# comcast cable modem drops anywhere from 3 to 5 times a day, power cycle required



## devlin (Feb 22, 2005)

basically, i am forced to use comcast. when its working, the internet works great and i can't complain. however, sometimes i can go couple days without any drops. other times it will drop 3-5 times a day sometimes twice within an hour. so i swapped out the modem to a new motorola SB5101 and i still have the same problem. i logged into the modem doing the typical 192.168.100.1 and pulled up the logs and this is what i get (note: the error coincides with time internet drops):

Code Description
E107.0 SW upgrade Failed after download - Incompatible SW file
E102.0 SW Download INIT - Via Config file d11_m_sb5100_silver_c01.cm
R002.0 No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out
E102.0 SW Download INIT - Via Config file d11_m_sb5100_silver_c01.cm
E107.0 SW upgrade Failed after download - Incompatible SW file

and it just repeats with E102 and E107 error with dates and time matching to my problems. does ANYONE know how to fix this? i would call comcast but i have a feeling the guy would be like what log? now fixing the problem is simple, i just powercycle everything and it starts working again. please help me im being tortured.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Here's a hint: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r18694115-Motorola-5101-Are-these-Normal-Logs-Activities

Any Motorola documentation about "config" file or software updates?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I'd call Comcast.


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## devlin (Feb 22, 2005)

anyway to update the modem myself so it doesn't try to do it itself?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

You should NOT be trying to update the modem, any necessary updates will be done by Comcast. Again, this is clearly a Comcast issue, and Comcast is the people that will have to solve it. The only other thing is to buy your own modem, which is a better option than renting from Comcast anyway.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

But, wait, he "swapped out the modem to a new motorola SB5101" and the updates are for Motorola SB5100. Would Comcast be doing this or would it be modem initiated?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Who knows, this is an issue that I've never seen. One thing is clear, those updates come from the Comcast side, and they're the people that will have to solve it. If they think he still has the old modem, maybe they're trying to update it and failing repeatedly. In any case, the solution will lie with Comcast.


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## Jabba_Man (Oct 17, 2007)

I was having what sounds like a similar problem. My connection worked fine but would drop several times a day. Some days better than others. I called Comcast and had three techs visit. The guy today seems to have figured it out. He said I had a bad splitter. He replaced the splitter and my speeds doubled and have had no drops in the last 12 hours.

I also noticed in my logs the "SW upgrade Failed after download - Incompatible SW file". Tech told me the system tries to send out update and you get that message if your modem doesn't need/ require the upgrade. Can't confirm that is the real reason but it seems unrelated ot the drop problem. 

Hope this helps.


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## tjamnz (Jun 15, 2004)

i had a similar problem with comcast. ive been a customer for 3 years now. my local repeater outside was failing. It took a couple of visits for them to figure it out (after taking a closer look at the db readings). they finally sent out a boom truck, upgraded the hardware and everything was great after that. initially they ruled out Ethernet cable, cat 5 errors, because on their first visit they tested the wires (home wiring).


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## devlin (Feb 22, 2005)

quick update, i still have the problem. however i believe the firmware update is triggered by bandwidth usage. for instance, if i barely use the internet i can usually get a few days without problems. however, i was using torrents heavily one day (downloading at over 800k a sec) i ended up downloading around 14 gigs worth of data in one day. during that time i had to reset it four times.


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## tjamnz (Jun 15, 2004)

ive heard comcast will send you a letter and notify someone of this...

at least thats what ive heard.


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## jmwills (Sep 28, 2005)

Have Comcast check and/or replace the cable from the node to your house.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

You shouldn't have those issues with Comcast. If they zap you for excessive bandwidth usage, you'll know it. 

When I had Comcast, I did a massive download from MSDN of a bunch of stuff, totaled about 20gigs, I didn't have a lick of problems, there was no issue of any kind.


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## Jabba_Man (Oct 17, 2007)

Just wanted to reiterate that I don't think the firmware update has anything to do with it. I was seeing that error and thought the same thing. Tech told me had nothing to do with it. Essentially he said your modem already has the update and the message should say not needed but rather it says "error" incompatible or something. Not that I trust many Comcast techs (took 4 visits to fix my problem) but the last guy definitely got it fixed and I'm still seeing that error in my logs after the re-boot of the modem.

My drop problem was very inconsistent as well. It would drop and come back up (maybe yours doesn't come back up without a reset) I have an IM client that I use for work and I could see it disconnect and reconnect several times a day.

Again my problem turned out to be a bad splitter. Ideally (or so I was told) they would like your modem to be on a line that isn't split or if it is split, the line on your modem should have the strongest power.

If the line isn't split then like tjamnz you might have a problem with your drop outside the house. That was what the third tech told me the problem was and he would have to send out another tech to re-do the drop. I called back when I knew they hadn't done it and was told the drop was fine.

I see no reason for amount of bandwidth used to be causing your drops.


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