Heat and Cable modem??

You will lose access to the modems page when it has a problem and disconnects from the network. That would be normal if your connection is going up and down. Out of your recent numbers, the 52.50 upstream is a concern.

I did a hard / factory reset, the SNR is/has stayed @ 33/34.

The 52.50 went to 50 for awhile and right now 51.25.

What concern is this, fire, dead modem, cable guy?

Thanks,

Oren

Upstream Power surged to 55.00 dBmV when I sent this last post.

Oren

So the issue of the health of the splitters is still in question.

Then it becomes a Larry, the Cable Guy question. ISP made all changes when they installed service (it has been awhile). Some new cables for TV, maybe not the "DC" (learned that today, hehe). I kinda recall them putting new connectors on the cables at the house junction box.

Certainly a good point and will be inspected, perhaps bypassed with a direct cable to the modem from the exterior box (I'm still reading).

Thanks

The issue isn't fire or dead modem. It's the reliablity of your internet connection. You're operating near the operating range. So fluctuations are likely to put it out of range and cause outages. You are experiencing network problems, aren't you?

OK. I'm talking about 99.999% of the situations. You may be different but not likely.

Each 1 to split in the cable drops the signal strength by 1/2 or 3.5 db. A 1 to 3 splitter internally is two splitters inside of one box. The better ones label which output is 3.5db of signal loss and which two are

7.0db of signal loss.

So if you have 3 devices you have at lease 2 splitters. But they might be encased in one "thing". But you could have more if you have unused cable drops.

So if all your splitters are in one place you want to make sure of the following. The cable modem should be on the first splitter with all the TVs split off from the other side of this first splitter.

Plus make sure your cable connections are still tight and you don't have moisture damage in any of the cable connections or splitters.

Based on this exchange, I would say that any further troubleshooting should be left to someone who understands that a splitter in the house is a splitter in the house. If a simple question ("Wonder if he has a splitter in there?") can't be answered, then further progress is in doubt.

The answer to "Wonder if he has a splitter in there?" was "Yes." And if it takes a professional to know that the answer was "yes", then no further answers can be taken at face value, and yes, it apparently does mean a professional needs to be consulted. Or at least someone who knows that if a splitter is present, then the answer to a question about a splitter being present is yes.

C'mon, Warren. Don't beat around the bush. Get to the point! :-)

*TimDaniels*

Network problems, yes sir. So now I'm on to other solutions as it appears my "hot" modem has cooled down (standing alone on it's side).

I looked at the splitter: "Signal Vision SV-4G, 4-Way 5MHZ - 1GHZ,

-140db EMI.

One cable run from the street (underground) to the house junction box. The house has only four runs, single story. All four runs are connected at the splitter. One run in the house is not in use, but connected to the splitter. 2 TVs and CM are in use.

When I opened the junction box, I noticed on one connector, it has one piece of the "little silver: wire exposed. Can this cause leaks? Should the room cable not in use be "terminated"? Thoughts on this? If I have to call the cable guy, I'd like to speak with some certainty.

Thanks,

Oren

Yeah, and be snappy about it .

Oren

I did mention previously that I was "sure" a spliter was in the junction box/house. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough, yes there is a splitter. I do mention this in another post, with a little more detail.

Okay, I'm a big dummy. Because I pay for cable I want them to fix it; if in fact it is a splitter (maybe connectors). They connected it and now that I look at the splitter I may need a more experienced professional than the last one.

I appreciate your remarks.

Oren

It's good to keep the modem as cool as possible. It sounds like you've got that part solved.

It sounds like you have one run from the street to a 4 way splitter which feeds the cable modem, two TV's and one unused leg. The unused leg shouldn't be a problem. And the "silver wire" that's exposed is just probably a piece of the shield and shouldn't be a problem.

If you get a technician to come out I'd just let him/her check the splitter, levels and all connections. I would show him/her the levels at the modem and point out the high upstream level. That should be considerable lower that it is. They might have to get someone to do some checking at the node too.

This is correct. I pulled the wire off the one connector with it. Removed the IN (street cable), inspected and tightened back up.

I will call them.

I appreciate your help and those that reply. I've learned, still without a final solution...for the moment.

Oren

*smile* Not at the time I asked the question. Basically Warren is saying that the splitter isn't eliminated as a suspect. And until it is, anything else we try could be a waste of time. Process of elemination, and all that.

While it's true that as long as the splitter is there, it can't be eliminated as a cause, that's not what I meant. What I meant was that if it takes multiple exchanges before someone admits that yes, there actually is a splitter there after first saying there wasn't, how can you trust that you're getting accurate responses to any further questions.

When I did troubleshooting over the phone, we'd run into problems that had symptoms of a loose cable, so we'd ask people to check the cable. It wasn't unusual for people to only pretend to check the cable. Maybe it was inconvenient. Maybe they were insulted that we'd suggest something so simple to them, of all people. Maybe they were so invested in a theory that it was something more complex than a simple cable. But they tell us the cable was okay. Then we'd spend a great deal of time and effort troubleshooting more unusual possibilities, but it was all a waste of time. Eventually it would become obvious that they weren't really following along anytime we suggested.

So when you suggest a splitter, get told there are no splitters because the person didn't want to check for splitters until it became obvious that everyone else knew that there really is a splitter, then everything else is a waste of time. The person isn't really interested in a solution. They're interested in affirmation, and anytime you suggest something they don't want the issue to be, it's as likely they're going to ignore your troubleshooting suggestions because they don't affirm what they want the issue to be, and true troubleshooting becomes a waste of time.

The other possibility is that if the person is so unskilled that they can't recognize what a splitter is, then any real troubleshooting is going to be too far over their head. It's like talking someone through surgery when they don't even recognize what a scalpel is.

Either way, whether the person is only interested in troubleshooting that affirms his preconceived theory, or if he just isn't smart enough to know the answer to a simple question, further troubleshooting is just wasting time. The likelihood of reaching a solution is about the same as the likelihood of Tony Snow giving a direct answer to a direct question.

Save the effort to people who can answer a simple question honestly and correctly without needing to be backed into a corner first.

And yes, it still could be the splitter that didn't initially exist.

Called the cable company at 9:17 am PST, spoke to a nice tech (partially on hold) for 7 minutes and 40 seconds. He listened well, even checked logs and agreed the signal was iffy. He said he would notify dispatch.

At 10: 20 am PST the tech walked out of the house. He replaced the 4 way splitter with a three way. Replaced all the hex connectors, tested signal at the modem and junction box. His also replaced a connector at the street "tap".

He gave me his cell number and I bought him lunch.

66 minutes from the call to having signal tested, splitter and all connectors changed. I was shocked. No run around or pat answers.

Right now the modem signals are.

Downstream Power -1.38 dBmV SNR 35 dB

Upstream Power 43.00 dBmV

Thanks for the lesson, and comments.

Oren

Thanks. Initially I did say no splitters in the house thinking of only inside, not at the outside wall. You are right "information was left out".

I can appreciate what your saying. I've had users with a "bad monitor", only to visit and find it was not turned on. One recent call to the cable tech just did not sit right with me and that was "your modem is bad", before I could explain anything and without the tech checking anything. That's what got me into the "heat" question originally.

Today the tech, put me on hold while he checked the logs and agreed the signal was jumping around. See my update that was positive.

I had a brain fart.

Thank you.

Oren

Warren, I think you're making a big deal out of nothing. More time explaining and less time criticizing is a lot more productive in my opinion.