Older cable modems may need replacement

  • Thread starter Thread starter Colin Barnhorst
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Colin Barnhorst

After putting up with frequent dropped connections and in particular issues
with Win Mail newsgroup servers (timeouts, TCP/IP issues, etc), I assessed
my hardware and realized that my cable modem was almost five years old.
Simply replacing it with a new Motorola SB5101 completely solved this host
of connectivity issues with the internet and my home network. I had been
chasing my tail with configurations and all sorts of things but never
considered the hardware.

After I installed the new modem I could not get connectivity at all, but my
ISP just needed to register the MAC ID, so if you get a new modem you may
need to call your ISP and get the device registered. After that is done, be
sure to power off both the modem and your router and bring them back up in
that order.

In my fooling around with all of this I was very impressed with the Network
Center's diagnostic and repair facilities and with the dynamically updating
network map.

Bottom line, don't blame Vista for all your connectivity issues. Vista is
actually excellent in this regard.
 
I use a router. Direct connection of the primary compter to the modem
didn't change the behavior so I decided to change the modem.
 
I would have thought that when going through a router there wouldn't be any
interaction between the modem and Vista. I'm guessing it has something to do
with auto tuning and aggressive resizing of the receive window. Did you try
turning auto tuning off?

I'm not trying to say you should have stuck with the old modem :-) I'm
looking for troubleshooting tips. I'm sure the issue will come up both in my
work and questions on the newsgroups.
 
I'm curious as to what the old cable modem was that you replaced and
what revision of firmware was in it.

After putting up with frequent dropped connections and in particular issues
with Win Mail newsgroup servers (timeouts, TCP/IP issues, etc), I assessed
my hardware and realized that my cable modem was almost five years old.
Simply replacing it with a new Motorola SB5101 completely solved this host
of connectivity issues with the internet and my home network. I had been
chasing my tail with configurations and all sorts of things but never
considered the hardware.

After I installed the new modem I could not get connectivity at all, but my
ISP just needed to register the MAC ID, so if you get a new modem you may
need to call your ISP and get the device registered. After that is done, be
sure to power off both the modem and your router and bring them back up in
that order.

In my fooling around with all of this I was very impressed with the Network
Center's diagnostic and repair facilities and with the dynamically updating
network map.

Bottom line, don't blame Vista for all your connectivity issues. Vista is
actually excellent in this regard.
Click to expand...
--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
Expert Zone & Vista Community Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/
 
It affected both my laptops and all three desktops. It wasn't confined to
Vista.

All machines were getting the same disconnects at the same time. Clicking a
link could cause a disconnect. We like to watch things like Hockey Live and
I might be doing something on the internet and then there would be a hang
and the modem would go through a recycle to re-establish a connection.

I don't know much about what goes on inside a modem but apparently progress
in internet technology had passed it by.
 
It was a Toshiba PCX1100U. About 5 years old. I have no idea what the
firmware version is. It is offline now and stored as a emergency backup. I
think I said it was a Motorola, but that is the new one.
 
the problem with that modem (besides the fact that it is Docsis 1.0)
is that it has a 10 meg ethernet link and not a 10/100.

It was a Toshiba PCX1100U. About 5 years old. I have no idea what the
firmware version is. It is offline now and stored as a emergency backup. I
think I said it was a Motorola, but that is the new one.
Click to expand...
--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
Expert Zone & Vista Community Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/
 
It was installed by the ATTBI tech back when I first got broadband so I
probably never thought to ask. LOL.
 
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