modem cycling

[ODBXXX]

I was wondering why my speeds went from 8megs to 5 or 6 megs...and the funny thing is it was as simple as cycling my modem..I guess modems are like men we get built up and have to release every one and awhile..thanks for the sticky vanburen Oh and by the way why is it that the modem slows down till you power cycle?

:::.. Downlo

Connection is:: 8169 Kbps about 8.17 Mbps (tested with 5983 kB)

Download ad Stats ..:::Speed is:: 997 kB/s

Tested From:: https://testmy.net  (Server 1)

Test Time:: 2006/04/20 - 8:24am

Bottom Line:: 142X faster than 56K 1MB Download in 1.03 sec

Tested from a 5983 kB file and took 6 seconds to complete

Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)

Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 64.73 % faster than the average for host (comcast.net)

Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-WC543U8YN

[VanBuren]

I was wondering why my speeds went from 8megs to 5 or 6 megs...and the funny thing is it was as simple as cycling my modem..I guess modems are like men we get built up and have to release every one and awhile..thanks for the sticky vanburen Oh and by the way why is it that the modem slows down till you power cycle?

:::.. Downlo

Connection is:: 8169 Kbps about 8.17 Mbps (tested with 5983 kB)

Download ad Stats ..:::Speed is:: 997 kB/s

Tested From:: https://testmy.net  (Server 1)

Test Time:: 2006/04/20 - 8:24am

Bottom Line:: 142X faster than 56K 1MB Download in 1.03 sec

Tested from a 5983 kB file and took 6 seconds to complete

Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)

Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 64.73 % faster than the average for host (Comcast.net)

Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-WC543U8YN

very nice speed ODBXXX

im no expert in modems, but as i understand if cable modem signal is too strong, too weak, or too noisy, it can cause cable modem to slow down or stop working entirely.

a reboot can help, modem will download a new config file from your ISP

not much for a answer, i hope someone can give you a better one

VanBuren

[dlewis23]

ODBXXX what modem are you using?

[ODBXXX]

ODBXXX what modem are you using?

Comcast scientific atlantic sumtin like that...

[Guest thecableguy]

I was wondering why my speeds went from 8megs to 5 or 6 megs...and the funny thing is it was as simple as cycling my modem..I guess modems are like men we get built up and have to release every one and awhile..thanks for the sticky vanburen Oh and by the way why is it that the modem slows down till you power cycle?

:::.. Downlo

Connection is:: 8169 Kbps about 8.17 Mbps (tested with 5983 kB)

Download ad Stats ..:::Speed is:: 997 kB/s

Tested From:: https://testmy.net  (Server 1)

Test Time:: 2006/04/20 - 8:24am

Bottom Line:: 142X faster than 56K 1MB Download in 1.03 sec

Tested from a 5983 kB file and took 6 seconds to complete

Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)

Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 64.73 % faster than the average for host (Comcast.net)

Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-WC543U8YN

This almost sounds like your modem pulled the previous config (bin) for comcast when you forced that reset (comcast recently upgraded to 8mb I blv).  Call your cable company and ask them to use their DOCSIS tool and make sure that you aren't a victim of a billing system gone foul.  Cable ISP's from time to time have issues like this and they have the ability to force your modem to pull the correct bin and be done with it.

There is of course a possibility that you have a signal issue and when they check your modem I'm sure they will notifiy you at that time if they see anything that doesn't look right.

[ODBXXX]

This almost sounds like your modem pulled the previous config (bin) for Comcast when you forced that reset (Comcast recently upgraded to 8mb I blv).  Call your cable company and ask them to use their DOCSIS tool and make sure that you aren't a victim of a billing system gone foul.  Cable ISP's from time to time have issues like this and they have the ability to force your modem to pull the correct bin and be done with it.

There is of course a possibility that you have a signal issue and when they check your modem I'm sure they will notifiy you at that time if they see anything that doesn't look right.

I am paying for there 8meg package..when i first got it.would only run at about 5 or 6.. put cablenut on and it jumped to 8...A few weeks later it went back down to 6 megs i cycled the modem the day before yeserday and its back at 8meg now...guess i need to cycle about once a week to keep everything ship shape..

[TheHalf]

I am an Adelphia customer with a Moto SB5120 c.m. and I do once a week power down the modem overnight (about an 10hr. shutdown) and I haven't had any problems since becoming an Adelphia customer.

TheHalf

[Guest thecableguy]

I am paying for there 8meg package..when i first got it.would only run at about 5 or 6.. put cablenut on and it jumped to 8...A few weeks later it went back down to 6 megs i cycled the modem the day before yeserday and its back at 8meg now...guess i need to cycle about once a week to keep everything ship shape..

You shouldn't need to do that.  Your modem is constantly monitoring the network and adjusting itself to meet the signal requirements of that moment.  If the modem is not adjusting itself properly maybe a new modem is in order.  How long have you had the modem?  Has it ever been swapped?  Check with your ISP and see if they are aware of issues with that modem that can be remotely corrected.  Also call them up and ask them to pull a DOCSIS report and get the following information.

R-Power

SNR

Up/Dwn Stream Pwr

Flaps

Padj

Ins (Insertions)

And post the information here.  Now the tech you speak with is immediately going to ask you if you work for the company....just laugh and say you know a tech who asked for the information and is trying to help you.  Also ask them the last time and date the modem flapped.

[Guest thecableguy]

I am an Adelphia customer with a Moto SB5120 c.m. and I do once a week power down the modem overnight (about an 10hr. shutdown) and I haven't had any problems since becoming an Adelphia customer.

TheHalf

I wouldn't do that if I were you.  Modems operate best in a always on and stable environment.  Modems have a nasty habit of not coming back to life when left off for a period of time or being flashed.  Not to mention that your ISP in many cases is monitoring your equipment in realtime and they need information from all the modems on the bridger to obtain accurate results that will be used to improve your QOS.

[ODBXXX]

I wouldn't do that if I were you.  Modems operate best in a always on and stable environment.  Modems have a nasty habit of not coming back to life when left off for a period of time or being flashed.  Not to mention that your ISP in many cases is monitoring your equipment in realtime and they need information from all the modems on the bridger to obtain accurate results that will be used to improve your QOS.

i just replaced it last month..

[FallowEarth]

Sometimes modems can be charged with static electricity, and powercycling releases this.  Are you connecting the power adapter to a surge protector, or is it right into the wall?

Also, the modem might be experiencing interference from another electrical device.  Be sure to keep your modem a safe distance (a couple of feet anyway) from other devices, especially those with magnets or motors.

Scientific Atlanta makes digital phone (VOIP) modems...do you have one of these?  The phone may be utilizing bandwidth, if this is the case.

You should be able to log into a diagnostics page for the modem if you are directly connected to it.  Try typing 192.168.100.1 into the browser address bar.  If that doesn't work, try 192.168.1.1 or some other variation.  If you can bring this up, you should be able to check out the power levels and SNR.  Flaps, insertion failures, power adjustments, and such may be unavailable to you (you would have to call up the ISP for that), but you may see something out of whack.  If you can bring these up, post them here for us to take a look at.

[ODBXXX]

Sometimes modems can be charged with static electricity, and powercycling releases this.  Are you connecting the power adapter to a surge protector, or is it right into the wall?

Also, the modem might be experiencing interference from another electrical device.  Be sure to keep your modem a safe distance (a couple of feet anyway) from other devices, especially those with magnets or motors.

Scientific Atlanta makes digital phone (VOIP) modems...do you have one of these?  The phone may be utilizing bandwidth, if this is the case.

You should be able to log into a diagnostics page for the modem if you are directly connected to it.  Try typing 192.168.100.1 into the browser address bar.  If that doesn't work, try 192.168.1.1 or some other variation.  If you can bring this up, you should be able to check out the power levels and SNR.  Flaps, insertion failures, power adjustments, and such may be unavailable to you (you would have to call up the ISP for that), but you may see something out of whack.  If you can bring these up, post them here for us to take a look at.

Name

  WebSTAR DPC2100

Modem Serial Number

  201857263

Cable Modem MAC Address

  00:14:f8:5a:ab:10

Hardware Version

  2.0

Software Version

  v2.0.2r1242-040825

Receive Power Level

  2.3 dBmV

Transmit Power Level

  49.5 dBmV

Cable Modem Status

  Operational

Name

  WebSTAR DPC2100

Modem Serial Number

  201857263

Cable Modem MAC Address

  00:14:f8:5a:ab:10

Hardware Version

  2.0

Software Version

  v2.0.2r1242-040825

Receive Power Level

  2.2 dBmV

Transmit Power Level

  49.5 dBmV

Cable Modem Status

  Operational

[Guest thecableguy]

Sometimes modems can be charged with static electricity, and powercycling releases this.  Are you connecting the power adapter to a surge protector, or is it right into the wall?

Also, the modem might be experiencing interference from another electrical device.  Be sure to keep your modem a safe distance (a couple of feet anyway) from other devices, especially those with magnets or motors.

Scientific Atlanta makes digital phone (VOIP) modems...do you have one of these?  The phone may be utilizing bandwidth, if this is the case.

You should be able to log into a diagnostics page for the modem if you are directly connected to it.  Try typing 192.168.100.1 into the browser address bar.  If that doesn't work, try 192.168.1.1 or some other variation.  If you can bring this up, you should be able to check out the power levels and SNR.  Flaps, insertion failures, power adjustments, and such may be unavailable to you (you would have to call up the ISP for that), but you may see something out of whack.  If you can bring these up, post them here for us to take a look at.

Fallow we have searched high and low at work for anything that even remotely comes close to this.  Can you please provide the source for this information.  Even an improperly installed modem (lets say without a GB) would not build up static in any way that we know of.

[Guest thecableguy]

Name

  WebSTAR DPC2100

Modem Serial Number

  201857263

Cable Modem MAC Address

  00:14:f8:5a:ab:10

Hardware Version

  2.0

Software Version

  v2.0.2r1242-040825

Receive Power Level

  2.3 dBmV

Transmit Power Level

  49.5 dBmV

Cable Modem Status

  Operational

Name

  WebSTAR DPC2100

Modem Serial Number

  201857263

Cable Modem MAC Address

  00:14:f8:5a:ab:10

Hardware Version

  2.0

Software Version

  v2.0.2r1242-040825

Receive Power Level

  2.2 dBmV

Transmit Power Level

  49.5 dBmV

Cable Modem Status

  Operational

Those levels are fine....well...for now they are....at the time you were having problems they may have been something else.....thats why it would be great if you could call your ISP and get the rest of the info I requested.

[FallowEarth]

Name

  WebSTAR DPC2100

Modem Serial Number

  201857263

Cable Modem MAC Address

  00:14:f8:5a:ab:10

Hardware Version

  2.0

Software Version

  v2.0.2r1242-040825

Receive Power Level

  2.3 dBmV

Transmit Power Level

  49.5 dBmV

Cable Modem Status

  Operational

Name

  WebSTAR DPC2100

Modem Serial Number

  201857263

Cable Modem MAC Address

  00:14:f8:5a:ab:10

Hardware Version

  2.0

Software Version

  v2.0.2r1242-040825

Receive Power Level

  2.2 dBmV

Transmit Power Level

  49.5 dBmV

Cable Modem Status

  Operational

The power levels check out, but it doesn't say anything about Signal to Noise, or uptime.  For that, you'll have to call your ISP.  Hopefully they keep tabs on that info (some don't...for whatever reason ).

<hr>

Fallow we have searched high and low at work for anything that even remotely comes close to this.  Can you please provide the source for this information.  Even an improperly installed modem (lets say without a GB) would not build up static in any way that we know of.

Coulomb's law:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulomb%27s_law

Like with any electrical device, if there's resistance in the modem, it accumulates static charge.  Also if the adapter is shot, or the power source is faulty, this will create the same effect.

The coaxial cable is also notorious for holding a static charge.

To avoid damaging the cable modem with static electricity:

[tommie gorman]

On satelite it always helps. Like at least once a week. 

[Guest thecableguy]

The power levels check out, but it doesn't say anything about Signal to Noise, or uptime.  For that, you'll have to call your ISP.  Hopefully they keep tabs on that info (some don't...for whatever reason ).

<hr>

Coulomb's law:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulomb%27s_law

Like with any electrical device, if there's resistance in the modem, it accumulates static charge.  Also if the adapter is shot, or the power source is faulty, this will create the same effect.

The coaxial cable is also notorious for holding a static charge.

Source: http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/SB5120/downloads/SB5120_User_Guide.pdf

The reference you quote applies to static discharge from human to modem....not buildup within the modem or the coax cable and somehow having an effect on the performance of the modem.  After talking with our engineers tonight we have come to the conclusion that any information of that type would be inaccurate.  When they refer to touching the coax cable connector to release static it's to insure that you have built up no static charge and the sole purpose being to insure that you don't pass any static on to the pc.  Since the modem is ALWAYS grounded (even when the GB is not properly functioning), touching the coax connector before touching these devices effectively eliminates any static buildup in YOU.  The conclusion by all parties consulted tonight is that there is no static buildup that could be released by power cycling any modem and therefore no adverse affect as such on performance. 

[FallowEarth]

The reference you quote applies to static discharge from human to modem....not buildup within the modem or the coax cable and somehow having an effect on the performance of the modem.  After talking with our engineers tonight we have come to the conclusion that any information of that type would be inaccurate.  When they refer to touching the coax cable connector to release static it's to insure that you have built up no static charge and the sole purpose being to insure that you don't pass any static on to the pc.  Since the modem is ALWAYS grounded (even when the GB is not properly functioning), touching the coax connector before touching these devices effectively eliminates any static buildup in YOU.  The conclusion by all parties consulted tonight is that there is no static buildup that could be released by power cycling any modem and therefore no adverse affect as such on performance. 

Can you please provide the source for this information?

[tommie gorman]

When power cycling a sat modem, you do not even have to touch the end of the cable. Just leave it sit a minute or so. And it does get it working again. 

[Guest thecableguy]

Can you please provide the source for this information?

Bright House Networks engineers....after all it's no secret...I work there.

[FallowEarth]

Bright House Networks engineers....after all it's no secret...I work there.

I meant documentation.

[Guest thecableguy]

I meant documentation.

I think your documentation actually proved my point quite well.  Motorola suggests that you touch the the coax connector end to discharge static....the sole reason being that modem and coax for that matter are already very well grounded by the system (network) itself, thus discharging any static buildup within your body.  Therefore any modem connected to its host via coax is constantly grounded and no charge would ever build up.  This is all moot however because static buildup of any type would not impede our signal either to or from the modem.

[Guest thecableguy]

When power cycling a sat modem, you do not even have to touch the end of the cable. Just leave it sit a minute or so. And it does get it working again. 

Tommy the act of power cycling the modem itself will in many cases restore modem connectivity.  One of the reasons for this is that many modems today (eg: toshiba) have built in power protection.  In the event of a power surge or brownout the modem will actually stay powered down.  Properly recycling the modem power will reset the protection device and yer back in business.  Another example of this would be a modem that for whatever reason has experienced a prolonged period of no connectivity to the network (such as overnight maint).  In many cases the modem will retry timeout and then remain dormant until its power cycled. 

[FallowEarth]

ODBXXX, another thing I was thinking...make sure that your modem is ventilating properly and not overheating.  Make sure that you aren't blocking the ventilation slots, or keeping it against anything that's overly warm.

[php]

Maybe the same doesn't apply to cable modems, but satellite modems do build up static electricity if they aren't properly grounded.  I have no documentation for this, just my own experience and the experience of many others.  (Even Direcway tech support, believe it or not... ever wonder why they tell you to disconnect the cables from your modem and touch the ends together?)