freaking time warner

[Daemas]

I know next to nothing about networking, so bear with me.

my internet has been acting up lately and yesterday i finally gave up and went downstairs to see if something was loose or god knows what.

This is what I saw. What in the balls...

http://yfrog.com/5eimg0001jtj
http://yfrog.com/n1img0002ukj
http://yfrog.com/n8img0003qmj

The orange cable is from the box outside. All I need to do is split that signal 2ways (one to family room for basic cable, other to comp room) and then split one of those 2 ways (computer and HDDVR). Why in the hell is there a drop amp when I'm 50 feet from the box? What is that modem doing. What do I need and not need from that whole mess?

Also, I have one of their cheap motorola surfboard modems that is a piece of crap so I'm looking at getting this guy. Obviously it's going to be much mroe reliable than that other POS, but I don't even have DOCSIS 2 let alone DOCSIS 3 but I've heard of people that pay for 6mbps getting like 15-20 mbps or whatever reason. Any guesses on whether this will happen for me?

Thanks in advance guys.

 

[billyb0b]

so u have a POS motorola surfboard modem now and you're going another, more expensive, docsis 3.0 complaint when u dont even have docsis 3.0, piece of crap surfboard modem???

 

[Daemas]

so u have a POS motorola surfboard modem now and you're going another, more expensive, docsis 3.0 complaint when u dont even have docsis 3.0, piece of crap surfboard modem???

it was my understanding that the modem had been really well received. Are there any modems ~100 or under that aren't complete shit? (and they're bringing DOCSIS3 to us by November)

also, do you know anything about that clusterfuck of cables?

 

[gsaldivar]

Time Warner provides a free leased cable modem with my service. If I have any issues with it, I can go swap it for a new one any time. What's the point of owning one again?

 

[RebateMonger]

Motorola's Surfboard cable modems have a very good reputation. You didn't state your model number, so it's hard to determine what your modem's capabilities are.

Newegg is selling a couple of DOCSIS 3.0-capable modems in the $80 range. I've seen a Cisco 3.0 modem, but I haven't seen anybody selling it to consumers.

 

[Narmer]

Why are you buying a modem? If the modem is the problem then get another one from TWC. Also, have someone come out and check your cable and the signal at the POE. It may be losing signal either because it's an old 59u cable or there are attenuation issues from the main tap to your POE. Or the amplifier may not even be necessary. If so, have them run a new line. Either way, the modem is supposed to be connected to a tap(greater signal loss)/splitter. It is NOT supposed to come AFTER the amplifier. If the amplifier is not needed, get rid of it. Too much signal can cause the same problem as too little.

 

[boomhower]

There is no reason to buy your own modem. If your is having issues have them fix it. Have them come and redo the wiring. They have really clamped down on their installers the last couple of years. The last couple of installs I have had done a supervisor or inspector came out a couple days later to inspect it and make sure it was done correctly.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Drop amp means your signal sucked and they tried to fix it the easy way... If your Internet is cutting out, call them and make them fix it properly.

 

[imagoon]

Two splitters before getting to your modem is also asking for a ton of trouble. Split once send one to the modem, split the others to TV's / DVRs.

Most splitters, even 2 way ones have a poor signal return (reverse direction of the split.)

 

[JackMDS]

Hi

If the suspicion is that service is at fault, there is only one way to deal with it.

You get your modem from the ISP, and you make them come and measure with their instrument the signal directly at the modem's output.

Any other solution (especially the Ignorant throwing money at the problem) is useless.

 

[Daemas]

the reasons that I was thinking about getting a new modem are a few fold.

1) no more rental fee
2) Every modem they give me is a refurb POS (and HD-DVRs too for that matter)
3) They overheat every couple of days and/or need to be power cycled
4) TW is comprised of 99% morons. I'm sure they'll screw up even worse if they come back to try to fix it. I'm just better off doing it myself (even though I know nothing about what I'm doing)

 

[gsaldivar]

the reasons that I was thinking about getting a new modem are a few fold.

1) no more rental fee
2) Every modem they give me is a refurb POS (and HD-DVRs too for that matter)
3) They overheat every couple of days and/or need to be power cycled
4) TW is comprised of 99% morons. I'm sure they'll screw up even worse if they come back to try to fix it. I'm just better off doing it myself (even though I know nothing about what I'm doing)

Call them to confirm about the rental fee. They used to charge one many years ago, but everyone gets them free now. They will take the fee off your account and possibly credit you for the fees you paid if you just ask...

 

[hawk82]

Post the signal stats from the cable modem. My guess is that your stats are way off. Once we see what the signals are at, then we can see what can be done. Also look at the cable and see if it has any writing on it, like RG-59 or RG-6.

http://192.168.100.1 should work as it is a Motorola Surfboard. If it doesn't, temporarily plug a computer directly into the cable and try again. Some routers don't bridge that address properly.

 

[ImDonly1]

The SB6120 is a good modem. Since you don't pay a rental fee, I would not buy a new modem. If you are given a free modem, then it would be wasting money to buy one. I don't know why you are saying you surfboard modem is a pos, the surfboard modems are the most popular out, sb5100, sb5101, sb5120, etc.

Also the SB6120 has 16 mb ram. There are modems with 32 MB RAM like the SBV6220 (digital voice), or the cisco DPC 3000 (not sold in retail, but can be found on ebay). Not sure if timewarmer will let you register the sbv6220 or the dpc3000. I don't think comcast will let you register a sbv6220 (or they will still charge you a rental fee even if you own it), and the dpc3000 is not supposed to be sold in retail. They might not even be supported by time warner.

And no your speeds will not increase with these new modems. You might see higher powerboost speeds for the first 30 seconds of a download, but otherwise nothing (not sure if time warner does powerboost).

 

[Genx87]

I have a moto surfboard. Thing has been rock solid for 5 years. It even fell into the sump pump and got soaked and still works.

If you are having signal issues have them come verify. At my parents place about every year a filter would go out in the box at the street sending the signal strength through the roof. This caused huge packet loss. Mediacom would come out and replace the filter and it would run fine.

 

[crucibelle]

You can get help here: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cable,rr

Often times, there are people that work for the company that are there to help. That is the way Comcast is on there, anyhow. I would post those pics there and see what everyone says. Other than that, I would call them and get someone to come out to your house. If they don't fix it, keep calling. Keep calling over & over until they get it fixed.. be a squeaky wheel. That's what I had to do with Comcast recently, and they ended up sending a mechanic out to my house, rather than another technician. The mechanic was able to locate the problem & fix it whereas three technicians either couldn't find a problem or could not solve the problem correctly.

 

[crucibelle]

By the way, there is a difference between a good/bad signal and a weak/strong signal. An amp will only help a GOOD signal that happens to be weak. If you have a bad signal to start with, an amp won't do anything. You'll just be amping up a bad signal. I read this on that forum I linked above.

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/9630

 

[YumaRed]

Everyone is giving you great advice. I may have a few more suggestions that might help. I'm not an expert just a have some experience with cable TV/Internet/Phone.

DO NOT get a new modem until you first get T/W to correct that spider nest you took pics of. I'm surprised you even getting good TV reception. Your internet feed or leg should be UN-interrupted and un-shared - no splitters, no amps, no nothin from your POE(point of entry) to the modem. All RG-6 cable or better. To prove this just run a jumper from your POE directly to the modem and I will bet your problems go away. You can run that jumper over the bushes, through the window or whatever just try to stay under 100ft with no bends.

Most bad signal problems are very seldom the modem. Look for "crimped on" fittings on old cable, bends tighter than a 4" radius, splitters, amps and run to close to AC voltage. Make TW check your "levels" over the phone and then if that is not perfect they need to send a tech to check the signal from the Head Unit on the pole or underground and work it back to your PC from there. Most of the time it is a lazy/bad install or your drop cable from the pedestal if underground or the pole if aerial is old, corroded, bent or undersized.

Any time you see an amp installed... the tech knew you had issues but they were not willing to spend the time to correct it. Unless you are more than 250ft from the street connection or running far too many outlets/devices you should not need an amp. With very few exceptions would you want to amp the internet feed.

As for your DVR, its just like your PC. Good airflow is mandatory. nothing on top, good open space all around, don't block the vents. They have amps and HDD's that make the same heat that your PC makes.