SkinsD Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Was hoping someone more computer savvy than myself could help me with a problem I am having. I have Adelphia cable internet and have had few problems until about two days ago. Basically my connection drops for 5-10 seconds once a minute. Verified no spyware and made sure only necessary programs were running. Talked to Adelphia who said it was the ethernet cable, replaced that but the problem persisted. They then told me to replace the ethernet card. A friend mentioned this sort of thing is usually a problem with the ISP. I'm hoping one of you could tell me whether it is worth the expense to replace the card or perhaps there is another solution. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Washington Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 its probably your cable modem. i had the same problem when mine failed. someone was telling me that cable modems are only built to last a year or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chomerics Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 It could the modem. I wouldn't think the line would drop like that unless they are completely out of bandwidth, so I wouldn't think it could be an ISP problem. There are a bunch of network engineers in here, so they should be able to give you a better answer. I would start with the Cable modem though, and I would also get another computer to your house and see if the problem still exists, or if it IS your computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herrmag Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Was hoping someone more computer savvy than myself could help me with a problem I am having. I have Adelphia cable internet and have had few problems until about two days ago. Basically my connection drops for 5-10 seconds once a minute. Verified no spyware and made sure only necessary programs were running. Talked to Adelphia who said it was the ethernet cable, replaced that but the problem persisted. They then told me to replace the ethernet card. A friend mentioned this sort of thing is usually a problem with the ISP. I'm hoping one of you could tell me whether it is worth the expense to replace the card or perhaps there is another solution.Thanks in advance! Ethernet cards are fairly inexpensive. However, what operating system are you running? Are you notified that you've lost your NETWORK (not internet, but network) connection once a minute? If you don't lose your network connection, then your ethernet card is fine, as well as your router, which leaves you with the modem being the issue. Also, before doing any of that, try unplugging both your router and modem for 10 seconds. Then, plug the modem in, and wait until you see that you are connected to the ISP(should see lights flashing for activity). Then plug the router in, and connect to the modem. Then, start up your computer. If you are still having problems, check the hardware device under device manager (assuming Windows). See if it has any issues with your ethernet card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrapeApe Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 I guess the first thing I would do it get onto the cable modem and check the signal it is receiving. A quick google search for you cable modem model should yield the how-to for getting on the modem and the numbers it expects for signal strength. Watch the back of the ethernet card. There should a link light. If that goes off then it could be a problem with the card itself. Depends on the card, the link light may also be an activity light in which case it will blink. Could also be a problem with the cable modem itself. Those are just two ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebornempowered Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Talked to Adelphia who said it was the ethernet cable, replaced that but the problem persisted. They then told me to replace the ethernet card. I think all support people have a post it note with this kind of crap on the monitors in their cubicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Jones Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 1. Do the above. 2. Check the lights on the cable modem to ensure they are all green. 3. Visit your router and look at the status of the connection. (If the lights are not steady green and/or the router does not display a valid the connection than the problem is with the ISP or cable modem. I am assuming your router is ok) 4. Next, check the status of your computer connection to your router. Go into network connections and right click on the local area connection and select status. You should have a valid connection. Select support and make sure you have a valid IP address assigned with a valid default gateway. If you select details it should also display valid DNS addresses. 5. Go to command line and ping your router (default gateway). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsD Posted September 29, 2005 Author Share Posted September 29, 2005 First off, many thanks for all the replies. I tried to connect on another computer and have the same problem - starting to think it is the modem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncsuapex Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 When you notice the outage is the cable modem really warm to the touch? It might be overheating and causing the circuits to shutdown temporarly. Or it could just be a sign the modem is starting to fail. If the outages go longer in length I would have Adelphia check your modem or maybe they could lend you a new one to see if the new one works better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75004 Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 I had a similar problem and ended up upgrading the firmware. I have Adelphia(modem) which connects to a wireless Cisco router. I would get an IP address from Adelphia and could actually ping the WAN (yahoo.com) I contacted the Router support and they provided instructions in upgrading the firmware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 That sounds like a bad router to me. Are you behind a router or are you connected directly from the cable modem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsD Posted September 29, 2005 Author Share Posted September 29, 2005 That sounds like a bad router to me. Are you behind a router or are you connected directly from the cable modem? I disconnected the router and connected directly to the modem but still have the problem. I have basically ruled out everything except the modem. It does warm up and I know they don't last too long - have had this one for two years and it is always on. I have an Adelphia tech coming out tomorrow who will hopefully be able to identify the problem. Again thanks for all the suggestions, it definately helped me narrow the problem down to what I hope is a faulty modem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 I disconnected the router and connected directly to the modem but still have the problem. I have basically ruled out everything except the modem. It does warm up and I know they don't last too long - have had this one for two years and it is always on. I have an Adelphia tech coming out tomorrow who will hopefully be able to identify the problem. Again thanks for all the suggestions, it definately helped me narrow the problem down to what I hope is a faulty modem This little short out in connectivity, how did you notice it? Kicked off a game, lose a radio feed, etc? Because it sounds like the exact same problem I had with my old ISP (verizon) and the problem was them. They fixed it eventually but I got cable anyway just because I was mad about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpoch Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 All good suggestions, I had Adelphia for about 3 years. Earlier this year, my connection speeds were bad and xbox live was a little laggy. I work in the computer field so I know what to check and it was nothing on my end. They way I fixed it was I switched to Verizon DSL. After having cable for 3 years, I can notice the DSL is a more stable connection. I have no lag on my xbox and my connection speed is very stable. The best part is Verizon DSL is only 29 bucks a month where as Adelphia cable was over 40 bucks. Verizon supplies you with a free wireless router so no lease fees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
number twenty-eight Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Is your router on its own jack or a splitter? TV requires less pure a signal versus data, so going straight from the wall to your modem is a good first thing to check if you're only missing Rx traffic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsD Posted September 29, 2005 Author Share Posted September 29, 2005 This little short out in connectivity, how did you notice it? Kicked off a game, lose a radio feed, etc? Because it sounds like the exact same problem I had with my old ISP (verizon) and the problem was them. They fixed it eventually but I got cable anyway just because I was mad about it. I can't really tell while surfing the net, I noticed the problem in online games. About once a minute I will lag for a few seconds. Got Adelphia coming out tomorrow, hopefully it is the modem as I suspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sick Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 I just had a similar problem fixed with Comcast cable. They tried to give me the same junk about getting a new modem, but it is only like 6 months old. Turns out main box that supplies cable to me and all my neighbors was cracked, and the pieces inside began to rust. I wasn't getting enough signal strength. They replaced a couple of parts and now my connection is solid and SMOKING! Comcast just upgraded their signal strength again, to like 6 MBs. DSL is pitiful in comparison, like 10% as fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrockster21 Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 It could also be the Gateway...have you checked if anyone else in your building is having problems as well? Its probably the modem though. Next time you call and they tell you to replace something on your computer tell them to shove it up their ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrockster21 Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 I just had a similar problem fixed with Comcast cable.They tried to give me the same junk about getting a new modem, but it is only like 6 months old. Turns out main box that supplies cable to me and all my neighbors was cracked, and the pieces inside began to rust. I wasn't getting enough signal strength. They replaced a couple of parts and now my connection is solid and SMOKING! Comcast just upgraded their signal strength again, to like 6 MBs. DSL is pitiful in comparison, like 10% as fast. Beat me to it! Should have read all the posts....:doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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