34 replies to this topic

[The Four Peters]

For the record, I have Comcast cable internet (Performance Plan) and the leased Comcast modem, and a NetGear N600 wireless router, model WNDR3400 that I bought about a year ago. The firmware on the router is up to date, at least from the NetGear smart wizard perspective.

I've recently been noticing that my internet will drop out for 10-15 seconds at a time. I'll be on a skype/conference call and lost connection, I'll get signed out of IM for 10 seconds or so, web pages will stop loading, etc. Then it will come back like there's no issue. It's happened on my phone, my MacBook Air, and my roommates PC laptop. I'm trying to figure out if it's something up with my service, the modem, my router, or just some sort of interference, but frankly have no idea how to do so. I've tried changing channels on the router too, and that hasn't helped.

Any ideas? Or do I have to suck it up and call Comcast (which I'm really hoping to avoid)?

[AimingForYoko]

I had the same issue last year after various power outages in my area/state. Comcast actually responded to my complaint pretty immediately and then gave me a Comcast modem/router combo so I no longer have two separate devices. It works like a charm now.

I have no idea if they've started issuing these devices yet (they weren't when I got it), but if you call them up you could definitely see if it's the same issue.

[Tony C]

Mind if I piggyback on this post to note my analogous but different problem, as perhaps there may be related advice? If you do mind, PM me and happy to delete.

My issue is that my service goes out 2 or 3 times a day for over a month now in the following manner: I'm working (or return from being out). Service goes out (though usually it will show bars). I do a reset on the modem and the router. It always works again once I do that. Until it doesn't.

There is no discernible pattern to when it goes out. Often it is out in the morning after we've been asleep, but it also goes out plenty in the midst of being used. (Though it did start to mess up when we had several people staying with us, so maybe 4 different computers connecting at the same time -- but has continued after they left).

I have Time Warner/Roadrunner service.
They gave me a Motorola SurfRider (or SurfBoarder or something) modem
I have an Apple Airport Express router
I have two Macs in the house and my wife has some sort of PC

-I have called Time Warner's customer service a few times, and they indicated they changed some codes, etc. No change.
-I changed ethernet cord just in case. No change.
-I swapped my modem for a new one (which was also a new version of the same brand). Some change: at first thought it was fixed, but after a few days it started losing service again, with the same fix of needing a re-set (though still not as often as before).
-I ordered a new version of the Apple Airport Express which arrived a few days ago. What's odd there is that I haven't been able to get that to connect at all. My new network comes up, but neither of my computers can get a connection to it. Haven't had time to explore what the issue is with that.

The only additional note I'd make is that for the last 24 hours the connection hasn't dropped. The only two things that are different during that time is that: 1: my wife isn't around (but she wasn't around the previous 24, when it dropped a few times; 2: except for a few moments, I haven't been streaming music from my computer through the Airport router to the speakers I have hooked into the Airport.

Sounds different than what Four Peters is experiencing, but close enough that maybe people with similar expertise can share their prognoses. Thanks.

[JakeRae]

I just contacted Comcast about a similar issue. They reset my modem and claim that will solve the problem. If it doesn't, I likely need a new modem. So, in short, it's probably a modem issue and the first step is to contact your ISP to get your modem reset (this is something that happens in their systems).

[AimingForYoko]

I just contacted Comcast about a similar issue. They reset my modem and claim that will solve the problem. If it doesn't, I likely need a new modem. So, in short, it's probably a modem issue and the first step is to contact your ISP to get your modem reset (this is something that happens in their systems).

Yeah I'm not remotely knowledgeable about tech, but iirc how they explained it to me was once they upgraded the high speed internet, a lot of modems couldn't keep up (and also something to do with the number of people using the net idk)---which is why they finally built one into the router.

[SoxScout]

I had a similar problem for like 2 or 3 months. Internet would drop, sometimes rebooting the modem would work, sometimes rebooting the router would, sometimes I'd have to leave it all unplugged overnight.

I finally got fed up a few weeks ago and went an bought the cheapest Belkin router at WalMart for like 25 bucks to see if it worked better than my expensive Buffalo one, by some miracle, haven't had a drop since.

I'd try to figure out what's wrong with the new Airport Express and get that working.

[The Four Peters]

For what it's worth, I hard wired my home laptop into the router and the issue still persisted, so it doesn't seem to be anything wireless related. I'll call Comcast when I get a chance. I appreciate the responses.

[AlNipper49]

It's almost always the router. If the ISP owns it or you do, the things are like $50. Just replace it and if that doesn't do it then return it.

[crow216]

Nip is right but there are also some things that have always had a strong negative affect on my internet service. (Fios now but used to be Road Runner)

1- Torrents. When I download torrents, Road Runner always seemed to kick me off throughout the whole house. I would have to unplug and plug back in and it worked perfectly again.
2- I know this sounds really stupid and really simple. However, in my upstairs room, my desktop would constantly disconnect and connect. I changed the NIC card, I changed the drivers, I re-installed Windows. It wasn't until I built a whole new computer and it kept happening that I changed the stupid RJ45 cable and never had a problem again. So, make sure all of the cables connected to your router are either in good shape or just replace them anyway for a few bucks.

[kneemoe]

Nip is right but there are also some things that have always had a strong negative affect on my internet service. (Fios now but used to be Road Runner)

1- Torrents. When I download torrents, Road Runner always seemed to kick me off throughout the whole house. I would have to unplug and plug back in and it worked perfectly again.
2- I know this sounds really stupid and really simple. However, in my upstairs room, my desktop would constantly disconnect and connect. I changed the NIC card, I changed the drivers, I re-installed Windows. It wasn't until I built a whole new computer and it kept happening that I changed the stupid RJ45 cable and never had a problem again. So, make sure all of the cables connected to your router are either in good shape or just replace them anyway for a few bucks.

torrents open a zillion connections, many of which don't get closed properly and are left to time out... when they don't time out quickly enough your router barfs.

[Tony C]

that's helpful. will focus on getting the new apple airport working, or some other router.

thanks!

[timlinin8th]

Nip's right, routers are frequently the issue... The problem with them being cheap to buy is that they are also cheaply made... As soon as the onboard ram in them starts to fail (which is usually the part that will) they will start to drop connections, and will become more and more persistant over time.

All that being said... Summer is when cable operators see a spike in intermittent internet issues due to the heat (cable ain't nothing more than a conductor, and RF won't conduct as well when its warm out). Some things you can check that are really simple:

1) check the coaxial connector behind the modem, and make sure it is tightened. Seriously. Even a quarter turn loose can cause bit errors, just get a wrench or pliers or something and make sure its snug. A buddy of mine's business had frequent dropping of service, and thats all it was.

2) know your signal - all modems have a status page... Since most of you have motorola surfboards, open a browser and go to 192.168.100.1, and go to the signal tab. You'll get something that looks like this:

The three highlighted fields are the pertinent ones; signal to noise level should be at LEAST 32 (this is also the hardest thing to correct because the problem might not necessarily be inside your house if it is off), the downstream power level should be in a perfect world between -8 and +10 (closer to 0 is better; however i've seen modems operate fairly well provided this is the only number out of spec) and finally the upstream power level should be between 30 and 50 (this is commonly out of spec, above 50, and the most common culprit for 'laggy' internet in the home). Those 'power level' numbers are fairly controllable based on the splitter configuration in your home, so if they are correctable by a knowledgeable technician.

On newer surfboards, this signal page also has a section for unerrored vs errored bits. Obviously, unerrored is good, errored is bad and uncorrectable errors are the worst. If you have a lot of errored bits (lets say up to a couple hundred / thousands in a day) then theres probably an issue.

Hope that helps anyone who posted in here narrow down their issues.

Edited by timlinin8th, 22 July 2012 - 06:24 AM.

[Tony C]

That's totally interesting and helpful. Is the 'uncorrectable codewords' too high?

Signal Stats (Codewords)	Bonding Channel Value
Channel ID	4 	1 	2 	3 
Total Unerrored Codewords	2079225753 	2078579734 	2078588105 	2078596396 
Total Correctable Codewords	13 	203 	17 	1 
Total Uncorrectable Codewords	541 	579 	577 	498

[timlinin8th]

That's totally interesting and helpful. Is the 'uncorrectable codewords' too high?

Out of 2 billion+ bits, while it is a little high its not insanely so. What is more unusual to me is that so few of the errors were correctable. Bit errors happen, but most modems' forward error correction is able to work out a good number of them. Its probably pretty telling that the errors are bad enough where they AREN'T able to be corrected. For instance, i just checked my own modem and here's my FEC info-
Unerrored: 1,972,725,764
Correctable: 1,017
Uncorrectable: 16

A high number of uncorrectables can be indicative of a bad drop to the house or bad connectors somewhere. Another good thing to check is in the logs of the modem, the modem will log T3 and T4 timeouts... If there are a lot of them, a phone call may be in order.

[The Four Peters]

To close the loop on this, my internet was driving me up the wall today (my first day working at home in weeks) so I finally just went to the Comcast Service Center, upgraded my internet plan to the 50 mbps plan (extra $10/mo) and they gave me a new Arris modem. Came home, plugged it in, activated, and now things are absolutely flying without a drop to be seen. Ended up with 58 mbps on one of my speedtests, and the results in real time are noticeable too. I have a few conference calls later that will put it to the test, but I have no doubt it was the shitbag Motorola modem that was causing the problems. Comcast was very accomodating too, would have exchanged the modem even if I didn't change plans.

[Tony C]

that's helpful. will focus on getting the new apple airport working, or some other router.

thanks!

right, to close the loop on mine, the issue was two fold: the old modem and the new Airport Express router was defective. Once I traded in the router for a new one, no issues.

so nice.

thanks for help on that.

[Nick Kaufman]

I just wanted to say that today I realized that for a long time now I was getting constant hangups when I was loading a page with the browser getting stuck in the "waiting for this or that website to respond stage".

So, after a bit of googling I decided to switch my dns server and voila, problem solved, the internet is flying.

I am just in awe how you can take a situation for granted for so long only to realize and find a stupid fix that immensely improves something.

[AlNipper49]

I always use 8.8.8.8 and 4.2.2.2 as my DNS servers, unless it's at home where I use OpenDNS.

Using the cable company DNS is insane, especially as those greedy bastards began inserting themselves into the process (ads on pages that don't pull up, for example)

[Seven Costanza]

How would someone who has and uses Comcast out of the box accomplish this?

[JimBoSox9]

How would someone who has and uses Comcast out of the box accomplish this?

What brand/model of router do you have?

It's pretty easy. Go to https://store.opendn...et/premium-dns/ and sign up. You'll be given a couple of IP addresses for OpenDNS' servers. You'll input those IP addresses in your router admin console (I can tell you how to do that if I know the router type). You'll re-start your router. Viola! Things will be faster. Combine OpenDNS with AdBlock Plus and you'll barely even recognize the internet anymore.

One caveat: If you have any complicated router setup, like port forwarding or any customization for streaming, you may run into an issue. I live with three roommates and there's a lot of XBox Live and WoW going on and when I put in OpenDNS, things went haywire for two days before I backed it out. Still not sure why. Because you're asking this question, I assume you're more of a standard user, so I doubt you have anything to worry about.

[Seven Costanza]

It's a linksys WRT110

What would the admin console be? The first computer to connect to the router?

Edited by Seven Costanza, 01 October 2012 - 05:39 PM.

[behindthepen]

so it looks like OpenDNS is the best solution to to try for me ... I am trying to make sure that my kids aren't accessing the internet "after bedtime".  SO if put OpenDNS on my router (Fios, Actiontec) that's a reliable trustworthy way to track their usage?  And set up content controls if necessary?

[AlNipper49]

in a basic sense, yes.  Might be tough to pin it to an exact person but if someone is going to "bukkake.com" at 2am and you know that you were asleep at the time, then it's probably not tough to track down who it was (hint: your wife)

[The Four Peters]

Might as well resurrect this thread. I'm having internet issues again, but this time I know it's my wireless router. My question is how to fix it or if it's worth getting a new router.

 

Issues:

 

1. iOS devices cannot stay connected to the wireless. They keep dropping and re-connecting multiple times in a minute, which is clearly draining the batteries. I've tried re-setting devices but it's all iOS devices (phones, ipad, etc). Since my devices have no issues with other wireless networks, I'm assuming it's the router.

 

2. Internet speeds have slown way down. This morning I was down to about 1.5 mbps but when I connect directly to the wireless router via ethernet (not even the cable modem but the router itself) I get 40 mbps or so. So something is up with the wireless.

 

I've tried re-setting the router and changing the channels on it, that's about it. Any other ideas? I'm pretty clueless when it comes to wireless networking, as this thread attests to, so go gentle. Thanks.

[FL4WL3SS]

Update the firmware

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

How does one do that? Like Peters, we're having issues with drops in our house using Comcast wireless.

[The Four Peters]

The firmware is up to date. SJH, which cable modem do you have? I got that replaced by comcast (for free) and it made a huge difference.

[FL4WL3SS]

How does one do that? Like Peters, we're having issues with drops in our house using Comcast wireless.

Google knows.

 

Search "<name of router> update firmaware" and you'll probably see an FAQ or manual from the router maker that points you to a step by step walkthrough.

[FL4WL3SS]

The firmware is up to date. SJH, which cable modem do you have? I got that replaced by comcast (for free) and it made a huge difference.

My next suggestion is "smash against wall" then.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

The firmware is up to date. SJH, which cable modem do you have? I got that replaced by comcast (for free) and it made a huge difference.

 

I'll have to check, it was new to us in August when we moved into the new house. The data keeps hanging/dropping and it's driving me insane. Like everything else, really.

[AlNipper49]

Try powering it off for like 30 minutes. 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

I'll have to check, it was new to us in August when we moved into the new house. The data keeps hanging/dropping and it's driving me insane. Like everything else, really.

 

I replaced the router that I got from Comcast with a pretty cheap one at best buy and it works nearly infinitely better.  Was definitely worth the $50.00 that I spent not to have to deal with the drops.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I replaced the router that I got from Comcast with a pretty cheap one at best buy and it works nearly infinitely better.  Was definitely worth the $50.00 that I spent not to have to deal with the drops.

 

 

To be clear, it's the modem that I have from Comcast that seems to be hanging up. The wireless router seems to be perfectly fine.

[The Four Peters]

To be clear, it's the modem that I have from Comcast that seems to be hanging up. The wireless router seems to be perfectly fine.

Yeah I had the Motorola modem from Comcast and it was getting overloaded. I asked them to replace it and they gave me an Arris one that works great now. I did all through the online chat with the customer service too, might be worth going that route.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Yeah I had the Motorola modem from Comcast and it was getting overloaded. I asked them to replace it and they gave me an Arris one that works great now. I did all through the online chat with the customer service too, might be worth going that route.

 

 

Thanks, at home now, we have the Motorola as well. Think I'll ask for an upgrade. Thanks for the tips. Sorry to hijack your thread.