In your experience do cable modems ever develop issues?

archcommus

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2003
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I have an old Surfboard 4100 that when used drops my net connection all the time. Have to power cycle it and that sometimes fixes it instantly, sometimes not. This puzzles me because I've never really heard of cable modems going bad in this way, can that happen?

Either way, now I'm using a 5100, bought it off a friend for 20 bucks. Good reliable modem? Will I notice any speed increases over my 3-year-old Linksys with 8 Mbps Comcast?
 

ScottMac

Moderator<br>Networking<br>Elite member
Mar 19, 2001
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Anything mechanical or electronic can develop issues.

I have a 4100 that would drop connections too. I set it back to 10M / Half duplex and it's been fine since (~2 months).

Hard code your switch (if possible) for 10/half and chances are the problem will be resolved.

Check it out.

Good Luck

Scott
 

ktwebb

Platinum Member
Nov 20, 1999
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Hardware fails, breaks, whatever. I've actually been particularly unlucky with cable modems. Two broke in the span of a year and a half.
 

archcommus

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2003
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Originally posted by: ScottMac
Anything mechanical or electronic can develop issues.

I have a 4100 that would drop connections too. I set it back to 10M / Half duplex and it's been fine since (~2 months).

Hard code your switch (if possible) for 10/half and chances are the problem will be resolved.

Check it out.

Good Luck

Scott
It's alright, I have a 5100 now, but just out of curiosity, where is such a switch?

But I just wondering if people ever experienced something like that before and were definitively able to attribute it to the modem itself. You already proved people have.