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[bogus@does.not.exist.com ()]

cable modem, one to the 1st floor, and one to the 2nd floor. Before that,
the 1st floor line was split at the TV to feed the cable modem.

I appreciate the recommendations, especially the one about the admin
interface to the cable modem. I logged into it once, but didn't understand
what I was looking at. The link to dslreports.com helped!

On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 8:53 PM, Tom Metro <tmetro+blu at gmail.com> wrote:

> Rick Umali wrote:
> > When our TV began to exhibit tiling, we called Comcast, and the
> > technician determined our signal wasn't strong enough. He put in new
> > coax "from the pole" to the side of our house.
>
> Makes sense, as coax cable does seem to degrade with age.
>
> When I upgraded to digital TV service several years back, Comcast techs
> also replaced the coax from the pole drop due to signal loss.
>
>
> > ...said the signal to our cable modem was weak, and he took the coax
> > from the side of the house and directly connected it to the cable
> > modem.
> >
> > ...technician said that the coax in our house walls are of an older
> > generation.
>
> I'm not following whether your in-wall wiring is still in the circuit
> going to your cable modem, or if it is only being used for the TV. Was
> the hookup to "the side of the house" temporary to prove you had a good
> signal, or did he run a new line?
>
> It seems they have repeatedly proven that they are delivering an
> inadequate signal to you. Do their signal measurements still show a weak
> signal at the current location of your cable modem?
>
>
> > He recommended that we replace it...
>
> If it is working adequately for your TV service, I'd probably leave it
> as-is and run a separate line for the modem. With the modem you have the
> flexibility of relocating it to the basement or other out of the way
> location that happens to be close to where the cable enters your house.
> (Then distribute by CAT5 or WiFi from there.)
>
> If there is concern that the old wiring is attenuating the signal, you
> can use a distribution amplifier to isolate the branch going to the
> in-wall wiring.
>
>
> > ...but it's something an electrician would have to do.
>
> I believe from a building code and insurance perspective, a homeowner is
> free to do any low-voltage wiring they wish, even if it is in-wall.
> Whether that's a job you *prefer* an electrician to do, is another matter.
>
>
> > ...Comcast has suggested we replace the cable modem.>
> > My big fear is that replacing the cable modem won't fix anything.
>
> Given the signal problems uncovered so far, a modem replacement doesn't
> sound promising. I'd probably take another stab at improving the wiring
> first. Then try the rental modem approach that someone suggested. You
> might also be able to pick up a modem for close to free n Craigslist
> from someone who has switched to FIOS.
>
> I would also suggest looking into the administration interface on your
> cable modem to see if it has signal strength and quality reporting. (You
> may need to dig around on forums like http://www.dslreports.com/ to find
> out how to access this.) That could help you pin down whether the loss
> of net connectivity is in fact due to poor signal, as you are assuming.
>
>  -Tom
>
> --
> Tom Metro
> Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
> "Enterprise solutions through open source."
> Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/
>



-- 
Rick Umali / www.rickumali.com