Thread: Internet/modem mystery...

So here's the deal. I have Comcast cable internet. I run it directly from the wall to the modem to the computer. About a week ago my modem starts going out every 15 minutes or so. It'd just reset itself basically. Obviously this is going to put a damper on my PR time. So I call the Comcast people and have them come out and take a look. They say the signal looks fine and give me a new modem. Same problem arises later that day. So today I went and bought my own modem, and while it doesn't reset as often as every 15 minutes, it does happen.

So I'm stumped here. Nothing hardware-wise in my computer should be causing the cable modem to go out, correct? Should I call the cable people back out to take another look? Is it possible they simply tested the signal while it was strong? I would think they'd have a way of knowing if their signal is going out intermittently all day, especially since I mentioned that was the problem.

Anybody ever had a similar situation?

I was thinking about that, but when I hooked up the new modem and opened Internet Explorer it automatically took me through some introductory Comcast connection thing so I'm assuming it did the MAC thing through there. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to go online at all, right? And I was playing all evening.

Just a thought... and mine are sometimes wild...

Knowing Comcast, and most other Cable Co.'s, their main switch should be above ground, out of reach of user, to eliminate theft of service, unless your neighborhood has "underground only" utilities, where in that case there should be a switch box that locks, either underground or attached to building. Now if in an apartment complex, other's service also feeds from that box, and you don't want mad neighbors as well, so be gentle with what you do in that case. If it's only your service, I would try this:

Visually inspect any connections there, and look for cracked or brittle rubber shielding that may allow moisture to enter into cables or cable box attached to building.
The box itself probably will be locked, preventing access, but chase cables as best as you can and look for damage.
When Techs check service and bandwidth, they usually check from that connection/splitter box.
Rarely do they check inside home @ modem input end, since that wiring is customer's responsibility, not Cable Co.'s, so they can show you are getting what you paid for in speed or service provided.
What I am thinking, is moisture may be in cable line outside, and runs fine in day when heat is up, evaporating moisture, and building up later in day, after cooling off, and condensing, creating shorts or just higher resistance to flow.
A simple can of WD-40 on and around cracked shield can remove moisture from that
area, but not inside of cables, further than 6" from application point.
I'm no Network Guru by any means, but I have limited knowledge from my HAM Radio days. I've seen this in RF Coax cables to Antennas, causing major jumps in SWR readings running Amplifiers from Radio to Antenna, I am assuming this can also be a factor in Cable Internet, but unsure of the bandwidth or voltage it operates under.

In simple terms … SWR compares the maximum amount of voltage or current that can be delivered by the radio to the minimum voltage or current that actually leaves via the transmission line and antenna. (Resistance)*
(just replace 'radio' and 'antenna' with modem/switch box, since it's a two way transfer)

Like I said this is a guess, and that's all I can think of at this moment.

I'm having Comcast come out again tomorrow to check my lines, but I just had a thought. A poster in another thread mentioned he was getting DCed everytime he played as well, but I shrugged it off seeing as how I'm getting DCed while surfing the web as well, not just while playing PR. However I think my connection is ok up until I try playing PR. And I've also realized these problems hadn't come up until I downloaded .8(from FilePlanet) which just came out a couple weeks ago. I'm running a virus scan now, but is it possible this is somehow connected to the new version I downloaded?