Cable Modem Help

Andy wrote:
> Why would you want to pay spectrum up wards of $ 10.00 a month to rent a
> cable modem from them?
> In less then a years rental time and cost you could by a good modem and or
> modem wireless router combination for the same or less money.
> I have stopped paying them a model rental fee the day it came out.
> I my self use a Motorola cable modem and love it and spectrum fully supports
> it .
> Because it  is one of the models on its approved modems list so they cant
> refuse to support it:)
>
>
   YES>>>Motorola makes almost all of the modems sold to Comcast (and 
prolly Spectrum as well).
   Model brand names vary,but they is the same beast, so if what you buy 
on the net is the same exact brand and model that they use,then they 
HAVE TO have it on their approved list; they cannot dis their own stuff.
   $100 for your own modem and no $10/mo gives a 10 month ROI; no brainer.

Seeing the problems you have faced i can understand why you get fed up with 
the cable company.
Some states have no problems with speeds ect others seem to have no end to 
them.


-- 
AL'S COMPUTERS
"Joseph Gwinn" <joegwinn@comcast.net> wrote in message 
news:0001HW.1DA3F422000D43351147FC3BF@news.giganews.com...
> On Oct 4, 2016, Andy wrote
> (in article<8qOdndYiWeVc2m7KnZ2dnUU7-IPNnZ2d@earthlink.com>):
>
>> Why would you want to pay spectrum up wards of $ 10.00 a month to rent a
>> cable modem from them?
>> In less then a years rental time and cost you could buy a good modem and 
>> or
>> modem wireless router combination for the same or less money.
>> I have stopped paying them a model rental fee the day it came out.
>> I my self use a Motorola cable modem and love it and spectrum fully 
>> supports
>> it .
>> Because it is one of the models on its approved modems list so they cant
>> refuse to support it:)
>
> I do the same, for the same reason. I'm on COMCAST, but it's the same
> story.
>
> When the transition from DOCSIS 2 to DOCSIS 3 became mandatory, I decided 
> to
> buy my cable modem, for money reasons, but at least as importantly, 
> because
> what COMCAST wanted to provide got terrible reviews on technical grounds.
> They also wanted to be your WiFi base station, but with a very weak WiFi
> radio, and no obvious way to turn the WiFi function off. (Perhaps there is 
> a
> way, but it proved impossible to get a real user manual for that modem, 
> and
> so one must presume guilt.) I already have a wired network with a WiFi arm
> that all work just fine.
>
> So I worked through COMCAST's list of approved DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems, 
> and
> chose one that did only that, no VOIP phone or WiFi pretensions, 
> specifically
> ARRIS SurfBoard SB6183 for about $90, if I recall. The payback period is
> about 9 months.
>
> After getting everything working (and batting away various attempts to get 
> me
> to ditch the SB6183 and use the COMCAST offering), things went well for at
> least a year. Then, the performance began to degrade. I didn't notice at
> first, but the issue came to a head when I was unable to download a 3 
> GByte
> file - it would struggle for six hours, and always fail. Now, I have 25
> Mbit/sec service, so this should take about 15 minutes. When I measured 
> the
> speed using COMCAST's own Xfinity Speed Test, I got 411 Kbits/sec. Huh?
>
> So I contacted COMCAST Support, first by internet Chat to someone who 
> seemed
> to be in India. He walked me through the usual diag steps, none of which
> worked, all the while insisting that the problem was the ARRIS modem. 
> Nope -
> It's an approved modem. One observation was key: If I used the nearby
> Boston, MA server, I got far higher speed than to the remote Detroit and
> Chicago servers (which are near to the source of the 3 GB file). Well, 
> that
> cannot be a modem issue, and can only be a COMCAST network problem.
>
> Anyway, the guy in India gave up, and escalated to Advanced Tech Support, 
> a
> woman on the telephone calling from the US somewhere. She reiterated the 
> bit
> about the ARRIS modem, and I made the points about the meaning of
> "approved". Again, no test changed the speed. Modem make came back up.
> Well, "approved" means that I can expect to get the 25 Mbit/s data rate
> I'm paying for. Or, is COMCAST putting proprietary stuff in their
> interpretation of DOCSIS 3, so that no other modem will work? At this 
> point,
> the conversation dwindled, and I said that I'd go and do all the tests 
> that
> had been suggested but couldn't be performed without dropping the chat to
> India, and the conversation ended.
>
> First test was to hook computer directly to cable modem, which could not 
> be
> done without rebooting (because the DHCP server was not the cable modem). 
> All
> of a sudden, speeds had jumped from less than 1 Mbit/second to around 88
> Mbits/sec. Wow. Put the internal network back into the path. Still 88 
> Mbits.
> Ran a test from my wife's laptop, via WiFi - still 88 Mbits.
>
> This whole drama basically cost me the weekend. All that testing confused 
> a
> number of unrelated devices and their drivers, requiring debugging and
> network scanning.
>
> The 88 Mbits was during the weekend. As the week progressed, the speed did
> drop. As I write, it's 15 Mbits/sec for downloads, and 6.5 Mbits for
> uploads.
>
> Joe Gwinn
>
> 

Exactly why i OWN my own modem.
The day i got the notice in the mail about 2 or 3 years ago in Maine.
I went out and bought my own Motorola modem off the approved list got the 
best one that DID NOT have wireless i don't use it .
and love the savings and the speeds as they allow channel bonding in my area 
any ways so i get double the normal download speeds most of the time.


-- 
AL'S COMPUTERS
"Robert Baer" <robertbaer@localnet.com> wrote in message 
news:sI%Iz.129410$wg2.72605@fx05.iad...
> Andy wrote:
>> Why would you want to pay spectrum up wards of $ 10.00 a month to rent a
>> cable modem from them?
>> In less then a years rental time and cost you could by a good modem and 
>> or
>> modem wireless router combination for the same or less money.
>> I have stopped paying them a model rental fee the day it came out.
>> I my self use a Motorola cable modem and love it and spectrum fully 
>> supports
>> it .
>> Because it  is one of the models on its approved modems list so they cant
>> refuse to support it:)
>>
>>
>   YES>>>Motorola makes almost all of the modems sold to Comcast (and 
> prolly Spectrum as well).
>   Model brand names vary,but they is the same beast, so if what you buy on 
> the net is the same exact brand and model that they use,then they HAVE TO 
> have it on their approved list; they cannot dis their own stuff.
>   $100 for your own modem and no $10/mo gives a 10 month ROI; no brainer. 

Same here, except I got a WiFi "SurfBoard" model.

While I was at it, I had mentioned that a cable modem wasn't really a 
modem after he asked me if I needed a modem. I had already given him 
that "approved" list provided by Time Warner Cable for compatibility 
with their system. They, of course, call them all cable modems.

He argued with me! Right or wrong, salesmen shouldn't argue with 
customers. Cable modems have more in common with TV transceivers than 
they do with modems. I asked him if a smartphone was a modem, and he 
said no.

After serious thinking Andy wrote :
> Exactly why i OWN my own modem.
> The day i got the notice in the mail about 2 or 3 years ago in Maine.
> I went out and bought my own Motorola modem off the approved list got the 
> best one that DID NOT have wireless i don't use it .
> and love the savings and the speeds as they allow channel bonding in my area 
> any ways so i get double the normal download speeds most of the time.
>
>
> --
> AL'S COMPUTERS
> "Robert Baer" <robertbaer@localnet.com> wrote in message 
> news:sI%Iz.129410$wg2.72605@fx05.iad...
>> Andy wrote:
>>> Why would you want to pay spectrum up wards of $ 10.00 a month to rent a
>>> cable modem from them?
>>> In less then a years rental time and cost you could by a good modem and or
>>> modem wireless router combination for the same or less money.
>>> I have stopped paying them a model rental fee the day it came out.
>>> I my self use a Motorola cable modem and love it and spectrum fully 
>>> supports
>>> it .
>>> Because it  is one of the models on its approved modems list so they cant
>>> refuse to support it:)
>>>
>>>
>>   YES>>>Motorola makes almost all of the modems sold to Comcast (and prolly 
>> Spectrum as well).
>>   Model brand names vary,but they is the same beast, so if what you buy on 
>> the net is the same exact brand and model that they use,then they HAVE TO 
>> have it on their approved list; they cannot dis their own stuff.
>>   $100 for your own modem and no $10/mo gives a 10 month ROI; no brainer.

On Tue, 04 Oct 2016 21:46:51 -0800, Robert Baer
<robertbaer@localnet.com> wrote:

>John Larkin wrote:
>> On Mon, 3 Oct 2016 09:52:06 -0700, OGI<OGI@NOWHERE.COM>  wrote:
>>
>>> Looking at getting Spectrum cable but having spec difficulty.
>>>
>>> They will provide a router only, router with wifi or router with wifi
>>> and phone but cannot give me specs.
>>>
>>> What's my problem ?
>>> I currently have AT&T WiFi Router that does not have much power out and
>>> seems to drop WiFI or internet or ??? often.  My security cams turn off
>>> and the app shuts down.  Bad app too !
>>>
>>> If I use WiFi Analytics WiFi app on my laptop it shows the AT&T WiFI at
>>> "Max Rate" 150 where another LAN WIFi router at the other end of the
>>> house shows as "Max Rate" 300.   I cannot watch movies from the back
>>> room PC where the AT&T WiFi is to the living room PC using their wifi
>>> since it stops and stutters.  Using a cable down the hall works perfectly.
>>>
>>> Several questions.
>>> What feature should I be looking for in a WiFi router:
>>>     Speed 300 vs 150  "Max Rate"
>>>     Power output
>>>     Dual freq 2.9 vs 5 GHz
>>>     AC protocol or whatever it is called
>>>
>>> Spectrum says it installs an Arris TG1672G but it does not specify
>>> output power in the specs I found.  Anyone have a better spec source ?
>>> I am not even sure that is the WiFi modem router that I will get as it
>>> seems they grab whatever is handy to bring out to install.
>>>
>>> So I hate to think I would have to set up my own WiFi Router.
>>>
>>> Last question -
>>> If I get internet only and want phone service, what are my choices ?
>>> And would that service be able to take my current land line  phone
>>> number and use it ?  I would totally drop AT&T if so.
>>> Does that service have caller ID - mandatory feature for me to have.
>>>
>>> Also is  there a preferred Channel ?  1 or 6 or 11 or ???
>>>
>>> --- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---
>>
>> We had AT&T DSL and phone service. The DSL was terrible and the phone
>> was expensive. We got Comcast cable and DSL, and phone service is
>> "free" but we had to rent the cable modem/phone box for something like
>> $5 a month, a fraction of the cost of AT&T landline service. We use
>> our own WiFi router. We kept our phone number and it works great.
>>
>> The Comcast data speed keeps going up. It's about 130 mbits now.
>>
>>
>   Over a 12+ year period, Comcast slowly raised the modem rental rate 
>from the $5/mo to $10/mo. Ever hear the story about the frog in the pot 
>over the fire?
>   Got my own modem,EXACT same brand and model (heck it even says 
>Xfinity on it) for about $100.
>   So i can say i am saving $10/mo now that it has paid for itself.

I had a modem, but it didn't do the telephone thing. The installer did
everything with their modem, including patching into our phone lines,
and setting up all the cable boxes, and I thought that was a good
deal. I have plenty of electronic projects already.


-- 

John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc

lunatic fringe electronics 

On 10/05/2016 02:55 AM, Andy wrote:
> Seeing the problems you have faced i can understand why you get fed up with
> the cable company.
> Some states have no problems with speeds ect others seem to have no end to
> them.
>
>
In my neck of the woods Verizon can't find their keisters with two 
hands, a map, radar etc., whereas Optimum is right on the ball.  We 
soldiered on with V. for a long time despite hours spent in call 
forwarding purgatory that never resolved anything, billing snafus, 
clueless office droids, and an apparent total lack of communication 
between their residental and commercial operations.  The only reason 
that I did that was because I really wanted to keep the copper POTS for 
use during blackouts.   I finally decided that I didn't trust an 
operation that clueless to know how to run a legacy central office 
battery system, so that the whole thing was sort of moot.

In 5 years with Optimum I've had exactly one trouble.  Within half an 
hour, they had somebody on my premises who actually knew what he was 
doing, with an apprentice in tow learning the ropes.  Fifteen minutes 
later they had it patched (reprovisioned somehow so that I had 25/5 Mbps 
again) and the trouble outside was fixed the same day.  A couple of 
times a year, V. sends salesmen to visit, and I try very hard to 
restrain my impulse to greet them with howls of derisive laughter, not 
totally successfully.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

-- 
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

On 10/05/2016 08:56 AM, FromTheRafters wrote:

> After serious thinking Andy wrote :
>> Exactly why i OWN my own modem.
>> The day i got the notice in the mail about 2 or 3 years ago in Maine.
>> I went out and bought my own Motorola modem off the approved list got
>> the best one that DID NOT have wireless i don't use it .
>> and love the savings and the speeds as they allow channel bonding in
>> my area any ways so i get double the normal download speeds most of
>> the time.
>>> Same here, except I got a WiFi "SurfBoard" model.
>
> While I was at it, I had mentioned that a cable modem wasn't really a
> modem after he asked me if I needed a modem. I had already given him
> that "approved" list provided by Time Warner Cable for compatibility
> with their system. They, of course, call them all cable modems.
>
> He argued with me! Right or wrong, salesmen shouldn't argue with
> customers. Cable modems have more in common with TV transceivers than
> they do with modems. I asked him if a smartphone was a modem, and he
> said no.

You run WiFi right off your cable modem?  With no separate firewall?   I 
expect your other hobbies are bungee jumping, motorcycle racing, and 
free-climbing, right?

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

-- 
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

Phil Hobbs laid this down on his screen :
> On 10/05/2016 08:56 AM, FromTheRafters wrote:
>
>> After serious thinking Andy wrote :
>>> Exactly why i OWN my own modem.
>>> The day i got the notice in the mail about 2 or 3 years ago in Maine.
>>> I went out and bought my own Motorola modem off the approved list got
>>> the best one that DID NOT have wireless i don't use it .
>>> and love the savings and the speeds as they allow channel bonding in
>>> my area any ways so i get double the normal download speeds most of
>>> the time.
>>>> Same here, except I got a WiFi "SurfBoard" model.
>>
>> While I was at it, I had mentioned that a cable modem wasn't really a
>> modem after he asked me if I needed a modem. I had already given him
>> that "approved" list provided by Time Warner Cable for compatibility
>> with their system. They, of course, call them all cable modems.
>>
>> He argued with me! Right or wrong, salesmen shouldn't argue with
>> customers. Cable modems have more in common with TV transceivers than
>> they do with modems. I asked him if a smartphone was a modem, and he
>> said no.
>
> You run WiFi right off your cable modem?  With no separate firewall?   I 
> expect your other hobbies are bungee jumping, motorcycle racing, and 
> free-climbing, right?
>
> Cheers
>
> Phil Hobbs

It's okay, I have a fire extinguisher.

On Wed, 5 Oct 2016 11:34:22 -0400, Phil Hobbs
<pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:

>On 10/05/2016 02:55 AM, Andy wrote:
>> Seeing the problems you have faced i can understand why you get fed up with
>> the cable company.
>> Some states have no problems with speeds ect others seem to have no end to
>> them.
>>
>>
>In my neck of the woods Verizon can't find their keisters with two 
>hands, a map, radar etc., whereas Optimum is right on the ball.  We 
>soldiered on with V. for a long time despite hours spent in call 
>forwarding purgatory that never resolved anything, billing snafus, 
>clueless office droids, and an apparent total lack of communication 
>between their residental and commercial operations.  The only reason 
>that I did that was because I really wanted to keep the copper POTS for 
>use during blackouts.   I finally decided that I didn't trust an 
>operation that clueless to know how to run a legacy central office 
>battery system, so that the whole thing was sort of moot.
>
>In 5 years with Optimum I've had exactly one trouble.  Within half an 
>hour, they had somebody on my premises who actually knew what he was 
>doing, with an apprentice in tow learning the ropes.  Fifteen minutes 
>later they had it patched (reprovisioned somehow so that I had 25/5 Mbps 
>again) and the trouble outside was fixed the same day.  A couple of 
>times a year, V. sends salesmen to visit, and I try very hard to 
>restrain my impulse to greet them with howls of derisive laughter, not 
>totally successfully.

About like the Direct TV droids who accost me in stores.  I tell them,
loudly, that their service sucks so bad that even as bad as AT&T has
been, it's worlds better than DTV.  ...and I get Netflix now.

On 10/5/2016 11:34 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote:
> On 10/05/2016 02:55 AM, Andy wrote:
>> Seeing the problems you have faced i can understand why you get fed up
>> with
>> the cable company.
>> Some states have no problems with speeds ect others seem to have no
>> end to
>> them.
>>
>>
> In my neck of the woods Verizon can't find their keisters with two
> hands, a map, radar etc., whereas Optimum is right on the ball.  We
> soldiered on with V. for a long time despite hours spent in call
> forwarding purgatory that never resolved anything, billing snafus,
> clueless office droids, and an apparent total lack of communication
> between their residental and commercial operations.  The only reason
> that I did that was because I really wanted to keep the copper POTS for
> use during blackouts.   I finally decided that I didn't trust an
> operation that clueless to know how to run a legacy central office
> battery system, so that the whole thing was sort of moot.
>
> In 5 years with Optimum I've had exactly one trouble.  Within half an
> hour, they had somebody on my premises who actually knew what he was
> doing, with an apprentice in tow learning the ropes.  Fifteen minutes
> later they had it patched (reprovisioned somehow so that I had 25/5 Mbps
> again) and the trouble outside was fixed the same day.  A couple of
> times a year, V. sends salesmen to visit, and I try very hard to
> restrain my impulse to greet them with howls of derisive laughter, not
> totally successfully.

I checked out Optimum, but they don't seem to offer service anywhere I 
live.  Are they just in the greater NY area?  Seems they are just New 
Jersey, Bronx, Connecticut, Long Island.  Their web site is hard to get 
info from.  No prices for internet service and no mention of limits, etc.

-- 

Rick C