Before calling Tech Support for a problem it is best to do a few things first.

1) Check to see that your coaxial cable, Ethernet, and power cord are all firmly connected. Make sure that everything (modem, router, computer, etc.) that should have power, has power turned on.

2) If you use RCN cable TV, check to see if it is working and not fuzzy.

3) If you are using a router, disconnect it and go directly from the modem to the computer to test whether it might be a router problem. If you do have to call Tech Support, do so with the router disconnected as it is easier for the tech to diagnose your system without the router involved.

4) Do a powercycle. This simple step will fix a great many problems.

• Turn your computer off.
• Unscrew the coaxial cable from the back of the modem.
• Unplug the modem's power cord (preferrable from the wall outlet)
• Wait 30 seconds or longer.
• Reconnect coaxial cable.
• Reconnect power. Note whether all the modem status lights are lit properly.
• Turn on computer and see if problem is solved.

(Updated 04/15/12)

FYI - some additional modems do work - see this thread for member contributed modems that have been provisioned okay for them:

»[Equipment] Cable modem question
»[Equipment] BYOM, DOCSIS 3.0, Motorola SBG6580 Chicago

Bring Your Own Cable Modem

If you want to use your own cable modem, you can choose to install it yourself or have one of our professional technicians install it at the time of your high-speed Internet installation. While many models will work on our network, some will simply work better. To achieve optimal performance, we recommend you purchase one of our preferred cable modems.

What kind of cable modem should I purchase?

If you would like to use your own cable modem, we recommend purchasing a cable modem that is Docsis 2.0* certified or higher.

*Docsis 1.0 and 1.1 modems may be compatible with RCN services currently, however we do not guarantee the operation of these types of modems as they are outdated and may not be compatible with the RCN network in the future.

•What is RCN's Bring Your Own Modem (BYOM) service?
The BYOM service gives RCN cable modem customers the option to purchase their own modem from an RCN approved list of modems, reducing their bill by $3.00 for the usual modem rental charge.

***IMPORTANT***You may ONLY use an RCN-approved modem.

•Where is BYOM service available?
BYOM Service is offered in every RCN market with the exception of digital phone customer in Chicago.

•How much is the BYOM service?
The BYOM service is $0 charge; it replaces the modem rental $3.00 charge.
Note: You will be charged the $4.00 rental fee then credited back the $4.00 on the same statement.

•Can I have BYOM within a bundled package?
Yes. The discounts will remain the same; the package will just be less the $3.00 rental rate.

We have adjusted all the bundled packages so that the rental is no longer discounted and we have moved the discount that was on the rental to the modem service code to accommodate and keep the discounts/pricing consistent.

•Can commercial customers have BYOM service?
Yes.

•What are the RCN approved modems? (Note: BYOM is not available to Digital Phone subscribers). Click screenshot below to enlarge.





•Where can I go to purchase an RCN approved modem?
Your local computer store.

•I am a current cable modem customer. How do I switch to BYOM?
As long as you have an RCN-approved modem, you may have this service. You can install the modem yourself by following the on screen instructions. The instructions will display once you properly install your new modem and access the internet. You must return your Starpower cable modem to your closest local office to avoid monthly rental charges. If you are unable to install the modem yourself, you will be charged a truck roll fee to have a technician professionally install the new modem and retrieve the Starpower modem from your home.

•Can I hook up my own purchased modem instead of paying a truck roll charge to have an RCN technician come out?
Yes. As long as you have an RCN-approved modem, you may have this service. You can install the modem yourself by following the on screen instructions. The instructions will display once you properly install your new modem and access the internet. You must return your Starpower cable modem to your closest local office to avoid monthly rental charges.

•What if I have already paid for a technician to install my BYOM and that BYOM breaks? Do I have to pay ANOTHER $49.95 and have a technician visit the home to install the new BYOM?
No. You should simply contact a RCN support representative at 1-800-RING-RCN (1-800-746-4726) and let us know the MAC address from the new modem.

•Will RCN sell the RCN-owned modem to me?
At this time we will NOT be selling any RCN-owned equipment.

•If I no longer want BYOM service, how do I get an RCN cable modem again?
You will lose the $3.00 discount and be charged the standard truck roll fee of $49.95.


*Note: Some subscribers have differing opinions - you can read more on that here

RCN sends firmware updates to the modems that need it that are supported.
Please see: »RCN Forum FAQ »What are the RCN Approved (BYOM) Modems?

This job runs nightly.
If a modem is stuck offline during the process, it will get updated the next time it is online during the window.

This includes customer owned modems as well as RCN supplied modems.

Some flashing of the activity light, even when the computer is not in use, is completely normal. In most cases, this traffic consists of ARP broadcast packets. ARP, which stands for Address Resolution Protocol, is used by TCP/IP to translate IP addresses into their associated MAC addresses, a process which is required for network operation. (The DOCSIS and Ethernet hardware in devices like cable modems, digital cables boxes and the cable modem termination system use MAC addresses when transferring data)

On a few older modems, some additional flashing is caused by multicast packets. Although these are usually filtered out, some modems flash their activity light before the application of the filter.

Once one has established their machine is virus free and firewalled, there is no reason to be concerned about flashing of the activity light. The downstream has *plenty* of capacity to handle this traffic, so it should not cause any performance degradation.

Most cable modems have an LED labeled Cable or Data or D/S, which indicates when data arrives from the cable network. Some users get worried that this LED flashes even when their PC is doing nothing or is switched off. If they are running a firewall, they are puzzled that the firewall does not register any traffic. There is no need for concern: some essential data (DHCP and ARP protocols) is broadcast into the cable network and arrives at every cable modem whether your PC needs it or not. You need not worry that someone is trying to hack into your PC just because the data light is flashing.

If the rate of flashing goes up when your PC is online (compared to when your PC is switched off or disconnected), but you do not know of any reason why your PC should be generating network traffic, then that might be a source of concern.

Each cable modem, regardless of brand, is uniquely identified by its Cable Modem ID, or MAC address. Short for Media Access Control, this address is a part of the hardware on the modem, and is associated with a specific user account.

It is used when asking for assistance via Personal Message with one of our techs

If posting to the public forum - please provide your Encoded Mac found on the speedtest page
CLICK PICTURE AT RIGHT TO ENLARGE--------->>


As there are numerous cable modems on the market, and nearly as many that are used by our customers, below are generic instructions to locate the Cable Modem ID:

•Generally, the Cable Modem ID can be found on the bottom of the modem, usually near or on a barcoded sticker, along with the serial number of the modem.

•Most times the Cable Modem ID will appear after these letters MAC or EA (e.g., MAC 00-12-ab-34-cd-5e) . Some Motorolas may have only SN (e.g., SN 8386848). Only use the alphanumeric numbers that appear after MAC or EA, or on some Motorolas, the numbers that appear after SN.

•It can be easily identified by its pattern (e.g. 00-12-ab-34-cd-5e or 8386848 on some Motorolas), which stays the same from modem to modem even if the values change.

•If your Cable Modem ID can not be located using these tips, please check the manufacturer's user guide for the modem.

•Also can retrieve your mac address at speedtest.rcn.net . Clicking on any of the speedtests sites (NY, PA, etc.) will load the speed test page and on the table on the bottom it says "Your Modem Mac"

Speed Test Help

RCN"s speed test is custom built to accurately measure data throughput between the cable modem and RCN"s network.

This is done by passively measuring traffic throughput directly at the provider"s side of the cable modem rather than the at the client side.

Utilizing this approach allows for greater accuracy and simultaniously accounts for traffic passing from multiple hosts behind a modem (IE: home networks).

In addition to testing your upload / download speeds, you now have the ability to monitor your cable modem throughput.

This may be helpful to identify malware generated traffic or to simply satisfy curiosity in determining how much bandwidth a particular application uses.

Note: in terms of cable modem service, "forward" is the downstream or download side of your cable modem service and "return" is the upstream or upload side.

Forward Frequency:

Forward frequency is basically the "downstream channel" the modem tunes to for receive service.
These channels are not viewable on your TV since it"s designated for cable modem service.
Designated frequencies may change by location and potentially even neighborhood.
Rest assured that RCN has selected a frequency that optimizes performance in your service area.

Forward Power:

The forward power level reported by your modem represents how strong the signal is from RCN"s transmission facility when it reaches your modem.

While a value of 0 is ideal, the signal should be somewhere between +/- 15 dBmv.
If you are just outside this range, don"t worry as long as your modem"s working all is well.
Here's some tips you may try in an attemtp to get this number closer to 0 however, these steps only work if you are at a value that is less than 0.

Check the coax cables in your house; ensure they"re all nice and tight.

If you have unnecessary splitters or splitters having more ports than you need, consider removing or replacing that splitter with one containing only enough ports as you need. In general each "port" on a splitter equals about 1.5 db of signal loss. In other words, if you have a 4-way splitter with two unused ports replacing that splitter with a two-way split would be the difference between having a -10dBmv and a -13dBmv forward signal. Remember, closer to 0 is better.

Ensuring your cable modem is on the earliest split (coming from outside your home) or no split at all helps ensure your modem works at it"s best.

Forward Modulation:

Just as AM and FM are two methods of transmitting radio, we also have a few methods of transmitting data to your cable modem.

The forward modulation used is determined by the environment variables in your service area. As a result not all customers see the same value.
This signal level info is provided by the speed test merely for information purposes.

Forward Signal to Noise:
This number is relative to how well your modem can hear the downstream signal.
The higher the number the better your modem can hear us. In most cases there"s not much you can do to affect this number without impacting the power level.

Again if you remove excess splitters and take away unused ports you generally increase this value.
Did you know that having open ports on a splitter is a bad thing? Every port that is not attached to a TV acts is a leaking point where interference and noise can get into the cable network.
Noise is bad. If you remove unused splitters and only install splitters that exactly match the number of connections you need you are helping improve your service in more ways than you could imagine.

Return Frequency:

Return frequency is the frequency your cablemodem transmits at in order to communicate back to RCN"s facilities.

Similar to the forward frequency, the return frequency is selected by RCN and optimal for your service area and is not something you control or change.

Transmit (return) Power:

Represents how "loud" your modem must talk for RCN"s facilies to hear you.
The same way you raise your voice in a crowded restaurant for someone to hear you over the background noise modems do the exact same thing.

Only in the case of cable modem"s, the background noise your neighbors R.C. car, those power lines down the street, HAM radio operators and even that "Amplifier" that you might have purchased to enhance a picture quality.

As with the forward power, every device between your modem and RCN"s facilities represents a degree of loss that forces your modem to talk louder.
The same information on forward power applies in that every splitter between your modem and the outside of your house means the modem must talk louder.

Return Channel Width:

In terms of radio frequency, this is the bandwidth of the return channel.
In other words this determines how much of the spectrum is used to transmit data from the modem to RCN"s facilities.

The term here bandwidth is not the same as in data transfer.

What's with the 'Encoded Mac'?

Instead of posting your actual cable modem mac address, use this string when posting your modem info to public forums. This allows RCN to identify your speedtest without displaying your modem mac address.

Yes, any active cable jack will work with your cable modem - providing it receives enough signal.

Note: Depending on how many splitters are installed, some cable jacks will not have as strong of a signal due to how many times it is split to the TV, which results in Speed reduction. If you must split...Try this plan:

Main Cable Line goes to splitter, then one cable line is for the cable modem, and the other wire goes to the number of TV's in your residence, this is done so the signal will not degrade on your Cable Modem.

Yes, but you will need to reboot your modem every time you swap devices (unplug the modem from one computer and plug into another). Power cycling your modem will allow it to recognize that a different computer has been connected.

You might consider purchasing a router (wired or wireless) which would allow two or more computers to take advantage of your broadband connection at the same time.

This topic comes up time to time and generally speaking from a consumer's point-of-view -- no, there isn't any way to update or "flash" your modem 'manually'. Your cable modem is controlled by the ISP you're connected to - so, in essence, they can leave the current firmware loaded from the manufacturer, or load a firmware from their head-end to each cable modem on the network - when timing assures no end user issues will be forthcoming.

If there is any newer firmware - the CMTS will most likely flash your cable modem automatically, which will likely re-boot your cable modem; this is a normal operation of flashing the firmware.

Please Note: Customer service does not update firmware, these updates are handled/pushed from the cable system's head end - ONLY when such a time to do so is conducive to it's subscribers needs AND services and reliability can be assured.