HELP INTERNET KEEPS disconnecting

[avaricewillkillu]

hey ive been trying for hours to reconnect my internet, i have a motorola SB5100 surfboard cable modem, the modem has lights that say power receive send online pc/activity and standby.  The standby is only lit when its off so thats supposed to not light up, the rest are supposed to be lit, power is always lit and the receive light will sometimes be blinking or will light up and the send will start blinking.  The online light will not light up and ive tried unplugging it, using repair on the computer icon in my tray and doing some stuff in my control panel.  Each of these things has sometimes fixed the problem for about 10 seconds and then the internet just goes off again, it is extremely frustrating.  The internet will sometime just come on seemingly randomly, and so i wrote this on my computer and copy/pasted it onto this site when the net randomly turned on, if anyone knows how to fix this i will be incredibly grateful, please i cant figure out whats wrong.

[quaxo]

Have you tried contacting your internet service provider?

[halosiel]

is the modem overheated? when was the last time you ran a virus or spyware program? i had the same issue, there was a virus, after removal the internet was fine.

also, sometimes the internet just gets busy, how long has this been occuring?

[avaricewillkillu]

i dont think its overheated and ive run a bunch of virus scanners, which one did u use?

[halosiel]

norton antivirus/spyware

[Broni]

Have you tried contacting your internet service provider?

[Dias de verano]

I am curious about this thread. Does the OP know that the phrase "jacking off" has a particular rude meaning? I am sure that there are plenty of people on here who know exactly what it means.

I had a Motorola Surfboard, it overheated and needed replacement. Cable modems do sometimes fail.

[dahlarbear]

If this is a cable connection that delivers both cable TV and hi-speed internet you need to pay attention to the in-house configuration of your cables.  My guess is the signal quality to your modem is marginal (low or bad).

Where the cable enters the house you normally would install a splitter (probably two-way splitter); one output feeds all of your cable TVs, the second output feeds only the cable modem.  You should never have more than one splitter between your cable modem and the cable entry into your home (because of signal loss).  The splitter should have the proper electrical characteristics (Radio Shack or computer store should have correct ones).

Minimize the coaxial cable length from the splitter to the cable modem.  Instead of locating the cable modem next to your home router and running a long coaxial cable back to the splitter, try locating the modem at the splitter and running a long ethernet cable to the router.  The closer the modem is to the cable entry point, the less signal loss.

You should use shielded coaxial cables of the correct length to minimize the amount of noise you pick up.  You should ensure the coaxial cable connectors are tight and secure.  Don't install your own connectors.  Buy cables of the appropriate length with the connectors molded on.  You should disconnect any unused cables at the splitter and place a terminator cap on the unused output port.

You may add additional splitters on the TV side of your configuration if needed but terminate any unused ports.

Until your modem powers up, initializes, and goes online you'll never be able to access the internet.  This has nothing to do with viruses or malware.

[Aegis]

D-Bear:

Aren't the installers supposed to test all this good stuff before they leave??   

[dahlarbear]

Aegis,

Installers?  What installers?  I opted for the free installation (self-install kit).  Everything worked great for about six months.  Then my internet connection started giving me fits.  Some days I couldn't get on at all.  Some days I could work for one or two hours but it would randomly quit working.  The Motorola SB5100 surfboard cable modem would not stay online.  Usually the "send" light would just blink for hours.

So...  Did I have a bad modem or was the signal quality to/from the modem too low?

Called the cable company.  They sent someone out.  He wanted to check the inside configuration first because that's where the problem usually lies.  Customer pays for inside wiring/configuration problems.  I of course wanted him to check the outside configuration first.  They pay for delivery problems to the home.  So we had a standoff.  But he was a very nice guy.  I asked a couple of questions and he basically told me you never split the feed to the modem more than once, pay attention to your cable lengths and connections, and terminate any open connection ports.  He returned to his world and I went to work on my configuration.

I had two splitters between the modem and the cable entry to the home, a long coxaxial feed from first splitter to second splitter in feed to modem upstairs, unconnected cables, and open ports on my splitters.  Wet weather may also be an issue with their connection on my outside wall (not sure about this yet).

So basically I didn't do a good job with the self-install.  I'm still wondering however whether their infrastructure changes dropped the signal quality to my home.

It works well now.

[quaxo]

Have you tried contacting your internet service provider?

[Spoiler]

So I would have to agree with quaxo. Have you called your ISP?

By the way, I have the same modem and had a problem like yours and CALLED MY ISP (hint) and it was the cable from the pole coming into my house. When I CALLED MY ISP they sent a guy out who ran a new cable to my house.

See what could happen if you were to CALL YOUR ISP?

<g>

[quaxo]

Yeah, I had a similar problem. Constantly disconnecting. Called them, they came, checked it out, found there was a some problem with the line outside, fixed it.

[quaxo]

I am curious about this thread. Does the OP know that the phrase "jacking off" has a particular rude meaning? I am sure that there are plenty of people on here who know exactly what it means.

hahaha

I'm just gonna leave that alone...

...ok, no I'm not... what's his modem doing under the desk? 

[stevejohnson1958]

"Connection keeps dropping" would have been a better topic starter.  However...it's up to us as members to report these things to Moderators for them to make adjustments.  If they can't then the Administrator should.

I do agree that some people may find the Topic Subject a bit offensive.