TWC speed drop again - modem OFFLINE ?

[97tbird]

We have the 50/5 plan, and lately esp. in the evening DL speed has been dropping to half or below.
(UL speed remains normal)

Called and got a tech to come out after tech support said signal / ratio or something with surfboard 6141 not normal.
tech comes early morning and checks - speeds are FINE and he goes back without doing anything.

Problem is back tonight. Called and the level 1 support AGAIN accepted signal not normal. Now they agreed to send a tech Sunday, during the problem hours - after 6 pm. I told them tech must check EVERYTHING and if needed replace modem.

Just checked the modem page and STATUS says OFFLINE.
Help page says it should say OPERATIONAL ...
(see pics below)

Any idea what's going on? is it ok to tell the techs that I logged onto the modem?

Model Name: SB6141
Vendor Name: Motorola
Firmware Name: SB_KOMODO-1.0.6.14-SCM01-NOSH
Boot Version: PSPU-Boot(25CLK) 1.0.12.18m3
Hardware Version: 7.0
Serial Number: 348781322026722309020017
Firmware Build Time: Mar 6 2014 15:23:55





Any other data i can post so you guys could help?

 

[michaelluscher]

You've gone through your wiring with a fine tooth comb?

Look's like the ball's in there court, either a bad drop or amp/node issues

 

[97tbird]

yeah wiring is all good and nothing has changed recently.
I tested speeds with laptop connected directly to modem.

Any idea why modem says OFFLINE ? what does that mean?

 

[cpayne5]

The signal levels you've posted look ok, but they only tell part of the story.

Head over to this forum and see if someone can help you...
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/twc

You can post anonymously without having to register. They also have a TWC direct forum where there will be some TWC support folks who can get your issues resolved.

 

[hatt]

Once they get this sorted out you should buy your own modem and save money.

 

[BearZDefect]

Can it simply be congestion during the evening hours when people in your neighborhood are home watching netflix, etc? Some cable service areas still have surplus bandwidth available, while other neighborhoods (including some serviced by Comcast in Atlanta metro areas) slow down dramatically when people come home from work, school, etc.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: BearZDefect
Can it simply be congestion during the evening hours when people in your neighborhood are home watching netflix, etc? Some cable service areas still have surplus bandwidth available, while other neighborhoods (including some serviced by Comcast in Atlanta metro areas) slow down dramatically when people come home from work, school, etc.


This^^^

My Brother's internet slows to a crawl at certain times every day and on the weekends. Not enough bandwidth to support the number of people online anymore in his area.

 

[Rand]

My 6121 had the same offline etc. With 50/5 plan.

I would get a few dips occasionally but internet in general was very good since they split my node last year.

I decided to upgrade to the new 16 channel bonding 6183 model from my 6121 which only supported 4 channel bonding.

been good so far

Theoretically the 6141 would have given me the same service because IIRC they only have 8 channel bonding turned on in my neighborhood.. but this is more futureproof for 130$ vs 99$

The SNR and power is also very even between channels which means you have good wiring AFAIK.

VS having an old condo with rg59 in the walls rated for 300 or 500mhz where the modem is using 600-700mhz range


For comparison my old modem during non-peak hours

it would get a little jittery at peak hours but nothing terribly bad.

 

[97tbird]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: BearZDefect
Can it simply be congestion during the evening hours when people in your neighborhood are home watching netflix, etc? Some cable service areas still have surplus bandwidth available, while other neighborhoods (including some serviced by Comcast in Atlanta metro areas) slow down dramatically when people come home from work, school, etc.


This^^^

My Brother's internet slows to a crawl at certain times every day and on the weekends. Not enough bandwidth to support the number of people online anymore in his area.


Sure - I get that - that happens but when that happens speed always dropped from 50 to about 40 mbps - not 20 or 15 !!!
One time it was so slow for a few minutes the speed test failed !

TWC called again and said they "did something" remotely to the modem, and wanted me to monitor speeds for the next few days. Speeds now are not CONSTANTLY low like it was before, but spotty. One minute it is 20 mbps, and in 5 min it is the normal 50.
However after 1030 PM or so, normal speed (=50) is available, so i know this IS a congestion problem, but it has never been THIS bad before, and i want my speed WHEN i am home, too, not when I am not at home

So I told them all this, and the tech will come Sunday around 6 pm, and hopefully I can convince them to do something based on whatever he finds. (I wanted tech to come when speeds start dropping) .

 

[Andrew1972]

I understand you pay for that bandwidth.

However are doing something like constant downloading where this effects anything? 20Mbps is still more then enough to suport HD streaming.

 

[97tbird]

I know it's enough, but that's not the point.
but I cannot say "Oh I think today I will only pay for 20 mbps as i only got that" etc. (Again, i am aware of and ready to accept a slight drop which HAS always been there to about 40 during evening, THAT is fine; I never complained about that because I know that's a normal drop and within their policy of "acceptable" range. -

my problem is with getting 1/3rd of what I pay for during the time I am actually at home.

My monthly payment is the same, it doesn't change like what it's buying, so I think I have a right to complain when it's THIS low compared to the "should" speed.

 

[Rand]

Most likely the whole neighborhood is overloaded and so they will be unable to do anything until they upgrade the infrastructure/split the node you are on etc.

maybe drop down to the 15/1 plan

there is no magic button to fix it.

And unfortunately you are paying for best effort bandwidth not guaranteed