Why does Comcast's Hardware SUCK so much?

[Peter.Steele]

My cable modem is dying.

This is the fourth cable modem I've had to have replaced in about the past 5 years. I've also gone through I think three cable boxes in that time, maybe four.

WTF, Comcast?

[Merc1138]

Because they buy the cheapest. BTW, if you keep getting RCA or scientific atlanta brand modems, demand a motorola from them. I had the same issue with the RCA and SA modems lasting 3 months at the most, demanded a motorola and it was fine for about 4 years. When I moved to my new apartment, same thing. Went through 2 SA modems, demanded a motorola, fine for 5 years again. I spoke to the field tech about them and he said they only have a limited quantity which is why they normally hand out the crappy ones unless someone demands the motorola.

[highcenter]

Hi Peter,

I picked up a refurbished Motorola SB6121 for ~$60 and ditched the rented Comcast junk, nearly a year ago. The SB6121 is DOCSIS 3.0/IPv6 compliant, rated for up to 195 Mbps, gig-E, fully supported by Comcast, etc... and no more monthly rental fee. Works flawlessly, highly recommended.

Setup is as simple as calling Comcast with the new modem MAC address and plugging it in. Boom done

Did I mention, no more monthly rental fee, daily reboots....

~$80 @ Google Shopper - http://goo.gl/cYuiU - try google/ebay for a refurb

happy surfing


--
Jon

[ldivinag]

i am just the opposite.

since day 1 with comcast, i bought my own modem.

but it seems that 12-16 months later, the modem would act crazily and nothing would fix it. loosing connections, slow speeds, etc. but mostly dropping connections.

comcast cant help since it aint theirs.

so i would buy a new one.

after 3-4 times doing this, i've had it. so i ended up renting one from comcast. it's probably 2-3 years now. painless.


but my own router/wireless... that is a diff issue altogether... sigh...

[Merc1138]

Originally Posted by ldivinag

i am just the opposite.

since day 1 with comcast, i bought my own modem.

but it seems that 12-16 months later, the modem would act crazily and nothing would fix it. loosing connections, slow speeds, etc. but mostly dropping connections.

comcast cant help since it aint theirs.

so i would buy a new one.

after 3-4 times doing this, i've had it. so i ended up renting one from comcast. it's probably 2-3 years now. painless.


but my own router/wireless... that is a diff issue altogether... sigh...

But did you buy a motorola modem like 2 of us mentioned, or a junky RCA/SA(or some other brand) modem?

[bohoki]

i know i use directv and i went to a friends house and it took like 3 seconds per channel change for the picture to show up

[Peter.Steele]

Okay, update / more details on this.


Yesterday my connection speed was peaking at about 0.8 MBPS.

At about 1730 I was really sick of this, and I called Comcast. They checked the connection, said there was 10-20% average packet loss, and since the network was okay, then it had to be a problem with the modem. The modem is a Ubee, the one that has the telephone connection built in. They set up an appointment for Monday to replace the modem.

Now the interesting part is that by about 2300, the connection was perfect again. 35+ MBPS, right where it should be.

I'm starting to wonder if perhaps it's not the modem at all, but just the number of people in the neighborhood that are using Comcast internet? U-Verse is stalled out on their service about a half-block away, and just about everyone around here has Comcast. I know there's been at least 4 new installations just recently, with people ditching satellite and going to cable instead.

Today my speed is normal, too.

[Merc1138]

Ok, and "Ubee" still isn't motorola.

Also, even if the network in your area is overloaded(oversold is more like it), that's not going to cause packet loss, just crap download speeds.

Also, never trust when the comcast tech support staff on the phone says "the network is fine" because they're looking at the overall view, not necessarily what's going on specifically with your line. I've also caught them in a lie when they've said "uhh, we're looking at the logs from your modem and there's nothing in them from the past 24 hours" when I had a motorola modem so I just logged into it at 192.168.100.1 and saw that the modem logs kept complaining about signal strength, connection resets, etc.

[Peter.Steele]

Originally Posted by Merc1138

Ok, and "Ubee" still isn't motorola.

Also, even if the network in your area is overloaded(oversold is more like it), that's not going to cause packet loss, just crap download speeds.

Also, never trust when the comcast tech support staff on the phone says "the network is fine" because they're looking at the overall view, not necessarily what's going on specifically with your line. I've also caught them in a lie when they've said "uhh, we're looking at the logs from your modem and there's nothing in them from the past 24 hours" when I had a motorola modem so I just logged into it at 192.168.100.1 and saw that the modem logs kept complaining about signal strength, connection resets, etc.

Oh, I'm not saying that I'm taking the guy at his word. I know Comcast is full of crap - I've been dealing with them for quite a few years now.


I'm not going to cancel the appointment, and I will ask for a Motorola box, but I'm fairly certain they're not going to give me one, because I'm fairly certain that Comcast doesn't have a Motorola box that does telephone also.

I've actually never had an SA or RCA box with Comcast, at least not in this area. (I did have an RCA box when I lived in Tulare back in '06, and it was trouble-free!) I've had Motorola exclusively since 2007, when I moved to Madera County, up until about 8 or 9 months ago when they added phone service and gave me the Ubee.

Interestingly, I can't look at the logs or status for the Ubee modem. It requires a username and password, which the Motorola ones never did. This annoys me.

[The War Wagon]

Verizon FIOS came to my neighborhood in July of '07. Adelphia had folded the summer before, and Crapcast had taken over their contracts. I couldn't kiss them "adios" fast enough, and it's been smooooooooooooth sailing ever since!

[Merc1138]

You need one that does phone service too? Umm.... good luck with that, lol.

I know if you do some digging around, you'll probably find the login info for the modem. If it actually shows the signal from comcast(no idea if those do or not), you can use that when arguing with tech support or the field techs. Just don't tell them you know the login info, otherwise they'll likely blame everything on you(claiming you did something when you logged into the modem).

Just be careful, even their field techs are hit and miss(they're contracted out through local companies). The last time I had a signal issue in my current apartment, it took 13 appointments. Yes, 13. The last one that finally resolved it involved 3 techs and a supervisor. Long story short: At one point a tech asked if I had a router before he set foot in my apartment, my immediate response was "GTFO". Eventually comcast gave me the direct number to the local dispatch and authorized that I could demand they show up within half an hour(because the issue never happened when they were here a couple days after), and after enough idiocy on their part they finally determined a splitter or something on their side had gone bad, 20 minute fix.

[Biff...]

Originally Posted by highcenter

Hi Peter,

I picked up a refurbished Motorola SB6121 for ~$60 and ditched the rented Comcast junk, nearly a year ago. The SB6121 is DOCSIS 3.0/IPv3 compliant, rated for up to 195 Mbps, gig-E, fully supported by Comcast, etc... and no more monthly rental fee. Works flawlessly, highly recommended.

Setup is as simple as calling Comcast with the new modem MAC address and plugging it in. Boom done

Did I mention, no more monthly rental fee, daily reboots....

~$80 @ Google Shopper - http://goo.gl/cYuiU - try google/ebay for a refurb

happy surfing


--
Jon

+1on this. Paid $80 for my Motorola modem and $120 for my apple router. Both have been running for two years with no problems, and both have more than paid for themselves.

[Squid]

PS-I agree about Comcast, but it is 'free' in my rent.

[Peter.Steele]

Originally Posted by Merc1138

You need one that does phone service too? Umm.... good luck with that, lol.

I don't need the phone service - and have in fact only used it once or twice, sending a fax from my printer - but I have the phone service, because it's cheaper to get television + internet + phone than just television + internet. Because of this, I have to have the modem that does phone as well. Pointless, but there you have it.

I know if you do some digging around, you'll probably find the login info for the modem. If it actually shows the signal from comcast(no idea if those do or not), you can use that when arguing with tech support or the field techs. Just don't tell them you know the login info, otherwise they'll likely blame everything on you(claiming you did something when you logged into the modem).

TBH, I never even thought of this. I'll have a look for the default password for it.

Just be careful, even their field techs are hit and miss(they're contracted out through local companies). The last time I had a signal issue in my current apartment, it took 13 appointments. Yes, 13. The last one that finally resolved it involved 3 techs and a supervisor. Long story short: At one point a tech asked if I had a router before he set foot in my apartment, my immediate response was "GTFO". Eventually comcast gave me the direct number to the local dispatch and authorized that I could demand they show up within half an hour(because the issue never happened when they were here a couple days after), and after enough idiocy on their part they finally determined a splitter or something on their side had gone bad, 20 minute fix.

Oh, I know how awful the field techs are. I've only ever had one or two that was worth a damn.

[glock 357]

If you have splitters in the house they can effect your speed. Try it wit a direct line or hit the box and switch cables around. Spend $160 for a motorola that helped somewhat with speed. After I checked cables and moved it to another room, found it was a splitter that went bad. Had them out the next day to replace it and was happy since. but yes if you can just buy a motorola or have them credit the account for having such sluggish services for the past months to help fund a new one. If you can get a motorola from them that would be awesome but make sure its DOCSIS 3.0 compliant or something like that whatever is current.

[Zartan]

Used my own Linksys for 6 years until I moved

[wisefire]

Comcast tech are mainly untrained in my experience and talk out of their ***. Had problem with 2 tv boxes that wouldn't activate, so I had a tech sent out. Guy came and said talking **** about the wiring in the whole neighborhood and it not even worth it to try and activate it. He said I should upgrade all the wiring and give them a call back. Called the supervisor and *****ed about what just happened, she talked to the tech and said I was lieing and he never said that. Went back and forth and demanded a new tech sent out asap. Another guy showed up in 2hr and activated the box in 10 min. Wiring my ***, he just a fat lazy *******.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

[JDay]

Originally Posted by Peter.Steele

The modem is a Ubee, the one that has the telephone connection built in. They set up an appointment for Monday to replace the modem.

Ask for an Arris TM602G/CT for a replacement. They are rock solid.

Originally Posted by Peter.Steele

and I will ask for a Motorola box, but I'm fairly certain they're not going to give me one, because I'm fairly certain that Comcast doesn't have a Motorola box that does telephone also.

The one I listed above is their best VoIP/Cable modem combo.

[JDay]

Originally Posted by Merc1138

Just be careful, even their field techs are hit and miss(they're contracted out through local companies).

No they're not. One of my friends is a lead field tech for Comcast up here and not only are their field techs Comcast employees but Comcast sends them through 6 months of training before they ever go into the field.

Originally Posted by Peter.Steele

Oh, I know how awful the field techs are. I've only ever had one or two that was worth a damn.

They're not really allowed to do anything that isn't on your work order, you need to let them know when you call and schedule that you want a complete diagnostic done on your line.

[JDay]

Originally Posted by glock 357

If you have splitters in the house they can effect your speed.

Not if you terminate the unused connectors and use cabling that is of the proper rating.

[Merc1138]

Originally Posted by JDay

No they're not. One of my friends is a lead field tech for Comcast up here and not only are their field techs Comcast employees but Comcast sends them through 6 months of training before they ever go into the field.

Not every one of them is a comcast employee with 6 months(lol, really?) of training. They do sub-contracting(dude, come on. They don't even host all of their own call centers, and you think they wouldn't contract out through other companies for installers?). That doesn't mean I'm saying there are no direct comcast employees out in the field, but the average guy that shows up at your door because tech support scheduled a truck roll because your cable tv/internet/whatever quit working, probably isn't a comcast employee.

[Peter.Steele]

Well, resolution at last, and I am completely satisfied.

The modem was fine, but there were several other issues. I was able to find the default username and password for my modem, and it turns out that the signal was ridiculously low. All the channels were between -11 and -15 dBm. After repairs, I'm getting about -4 dBm instead.

The issues were:

1. The last tech (a subcontractor) had used the wrong coax connectors where the line enters the house. They were cheap POS Harbor Freight type, and the grounding wire wasn't really connected well.

2. Further, at the splitter inside the wall box, the line that the modem was connected to was on one of the high-impedance legs of the splitter.

3. Down the street at the next junction box up-stream of mine, the main signal feed line had some badly deteriorated insulation and an intermittent short, which was causing problems for pretty much everyone on my block.


I have nothing but good things to say about this particular tech. He knew his s**t, and showed me each and every thing that he found, and each and every thing that he fixed. For once, I am 100% satisfied with Comcast's service.

Originally Posted by JDay

No they're not. One of my friends is a lead field tech for Comcast up here and not only are their field techs Comcast employees but Comcast sends them through 6 months of training before they ever go into the field.

Negative, Ghostrider.

The tech that showed up yesterday was the very first actual Comcast employee that I've ever had out on a trouble call. EVERY single one prior was a contractor.

They're not really allowed to do anything that isn't on your work order, you need to let them know when you call and schedule that you want a complete diagnostic done on your line.

This is irrelevant.

My complaints have pretty much always been related to techs that didn't correctly do the job that they were there to do, or that didn't know what they were talking about and / or doing, durability (or lack thereof) of hardware, showed up 6-7 hours late causing me to miss a whole day of work, etc.

Oh, and getting a cable box FULL OF ANTS one time. THAT really pissed me off, too.

[Merc1138]

Strange... that's not the first time I've heard someone complain about getting a cable box full of ants from comcast.

But yeah, good to hear it was fixed. Annoying that as a user you need to be the one to login to the modem and look at the signal strength to be able to tell the techs how to do their damn jobs, but at least you were able to get the info.

[JDay]

Originally Posted by Merc1138

Not every one of them is a comcast employee with 6 months(lol, really?) of training. They do sub-contracting(dude, come on. They don't even host all of their own call centers, and you think they wouldn't contract out through other companies for installers?). That doesn't mean I'm saying there are no direct comcast employees out in the field, but the average guy that shows up at your door because tech support scheduled a truck roll because your cable tv/internet/whatever quit working, probably isn't a comcast employee.

Yes they really do get 6 months of training. The techs do a lot more than just home installs, they have to do repairs when there's outages and network upgrades/expansion. Next time you have a tech show up look at what they're driving. I've never seen them show up in anything but a Comcast van, and if they're in a Comcast van they're a Comcast employee. As for the call centers, everyone outsources that these days.

[Merc1138]

Originally Posted by JDay

Yes they really do get 6 months of training. The techs do a lot more than just home installs, they have to do repairs when there's outages and network upgrades/expansion. Next time you have a tech show up look at what they're driving. I've never seen them show up in anything but a Comcast van, and if they're in a Comcast van they're a Comcast employee. As for the call centers, everyone outsources that these days.

Ok, and because some of their techs are comcast employees with 6 months of training, does not change the fact that the bulk of them are subcontracted.

[JDay]

Originally Posted by Merc1138

Ok, and because some of their techs are comcast employees with 6 months of training, does not change the fact that the bulk of them are subcontracted.

Maybe it depends on the market. I know they do not hire contractors in his area, I just confirmed this.

[icenix]

All of my Comcast stuff works perfectly. My internet is super fast and never has any issues.

What doesn't work for me is my bill. Absolutely ridiculous. I have been with them forever and like what they offer, just not the price.

A helpful hint. If you always pay your bill on time, call and ask if you are eligible for any new customer pricing.

The first time I just called and said I was switching to Direct TV (totally bluffing, but was very nice) and they sent me to a person who's job it is to make me happy and want to stay. They saved me about $40 on my bill for the next year and told me that after that if I pay my normal bill on time for like 3-4 months that I could call and asked if I was eligible for new customer pricing. So, I did, and I was eligible, so they were able to cut another $40 off of my bill for another year, I got free home phone, and movie channels for a year.

I need to call again this weekend and get my new bill adjusted for the next year

[glock 357]

Originally Posted by icenix

What doesn't work for me is my bill. Absolutely ridiculous. I have been with them forever and like what they offer, just not the price.

You can say that again

[Coded-Dude]

Comcast Business:

Download Speed: 82235 kbps (10279.4 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 26101 kbps (3262.6 KB/sec transfer rate)

I think we pay for 30 down 10 up.

SMC modem. Every now and again(less than once a month) it will loose connection and reboot a few times before it comes back on. Other than that, no issues.

[JDay]

Originally Posted by Coded-Dude

Comcast Business:

Download Speed: 82235 kbps (10279.4 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 26101 kbps (3262.6 KB/sec transfer rate)

I think we pay for 30 down 10 up.

SMC modem. Every now and again(less than once a month) it will loose connection and reboot a few times before it comes back on. Other than that, no issues.

If you have a loose connection you should tighten it so that you do not lose your connection.

[Coded-Dude]

lol ZING!

What can I say.....the clip on my RJ-45 connector broke! Yeah, that's it.

[Root66]

When my Comcast is working it's blazing fast but I have to hard reset my modem twice a week or more. When I complain they send a tech who changes the modem but the problem persists. I'm of the opinion it's their cable connections.

Oh well, it's better than dialup.

[vmwerks]

You've probably got noise in the line.. the speed will decrease until network errors are below a certain threshold.

Originally Posted by Root66

When my Comcast is working it's blazing fast but I have to hard reset my modem twice a week or more. When I complain they send a tech who changes the modem but the problem persists. I'm of the opinion it's their cable connections.

Oh well, it's better than dialup.