Comcast, outbound dropouts, questions - Resolved

Posts: 34 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jun 20, 2006 Posts: 34

For everyone's understanding, if the modem you purchase is Docsis 2.0 compatible, i.e. SB5100 or SB5120 then it will be changed from Docsis 1.1 to 2.0 once you attach to comcast's network, you must get a Docsis 1.0/1.1 only compatible modem. They are still out there. Comcast does have awful customer service, hopefully this merger with time warner will bring about some positive changes.

Posts: 31 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jun 11, 2006 Posts: 31

I did ask the tech, in lieu of reading that info here, if my box was reading 1.1 or if they'd upgraded it to 2 since he was doing his diagnostics - he said it was 1.1 Vonage got the same reading when they looked. ???

Posts: 34 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jun 20, 2006 Posts: 34

In my discussions with the level 2 tech that I spoke with, Steve Stacio, he told me that he was still using a SB4100 for his diagnostics and he would run it side by side to a SB5100 or SB5120 and there were problems with the 51xx series and not his modem attached to the same line at the same time.

Excellent discovery on the SB51xx series then, if you are having problems with your SB51xx series and it is Docsis 1.1 then it is more than just being Docsis 2.0 it is the firmware in the motorola SB51xx series modems. I would seriously suggest you change to an older model or check into another modem manufacturer. Perhaps ulimately the SB51xx series should be removed from service with Comcast. Thank you for your feedback!!

Posts: 31 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jun 11, 2006 Posts: 31

Well - here we all are - the Voip folk complaining of our Comcast issues on a Voip forum.... I had a gander over at the broadband forums and they're burning up as well! Everyone being patronized as a user with a unique and mysterious problem - just like us - since April. Folks can't VPN - can't video conference - and gaming is out of the question, some too jave useless VOIP..... here's a link to one thread http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,15929720~days=10~fmode=full - you'll find another where someone posted the SB51XX's will be retired and many many more - just as there are many threads here addressing the same issue. Comcast HAS to come clean, get this sorted and should refund us all 4 months of service.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 09, 2006 Posts: 1

Hi everyone,

I followed this thread for a couple days, before ordering an old SB4100 to replace my 5120. Problem solved, instantly. It's now 4 days later, and have had no bad recurrence.

So...my most sincere thanks to all you for your great detective work. Absolutely invaluable. This kind of community action seems so important, especially in these cases. I wish there was some way this thread could find a greater exposure...to all those still needlessly having this problem.

Best wishes, from Seattle.

Posts: 31 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jun 11, 2006 Posts: 31

I'm glad you've had good results with the 4100, Over on the broadband forums, one thread had everyone list their modem, location and when their problems started and the vast majority were SB51xx - though i did see some 4100 and 3100's in there.... Tech will be out again Wednesday and they've put in a request for a new and different model modem - a Linksys or a D-link - am I going to be sunk with ANY 2.0 - or is it the SB's only?
Also found out there are 267 on my node with Comcast - how does that rate? Thanks all!

Posts: 34 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jun 20, 2006 Posts: 34

My SB3100 just died, so I have replaced it with a Linksys BEFCMU10 from Best Buy. The only electronics store in my area that carries a modem besides the SB5120. The Linksys modem seems to be working great, no problems and I am Docsis 2.0 compatible and it is approved by Comcast as a useable modem. I will update again in a few weeks with how it is performing, so far no dropped calls. Thank you to the individual who pointed out earlier that it is not a problem with Docsis 2.0 but merely with the SB51xx series modems.

Posts: 31 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jun 11, 2006 Posts: 31

Glad to hear you're on a newer modem Fred, I confess I didn't relish stepping back in time for an older model - I've got that serious need for power and speed! Do keep us posted, when we'd swapped out our SB5120 for another of the same - I was screaming aross the internet - thought the problem was solved - then pttthhhhhhhh - they must of done the firmware update and I was back to crap again. Have a looksee over on broadbandreports.com and do a search on SB5120 and you'll see scores of threads, one thread claimed Concast would be decommissioning it, another logged this drop out biz in general with a request for modem type/location/when problem started - folks over there have been pulling their hair out just like us since April. Thank gawd for the forums! Unless a whistleblower has the guts to dish on Comcast, they're just going to continue sweeping this under the rug and leaving no doubt hundreds of thousands of people across the country with impaired service, unable to Voip, VPN, video conference, do gaming etc. Let's hope we're good with the Linksys, that's what I'm hoping for tomorrow and I'll post our findings/results as well.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 16, 2006 Posts: 1

I read thru this whole post as I was having the same issues mentioned of callers not being able to hear me for 2-15 seconds at a time constantly throughout telephone calls via the Vonage service. Though I never really realized that it could be my actual internet service quality. Thought is was the Vonage service somehow.
I d/l pingplotter and ran as others have. Exactly as described, my dropouts occurred when the PL% jumped to 60-70%, which happened quite frequently. Also decided to test my speed. A dismal 2738/65 from dslreports.com - definitely not what I expected. I decided to try the easiest fix first, switched back to my SB4100 modem which comcast had told me that I needed to upgrade - they gave (leased to me) a SB5120 - my problems started shortly thereafter.
I plugged in my SB4100 and started up pingplotter and amazingly, the PL% went away and Avg round trip times decreased. I ran it for an hour or so, nothing. Received a telephone call that lasted approx 50 minutes - no dropouts. Beautiful!!. And... my internet speed jumped up to 6378/379, as before it was a dismal 2738/65 on comcast's 6000/384 package.

Just as an aside note. I began this adventure by thinking it was the Vonage service because comcast techs had come out and verified everything was okay when they installed the sb5120. Tech installed and checked what they called the signal level or something. Everything was great, looking good. I couldn't bear it any longer, the call quality on Vonage was abysmal, callers couldn't hear me for seconds at a time and it happened constantly. Had enough, told comcast to come out and install their voice service. Guess what?? SAME PROBLEMS. And worse, callers told me my voice sounded robotic at times in addition to the dropouts. Callers could not hear me for the first 1-2 seconds when I called them. CRAZY! Comcast came out, rechecked everything, rewired the connectors outside and inside, installed a 'booster??', again, all is fine now. NOT, same issues. Comcast support people told me a lot of people were calling in about the same thing. This is when I decided to start searching for answers elsewhere and found this forum. Now I have cancelled my comcast voice service and back on Vonage. My speeds are back up to par and all is well. Not sure where the issue was with the comcast voice service because I was told by the tech who installed that service (separate device from my cable modem - located different part of the house due to telephone lines) that it did not share the same frequency? as the internet service did from my house to their voice servers. Theoretically, my internet service was coming in on a different line (frequency?) than my voice service was and had nothing to do with each other.

Glad it was just the modem and thanks to this forum for helping out.

Posts: 31 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jun 11, 2006 Posts: 31

Okay folks - Comcast tech came out this morning, phone support promised me they'd have the guy bring a new/dif model modem - I had my screen ready and loaded with tracerts, pings, Voip tests, speed tests, modem stats and lists of threads off 2 forums (here and broadbandreports all on fire with Comcast customers having problems with the SB51xxs.....

forget it....

He says we haven't dropped signal in 17 days (their own phone support said we had, including during our calls as I would drop out several times) I'm probably dropping out 100 times a day.
Our speeds are screaming - over 6 down and 768 up (BS)
Zero packet loss

Anything over 10 hops is off Comcast so my tracerts full of time outs on hop 11 are meaningless - hop11 is an AT&T now Comcast owned server in FL.
100 - 200 ms Latency - eh.
The modem firmware is dished by Motorola and not their problem.
The Motorola modem logs mean nothing to them (warnings, criticals, times out - 'who knows what all that means')
The Voip tests showing 59% to 82% QOS simply blame Vonage

The forums - eh, people blowing hot air.
The tier 2 tech's name posted - never heard of him - he doesn't work for comcast - well he does - it's a comcast number and his voicemail is advanced support.

He has an SB5120 and no problems.
Does he video conference, use Voip, VPN or do gaming - NO!

He said he would pass my problem along to tier 2 when he got back, see if anyone knew anything about issues with the SB5120.
Well - he just just rang on the phone not 10 minutes out the door and said he talked to tier 2 and that tech did not put his number on the forum (I never said he did) AND it is not a Comcast authorized post (no kidding - it's a user forum) and there is NO known SB5120 firmware issue whatsoever.

Comcast will now be monitoring this thread and they want to know who did post the tech's name and number as it is privileged info and should not be on the forums. Be interesting to see if they either get that one post knocked off - or close down this whole thread.

Off I go to buy a linksys modem.....