@Bamba four upstream channels is the choice of the day, if you can arrange it. If you look at the splitters that you have on hand, there is a negative number printed next to the output port. That is the signal loss in dB for that port, from input port to output port. Each splitter, 2 port, 3 port etc, will have different loss figures for the various ports simply due to the fact that your splitting the original signal level X ways. For a 2 (output) port splitter, each port loses 3.5 db, which is 50 % of the input power. For a 3 port splitter you might see one port with a 3.5 dB loss and the other two ports with a -7 dB loss, or if you have a balanced splitter you might see all ports with a -5 dB loss.
That loss works in both directions, in the downstream direction towards the modem, and upstream as well outbound from the modem. In the case of the outbound direction, with a splitter in place, where there wasn't a splitter before, the receive level at the neighbourhood node will drop by the amount indicated on the splitter port. The neighbourhood node won't be too satisfied by this situation and as a result the CMTS will command the modem to increase the upstream power level on all upstream channels by the lost amount. So, in your case, if you used the 3 port splitter and connected the modem to the -7 dB port instead of the -3.5 dB port, that would drop the inbound and outbound signal levels by 7dB and as a result, the upstream levels would increase another 3.5 dB on top of what they are now with the two port splitter in place. Because the modem is already operating so closely to the maximum power limit for the modem, that would drive the required power levels up beyond 51 dBmV, so, the modem would shut down some number of channels, using the total output power across the remaining channels. So, that's most likely why, when you swapped to the two port splitter, you suddenly recovered the three other channels.
For any large splitter that you might use, the modem should be installed on the port with the least amount of signal loss.
The cable system is designed to accommodate the signal losses that occur over the entire cable run, from the neighbourhood node, through the local tap and any splitters that might be installed and finally to the modem. There will be variations in the signal levels depending on where you're located on that cable run from the neighbourhood node and the losses that occur, which increase with the age of the cable. In theory, with just the modem connected, you should be close to 0 dBmV, across the downstream bandwidth. If any splitters are required to service multiple devices, the ideal signal situation would see a signal level above 0 dBmV, which can afford a signal drop due to any installed splitters. If that doesn't exist, then the installation tech has to make a decision to install an inline amplifier or run the devices on a lower signal level. This is where experience, engineering and imagination come into play, where the tech determines the best approach to provide the best signal level to the various cable devices in the home. When the new Ignite TV system is installed, all of those cable supported devices are removed and a single modem is installed, which makes the modem installation much simpler compared to balancing signal levels across several devices.
For now, you still have two upstream channels close to the upper 51 dB limit, so, the field tech needs to do some work to determine why your signal levels on the outbound side are so high. You don't have much room to play with when you look at those 49 dB levels. The fact that the downstream levels aren't too bad indicates that you might be close to the neighbourhood node, so, even if the cabling and its connectors aren't in great shape, you still have good signal levels on the downstream side. On the upstream side, the modem just isn't capable of running the same output power levels, so, the solution is to address the cable situation and then use signal attenuators to drop the signal levels to a reasonable levels. Getting the cable and its connectors back into reasonable condition is the route to go. Perhaps there are other issues further upstream?
Hope this helps.
Hey @paheerone!
Sorry to hear you're experiencing disconnects as well :(. We'd be happy to assist in identifying what's going on. To begin there's just a few things to check off query wise if that's alright. Would you mind confirming for us:
- Are the disconnects occurring with a wired or a wireless connection
- Does the light pattern on the modem change when the disconnect occurs?
- Do all devices lose connection at the same time?
- When did this issue first start occurring?
- Does it occur during a particular time period?
- When was your most recent technician visit?
- Can you log into your modem and provide the WAN Status page information? We can review your signal levels to see if there's a visible issue there.
- Are you using your own router/switch in the home?
Thanks!
Hey @paheerone!
Thank you so much for providing the requested information! Looks like we'll need to dig a bit deeper to find out what's causing this. At your convenience please reach out to us @CommunityHelps via PM. For more information on our PM system you can check out our blog. Looking forward to getting to the bottom of this for you!
Hey @bstotes!
Welcome to the community!
Sorry to hear you've had such a negative experience with your service! I'd be happy to assist in identifying what's causing the interruptions for you. Would you be able to confirm the information requested in my previous post here? This will give me a better overall understanding of the situation at hand.
Regarding the information provided that the 75Mbps is ideal for 3-4 devices, it is important to note that as a baseline, 4K streaming on a singular device requires a minimum of 25Mbps. In addition to this, the modem has to communicate with all devices on the wireless network one at a time. Thus each device is vying for throughput and to have their requests actioned next, this can cause delays or disconnects if throughput becomes limited by being spread too thin across all devices. This is a common occurrence in households with several connected devices that may exceed the recommendations for a given plan. As technology improves the requirements for speed within the home change with it so we do our best to ensure we offer a wide enough array of packages to suit everyone's needs, not just for now but for the future as well. I hope this helps to clarify but definitely let me know if you have any other questions.
As to whether or not you "should" change your plan, that's not something I can advise without reviewing your entire home network.
Good morning @bstotes!
75Mb/s of bandwidth can be used up by that many devices without 4K streaming being involved.
Let's review your home network together. I do suspect this issue is a lack of bandwidth for your needs but let's take a closer look so we can be 100% certain.
Please PM us @CommunityHelps so that I can take a closer look. If you're not familiar with our PMing process, you can find instructions here.
Regards,
RogersCorey
Hey @Chelsea_2020!
Packet loss can be incredibly difficult to deal with, and more so to troubleshoot :(. I'll be happy to assist though in getting to the bottom of this for you. I do want to clarify though that under no circumstance would exchanging a modem resolve an issue with packet loss. If the modem itself can still POST, and there's no physical damage, the likelihood of it needing a replacement is incredibly low. I'm terribly sorry that you were inappropriately advised as such.
Thank you for providing your signal levels as this definitely helps to rule out an RF level issue to your modem. Forward/Return/SNR levels are within the acceptable range so we'll need to dig a bit deeper. Next step to assist in tracking down the cause of the issue would be a ping test and traceroute. Would you mind providing me with a traceroute and a ping test to google.com using a wired connection to your modem? (Please ensure that no 3rd party devices are connected such as a router/switch).
To run traceroute on Windows:
1. Open the command prompt. Go to Start > Run > Type: cmd > Hit Enter
2. In the newly opened command prompt window, type: tracert www.google.com
3. You may have to wait up to a minute or more for the test to complete
4. Once completed highlight the results with your mouse then ctrl+c on your keyboard to copy
5. Provide the complete results (every line) here for analysis
Performing a Traceroute in Mac OS X
1. Launch Network Utility (Search Network Utility in Spotlight and choose the first option)
2. Click the Traceroute option in the top menu
3. Enter the network address to trace an internet route to: www.google.com
4. Click Trace at the bottom right
5. Select the results in the window below, and then right-click and select Copy or press COMMAND+C to copy the text
6. Provide the complete results (every line) here for analysis
To perform a Ping test on Windows:
1. Open the command prompt. Go to Start > Run > Type: cmd > Hit Enter
2. In the newly opened command prompt window, type: ping -n 50 www.google.com
3. You may have to wait up to a minute or more for the test to complete
4. Once completed highlight the Ping Statistics results at the bottom with your mouse then ctrl+c on your keyboard to copy
5. Provide the Ping Statistics results (bottom 4 lines) here for analysis
Performing a Ping test in Mac OS X
1. Launch Network Utility (Search Network Utility in Spotlight and choose the first option)
2. Click the Ping option in the top menu
3. Enter the network address to ping: www.google.com
4. Select and enter: Send only "50" pings
5. Click Ping at the bottom right
6. Select the Ping Statistics results at the bottom of the window below, and then right-click and select Copy or press COMMAND+C to copy the text.
7. Provide the Ping Statistics results (bottom 3 lines) here for analysis.
Thanks so much, once the results are provided here for community viewing and review, feel free to send us a PM @CommunityHelps! We can then do more in depth account specific, troubleshooting with you. I'm looking forward to getting to the bottom of this with you soon. For more information on our PM system you can review our blog.
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