Damn you comcast!

The BBQ Pit
#1

So I’ve had the cable modem for almost a year now. In that time it has gone out maybe 4-5 times for anywhere from 3 hours to a day and a half. This isn’t usually a problem, just an annoyance. It has been out since at least 5 pm Friday (when I got home from work). I called Comcast today to see if maybe it was a problem in the area. The tech guy says no.

He then says, “Let me see if I can ping your modem.”

A few seconds go by and he says, “Nope. You’re offline.”

Well, no fucking duh! I try a few things he suggests - unplug and replug (if that’s not a word, it should be) the power supply, restart the computer, etc, but to no avail.

He asks if I want to schedule a repair appointment. In the past when I have done so, the problem had fixed itself and everything was fine for a while.

I decide to have a repair guy come out this time. Unfortunately ALL of the appointments during the week are from 8-5. Well, guess what? that’s when I work and Mrs. Blue Sky works!

I ask why they can’t schedule appointments AFTER 5pm when someone is likely to be home. He says that I am in the “classic market”. What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

He says that in Jacksonville (where he is) the appointments are available 8-8 seven days a week.

I ask if I will be able to get a credit and says he can’t do anything about that and they won’t be to decide if a credit is forthcoming until the repair guy comes out.

So I’m stuck for a week using this slower-than-a-hundred-hells dial up on AOL AND using my old laptop. For some reason, AOL doesn’t like my regular computer anymore. I tried installing 9.0 and it fought me tooth and nail for an hour and the AOL “techs” were absolutely no help.

What’ll happen, of course, is that the service will correct itself before the repair guy gets here. I’m not going to cancel the appointment this time. Maybe I can get the guy to solve the problem once and for all.

#2

I hear ya.

When Comcast doubled the speed of the cable modem link in my area (just reprogrammed the modems remotely in reality), my modem went down every time I tried to listen to a webcast. The next available appointment was 6 days later, but I took it. Needless to say, the night before the appointment, everything started to work fine.

#3

I had the same problem with Aldelphia using one of their WebStar modems. I went out to Staples and bought a Toshiba cable modem for $100 and after I installed I called them up and gave them the serial number. Fired right up and no problems since.

#4

I suspect you have already tried this, but as a fellow Comcast user I’ll toss it out anyway. The RCA cable modem I am using has on occasion displayed a proper connection (lights flashing as they should), while I could not get on through the PC. I tried the reset button, lights came up agan, still no connection. Eventually I physically unplugged the modem from my powerstrip, waited thirty seconds, plugged in and reset. Lights came up and I was able to connect with the PC.

#5

I tried that, but no dice. Thanks for the idea, though.

I’m gonna try unplugging the modem from this location and plug into the cable in the den. This way I can see if it’s the actual line coming into the house.

#6

Wish I could help you somehow. All I can do is offer condolensces and maybe the next time my comcast goes out (oh yes, it happens to me too) we can bitch about them together!!! Here, have a virtual beer on me … :wink:

#7

If the tech can’t ping your modem from his end, it’s generally something physical. Try this: unplug the power from your cable modem. Unscrew the coax cable from the back of the modem, hold the cable in your fist and press down with your thumb on the end of the cable, making sure you contact the pin inside the connector. Hold it for 10-20 seconds. If you feel silly, pretend you’re on Jeopardy. Screw the cable back in and plug in the power.

I have successfully deployed this trick exactly once. If it doesn’t work, you’ve likely got a wiring problem between your modem and Comcast’s Point of Presence.

#8

Before I attempt this and risk puncturing my thumb on the sharp point protruding from the cable, what is this supposed to prove?

#9

That you can come up with a wittier Jeopardy response than “what is the dumbest thing a Doper’s asked me to do, Alex?”

But seriously, I was taught this method by a very nice Comcast technician named Maverick, who, from all the way over in Delhi, explained that static electricity will build up in coaxial cabling that’s not been properly grounded. I was and am dubious about his explanation, but after I’d put it back together and plugged the power in, I refreshed my IP address and all was well.

If you choose to do this, don’t press very hard on the tip, just ensure your thumb is contacting both the hex nut and the pin.

#10

Tried it and no spurting blood :smiley: or connection.

How do I refresh my IP address?

#11

Oh, man, do you ever not want to know the answer to that question.

Pour yourself a glass of the best wine in the house, pull your most comfortable, relaxing chair up to the computer and have a seat. Do you smoke? Light one and take a nice deep drag. One more.

Relaxed? “Classic” used to mean “rural” – that’s where cable TV started, in markets where broadcast TV didn’t reach. There isn’t any competition there, even from broadcast. If you want to watch TV, you’re a cable customer.

So now, of course, in the data world “classic” means “rural” – beyond the reach of a telco’s central office. You can’t get DSL, can you? Bet you can’t. “Classic” means they don’t fear you firing them in favor of your local phone company. In Jacksonville, where the local telco is competition, they have appointments from 8-8 seven days.

Take another drag off that smoke. Have a sip of that good wine.

#12

I don’t drink or smoke, but I’ll take a swig of Mountain Dew, thank you.

I can get DSL. As for the “rural” part, I live in what’s considered to be “midtown” Savannah. I live less than two miles from the cable company. Although Comcast isn’t as bad as previous incarnations of the cable company (they were Jones Communication before this and Cablevision of Savannah in the beginning) they still suck a lot.

#13

Mr. Blue Sky: If you’ve got a hardware firewall, refreshing your IP address is a much less significant step. Further, except in the most unusual circumstances, a reboot will refresh your address automatically. Further still, the method is different depending on whether you use Windows 98/ME, Windows XP/2000 or a Mac. And, if you do connect your computer directly to the modem, which way is it set up? USB or Ethernet?

Should you still want to know, I’m down with it. For me, this is spine tingling-ingling.
Oh yeah. Comcast’s Abuse Department sucks donkey dick. :o

#14

I’m running WinME and connect to the modem through an ethernet connection. This computer has USB 1.1 connections which tend to suck when asked to handle this much data.

#15

All right. Start|Run… In the resultant box, type “winipcfg” (no quotes) and hit Enter or click OK. A small window titled “IP Configuration” will appear, in which you should see the following:[ul][li]Ethernet Adapter Information [/li][li]A drop-down box[/li][li]Adapter Address[/li][li]IP Address[/li][li]Subnet Mask[/li][li]Default Gateway[/ul]It should also contain the buttons OK, Release, Renew, Release All, Renew All and More Info.[/li]
Click the drop-down box and select your Ethernet adapter, as compared to the PPP connection. Once you’ve selected the ethernet adapter, you can click refresh. I suggest releasing, then refreshing.

Further information from you would be very helpful, but please be guarded about releasing your IP address or gateway address. Obscured, my IP address is 6x.1x0.x8.x5 and my gateway is 6x.1x0.xx.xx. You’ll probably have some value for your IP address, but do you have anything listed in your gateway?

#16

Here’s what comes up:

NDIS 5.0 Driver (in the drop down box)
Adapter address: a number
IP Address: xxx.xxx.xxx.xx (numbers, not letters)
Subnet Mask: xxx.xxx.xxx.x (ditto)
Default gateway: blank
The cable modem continues to blink away.

It’s an RCA type I bought at Radio Shack.

There’s five lights (THERE ARE FIVE LIGHTS!):

  1. Internet
  2. PC LINK
  3. Cable link
  4. Cable activity
  5. Message

Right now 1 & 2 are blinking. Sometimes just 1 blinks for a while and then 1 & 2 blink. Sometimes all the lights go out and 3, 4, & 5 will light up for about a second and then 1 will blink, etc.

#17

Crud. Looks like your pipe’s gone bad, in which case, you’ll need to have someone work at your house. Last things to try: plug just the modem into the den’s receptacle, or if you can easily get to the place where the cable comes into your house, try it there. The operative LED is Cable Link.

Good luck if they’ve got to come out to fix it – the last time someone from Comcast worked at my condo to address a hardware problem, he inadvertently screwed up my neighbor’s TV connection. So count your blessings. Because of Comcast, I had to host a Golden Globes party. :frowning:

#18

No suggestions. Just lots of sympathy. I dropped them as my ISP last year because I couldn’t get access at least once a month AND they had the nerve to double my bill in less than two years.

I now use Verizon DSL. Despite Comcast’s dire predictions I’m much happier. The service is half the price and more reliable.

(No, I’m don’t work for Verizon! ;))

#19

I dropped Rogers cable in favor of sympatico DSL simply because of this. If you can get DSL , do so.

Alot of the problems and so called solutions were the same , up here in the white north, as you have down in savannah. After a while you just say screw it , and go with the DSL.

Declan

#20

Yeah Comcast is a pain in the ass. I’ve had my cable accidentally disconnected twice in the last year. Everytime somebody in my area gets cable I get disconnected it seems. Morons. Plus my rates have gone from 29 to 45 dollars in the last 2 years. I decided to pass on cable internet with them. I really couldn’t stand to pay them any more money. I have DSL by Earthlink through my phone carrier Sprint. Yeah it is slower than cable for the same cost but it’s still light years ahead of dial-up and super-reliable — and Earthlink rocks too. I think I’ve had 2 or 3 outtages of my internet for not more than 3-4 hours in the 10 months I’ve had DSL.