
Levittown, PA

bbqguy

Member

Lost internet service after EOL "Glitch"

I woke up last week only to find I had no internet service and all our computers were being redirected to "eol.comcast.com".

I did my due diligence and checked my connections and then logged into my modem to check signal levels. I was at around -2dB, the same it has been for quite a while and since I was being "redirected" I figured I must be connected. I used my smart-phone and logged onto Comcast to make sure my bill was paid and it was up to date.
After going through my first couple phone calls with a greater than 60 minute wait each time, I was no closer the getting my service back on line. While at work, I did some research and found that I was redirected because of End Of Life for my equipment(supposedly), information that the four previous service calls weren't able to tell me. Even though they ALL said they could see my modem and ALL sent a refresh signal and it was OK, they ALL said I should be online after I reboot the modem and then hung up. Reboot didn't fix it!
OK, lets say the SB5100 is actually at EOL, I have a newer D3 modem that I bought 2 years ago but never hooked up(that's another story), lets give that a try. I get my brand new SBG6580 out of the box, connect it up and power the beast on. It starts chugging away and I get a welcome screen and then a welcome to the self install service. OK, this looks promising, before you know it I'm in the process of activating, a 10 minute process. 10 minutes turned into almost an hour and then, "Activation Failed" and I was directed to call Comcast for assistance.
Due to the wait times, I started calling after 9pm and the waits were much shorter. Call #5 went much smoother than the previous four calls and I actually felt bad for the woman fielding my call. She admitted there was a "glitch" in the Comcast system and she along with others spent the last two days trying to fix the problem for customers. Both modems were showing up on my account but she couldn't figure out how to get it working. The SN for the new modem didn't show up and even though we entered it manually, it still wouldn't work. She took my information and made the promise to check with the "back office" and see what we were missing, she would call me the next day with the solution.
She never called so I made my 6th call to Comcast. This was the call that finally got me my service back, but not in the way you would expect. The gentleman confirmed there was an "issue" but my SB5100 shouldn't have been affected. We too tried to get the D3 modem working but met with no success. He re-entered the 5100 MAC and SN and I was back up and running, he waited on the phone till we were sure it was fixed(unlike calls 1-4).

I know that was a wordy setup but, if I want to upgrade my speeds using the SBG6580, what do I have to do to verify its not the modem? I suspect that it wouldn't work once they pushed their latest firmware to it. I know there is no provision to load factory firmware and since I own it, I can't just give it back and say "fix it". I screwed myself by not using it sooner, I'm 2 months over the manufacturer's warranty and no way to prove it was working prior to the firmware change.

My biggest gripe with the whole experience was with calls #1-#4. Instead of trying to fix my issues, the call center kept trying to sell me upgrades and even a whole house wiring contract, it was as though more expensive service would fix the issues. Even though call #5 didn't resolve the outage, there was a real effort to try and fix it, I can respect that.

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad

MVM

Yes, while your SB5100 is DOCSIS 2.0 and should be upgraded soon »[Speed] Heads-Up: Time to Replace Your DOCSIS 2.0 Modem , it should still work, but like you, some other posters have also encountered that "EOL" "glitch" due to Comcast having old modem info still listed on their account: »[Connectivity] eol.comcast.net BS time!

That could be why the SB5100 modem was finally able to start working again, as your account info must have been modified by all that.

As far as the problem activating the SBG6580, another poster recently had a problem with that also: »[Equip] SBG6580 "Access Denied"
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

rody_44 to bbqguy

Premium Member

to bbqguy

I know that was a wordy setup but, if I want to upgrade my speeds using the SBG6580, what do I have to do to verify its not the modem? I suspect that it wouldn't work once they pushed their latest firmware to it. I know there is no provision to load factory firmware and since I own it, I can't just give it back and say "fix it". I screwed myself by not using it sooner, I'm 2 months over the manufacturer's warranty and no way to prove it was working prior to the firmware change.

Comcast doesnt write the firmware. They simply send the newest firmware after testing it. So yea firmware issues on customer owned modems is between the owner of the modem and the manufacturer
bbqguy
join:2013-07-29
Levittown, PA

bbqguy to telcodad

Member

to telcodad
Thanks for the quick reply.
Yes, I saw that "Access Denied" thread and have been following it. The present discussion is about IPv4 vs IPv6; some saying it fixed it others saying there is no way it could have been the solution. I'm using that as a starting point for further investigation on the web.
bbqguy

bbqguy to rody_44

Member

to rody_44
said by rody_44:

Comcast doesnt write the firmware. They simply send the newest firmware after testing it. So yea firmware issues on customer owned modems is between the owner of the modem and the manufacturer

From the Motorola website:

Upgrading Firmware on my Motorola Cable Modem
Published 03/22/2007 12:23 PM | Updated 01/18/2013 02:16 PM

Can I upgrade the Firmware on my Motorola Cable Modem?

We apologize about the inconvenience, but your Motorola modem does not support manual upgrades. Motorola is not allowed to control the upgrades of DOCSIS devices, per the standards specification. Any firmware or software changes must be implemented via the cable network. Your cable provider can update the firmware based on what they have approved for their network distribution. Because of that Motorola is not capable of installing firmware for cable modems. Please contact the cable operator to obtain information on upgrading firmware on the cable modem.

I understood that to mean the firmware was specific to Comcast.

beachintech
There's sand in my tool bag
Premium Member
join:2008-01-06

beachintech

Premium Member

Only the installation. All they are saying is that can't give the firmware to you.