Doug5984
12-22-2013, 09:57 AM
Need some help with some internet issues I've been having at m house... I'll do the cliffs, then the expanded version
Cliffs:
- Get Cox Internet in Aug/Sept
- Connection issues, make numerous calls
- Swap out 6 modems, and at least 7 service calls in a few months
- Sitting here watch my connection constantly drop and reconnect
- Slowly losing my mind
- Cox is actually ok in customer service for once, actual service is crap
Around the end of August, early September I switched from AT&T DSL to Cox internet, mainly due to the speed/price. AT&T wasn't perfect, I'd have to power cycle the modem probably once every couple of weeks. I have direct TV for my TV service.
1st Modem/Router
I had purchased my modem/router myself through Amazon, an Aris something or another... would look it up but the internet is down while I'm typing this ;)
After a couple weeks it started giving me problems and so I originally began trouble shooting through Aris, and after going through all their steps for a month or so they decided to send me a new modem. We changed what seemed like all the settings in side the modem, and the connection was constantly dropping, or just going slow. New modem comes in, and Aris kindly lets me know that they will no longer be helping me as if it continues it will be a cox issue. Ok, that's fine...seems reasonable (and as we'll find out- correct)
2nd Modem/Router
Not long into it- it is behaving the same way, I remember some of the steps they had me take on the previous modem so I go check those things, change the channel- do trouble shooting with Cox, blah blah blah- same issues. After a while they send out a tech who changes a connection in the attic, makes sure everything looks good then resets the modem, he leaves, it works for a couple days.
Problem continues for a while, Cox sends out another tech, a nice lady who checked all the connections, changes some splitters and other pieces and parts, and concludes that I must have gotten a bad second modem.
The whole time these two modems have acted similiarly, the connection would go extremely slow at times, other times it would simply drop until I power cycled the modem and it'd come up for either a couple minutes, maybe a day or so.
3rd Modem
This cox tech got me to get a modem through them (I figured this would be a good idea so that they couldn't point the finger at someone else during this time). She installs the new modem, seems to be working fine for a few days- a few minor issues, with dropping a connection, but nothing like I was experiencing. Eventually it starts getting bad, and I'll have to powercycle every 30 minutes or so, and pray to get 10 minutes of internet. I feel like Randy Marsh in that south park episode. Eventually, the modem just dies, nothing I can do to bring it back up- numerous phone tech supports and they can't see it. Can't send it a signal, it's gone. RIP Cisco Modem # 1.
4th modem
Call them back out, they replace more peices and parts (connections around the house), and replace the modem. This time the tech asks me not to change the network name or password. I don't know how this would effect anything but whatever. As you can guess by this post- it doesn't work. This one works almost exactly like modem # 3, eventually being killed.
5th modem
I'm lucky enough to have a service manager, and a tech out to the house this time. They are very thorough (have to give Cox some credit- they are trying their damnedest to fix the problem). They replace everything from the street to the box, every connection from the box to the modem, and replace the modem itself. After about a 2-1/2 hr service call I'm up and working again. We plug in the xbox, direct tv, I hook up my laptop and desktop wirelessly- oh happy day we have internet. They leave the house, and I'm so happy I go to get on my computer and post how happy I am on facebook- and it's out. Luckily they are still sitting in the driveway doing paperwork so I go outside and say to come back in we have a problem. The service manager does all kinds of tests, and settings, and somehow comes to the conclusion that plugging something into the ethernet port killed the modem. Whatever, he knows more than me- we'll go with that. He asks me to not plug in anything to the modem (I can handle this). I'm up and running, and this time they drive off quickly. About 20 minutes later, my internet is gone. This modem was pretty much DOA. RIP. (Modems 3,4,&5 were all the same type).
Modem # 6- The modem that was promised...lol jk
Service call and modem # 5 were on this Thursday, the service manager said he would call me back around lunch on Friday to see how things went, and I told him they went very very badly. He is convinced that when we plugged in something to the ethernet port it nerfed the modem. Ok... sure. He says he can come out on Saturday (yesterday) and do some other things, so I sit around and wait and read my book since I have no internet (Ready Player One- great book so far).
Service manager shows up yesterday and says he had been watching my modem from their end, and it was constantly power cycling itself. I was out of town, and the only device on was my desktop. So he goes into the attic and replaces the actual line from the cox box outside to the back of the modem. Now every single component has been replaced... as you can imagine I'm skeptical when he leaves. He asks that I don't hook up anything to the ethernet ports, and don't change the wireless name/password. I oblige. Not long after he leaves it starts losing connection- I only hooked up my desktop, laptop, and xboxone. So I become curious and start trouble shooting the issue myself. I turn off my laptop, problem continues. I unplug the xbox, problem continunes. I don't want to turn off my desktop because I have a probelm running that checks my internet connectivity and I want to log all the problems. In the 14 hours since the tech left late yesterday my connection has dropped, and reconnected 393 times.
This is a different modem, this one is a netgear something or another, and the symptoms are actually completely different than the previous 2. This one is dropping the connection for a minute or two at a time, then reconnecting and seeming to work fine for a minute or two. It slows at times at well, but it's at least frustratingly useable.
I'm at a complete loss- I have no idea what to do, where to turn.... other than continue with the circus with cox.
Everyone else in my neighborhood seems to be working fine.
Any words of wisdom, advice on things to look at and try? I know we have a lot of smart computer guys on here...
Cliffs:
- Get Cox Internet in Aug/Sept
- Connection issues, make numerous calls
- Swap out 6 modems, and at least 7 service calls in a few months
- Sitting here watch my connection constantly drop and reconnect
- Slowly losing my mind
- Cox is actually ok in customer service for once, actual service is crap
Around the end of August, early September I switched from AT&T DSL to Cox internet, mainly due to the speed/price. AT&T wasn't perfect, I'd have to power cycle the modem probably once every couple of weeks. I have direct TV for my TV service.
1st Modem/Router
I had purchased my modem/router myself through Amazon, an Aris something or another... would look it up but the internet is down while I'm typing this ;)
After a couple weeks it started giving me problems and so I originally began trouble shooting through Aris, and after going through all their steps for a month or so they decided to send me a new modem. We changed what seemed like all the settings in side the modem, and the connection was constantly dropping, or just going slow. New modem comes in, and Aris kindly lets me know that they will no longer be helping me as if it continues it will be a cox issue. Ok, that's fine...seems reasonable (and as we'll find out- correct)
2nd Modem/Router
Not long into it- it is behaving the same way, I remember some of the steps they had me take on the previous modem so I go check those things, change the channel- do trouble shooting with Cox, blah blah blah- same issues. After a while they send out a tech who changes a connection in the attic, makes sure everything looks good then resets the modem, he leaves, it works for a couple days.
Problem continues for a while, Cox sends out another tech, a nice lady who checked all the connections, changes some splitters and other pieces and parts, and concludes that I must have gotten a bad second modem.
The whole time these two modems have acted similiarly, the connection would go extremely slow at times, other times it would simply drop until I power cycled the modem and it'd come up for either a couple minutes, maybe a day or so.
3rd Modem
This cox tech got me to get a modem through them (I figured this would be a good idea so that they couldn't point the finger at someone else during this time). She installs the new modem, seems to be working fine for a few days- a few minor issues, with dropping a connection, but nothing like I was experiencing. Eventually it starts getting bad, and I'll have to powercycle every 30 minutes or so, and pray to get 10 minutes of internet. I feel like Randy Marsh in that south park episode. Eventually, the modem just dies, nothing I can do to bring it back up- numerous phone tech supports and they can't see it. Can't send it a signal, it's gone. RIP Cisco Modem # 1.
4th modem
Call them back out, they replace more peices and parts (connections around the house), and replace the modem. This time the tech asks me not to change the network name or password. I don't know how this would effect anything but whatever. As you can guess by this post- it doesn't work. This one works almost exactly like modem # 3, eventually being killed.
5th modem
I'm lucky enough to have a service manager, and a tech out to the house this time. They are very thorough (have to give Cox some credit- they are trying their damnedest to fix the problem). They replace everything from the street to the box, every connection from the box to the modem, and replace the modem itself. After about a 2-1/2 hr service call I'm up and working again. We plug in the xbox, direct tv, I hook up my laptop and desktop wirelessly- oh happy day we have internet. They leave the house, and I'm so happy I go to get on my computer and post how happy I am on facebook- and it's out. Luckily they are still sitting in the driveway doing paperwork so I go outside and say to come back in we have a problem. The service manager does all kinds of tests, and settings, and somehow comes to the conclusion that plugging something into the ethernet port killed the modem. Whatever, he knows more than me- we'll go with that. He asks me to not plug in anything to the modem (I can handle this). I'm up and running, and this time they drive off quickly. About 20 minutes later, my internet is gone. This modem was pretty much DOA. RIP. (Modems 3,4,&5 were all the same type).
Modem # 6- The modem that was promised...lol jk
Service call and modem # 5 were on this Thursday, the service manager said he would call me back around lunch on Friday to see how things went, and I told him they went very very badly. He is convinced that when we plugged in something to the ethernet port it nerfed the modem. Ok... sure. He says he can come out on Saturday (yesterday) and do some other things, so I sit around and wait and read my book since I have no internet (Ready Player One- great book so far).
Service manager shows up yesterday and says he had been watching my modem from their end, and it was constantly power cycling itself. I was out of town, and the only device on was my desktop. So he goes into the attic and replaces the actual line from the cox box outside to the back of the modem. Now every single component has been replaced... as you can imagine I'm skeptical when he leaves. He asks that I don't hook up anything to the ethernet ports, and don't change the wireless name/password. I oblige. Not long after he leaves it starts losing connection- I only hooked up my desktop, laptop, and xboxone. So I become curious and start trouble shooting the issue myself. I turn off my laptop, problem continues. I unplug the xbox, problem continunes. I don't want to turn off my desktop because I have a probelm running that checks my internet connectivity and I want to log all the problems. In the 14 hours since the tech left late yesterday my connection has dropped, and reconnected 393 times.
This is a different modem, this one is a netgear something or another, and the symptoms are actually completely different than the previous 2. This one is dropping the connection for a minute or two at a time, then reconnecting and seeming to work fine for a minute or two. It slows at times at well, but it's at least frustratingly useable.
I'm at a complete loss- I have no idea what to do, where to turn.... other than continue with the circus with cox.
Everyone else in my neighborhood seems to be working fine.
Any words of wisdom, advice on things to look at and try? I know we have a lot of smart computer guys on here...