lagnaf
join:2000-03-26
Peoria, IL |
to jlivingood
Re: [Speed] Heads-Up: Time to Replace Your DOCSIS 2.0 ModemToday I received an ominous letter telling me to upgrade or lose service. I would put the SB2400 I purchased around 2001-2002 out to pasture, but I'm planning on moving soon and Comcast may not be in my future.
My question is: how serious are they about this deadline to upgrade of Wednesday, October 30, 2013?
(Quick and dirty OCR of the letter below.)
------------------------------------------
subject: Important service Announcement Regarding Your Cable Modem
Dear valued Comcast Customer
Our records indicate that the cable modem you are currently using to access the Internet is an older device and may not be able to receive the full range of speed available with xEMTY Hgh speed Internet. As a result, we are requesting that you replace your modem as soon as possible.
Please note that your cable modem will not be able to operate on Comcast's network as of Wednesday, October 30, 2013.
our records also indicate that you own your cable modem. To avoid service interruption, please immediately make arrangements to replace your modem. If
you do not replace your modem by Wednesday, October 30, 2013, your modem will be unable to connect to the Internet, visit websites or use applications that access the Internet.
There are several convenient modem replacement options available to you
visit a retailer to purchase a new cable modem. You may visit
madeicentocomcastnet for a
list of modems certified to work on our network.
Arrange to lease a cable modem by calling 1-800-XFINITY. You may have a leased modem sent to you
with a self-installation kit (shipping and handling charges apply). Standard installation fees apply |
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 JohkalCool Cat
MVM
join:2002-11-13
Pennsyltucky |
I'm surprised your SB4200 is still working since it is only DOCSIS 1.0. That modem is beyond ancient; almost ready for the Smithsonian. Are they serious? I would bet so. |
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 tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA
1 edit |
to lagnaf
said by lagnaf:Today I received an ominous letter telling me to upgrade or lose service. I would put the SB2400 I purchased around 2001-2002 out to pasture, but I'm planning on moving soon and Comcast may not be in my future.
My question is: how serious are they about this deadline to upgrade of Wednesday, October 30, 2013?
I think I'd take that as an absolute EoL date. they've been warning repeatedly for several years now that the day was coming soon...and soon is finally here. You don't have to use a modem long to pay it off (8-12 months, max) but if you think you only need a couple months the $7 fee might fit you better (most cable companies will be going D3 before long so owning a D3 modem isn't bad if you'll be on any cable system.) |
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 Chris 313Because It's Geekier
Premium Member
join:2004-07-18
Houma, LA ·Comcast XFINITY
|
said by tshirt:said by lagnaf:Today I received an ominous letter telling me to upgrade or lose service. I would put the SB2400 I purchased around 2001-2002 out to pasture, but I'm planning on moving soon and Comcast may not be in my future.
My question is: how serious are they about this deadline to upgrade of Wednesday, October 30, 2013?
I think I'd take that as an absolute EoL date. they've been warning repeatedly for several years now that the day was coming soon...and soon is finally here. You don't have to use a modem long to pay it off (8-12 max) but if you think you only need a couple months the $7 fee might fit you better (most cable companies will be going D3 before long so owning a D3 modem isn't bad if you'll be on any cable system.) I agree. I paid 46.29 for my SB6141 and will have paid it off in only 7 months. And with my planning to use it for 3-5 years, I'll have saved a nice chunk of change before needing to upgrade again. It'll be interesting to see what that SB4200 user decides to do, considering his situation. |
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 jlivingood
Premium Member
join:2007-10-28
Philadelphia, PA |
to Johkal
said by Johkal:I'm surprised your SB4200 is still working since it is only DOCSIS 1.0. That modem is beyond ancient; almost ready for the Smithsonian. Are they serious? I would bet so.
Yup. That is a DOCSIS 1.1 modem and those are being eliminated from the network rapidly. The date is serious, you need to take action. If you want to buy a new one, get a D3 device that does channel bonding and IPv6 @ » mynewmodem.comcast.net/. |
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bgoodbodyBill G
join:2002-05-08
North Truro, MA |
Is the October 30 a nationwide date?
If not how does one find out about the date in the Northeast? |
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tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA |
tshirt
Premium Member
2013-Sep-6 12:19 pm
said by bgoodbody:Is the October 30 a nationwide date?
If not how does one find out about the date in the Northeast? What, you're hoping to stretch it out another few days, month, maybe 2? When the low fuel light comes on in your car, do you just buy a gallon today? and again tomorrow? It's time for a full tank, while there is a supply of all grades available, rather than sputtering in to the last station that only sells premium at the highest possible price. |
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bgoodbodyBill G
join:2002-05-08
North Truro, MA ·Comcast XFINITY
Netgear WNR3500L
|
No personally I have had DOCSIS 3.0 for about 3 years. I wanted to provide accurate information to the community. said by tshirt:said by bgoodbody:Is the October 30 a nationwide date?
If not how does one find out about the date in the Northeast? What, you're hoping to stretch it out another few days, month, maybe 2? When the low fuel light comes on in your car, do you just buy a gallon today? and again tomorrow? It's time for a full tank, while there is a supply of all grades available, rather than sputtering in to the last station that only sells premium at the highest possible price. |
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lagnaf
join:2000-03-26
Peoria, IL |
to Chris 313
So here is what I did...
I hadn't really thought much about the SB4200. It worked and dealing with Comcast is a chore. Sure, there was a time when it couldn't keep sync, but I was able to grab an actual CC tech instead of contractor once and got a bunch of bad coax replaced and it has been solid ever since.
I used to have the good life paying 39.95 to Insight and it stayed that way under Comcast for a good long time. I quit talking to CC after being informed I had was getting a great deal, so why take a chance? Beginning of 2012 CC began ratcheting up my rate so that now I'm up to 64.95 a month (Internet only) but still, talking to them never results in happiness.
I try not to stress about technology, anymore. Sure there was a time when I was a authorized MS system builder, but I just don't keep up. Add in a touch of dyslexia and I was thinking I had a D2, not D1.2 which the SB4200 actually is.
Still, what to do? I am planning a move and one potential place doesn't have cable, but it does have fiber from a local company called iTV-3. (Look up the prices yourself, it would be a easy choice to go with them. The lucky few that can get it rave about it.)
Anyway while rooting around I found a SB5100 that I had acquired from a friend who buys things for no good reason. He had it a closet for a few years, even though they have DSL! ("Will our speed get better if we hook this up to AT&T?") It was new in box, but missing the power supply which is why it had ended up in my closet of junk. Lucky for me my closet-o-junk also contains a box of PSU's, one of which matched specs and plug perfectly. (It says LiteOn and I think it came from an old 14400...)
So a few nights ago I went through the process of using the walled garden activation and entering the MAC for this SB5100 and eventually it started working, except for a page that appeared that said it would only work for 24 hours unless I called the activations department at 7AM Eastern. WTF? About that time a chat rep appeared and I started a conversation with that person, way out-typing them and explaining the situation while they were still doing the opening nonsense. Formalities out of the way I began quizzing them on the plans to push DOCSIS 3 on everyone and they told me that it was just D1 stuff for the moment and that my (newly activated) D2 modem should be safe for the foreseeable future and that there would be no need to call the activation department. That was five days ago and everything is still humming along.
I did a bunch of speedtests before and after and most show improved uploads. Testmy.net for instance went from 9.4/1.1 to 9.8/3.8. I can live with that. Most of my work involves large audio files being transferred from home to a remote site that can only be served by T1. Only difference is that while before these maxed out the T1 at about 180KBs they now burst up to that but then seem to throttle back to about 120 after the first few minutes. So perhaps upgrading modems helps Comcast with their traffic shaping...
That's my story so far. We shall see if I get any more notices about upgrading modems while trying really hard to buy that place that is on the fiber. Wish me luck! |
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Chris 313Because It's Geekier
Premium Member
join:2004-07-18
Houma, LA ·Comcast XFINITY
|
said by lagnaf:So here is what I did...
I hadn't really thought much about the SB4200. It worked and dealing with Comcast is a chore. Sure, there was a time when it couldn't keep sync, but I was able to grab an actual CC tech instead of contractor once and got a bunch of bad coax replaced and it has been solid ever since.
I used to have the good life paying 39.95 to Insight and it stayed that way under Comcast for a good long time. I quit talking to CC after being informed I had was getting a great deal, so why take a chance? Beginning of 2012 CC began ratcheting up my rate so that now I'm up to 64.95 a month (Internet only) but still, talking to them never results in happiness.
I try not to stress about technology, anymore. Sure there was a time when I was a authorized MS system builder, but I just don't keep up. Add in a touch of dyslexia and I was thinking I had a D2, not D1.2 which the SB4200 actually is.
Still, what to do? I am planning a move and one potential place doesn't have cable, but it does have fiber from a local company called iTV-3. (Look up the prices yourself, it would be a easy choice to go with them. The lucky few that can get it rave about it.)
Anyway while rooting around I found a SB5100 that I had acquired from a friend who buys things for no good reason. He had it a closet for a few years, even though they have DSL! ("Will our speed get better if we hook this up to AT&T?") It was new in box, but missing the power supply which is why it had ended up in my closet of junk. Lucky for me my closet-o-junk also contains a box of PSU's, one of which matched specs and plug perfectly. (It says LiteOn and I think it came from an old 14400...)
So a few nights ago I went through the process of using the walled garden activation and entering the MAC for this SB5100 and eventually it started working, except for a page that appeared that said it would only work for 24 hours unless I called the activations department at 7AM Eastern. WTF? About that time a chat rep appeared and I started a conversation with that person, way out-typing them and explaining the situation while they were still doing the opening nonsense. Formalities out of the way I began quizzing them on the plans to push DOCSIS 3 on everyone and they told me that it was just D1 stuff for the moment and that my (newly activated) D2 modem should be safe for the foreseeable future and that there would be no need to call the activation department. That was five days ago and everything is still humming along.
I did a bunch of speedtests before and after and most show improved uploads. Testmy.net for instance went from 9.4/1.1 to 9.8/3.8. I can live with that. Most of my work involves large audio files being transferred from home to a remote site that can only be served by T1. Only difference is that while before these maxed out the T1 at about 180KBs they now burst up to that but then seem to throttle back to about 120 after the first few minutes. So perhaps upgrading modems helps Comcast with their traffic shaping...
That's my story so far. We shall see if I get any more notices about upgrading modems while trying really hard to buy that place that is on the fiber. Wish me luck! So, what to do, eh? If you're still intent on moving shortly, since you have upgraded to a 5100 (D2) modem, that will still have to be replaced potentially by year's end, if not sooner, if you're gonna go with the home with the fiber (Price wise, I'm not too impressed with their speeds and prices. But hey, if it works for you...) I'd recommend getting a rented modem from Comcast, that'll be D3 compatible and you'll be good to go until you figure things out about whether you want to keep cable and buy a modem like I suggested in my previous post, or just stick with the fiber, if you move into that home. It's funny you mention getting that modem from your friend, since he sounds terribly uninformed about the difference between DSL and cable technologies and the associated modems that work with each technology. Still, his ignorance is your gain, for a few months anyway. If you get any more notices or are just plain shut off, consider what I've said about renting a modem until you get your move situation straight and refer to my previous post about which modem to buy if you want to keep your cable service at your new place. Good luck with everything. PS: I wouldn't put much stock in anything online chat has to say or their ability to get anything done. So, I hope everything stays working until you either switch out the 5100 to a D3 modem or switch services to the fiber at your potential new home. |
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to tshirt
I look at it this way. Buy the new modem now, and when you move, you can still use it with your new ISP, even if it's not with Comcast. |
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