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Posted by Rick Merrill on April 18, 2005, 3:35 pm
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fj250520@yahoo.com wrote:
> Let me start by saying I know very little about networking issues.
> Hopefully, at the end of this, someone can tell me what the next step
> is to diagnose my problem. I live in jacksonville, Florida, and have
> Comcast as my broadband provider, using a Motorola SB 5120 cable modem,
> provided by ComCast. I know that ComCast has been having some
> problems with their service lately and that may be part of my problem.
> I've had broadband for just over a year, and other than some problems
> when I first got it, it has been working without a hitch for a year.
> Over the last couple of weeks my broadband connection would go out,
> with the Receive and Send lights on the cable modem blinking, and the
> Online light being dark. I tried unplugging the power supply to the
> cable modem for a minute or two, and then plugging it back in, but the
> modem would not reconnect. I called ComCast, but other than saying
> their service was down for a while, or offering to send someone out to
> look at it, that was about it.
>
> Here's what I did find out. If I disconnect my cable modem completely
> and take the modem and the power supply (AC) cord into my attic, I can
> plug the cable that supplies my house directly into the modem and plug
> in the power supply cord, the modem will connect and all four lights
> (Power, Receive,Send Online) will be on (not flashing). I takes about
> 2 or 3 minutes to disconnect the modem, carry it into the attic, and
> plug it in, which seems to "reset" the modem. I can then disconnect
> it, take it back to my computer room, hook it up, and it will work for
> fine for a few days, or until the next service interruption by ComCast.
>
> One thing to note about the way the modem is connected to the cable
> supply in the attic. The cable comes into my house into the attic, and
> then goes into a cable amplifier. It was an Electroline model 2400 4
> port amplifier. When I first got broadband, the cable modem would
> sometimes lose the connection, (the send and receive lights would
> flash, and the online light would be dark). So I hooked the cable
> going to the cable modem directly into one of the Out ports on the
> Electroline model 2400 4 port amplifier. The cable that goes from the
> amplifier to my cable model is 50 feet long. I've had no problems for
> a year. However last week when I went to check the connection I
> noticed that the Electroline amplifier was really warm, almost hot to
> the touch, too hot to really hold in your hand comfortably. It was
> about 75 degrees F. outside, and the attic was a little hotter, but not
> nearly as hot as the amplifier was. After a couple of times of
> connecting the modem in the attic (to "reset" it), I bought another 4
> port modem off of eBay. It was a Scientific Atlanta "new in the box"
> amplifier. (Note: both the Electroline and the Scientific Atlanta amps
> were 1 GHz amplifiers, and amplify 7dB). I replaced the old one with
> the Scientific Atlanta amplifier, and this worked fine for about 4 or 5
> days. Then there was some kind of interruption, and I had to go back
> into the attic, and hook the modem up directly to the cable coming into
> my house and the modem "reset" itself.
>
> OK. After all that explanation (sorry it was a so long), can anyone
> answer the following for me, (please)?
>
> 1). What's going on here and how do I fix it? Any insight would be
> greatly appreciated.
> 2). Can a cable amplifier go "bad". It was only two years old.
> 3). If a cable amplifier is really warm, borderline hot, is that
> operating normally?
> 4). Do I need to get another amplifier and put it right in front of my
> cable modem?
> 5). Can you put more than one amplifier on a line to your cable modem?
> Is that OK?
> 6). Is 50 foot to long a run for cable when used for a broadband
> connection.
> 7). Maybe best question of all. Is the reason that the cable modem
> will connect when hooked up directly to the cable coming into my house
> because the signal is stronger there than after it comes out of the
> cable amplifier and goes down a 50 foot length of cable to my computer
> room? Is there something I can use, or buy, that will test the
> strength of the signal? Something that doesn't cost a fortune, and an
> average guy can use?
> 8). Is there something that others are aware of that is happening with
> ComCast that may be causing this?
>
> thanks,
>
> wes
>
Wes, I'll bet the cable "amplifier" is only for the TV side of your
cable and you cannot use it on the Internet side. Somewhere in your
wireing should be a "filter" (sometimes blue) that is on the TV side.
pole<==>splitter<==>modem<==>computer
\==>filter==>amplifier==>TV
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