Comcast XFINITY → [Connectivity] Comcast Download speed much lower than expected

Visiting my dad for the weekend. His upload speed and ping are normal, but his download speed is dismal.



1) Your location: Pittsburgh, PA.

2) A description of the problem. See above.

3) Is the issue intermittent, constant or does it occur at a specific time of day? Constant. After a call to comcast, they send a refresh. For about 10 minutes, the download speed was up to 26-30 Mbps then fell again.

4) Your modem make, model & firmware version. How to find firmware version:
RCA DCM425
Status Code: Operational
Software Version: ST52.10.11
Software Model: a806
Bootloader: 2.1.6d
MDD IP Provisioning Mode: HonorMdd

5) Describe any home networking if applicable. (i.e. routers, hubs, adapters, etc.)
Belkin N300 router. Problem exists with and without router.

6) List any firewall and/or anti-virus software you have installed. Include what version you have.
Avast! Antivirus

probably wouldn't hurt if he switched to a docsis 3.0 modem.

it would be interesting to see if when he's having good speeds, if he's locked onto the same downstream channel as when he's having the piss-poor speeds.

the same comparison should be made with regards to the power level/signal strength and SNR. -9.5 is a bit low.

just my 2 cents

Thanks. He's having a tech come out for the cable this week. I'll tell him to make sure they bring out a new modem as well. That thing is probably the same one he got when I left for college like 8 years ago...

The 2 things I see are the -9 and its an RCA 425. Depending on when he got that modem it could be on its last legs. I've seen up here the 425 giving off bad levels when they're good checking with a meter. The other thing you could try is hook the modem up to the feedline to see if this changes anything. Of course it could be drop or outside issues.

All RCA modems are classified as End of Life (EOL) and should be replaced.