Originally Posted by Dave9
First, I have both personally experienced and read horror stories from others about what some inexperienced tech has told customers and I would not trust them as far as I can throw them.
If your internet connection goes out but then later it returns with some stability, odds are it is not your modem. This is far more often a problem with an intermittent connection, outdoors, where the seasonal rain and/or temperature changes are causing it.
The problem with intermittent connections is the tech needs to be on-site during your outage so s/he can measure where in the series the signal drops too much. Did the tech measure the signal at your modem and determine it was acceptable, then immediately afterward the modem would not even boot up and show its diagnostic/info page? Many modems also show the signal strength there and keep logs that can indicate when and why your connection was lost.
I'm not suggesting that modems don't die, they often last about 4 to 8 years of 24/7 operation, and in particular they can suffer from electrolytic capacitor failure in either the modem itself or the AC/DC wall wart adapter, but in those cases you can crack the modem open and see capacitor(s) with burst tops. The AC/DC adapters are usually sonically welded shut and would require more finesse to get open, I usually diagnose one of those by substituting a different (usually 12V/1A) wall wart to see if the device works with it, and if it does then I crack open the old one and sure enough it either needs a new capacitor (if there's any signs of life at all from the modem like even a single LED on) or a power surge may have blown the switching transistor if the adapter measures no output voltage at all with a multimeter. Decent very low ESR replacement capacitors cost only $4 or so delivered from electronics suppliers like digikey.com, most of that being postage.
Follow the evidence, if the modem is too unstable to keep a connection it is almost certainly too unstable to finish booting and show its diagnostic page in your browser, would never be able to regain a connection until rebooted and would tend to lose the connection again right away.
Anyway, I am partial to the Motorola/Arris Surfboards, as they have good lifespan so a good bang for the buck. Which model is the best value depends on what tier (speed) of service your account has and whether you have any likelihood of getting faster service in the next
few years. Cisco makes good (and expensive) enterprise class but their consumer grade isn't any longer lived than their cheaper competitors.
WOW, Dave9, you hit the nail smack dab on the head!
I have had SUDDENLINK (SL) cable/internet since I moved into my apt. August 2012.
Long story short, our equipment outdoors is 33 years old. BOO KOO SL techs. have stated that when the temperature rises it causes the box to heat up and the internet connection fails. In July/August SL is supposed to be updating everything to fiber optics.
The tech said my modem is bad because it shows no internet connection until he unplugs the cable and plugs it back in. I know NOTHING about internet/cable connections!
I used to rent SL's modem/router for $12 month. While in my local WM one evening I noticed a clearance table in electronics. They were getting rid of NIB MOTOROLA/ARRIS modems (in my pic) for $15. I bought one and an ASUS router from Amazon. It has been flawless. That's until the SL tech said I needed a new modem.
When the temperature gets above 80* I lose my internet connection. It usually comes back on when the temperature drops in the evenings. And, SL KNOWS THIS!
