viper1355 Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 I just moved and got cable net through Comcast. I opted for their "30 Mbp/s" plan, and it sucks. I see random loss of internet (usually when streaming Netflix or gaming), and my speeds are spotty. For example, today I spent some time on speedtest.net and my average speeds were between 2 and 5 Mbp/s, but I saw spikes up to 20 at random intervals. My previous net experience with PenTeleData cable was that I would get about what I paid for, maybe a little less at peak hours. I have a Motorola Surfboard router/modem combo certified for DOCIS 3.0, brand new. When I had Comcast send a tech, he told me it was dropping WiFi, even though I never lose connection to the WiFi network (the tech spoke to my girlfriend who has no idea what she's doing with computers). Basically, I've always heard Comcast sucks terribly, and I'm wondering if this is par for the course for them and just a result of living in an apartment, or if there might be a problem somewhere. Also, for anyone living in Denver that may see this, are there any other options for high speed internet besides Qwest and Comcast around here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 Had comcast for about 3 months back in 2007 and then terminated service. I was in the Dallas market at the time. I experienced the same problems you're talking about...and the bills were never right either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creakyjoints Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 They suck. I have had problems with my connection past couple days. It will randomly lose connection to the net. I had to renew my IP address to get it going again. Billing is never the same month to month. Gotta love having a monopoly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbrad511 Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 I'm on Comcast in central Illinois. Their prices BITE, but the speed is fine. I'm consistanlty getting 20+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Komeuppance Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 I have a Motorola Surfboard router/modem combo certified for DOCIS 3.0Those combo units are usually buggy and junk, especially motorola hardware (the modems are usually ok though). I'd recommend getting a seperate modem and seperate router, will give you less headaches. Those combo units don't have enough built in ram to handle high data loads and crash often. You can try the following tests first though. Test your connection by using a network cable next time your have problems connecting to the internet, see if it works then. Comcast can't do anything about your wifi, that's on your "side" of the connection. It could be your wifi card in your laptop or computer is dropping the signal, both my dell 700m's with the intel wifi card have problems with this no matter what router. I just turn off the wifi, and then turn it back on, usually it's good... perhaps try that next time it drops. You do mention living in an apartment, it could be your devices are trying to connect to other wifi access points. Set your computers up to ignore those connections, and only allow connectivity to yours. Another issue is you could be using the same channel (1 - 11) wifi your neighbors are using and this is causing interference, change it to something different. Comcast isn't always the greatest, I really hate it when they have service interruptions here, but it's usually rare. They also overload/oversell nodes, which are the main points that connect your entire neighborhood to Comcast. It's likely you have a neighbor or ten neighbors using up a lot of bandwidth. Sometimes complaint calls gets them to update, sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, switch to fiber optic if you can. -Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viper1355 Posted October 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 Those combo units are usually buggy and junk, especially motorola hardware (the modems are usually ok though). I'd recommend getting a seperate modem and seperate router, will give you less headaches. Those combo units don't have enough built in ram to handle high data loads and crash often. You can try the following tests first though. Test your connection by using a network cable next time your have problems connecting to the internet, see if it works then. Comcast can't do anything about your wifi, that's on your "side" of the connection. It could be your wifi card in your laptop or computer is dropping the signal, both my dell 700m's with the intel wifi card have problems with this no matter what router. I just turn off the wifi, and then turn it back on, usually it's good... perhaps try that next time it drops. You do mention living in an apartment, it could be your devices are trying to connect to other wifi access points. Set your computers up to ignore those connections, and only allow connectivity to yours. Another issue is you could be using the same channel (1 - 11) wifi your neighbors are using and this is causing interference, change it to something different. Comcast isn't always the greatest, I really hate it when they have service interruptions here, but it's usually rare. They also overload/oversell nodes, which are the main points that connect your entire neighborhood to Comcast. It's likely you have a neighbor or ten neighbors using up a lot of bandwidth. Sometimes complaint calls gets them to update, sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, switch to fiber optic if you can. -Robert I did not realize routers had built in RAM. That actually might explain the issues I've been having as far as loss of connectivity, and I think it is just a bandwidth issue as far as my speeds go. Guess my previous service provider didn't overload the nodes that way. Ill have to take a look into buying a separate router/modem. I'm thinking Belkin for the router; Any modem suggestions, or advice on other brands of routers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Komeuppance Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 Motorola modems by themselves are usually fine, and cheap too. Look for docsis 3.0, usually the ones comcast gives you are good to go. Linksys, netgear, d-link are some of the better routers, but it really depends on the product spec. I'd take a look at online reviews before you purchase though, there are a lot of crap products out there. Here are a couple models that have the best reviews:Buffalo: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16833162031 (64mb ram)Netgear: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16833122334 (64mb ram)Linksys: LOL... I can't believe they're still selling this model new (WRT54GL 16mb ram): http://www.newegg.co...N82E16833124190 it's a really good version. I've been using a similar one (WRT54GS 32mb ram) for the past 4 or 5 years, but I'm old school. It doesn't have wireless N or fancy features like the others do, but it's a solid wireless router. -Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skullzaflare Posted October 25, 2012 Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 i use comcasts non-wifi modem, and i get 32-37mbps all day long, in reality, i download real things around 1-2mb/s depending on the server. other than that i have never had a issue with comcast, aside from if your a day late on the bill its instant cut off on the internet (which you have to call in and reactivate as their website one doesnt work half the time.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viper1355 Posted October 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2012 Small update: Comcast tech #2 told me it was a line issue that would be fixed...then the drop-off issues got worse. I asked Comcast to send out a supervisory tech with a modem and router, so I should find out on Friday what the issue is for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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