Looking for info on Coaxial cabling.

[Tech9]

For the first year, no, but yes they started with their own modem too before i got my own.

The modems have logs and line stats. They can provide clues about what's wrong with the connection. Usually the ISP can see both even when the modem is your own or at least they can see what's happening on their end. You can't be 100% sure the problem is fixed if you don't know what the problem is. Speed and latency issues may be line congestion related. It happens quite often in older multi-unit apartment and townhouse complexes.

 

[ddaenen1]

Are you talking about these simple coax splitters 1 in and 2 out? Splitters and joints are deadly for coax signal. So are open ends on a splitter. Ideally, if a splitter is needed, it should always contain an amplifier to ensure the signal strength is maintained.

 

[Tech9]

What @iFrogMac needs is just a direct connection active line to the modem. Everything else unplugged. Then check the signal level and SNR in modem stats. Signal too weak (amplifier), signal too strong (attenuator) - all ISP work. I don’t know who decided the cable is the problem. More likely to be a connector somewhere along the line to the apartment. From what I’ve seen cables in walls not exposed to elements don’t deteriorate that much.

 

[iFrogMac]

Hey all giving an update here, I was wrong about my initial assessment of the configuration in the closet. There is only ONE active line coming in as per @Tech9's standard coaxial cable configuration post. I thought both lines coming in were active, but only one is. Also the splitter is completely out of loop of the modem connection. The two bedroom jacks are connected to it, but the input is disconnected. In terms of the modem connection, it is a direct connection, but their current way of setup is a female to female barrel connector to join the incoming line to the line going to the jack the modem is connected to. @Tech9 is also correct in the cable condition, the cables look fine that are inside. So it sounds like it's either outside, or maybe the barrel connector is causing issues. When I lived in Florida and had spectrum, it was a much easier setup, the line came from the box through the apartment wall to the modem, no jacks or barrel connectors, Just a straight run. The only thing different was they did put a splitter between the line and the modem to lower signal as the signal coming in was a little too high, so the splitter brought it down to range. I thought about changing their config and taking out the barrel connector and putting the splitter between the line in and the modem jack to see if that helps balance signal. I think at this point though the best solution is to wait for the new line to be run.

EDIT: I thought I would ask, if switching away from 1G as a troubleshooting step would be beneficial ? Most of my instabilities started after Cox upgraded their upload speeds for the gig plan and above from 35 to 100. I could go down to the 500 Mbps plan which has an under 100 Mbps upload speeds. I believe the modem is OK, but I'm wondering if the current lines can't handle the fast speeds. I also have read that my model of modem when referenced to Xfinity can't handle high upload speeds. I know Cox is a separate company, and when things work, I get the new speeds, but I'm wondering if I'm pushing this modem beyond what it was designed for since there are other models and newer models of mine designed for higher upload speeds.

 

[degrub]

If the cable plant can handle the 1 Gbit/s download, it can handle the same upload.
So, if that modem has issues with providing throughput on upload, you will have to replace it. If Cox is allowing that modem model for their faster upload speeds, maybe a firmware or configuration issue. They should be able to diagnose remotely.

BTW, not sure what you mean by a loop. At the client end, there are usually only trees ;-)

 

[iFrogMac]

If the cable plant can handle the 1 Gbit/s download, it can handle the same upload.
So, if that modem has issues with providing throughput on upload, you will have to replace it. If Cox is allowing that modem model for their faster upload speeds, maybe a firmware or configuration issue. They should be able to diagnose remotely.

After doing some reading on the CoxCommunication reddit discussions, I think this is an ingress related issue based on the description of, how it can randomly come and go, and be very hard to track down sometimes. However, the various descriptions from different users line up with what I'm seeing. Thankfully, unlike the original poster, I haven't been shut down as the source of the problem. So at this point, it's either bad connectors, or cheap / old cabling, or someone in the neighborhood is doing something they shouldn't or has faulty hardware introducing noise. So, chances are, it's not the modem and strictly noise on the line introduced by something. As far as the modem, while my modem is on their certified modems list, they really won't do anything regarding the modem unless you have one of theirs. That puts me in a tough spot though because it's a toss up between their network (most likely) or a modem issue. I can log into the modem and look at the console, and it does have a log, so I could get info that way. I'm just not exactly sure what to look for that could be useful info here.

 

[Tech9]

The only thing different was they did put a splitter between the line and the modem

Not a splitter, attenuator with specific color ring indicating the attenuation. Second page and we have no modem line stats. Downstream power level for DOCSIS 3.1 must be between -7/+7dBmV, -10/+10dBmV is acceptable, Upstream power level around +35/+45dBmV, SNR ratio >30dB for better for 256QAM. Modems also have error correction data per channel. What is the situation there? The cable installer Jim won't help you with this. He'll just install a new cable, get paid and go home. The modem is yours - take a look what is your own equipment saying. Is it the modem at all? Is it the 2.5GbE port on the modem? Asus routers sometimes have quirky 2.5GbE ports. Upload speed issues was reported multiple times to different ISPs with different routers. You have a new router as far as I remember. What are you actually fixing? We can't help you either with no information.

 

[iFrogMac]

I'm including some screenshots of what the modem is displaying attaching them now. from the main signals page and the event log.
If you need me to send the screenshots individually, I can do that. I noticed the forum reduces the resolution from the original, so it makes text harder to read. I was actually getting ready to post these before @Tech9 responded, as I thought it might be ideal for people to see what's going on directly.

 

[Tech9]

Remove the splitter, connect the active line cable to the modem directly. You have extra cable run to the room most likely, check the connectors along the way for oxidation. This is the usual point of failure, not the cable itself. This +2/+12dBmV difference per channel is like there is a filter somewhere on the line. Can't check the frequency band affected right now, but looks strange. You have more than one routers, test with different router as well and to Gigabit WAN port. Your issues got worse after router replacement. The firmware on your new router is in work-in-progress state at the moment. Incompatibilities between router and modem were also reported multiple times. You have to pinpoint the problem first before attempting fixing.

What is the exact problem again, when it happens and how do you test? Speed, latency, disconnections, something else? Residential lines are not guaranteed, advertised speed is "up to". Latency increase during high traffic hours is normal, especially in multi unit places with coax connection.

 

[iFrogMac]

Remove the splitter, connect the active line cable to the modem directly. You have extra cable run to the room most likely, check the connectors along the way for oxidation. This is the usual point of failure, not the cable itself. This +2/+12dBmV difference per channel is like there is a filter somewhere on the line. Can't check the frequency band affected right now, but looks strange. You have more than one routers, test with different router as well and to Gigabit WAN port. Your issues got worse after router replacement. The firmware on your new router is in work-in-progress state at the moment. Incompatibilities between router and modem were also reported multiple times. You have to pinpoint the problem first before attempting fixing.

That's where I'm at is looking for the specifics. To respond to you list of doing things.

The splitter isn't in the path of the modem, it's connected to the two jacks in the bedroom, and the input isn't connected, so it's just hanging there not in use.
What's in the path of the modem is the line that comes in, it's connected by a barrel connector to the cable going to the jack where the modem is connected, so while it's not a straight solid cable, it's a straight run joining two cables together vs one long run.

As far as the diagnosis about the new router making things worse, that's not accurate, because I had the same issues with the 86U. The drop in speed was simply different e.g. when I was running at 2Gbps it dropped to about a gig, when I was running at 1G, it dropped to about 500 and below. The upload speed issue would drop to about 40 from 115, and than the connection to the internet would die. So, I've done everything I know to do, that I can do that I have access to short of them running a new line straight from the tap to the modem with nothing in-between .

Also, I think I need to clarify that it was the last Cox tech that came out who said I needed new line run to completely fix the issue. Considering they haven't been able to fix the issue and I never had this issue in Florida which gets as much random weather as Louisiana, and the apartment complex was actually bigger, but they were all ground level apartments vs buildings. I'm tempted at this point to just drop cox and see what Verizon can do for me in terms of 5G home internet. It might not be gigabit but it may be more stable. I don't know what else to do. If I could move some place I could get spectrum again, or another provider I'd consider that. I keep referencing spectrum because I had them for over 10 years and I only had maybe 3 issues in that time. First, the modem I originally had was old and needed an upgrade, 2 squirrels had chewed the outside lines and they needed to be replaced. There may have been others, but not like this I'm dealing with here.

 

[iFrogMac]

Here are some pictures of where the cables come into the apartment. Please note the splitter and modem connection are separate. The modem connection is the one with the barrel connector. The splitter is for the two jacks in the bedroom, and I don't know what's on the other end of the unused cable, but there is no signal, as i connected it to the modem, and it never got a signal.

 

[Tech9]

I really hope Cox guys can help you, but honestly your common expressions "to take advantage of" and "to make sure" are killing me. You had a good router before ($$), replaced it with another ($$$), then moved to another location, replaced the modem ($$), then got another router ($$$) and now after so many variables introduced you have an issue. As per your own words your daily life depends on reliable Internet connection. As a single user with few active devices what speed do you need? So far others take advantage of your wallet only. My advice - keep it simple. If you can't fix the issues you have with your own equipment - get an ISP gateway and transfer the responsibility. Speak to your neighbors, see what they are using and are happy with.

 

[Tech9]

Here are some pictures of where the cables come into the apartment.

The cables look fine. Wait for the Cox guy to install the new line and we'll go from there.

 

[iFrogMac]

That's my plan now is to see what they can do. As far as keeping things simple, I'm in agreement with you there. I think the whole situation has gotten exaggerated because of lack of communication and no one from the forum knows me localy.

Let me try to bring some prospective. I had lived in Daytona beach from 2005 to 2022, and then Moved to Louisiana to get to know my biological family. Well, I wasn't able to get into the apartments originally intended because of not making enough on disability alone. So I got stuck going into a lower rent neighborhood which was very poorly managed until this year, when a new company took over and has started fixing things up, and fixing the problems. Originally I had intended to stick with spectrum since i was in good standing with them, but it turns out Cox was the only provider in the area I moved into, so I got stuck with them. In terms of routers I moved in with the RT-AX86U and used it for the first year and a half. Then I started having issues with the Cox gateway, and had read about good things about being able to maintain your own modem. So I decided to try it and when I started things were fine, and then the signal issues started getting worse. My initial plan was to keep both modems and if the ARRIS gave me issues, I would simply switch back to the Panoramic gateway and return the Arris. Well, what I didn't know was when I deactivated the Cox gateway, they wanted it back, or were going to charge me an unreturned equipment fee. Then I asked if I could buy a cox gateway to keep it on hand and they don't sell them. As far as the router upgrade, since the modem I got, had the 2.5G port option, I wanted the opportunity to upgrade to get my full gigabit, and also have it available if I were to have the opportunity to switch toe fiber going forward so I would be ready. So I was planning for current and future needs together. So I will take responsibility here for giving people here the wrong impressions by not going into more detail. I've just observed in the past people on forums don't like to read long posts, so i've tried to keep it short, but in doing that I see now it's caused some miscommunications

The other things I left out were I've been seeking a fast connection, because I have a degree in broadcast, and Had intended to do some productions for YouTube, and I did more years ago, then i have recently. Still having a nice fast symmetrical connection would save on upload times. Most of this I've tried to do on my own with the help of reading and looking things up, because there haven't been very many people who knew how to help me. I didn't bring this up before because this isn't a production based forum, so I didn't want to do a lot of off topic conversation. However, since things seem to be becoming more exaggerated about my knowledge levels and intent, I thought it was a good time to set things straight. This cox issue is just my current annoyance to work through.

Hope this helps to put things more into prospective.

 

[Tech9]

I'm interested in technical side of things only. In my opinion the ISP provided modem was the better option (especially in a new place) with ISP service quality responsibility and your "old" RT-AX86U router is the better one. It has some 2.5GbE port quirks due to different revisions with different Realtek/Broadcom controller, but Gigabit WAN port works really well. It has more stable and mature firmware and 3rd party firmware availability as an option. Despite the recent AiCloud issues (most likely present on the new router as well, the same software) it's a very capable device offering plenty of speed and range for a single user in an apartment. The changes you have made were not necessary, transfer the responsibility to you, cost more money and lead to potential hard to diagnose compatibility issues. Your upload speed is under Gigabit and will be the same with or without 2.5GbE port. Your download overprovisioning you are after is not guaranteed, the actual user experience improvement is minimal to non-existent.

 

[iFrogMac]

I'm interested in technical side of things only. In my opinion the ISP provided modem was the better option with ISP service quality responsibility and your "old" RT-AX86U router is the better one. It has some 2.5GbE port quirks due to different revisions with different Realtek/Broadcom controller, but Gigabit WAN port works really well. It has more stable and mature firmware and 3rd party firmware availability as an option. Despite the recent AiCloud issues (most likely present on the new router as well, the same software) it's a very capable device offering plenty of speed and range for a single user in an apartment. The changes you have made were not necessary, transfer the responsibility to you, cost more money and lead to potential hard to diagnose compatibility issues. Your upload speed is under Gigabit and will be the same with or without 2.5GbE port. Your download overprovisioning you are after is not guaranteed, the actual user experience improvement is minimal to non-existent.

Well, me getting my own modem was partially Cox's idea as well. The first tech that ever came out after I started having issues (while I still had their gateway). saw the RT-AX86U and told me that if I knew how to manage a router like that, that I should consider getting my own modem over their gateway, and that I would be happier. So I took him up on it. I asked him what if the modem dies, I'd have to replace it out of pocket, where if I used their's they'd replace it and he told me to use the warranty that comes with the modem, which in this case, isn't a bad deal. ARRIS gives a 2 year warranty so I have coverage on it until November 2026.

 

[Tech9]

So I took him up on it.

When you want new equipment for whatever reason - don't go with the specs only. What looks better on paper may not be better in real life. This is especially valid for consumer gear and newly released models. If you read SNB Forums regularly you perhaps know there is fair share of issues with external controller ports, including on RT-AX86U. I still don't know where "the Internet cuts off" issue comes from. When it happens did you check the modem logs? Was it happening when using the Gigabit WAN port? When it happens what the router logs say? For some reason you decided it's the modem. I'm not convinced. Reading the story - the issues started around the time you switched to 2.5GbE port between the modem and the router.

ARRIS gives a 2 year warranty

When your own modem dies you have no service for the duration of entire RMA process. Then you have to register the replacement with the ISP. When an ISP modem dies you call them and they bring you a new one. Don't count on this warranty when the service itself is more important to you.

 

[degrub]

After doing some reading on the CoxCommunication reddit discussions, I think this is an ingress related issue based on the description of, how it can randomly come and go, and be very hard to track down sometimes. However, the various descriptions from different users line up with what I'm seeing. Thankfully, unlike the original poster, I haven't been shut down as the source of the problem. So at this point, it's either bad connectors, or cheap / old cabling, or someone in the neighborhood is doing something they shouldn't or has faulty hardware introducing noise. So, chances are, it's not the modem and strictly noise on the line introduced by something. As far as the modem, while my modem is on their certified modems list, they really won't do anything regarding the modem unless you have one of theirs. That puts me in a tough spot though because it's a toss up between their network (most likely) or a modem issue. I can log into the modem and look at the console, and it does have a log, so I could get info that way. I'm just not exactly sure what to look for that could be useful info here.

Get into the modem upstream and downstream channel bandwidth/signal strength status pages and post a copy here. Also useful for a tech to see if they are not able to get into your modem remotely. This can show if you have too much signal or too little. They should be able to see the signal from your modem coming to them and identify if an issue.

 

[iFrogMac]

When you want new equipment for whatever reason - don't go with the specs only. What looks better on paper may not be better in real life. This is especially valid for consumer gear and newly released models. If you read SNB Forums regularly you perhaps know there is fair share of issues with external controller ports, including on RT-AX86U. I still don't know where "the Internet cuts off" issue comes from. When it happens did you check the modem logs? Was it happening when using the Gigabit WAN port? When it happens what the router logs say? For some reason you decided it's the modem. I'm not convinced. Reading the story - the issues started around the time you switched to 2.5GbE port between the modem and the router.



When your own modem dies you have no service for the duration of entire RMA process. When an ISP modem dies you call them and they bring you a new one. Don't count on this warranty when the service itself is more important to you than the cost of the device.

That's where the information has skewed. Because the issue started before that when I had their gateway, and was using the RT-AX86U with standard gig. What happened with the 2.5G port and the faster plan was it magnified the existing problem so it made the original issue look bigger because of the higher speeds dropping to lower. Also the internet drops off when the Speedtest does an upload test and it stalls than disconnects from the net. I don't think it's my modem, because it always goes back to normal when I disconnect something in the coaxial chain. either it be the modem from the jack, or the cable from the modem. Just now I changed the connector in the closet to a different F connectors, a shorter one, and the signal is back to normal speeds. I have not checked the modem logs right after a disconnect. So I think me and you are in agreement here that's a line / signal issue, but what's causing it is still what's unknown. The initial issue that started this whole thing was, their gateway failing a firmware update, and a tech had to come and force it. Then I started looking around and seeing what standalone modems Cox certifies. I had initially considered the Netgear CM200, or 3000, but I saw the Arris S33 was also certified, and it was cheaper, and I could have one delivered the same day. So, I went with that and for a while it was fine and then the random speed drops. Sometimes the downloads, sometimes the uploads, the uploads are what make the connection die. I wasn't naïve to the fact that a potential modem issue could exist either incompatibility, or I got a defective modem. However, each time they came out, they were always able to confirm a signal issue, however, they to this day haven't been able to keep it stable. It also seems to be local here, because calling in, the techs don't always see an issue when they run tests, but it shows up here locally, so that's why it's been so hard to pin point, and between you and me, I don't think a lot of these techs have very much experience just watching how they handle the problem.

Looking back, I feel like I went into this with the right intentions, and expectations. I just never expected to have these many issues. Then again, this issue could have been in the making and I just never noticed before, and it just got worse over time and it just happened to overlap with my current situation.

 

[iFrogMac]

Get into the modem upstream and downstream channel bandwidth/signal strength status pages and post a copy here. Also useful for a tech to see if they are not able to get into your modem remotely. This can show if you have too much signal or too little. They should be able to see the signal from your modem coming to them and identify if an issue.

Here is an attempt to paste the info from the status page:

Procedure	Status	Comment
Acquire Downstream Channel	753000000 Hz	Locked
Connectivity State	OK	Operational
Boot State	OK	Operational
Configuration File	OK
Security	Enabled	BPI+
DOCSIS Network Access Enabled	Allowed

Downstream Bonded Channels
Channel ID	Lock Status	Modulation	Frequency	Power	SNR/MER	Corrected	Uncorrectables
5	Locked	QAM256	753000000 Hz	11 dBmV	43 dB	5599	5173
13	Locked	QAM256	801000000 Hz	10 dBmV	43 dB	3591	6134
14	Locked	QAM256	807000000 Hz	10 dBmV	43 dB	2584	6201
15	Locked	QAM256	813000000 Hz	10 dBmV	43 dB	2427	5735
16	Locked	QAM256	819000000 Hz	11 dBmV	43 dB	2572	6316
17	Locked	QAM256	825000000 Hz	11 dBmV	43 dB	2791	6161
18	Locked	QAM256	831000000 Hz	11 dBmV	43 dB	2517	6442
19	Locked	QAM256	837000000 Hz	11 dBmV	43 dB	2572	6114
20	Locked	QAM256	843000000 Hz	11 dBmV	43 dB	2560	6058
25	Locked	QAM256	117000000 Hz	2 dBmV	39 dB	472122	238689
26	Locked	QAM256	123000000 Hz	2 dBmV	39 dB	459448	224578
27	Locked	QAM256	129000000 Hz	3 dBmV	39 dB	398960	116124
28	Locked	QAM256	135000000 Hz	3 dBmV	40 dB	3112683	2522483
29	Locked	QAM256	141000000 Hz	2 dBmV	40 dB	2386	5929
30	Locked	QAM256	147000000 Hz	2 dBmV	40 dB	603187	272582
31	Locked	QAM256	153000000 Hz	2 dBmV	40 dB	553991	238197
32	Locked	QAM256	159000000 Hz	2 dBmV	40 dB	560812	239049
33	Locked	QAM256	165000000 Hz	2 dBmV	40 dB	440768	168028
34	Locked	QAM256	171000000 Hz	2 dBmV	40 dB	325432	100833
35	Locked	QAM256	177000000 Hz	3 dBmV	40 dB	7117	10952
36	Locked	QAM256	183000000 Hz	3 dBmV	40 dB	4556	9031
37	Locked	QAM256	189000000 Hz	3 dBmV	40 dB	3771	8243
38	Locked	QAM256	195000000 Hz	3 dBmV	41 dB	4056	7926
39	Locked	QAM256	201000000 Hz	3 dBmV	41 dB	3930	8259
40	Locked	QAM256	207000000 Hz	4 dBmV	41 dB	3864	7419
41	Locked	QAM256	213000000 Hz	3 dBmV	41 dB	3815	6772
42	Locked	QAM256	219000000 Hz	4 dBmV	41 dB	3754	6995
43	Locked	QAM256	225000000 Hz	4 dBmV	41 dB	6333	6711
44	Locked	QAM256	231000000 Hz	4 dBmV	41 dB	4902	6964
45	Locked	QAM256	237000000 Hz	4 dBmV	41 dB	3506	6183
46	Locked	QAM256	243000000 Hz	4 dBmV	41 dB	3622	6392
48	Locked	QAM256	255000000 Hz	4 dBmV	41 dB	3495	6465
159	Locked	OFDM PLC	300000000 Hz	5 dBmV	40 dB	4046670940	121434

Upstream Bonded Channels
Channel ID	Lock Status	US Channel Type	Frequency	Width	Power
1	Locked	SC-QAM	36800000 Hz	6400000	42.3 dBmV
2	Locked	SC-QAM	30400000 Hz	6400000	41.3 dBmV
3	Locked	SC-QAM	24000000 Hz	6400000	40.8 dBmV
4	Locked	SC-QAM	17600000 Hz	6400000	41.0 dBmV
6	Locked	OFDMA	36800000 Hz	44000000	39.0 dBmV