Comcast Cable Internet and Problems Thereof

Winky

I have Comcast cable internet and a Motorola SB5120 modem. Recently when I've been playing WoW or Starcraft II I will randomly get disconnected from the internet quite suddenly. Then immediately afterward I'll get reconnected. This same thing happens with ventrilo, where I will be disconnected and then instantly reconnected. In addition, I've been noticing some of my downloads drop to 0kb/s all of a sudden, and then they pick back up afterward. For most of my day-to-day browsing this isn't an issue, but it's getting seriously annoying and increasingly frequent when I'm trying to play games. This problem arose quite suddenly, too.

I've run Microsoft Security Essentials and it didn't find any sort of virus or malware. I also connected my computer directly to my modem so I know it's not a problem with my router. I'm guessing that it has something to do with my modem or Comcast.

One thing I've noticed is that I've downloaded a ton lately, up in the tens of gigs, so I'm not sure if this might have somehow triggered the problem? I don't think it was a virus or something, because all of my downloads have been things like Steam games and WoW and SCII and the like. Other than that I'm not sure what could've caused this to start happening so suddenly.

Does anyone have any insight to this?

Bionic Monkey

How long have you had the modem? Is it hot when it drops connections? If you've had it for a few years, you might try having Comcast swap out a new one for you.

Rear Admiral Choco

If your modem's getting hot like Bionic Monkey said, that could be fucking it up. I had to get ours replaced a year or two ago when I was having similar problems.

Otherwise the high download volume could mean that Comcast is throttling your connection. I'm not too familiar with how that goes since I haven't had it happen to myself, but then this might not be it because I'm pretty sure throttling speed just slows you down a good bit rather than outright disconnecting you several times.

Either way, I'd check up with Comcast.

matt has a problem

Comcast's bandwidth cap is 250 GB per month, so I doubt you've hit that.

Niceguy Myeye

> Winky: Check Temperature of the Modem. Ensure that it has proper air throughput and isn't stuffed in the corner where you rest your feet.

> Winky: Look at the flashing lights on the front of your Motorola SB5120 modem and see if you can decipher any hidden meanings.

khain

Call Comcast and select the technical support option. The tech should be able to differentiate between the problem being an outage, on the line to your house or the modem itself and be able to help you solve any of them either by replacing the modem of sending a tech out.

DiscoZombie

it is my sacred duty to jump in every comcast thread and say I've had the same problem. never got to the bottom of why, despite having called comcast numerous times. Maybe it was the modem, because I've got a new one and I don't seem to have issues as often. my general feeling is that, since they have a monopoly on cable and high-speed internet in my area, they have no incentive to provide good service. not sure if it's the same by you. I got pretty much kicked out of a few of the best raid guilds on the east coast when I played WoW due to my Comcast disconnects during raids... but tbh I'm glad I'm free from WoW's clutches now anyway.

DragonPup

matthasaproblem wrote: »

Comcast's bandwidth cap is 250 GB per month, so I doubt you've hit that.

And if you hit the cap, Comcast will call you. I work for the New England region and if you live in Massachusetts, Maine, or New Hampshire I can try pulling the levels off the modem itself.