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IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

[Connectivity] Connection keeps dropping

Modem is a Moto 6141, Router is an Asus RT N66 U. I'm having intermittent connection dropouts and the contracted tech said the signal is fine coming into the house.

Is there anything else to look for before I drop money on a new modem and a router or a gateway. Tech seemed to point finger at my modem or router.

I did install a terminator on the open port on my zero loss splitter (being sure that the wire goes into the hole) to eliminate any ingress (we have some HAM operators in the vicinity).

Gateways I may consider are the new Xfinity gateway or the Netgear being sold at Best Buy.

The loss of connectivity is momentary and doesn't generate any logs in the modem but does generate unable to connect messages on iOS devices (my weapon of choice for online connectivity).
Bink
Villains... knock off all that evil
join:2006-05-14
Colorado

Bink

Member

Can you reproduce the issue with a computer connected directly to the modem with a known-good Ethernet cable? If so, it’s not your router and you should ask the technician to swap out the modem to see if the issue persists.

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

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can you post a sceenshot of the signals and log pages after it has been working well for a few hours and also right after/during the dropout ?
That maybe the iphone, the router, or the modem (or even beyond your home, though the tech rules that as unlikely) if you have a WIRED device (laptop, desktop, tablet) that you can try directly wired to the router and leave running you can see if it's a wireless only problem or if both wired and wireless drop at the same time.
if so try wired direct to the modem.
You could rent a modem or gateway for a month to see if that fixes it.

IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

I'm going to drop $129 on a new Moto 6183, I've got 15 days to try it out with Best Buy return policy.

It's highly unlikely that it's the router, and the general
tone on this forum is that the gateways are junk.

If the problem persists, then I'll drop $199 on an Apple Airport Extreme router when the budget allows.
IowaCowboy

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I'm having issues with screenshots due to an iOS 8 bug and DSLR but I can tell you the signals are in spec.

Cjaiceman
MVM
join:2004-10-12
Castle Rock, WA
(Software) pfSense
Ubiquiti UniFi UAP-AC-PRO

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I would hold off on doing anything right now... while I was in my remote training class, everyone on Comcast dropped at the same time, and since then everyone on Comcast has been having quick drops and burps in their connections, all around the country. I know several people, including myself are having VPN issues to several data centers from several different employers. I can also say that some websites are loading very slowly, or not at all, then will load just fine for a few moments, then drop again.

IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

I already pulled the trigger on the 6183, at least I'm future proof and I can show Comcast it ain't the modem. Our area only has 8x3 channel bonding (no 16x4 ), but at any rate I may offer the old modem to my friends in Iowa on Facebook who are in Mediacom turf (they're up there in modem rent), just no guarantees it will be 100 percent functional.

When I posted the previous post I was at Best Buy purchasing the modem. I decided against the gateway because I read a lot of people on here wanting them in bridge mode which means the router feature is no good. So I bought the 6183, I'm just hoping they get 16x3 (or 16x4) channel bonding in this area. But I took other steps to eliminate all other points of trouble and like I said I capped off the open port on my zero loss splitter with a terminator.
IowaCowboy

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Here's what the signals are from the new modem.


iPad mini isn't upgraded to iOS 8 so I can upload. I just use iPhone more than iPad but all devices are losing connections.

Cjaiceman
MVM
join:2004-10-12
Castle Rock, WA

Cjaiceman

MVM

Your stats look nice and clean, I doubt it's something on your coax line, most likely something higher up the network chain, maybe in your head end?

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

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OK, your downstream signal levels and SNRs look excellent, but actually those upstream power levels of about 38 dBmV are very close to the recommended minimum of 35 dBmV: »Comcast High Speed Internet FAQ »What should my Signal Levels be?

I know that you had moved your modem to the passive (-3.5dB) port of that zero-loss splitter from an earlier thread of yours »Re: [Signals] Is this amp installed properly , so that's not the problem (amplifying the upstream). None the less, when the upstream power is very low, there could be problems due to the relatively high amounts of ingress noise that could enter the system at your home, which can then lead to a poor upstream SNR (uSNR).

You could call Comcast or contact netcool See Profile to check your uSNR readings, then, to rule that out.

Also, do you know if there were any T3 Timeout messages in your SB6141's Error Log? A large number of those could indicate occasions of bursts of ingress noise in the upstream: »Comcast High Speed Internet FAQ »What do messages about timeouts mean?

IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

I just found out the uSNR readings are excellent, I'm just going to assume it's the modem. Like I said I hardly connect using a computer anymore but the Mac Mini is hard wired to the router via an Ethernet switch (that is split between a laser jet and an Insteon hub). My MacBook Pro does not get used much anymore.

I can troubleshoot using an Ethernet but many devices are coming without Ethernet ports like the MacBook Air.

I'm just pointing out that an upcoming troubleshooting issue that Comcast will face is that many customers won't have devices to plug directly into the modem.

owlyn
MVM
join:2004-06-05
Newtown, PA
Netgear CM2050V
Netgear RBRE960
Netgear RBSE960

owlyn

MVM

Don't think I'm crazy, but try removing the terminator. When I used one, it made my Upstream levels worse. I have no terminators now. Electrons come pouring out, and I have to sweep them up off the floor, but until I do, the cats have something to amuse themselves.

EG
The wings of love
Premium Member
join:2006-11-18
Union, NJ

EG

Premium Member

Can't understand how a "terminator" could be a bad thing ?

owlyn
MVM
join:2004-06-05
Newtown, PA

owlyn

MVM

I don't know either. I'm just reporting my experience.

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

2 recommendations

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said by EG:

Can't understand how a "terminator" could be a bad thing?

Yeah, I don't either, unless it's this type.

fuziwuzi
Not born yesterday
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join:2005-07-01
Palm Springs, CA
Hitron EN2251
Nest H2D

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said by IowaCowboy:

Tech seemed to point finger at my modem or router.

If you own your own modem, Comcast will always blame your modem for any problem. Even if they know there is a system outage in your neighborhood, they'll blame your modem for your trouble.

Yesterday, my service was horribly slow (0.39Mbps down/0.03 up). I called Comcast. Tech said my modem was offline, she couldn't access it. I told her it was not offline, that I was able to browse the web just very slowly. She said that was impossible because I was offline. I kept telling her she was wrong, she said she would have to hang up if I wasn't going to cooperate. Finally, I asked her what was she showing as my modem. She said, "Motorola SB5100". I told her I had not been using that modem in almost 2 years, that my modem is a Zoom 5341J. Then I get the "Oh, now I see your modem". I just hung up and waited it out. Eventually last evening my service returned to normal speeds.

IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

The clowns that work there like to blame any piece of hardware that doesn't belong to them. In your case I'd pull a tactic call HUCA (Hang Up and Call Again). I've done that with both Comcast and Verizon Wireless. One rep at VZW sounded like he had a can of Bud Lite at his desk. I said to him I'd deal with the issue (order for iPhone 6) at the store and ended the call. I called back and got a wonderful rep who not only was helpful but was sympathetic.
IowaCowboy

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

I tried changing the channel on my router to Channel 8. There are so many Wi-Fi networks in my area that there is so much Wi-Fi congestion with all the duplexes in the area. It seems to be working better for now.

If you pull down the AirPort menu on a 13 inch MacBook Pro, the available networks goes almost to the bottom of the screen. One of my friends said its Wi-Fi congestion when I sent him a screen shot.

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

tshirt

Premium Member

said by IowaCowboy:

... One of my friends said its Wi-Fi congestion when I sent him a screen shot.

That is a real possibility, that's why I asked if you could set up and leave running a least one wired device.
If it turns out it's really Wi-Fi congestion instead of a bad modem or router, you could add hardware to use the 5Ghz range.

Darknessfall
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join:2012-08-17
Motorola MG8725
Asus RT-N66

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said by IowaCowboy:

I tried changing the channel on my router to Channel 8. There are so many Wi-Fi networks in my area that there is so much Wi-Fi congestion with all the duplexes in the area. It seems to be working better for now.

If you pull down the AirPort menu on a 13 inch MacBook Pro, the available networks goes almost to the bottom of the screen. One of my friends said its Wi-Fi congestion when I sent him a screen shot.

Never use anything other than 1,6, or 11. If it was really the channel, when you went to channel 8, your network would have went down the drain.