The rep at the store should have switched the plan over when the modem was picked up. The CGN3 on firmware version 4.2.4.3 has a bug which throttles down any 10/100 Mb/s device or cable connected to it. It doesn't matter what plan you are on, its a problem due to the bug. The most you will see through the connected port is 35 Mb/s. You can tell if that will be a problem by looking at the connected port LED at the back of the CGN3. If the port LED is amber, that means that its connected to a 1 Gb/s port at the other end, will run at 1 Gb/s for the interconnect rate and will not be throttled. If the light is green, that means that the CGN3 port is connected to a 10/100 Mb/s device or cable, and as a result the max throughput you will see is 35 Mb/s.
The good news is that the latest firmware V4.2.4.5 was released not too long ago, and will be pushed out to the modem within the next 3 to 4 days. This version corrects that problem and as a result, throttling is no longer an issue.
What you could do, as a check, is call tech support and confirm that the CGN3 is provisioned for the requested service plan. Next check after that is to look at the signal levels on the modem which is found on the DOCSIS WAN page. You should be at 0 dBmV for downstream signal levels with a signal to noise ratio in the 36 to 40 dB range and see the upstream signal level at 36 to 40 dBmV typically, with three bonded channels running. Having three bonded upstream channels is important. Anything less tells you that there is a cable or connector issue. The ranges are 0 dBmV +/- 15 dBmV on the downstream and 36 to 51 dBmV on the upstream. Its possible, if the cable has not been checked for a while that the signal levels were adequate for slower speeds, but with the CGN3 installed now, any previously existing signal level issue will show up.
Are your parents connecting via wired or wireless connection? Like any combo modem / router, the CGN3 wireless performance is not the greatest. You might have to consider running a third party router if wireless performance is a problem. Loading a laptop with inSSIDer will enable you to check out the wireless environment. The last freebie version can be found here:
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www.techspot.com/downloa ··· der.htmlDid you use the USB setup key that came with the CGN3 to setup the modem or setup a guest account. Hopefully not. Throw it out, as it can cause more trouble than what its worth. You should check out the wifi broadcast from the CGN3 with inSSIDer and look for any other networks transmitting from it. You can tell by looking at the MAC addresses contained within the network list on the inSSIDer network display. That display can be sorted up and down by selecting any of the column titles at the top of the list. If you happen to see a no name network transmitting with a MAC address which is nearly identical to the main network MAC address, that will most likely be a Rogers Home Monitoring network, which has been moved off to its own Netgear router from the previous configuration using the internet routers. For some reason that has not been reflected in the configuration of the internet routers, so you may see that transmitting from the CGN3. If its there call tech support to turn it off. When you call tech support to confirm the provisioning, you can also inquire and simply ensure at that time that the Home Monitoring Network on the CGN3 is turned off.