# Solved: Internet keeps timing out on me



## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

My internet is sputtering, losing connection every 20 seconds or so and then immediately reconnecting. Here's the pertinent info...

ISP: Cox Communications
OS: Windows 7 Home
Modem: Motorola Surfboard SB5120
Router: D-Link DIR-655 R

Home network is set up as follows:

Cable > Modem > Router > Ethernet-connected Ooma / Roku3 + wirelessly-connected laptop

Here are the signal levels for my modem:

Downstream Value
Frequency 819000000 Hz 
Signal to Noise Ratio 33 dB 
QAM QAM256
Network Access Control Object ON
Power Level -6 dBmV 
------------------------------------
Upstream Value
Channel ID 5
Frequency 35300000 Hz
Ranging Service ID 818
Symbol Rate 5.120 Msym/s
Power Level 39 dBmV

And here are the results of prompting tracert google.com:










Any ideas?


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

please post an ipconfig /all and also try using google open dns

*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* ipconfig /all *

We would like to see the results from an *ipconfig /all* - post back the results in a reply here.

If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to paste the results into something like notepad and then copy onto a machine that can access the internet and post the results in a reply here.
Save the file to a USB flash drive or other removable media. Plug it into the working computer with internet access and copy the file and paste here.

If you do not have another PC - do you have a phone connected to the internet - can you photograph the result and post the image in a reply 
Note: you will see entries named *Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:* we dont need to see that information - JUST the information above those entries

For Windows 8 
To open a Cmd Prompt or an Administrator Cmd prompt from the Desktop. 
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/open-an-elevated-command-prompt-in-windows-8/
Use Win + X and choose Command Prompt or Command Prompt (Admin) from the list.​
For windows version, XP, Vista, W7
Hold the *Windows* key and press *R*

Now type *CMD*

Now press *Enter* to open a command prompt box (A new dialogue box - black with white font, will appear on screen ):​
In the command prompt window that opens, type the following command:

_Note that there is a space before the /ALL, but there is *NOT* a space after the / in the following command._

* ipconfig /all > network.txt & network.txt *​
It will export the results into notepad and then automatically open the notepad and display on your screen.

Now all you need to do is copy and paste those results into a reply here
to do that:
From the notepad menu - choose *Edit* - *Select all* 
all the text will now be highlighted
Next
From the notepad menu - choose *Edit* - *Copy*

Now go back to the forum - goto the reply and then right click in the reply box and *paste* the results. 
The results from the notepad should now appear in the forum reply.
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Google public DNS *
Note using google public DNS servers from outside the US may actually slow performace - so use the following as a test to identify DNS issues - if these resolve the issues , then we need to investigate further to optimise the use of DNS

Google public DNS
https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/

Theres also a link on how to setup those DNS IP address up on a PC
http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html

Then once you have set up those DNS entries

* Flush & register DNS *

Hold the *Windows* key and press *R*, then type *CMD* then press *Enter* to open a command prompt box (A new dialogue box - black with white font, will appear on screen ):
In the command prompt window that opens, type the following commands:

*Ipconfig/flushdns
ipconfig/registerdns*

If you receive the message 
*The requested operation requires elevation.*
Then please open the command prompt as administrator 
Start> All Programs> Accessories and then *right click on Command Prompt, select "Run as Administrator" *to open a command prompt.

now type the command again

I have found these to be a useful tools to use for DNS testing
https://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm
https://code.google.com/p/namebench/

How to setup windows 7 DNS
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/15037-dns-addressing-how-change-windows-7-a.html


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

Thanks for the response, Wayne. Here are the results of ipconfig:



> Windows IP Configuration
> 
> Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Rae-PC
> Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
> ...


I set up the Google DNS entries under IPv6, successfully flushed the DNS resolver cache, then initiated registration of the DNS resource records for the network adapter. Still waiting for any errors to be reported in Event Viewer. Nothing yet.

Here are the results of GRC's DNS Nameserver benchmark, still using Google public DNS...










EDIT: I got to thinking that maybe my equipment is not IPv6 compatible (I really don't know), so I set up the Google DNS under IPv4 instead. Flushed and registered again. No errors in Event Viewer and tracert is still showing at least one timeout.


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

are you still losing connection every 20 minutes ?

can we see another ipconfig /all please


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

It's more like every 20 seconds, not 20 minutes. You can see from the tracerlog in my original post that it's a short-lived but frequent downtime. And yes, it's still happening. As you requested, here's another ipconfig /all...



> Windows IP Configuration
> 
> Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Rae-PC
> Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
> ...


Any thoughts?


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

Can you connect with a cable directly to the router and see if its still and issue

if not then do the following 
If it is a problem on cable connection - post just a reply - the following does not apply

Lets see an xirrus screen shot - maybe a wireless strength interference issue - see below
also it would be worth re-installing the wireless driver 
Whats the make and model of the PC

do the following and if still an issue we can re-install the driver from the PC manufacturers website

*------------------------------------------------------------------------*

* Uninstall and allow windows to re-install the adapter and Driver *
goto the device manager > Network Adapters > click on the  [+]  to show all the adapters

right click on the adapter and from the menu

remove/uninstall the adapter

Now restart the pc and allow windows to detect new hardware and re install the adapter and the driver
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*

*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Run Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector  
Download and install*
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to copy the program across to the faulty PC
Save the file to a USB flash drive or other removable media. Plug it into the working computer with internet access and copy the file to the faulty PC and install the program. 
You will now need to take a screen shot and copy that back to the working PC and attach the screen shot in a reply on the forum here.

If you do not have another PC - do you have a phone connected to the internet - can you photograph the result and post the image in a reply

http://www.xirrus.com/Products/Wi-Fi-Inspector.aspx 
Download this file *"DOWNLOAD WI-FI INSPECTOR Vx.xx "*
( the site now appears to allow webbased emails like gmail, hotmail, outlook and yahoo now )

There is also a xirrus gadget, But that does not have all the fuctionality *"DOWNLOAD GADGET Vx.xx *

Alternative links - Use the links below

http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Xirrus-Wi-Fi-Monitor-Download-99109.html

Then run and install the program - on a wireless enabled PC/Laptop
*if you get an error *- You will need to have NET Framework installed for the WiFi Inspector to function.
On windows 8 - (i do not have windows 8) but, it would appear that, When you first try to run, you may get a message that .net framework is needed, and included in that message is a link to download/install.

Run the program

A user guide is available here 
http://www.xirrus.com/cdn/pdf/xirruswifiinspectorguide1-2-0

post a screen shot of the program running.
if there are a lot of networks showing can you click on *"networks"* top lefthand area - so we can see all the network information.

*post which SSID name is yours, its located in the list, under network "Adapter Name" (1st column) 
*

Note:
For a reliable (or robust as the Xirrus user guide says) wireless connection you need a signal of about -70 dBm or better. "A desirable signal level for a robust Wi-Fi connection will be green".
note: the signal level is a negative number, so for example -88 is worst and -40 is better

To post a screen shot of the active window.

*Windows XP*
Hold the Alt key and press the PrtScn key. Open the Windows PAINT application (Start> All Programs> Accessories> Paint) and Paste the screen shot. You can then use PAINT to trim to suit, and save it as a JPG format file.

*Vista or Windows 7*
you can use the "snipping tool" which is found in Start> All programs> Accessories> Snipping Tool
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/how-to-use-the-windows-snipping-tool/

*Windows 8*
you can use the snipping tool > Open Snipping Tool (From the Windows 8 Start Screen, type "snip" and press enter.
>Press the Esc. key.
>go back to your Windows 8 start screen - Swipe from left or press Window Button
>Press Ctrl+PrntScr button to use Snipping Tool
see here
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/opinion/windows/3415854/how-take-screenshot-in-windows-8/
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/windows/3405830/how-take-screenshot-in-windows-8/

To upload the screen shot to the forum, open the full reply window ("Go Advanced" button) and use the Manage Attachments button to upload it here.
Full details are available here http://library.techguy.org/wiki/TSG_Posting_a_Screenshot


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

Thanks again for helping me out, Wayne. I really appreciate it.

So I hooked the laptop (which is a 3-year old Acer Aspire 5742) straight into the router via ethernet, ran a tracert, and...still got a timeout.

Downloaded and installed Xirrus WiFi inspector. Here's what it looks like running:


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

> So I hooked the laptop (which is a 3-year old Acer Aspire 5742) straight into the router via ethernet, ran a tracert, and...still got a timeout.


 do you have another PC you can connect by cable to the router ?


> Cable > Modem > Router >


 can you now connect the laptop directly to the modem ?

do power cycle and see if you have the same issue 
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*

* How to power cycle *

"power cycle" process to reboot or reset the modem/router

 Switch off all the devices modem, router and computers also unplug their power cables.
 Wait at least 1 to 5 minutes. We have found in some instances you need to wait at least 15 minutes
 Plug the power cords back in, but don't switch them on.
 First turn on the modem and then wait for a *few minutes* for it to settle and all the lights to become stable.
 Next switch on the router (if a separate device) and then wait for a *few minutes* for it to settle and all the lights to become stable.
 Now turn on your computer, You should now be able to access the Internet.
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

My concern is hop #6 -- that is Cox as well -- as it's the first hop that shows a very high number for a response. 200ms or more is a problem and that's real close.

With a direct connection to the modem:

In command prompt do the following command:

*ping -n 200 google.com > ping.txt & ping.txt *

It will show nothing on the screen for about 3-5 minutes, depending on how many pings you lose. Copy and paste just the results:

Example:

_Ping statistics for 74.125.224.132:
Packets: Sent = 200, Received = 200, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 15ms, Maximum = 18ms, Average = 15ms_

If there are any replies that are close to 200ms or over, please count them as well.


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

No other computers here Wayne, so the laptop will have to do. I power cycled all devices, but the results are unfortunately still the same.

I hooked my laptop directly into the modem and it initially seemed like I was onto something. The ethernet cable coming outta the modem was a flimsy freebie that came with my Ooma (VOIP), and with that cable, the modem lights were not loading past the 'send' stage. So I switched to a beefier ethernet cable and the modem instantly lit up like a Christmas tree. Could it really just be a faulty cable? Ran a tracert multiple times and there were zero dropped connections. Yesss!

Well, about a half hour later, I tried switching back to this "bad" ethernet cable. Not only did it work fine but I got a tracert with no dropped connections. And to make things even more convoluted, a few hours later, I switched back over to the "good" ethernet cable and the tracert timeouts have returned, this after my modem had gone offline for a solid 30 minutes. A new problem. Lovely. So I'm back to square one, I guess?



Couriant said:


> My concern is hop #6 -- that is Cox as well -- as it's the first hop that shows a very high number for a response. 200ms or more is a problem and that's real close.
> 
> With a direct connection to the modem:
> 
> ...


As you wish. With the laptop connected directly to the modem via ethernet, the results are...

Ping statistics for 74.125.224.110:
Packets: Sent = 200, Received = 200, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 52ms, Maximum = 66ms, Average = 53ms

For the sake of comparison, I went wireless again and ran the same test. Here are those results:

Ping statistics for 74.125.30.102:
Packets: Sent = 200, Received = 195, Lost = 5 (2% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 22ms, Maximum = 986ms, Average = 29ms

Also, I need to make a correction in regards to my network setup.

It's actually Cable > Modem > *Ooma* > Router > Ethernet-connected Roku3 / wirelessly-connected laptop


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

> Quote:
> Originally Posted by Couriant View Post
> My concern is hop #6 -- that is Cox as well -- as it's the first hop that shows a very high number for a response. 200ms or more is a problem and that's real close.
> 
> ...





> As you wish. With the laptop connected directly to the modem via ethernet, the results are...
> 
> Ping statistics for 74.125.224.110:
> Packets: Sent = 200, Received = 200, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
> ...


You do not appear to have lost any pings on the test *Couriant * asked you to do



> this after my modem had gone offline for a solid 30 minutes. A new problem. Lovely. So I'm back to square one, I guess?


 perhaps a faulty modem 
Have you asked the ISP to do a full line test ?

with the PC connected directly to the modem again 
try this ping test program 
https://code.google.com/p/internetconnectivitymonitor/

setup to ping a name and also to ping a IP address 74.125.30.102


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

Offline as in either the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th light is flashing? and if so, which one?


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

etaf said:


> perhaps a faulty modem


That's what I thought, so I purchased a new Motorola SB6121 this morning to replace my decade-old SB5120 and then ran Couriant's ping test again. Here were the results:

Ping statistics for 74.125.224.41:
Packets: Sent = 200, Received = 195, Lost = 5 (2% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 54ms, Maximum = 230ms, Average = 60ms

*sigh* That's 2x higher avg latency when compared to my old modem + the same number of packets lost. So I guess that means we can rule out the faulty modem theory.



etaf said:


> You do not appear to have lost any pings on the test *Couriant * asked you to do. with the PC connected directly to the modem again
> try this ping test program
> https://code.google.com/p/internetconnectivitymonitor/
> 
> setup to ping a name and also to ping a IP address 74.125.30.102


Here were the results on a 2-minute test when connected directly to the new modem via ethernet:



> Monitoring started
> Tue Dec 09 11:50:26 http://www.google.com OK
> Tue Dec 09 11:50:32 http://www.google.com OK
> Tue Dec 09 11:50:37 http://www.google.com OK
> ...


Zero timeouts once again. Now here were the results when I went wireless:



> Monitoring started
> Tue Dec 09 11:58:51 http://www.google.com OK
> Tue Dec 09 11:58:56 http://www.google.com OK
> Tue Dec 09 11:59:01 http://www.google.com OK
> ...


Also zero timeouts. And yet when I open up the command prompt and run a tracert...



> Tracing route to google.com [74.125.224.71]
> over a maximum of 30 hops:
> 
> 1 1 ms <1 ms 1 ms 192.168.0.1
> ...


...you can see that it's a spotty connection.



etaf said:


> Have you asked the ISP to do a full line test ?


I haven't contacted my ISP about any of this yet because I wanted to rule out everything on my end first, but I think I've reached that point unless anyone has a suggestion. Before replacing the modem this morning, I did a hard reset of my router last night and replaced the aforementioned flimsy ethernet cable, but the song remains the same.



Couriant said:


> Offline as in either the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th light is flashing? and if so, which one?


I suppose it's a moot point now, but I believe it was hung up on the Send stage, aka the 3rd light. Power cycling did nothing, so I let the thing bring itself back online around half an hour later. It hasn't happened since, so I'm thinking that was just some good ole-fashioned ISP downtime.


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

You are only getting this when you are wireless?

For testing remove the Ooma from between the modem and router. I'm pretty sure you can put it on your Ethernet port of your router for the time being if you absolutely need it.


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

Yep, only wireless. As per your request, I removed my Ooma from the equation, so my network now looks like this:

Cable > Modem > Router > Wirelessly-connected laptop

That's it.

Btw, this is probably nothing, but I might as well mention it. My Roku plug has always emitted this whiny high-pitched sound whenever it's plugged in. Granted, I had the microphone right on top of it for that recording. You can't hear it unless you're within a foot or so, but lemme know if you think that's somehow related to the topic at hand. I doubt it, but hey. I'm grasping for straws at this point, alright?! Besides, that's a first for me, having a plug that produces noise.

EDIT: Unplugged the Roku and ran all the usual tests with all the usual results. Oh well.

Anyway, I ran another tracer log with the Ooma-less network config and here were those results:



> Tracing route to google.com [74.125.224.32]
> over a maximum of 30 hops:
> 
> 1 5 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.0.1
> ...


Still spotty. So what's next?


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

So you getting about 2-5% packet loss?

Disable the wireless connection and go direct to the router if you haven't done so and do the ping command again.

If you do not have a problem direct with Ethernet then you have some kind of wireless issue.


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

Disabled the wireless connection and went straight into the router. Ping results are as follows:

Ping statistics for 74.125.224.35:
Packets: Sent = 200, Received = 200, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 57ms, Maximum = 63ms, Average = 58ms

With the wireless still disabled, I hooked directly into the modem and ran the same test.

Ping statistics for 74.125.224.36:
Packets: Sent = 200, Received = 200, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 57ms, Maximum = 66ms, Average = 58ms

Then I ran a tracert google.com:



> Tracing route to google.com [74.125.224.68]
> over a maximum of 30 hops:
> 
> 1 8 ms 6 ms 7 ms 10.33.32.1
> ...


So there is still one little blip there on 6. Does that jive with the theory of it being a wireless issue, when that happened while hooked straight into the modem with wireless disabled?

I'll tell ya, this whole experience has made me wanna take up drinking.


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

So it's 7pm, I'm sitting here using the laptop wirelessly, and decided to run Couriant's ping test just for the hell of it and...

Ping statistics for 74.125.224.142:
Packets: Sent = 200, Received = 200, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 50ms, Maximum = 270ms, Average = 62ms

~200ms latency spikes every 15 pings or so, but zero lost packets. I wanna bash my head into a wall.


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

Another round of wireless ping testing.

Ping statistics for 74.125.224.70:
Packets: Sent = 200, Received = 200, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 59ms, Maximum = 182ms, Average = 67ms

I wanted to post the entire results though; not just the summary, so you can see how the connection is hiccuping with lat spikes every so often, which I've highlighted in red.

Couriant? Wayne? Anybody care to weigh in with their thoughts?



> Pinging google.com [74.125.224.70] with 32 bytes of data:
> Reply from 74.125.224.70: bytes=32 time=64ms TTL=52
> Reply from 74.125.224.70: bytes=32 time=66ms TTL=52
> Reply from 74.125.224.70: bytes=32 time=62ms TTL=52
> ...


EDIT: I also just had my first asterisk-free tracer log since these problems began (whether wired or wireless), even though there's still some high latency on 11 and 12.



> Tracing route to google.com [74.125.224.70]
> over a maximum of 30 hops:
> 
> 1 3 ms 1 ms <1 ms 192.168.0.1
> ...


Wouldn't all of this point to a problem with the cable line itself, rather than a wireless issue as Couriant suggested?


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

> Wouldn't all of this point to a problem with the cable line itself, rather than a wireless issue as Couriant suggested?


 if it does it when connected by cable direct to the modem - Yes , a line/modem issue 
if it works perfect with that connection - and only fails on wireless - then No, its a wireless issue 
so let us know ?


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

The biggest problem at this point is the inconsistency of it. I performed the above tests while wireless and didn't get a single timeout, something that was impossible a few days ago. That would lead one to believe everything's somehow golden, but I ran the same tests an hour later (still wireless) and got a timeout. So can I really trust these results either way, when down is up and up is down? I don't think so.

My belief is that I've conducted enough hardware tests and seen enough lat spikes to pin this one on my ISP, so I'm gonna put in a service call for a full line test as you suggested the other day. I just don't see how it can be anything else at this point. That being said, if anyone who's read all this has a light bulb over their head right now, I'm all ears. 

In the meantime, I'll keep this thread updated with any new information all the way up to and including the inevitable (fingers crossed) resolution. 

Thanks again to Wayne and James for all your help.


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

*SOLUTION! 
SOLUTION! 
STOP SCROLLING! *
*SOLUTION! 
SOLUTION!*

*--------------*

I just finished talking to the good ole cable company and, well...this is easily my biggest facepalm of the year. As it turns out, they've been performing maintenance in my area this past week and, of course, didn't bother notifying the affected customers.

So if you've wandered upon this thread because your internet is timing out on _you_, heed my advice. BEFORE you throw down money on new parts, waste several days of your life, and drive yourself to the very brink of insanity looking for a solution, ya might wanna call your cable company first to make sure they're not dicking around nearby.

Unbelievable.

*--------------*

*SOLUTION! 
SOLUTION! 
STOP SCROLLING! 
SOLUTION!*
*SOLUTION!*


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

TannerW said:


> So if you've wandered upon this thread because your internet is timing out on _you_, heed my advice. BEFORE you throw down money on new parts, waste several days of your life, and drive yourself to the very brink of insanity looking for a solution, ya might wanna call your cable company first to make sure they're not dicking around nearby.
> 
> Unbelievable.


Also make sure that they are not having any Upstream and/or Downstream SNR utilization issues as that will cause some problems too.


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

Couriant said:


> Also make sure that they are not having any Upstream and/or Downstream SNR utilization issues as that will cause some problems too.


And if you don't know what any of that means, as I didn't before starting this thread, then you can go here to learn how to attain those measurements, and here to find out what the acceptable ranges are.


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## TannerW (Dec 7, 2014)

In the name of thoroughness, here's one last update (knock on wood).

After that Cox support rep told me about the maintenance being done in my area, I thought that settled it. I boxed up the shiny new modem I'd just bought, stuffed it in the closet, and reinstalled my tried and true Motorola SB5120 circa 2005. I ran some benchmarks at speedtest.net / pingtest.net and was actually getting marginally better results with the OLD modem, so I had absolutely no use for the newbie.

Or so I thought.

After a day or two of internet bliss with my blinky old friend, every horrible problem laid out in this thread started creeping back from the dead. One minute, pingtest.net would report a 0% packet loss and the next minute it would be at or above 10%. So I went back to tech support. They tried a reset from their end, which fixed exactly nothing. They then shifted the blame squarely on the shoulders of my old modem. But that's impossible! I explained the results of this thread and how the new modem was losing packets too. Yet the tech was adamant. It's your modem.

And he was right.

Several hours ago, I unboxed, reinstalled, and apologized to the new modem and have not lost a single solitary packet since.

*The Final, FINAL Conclusion*: My tired old modem has been in a state of failure these past few weeks, gasping its last breaths, and it just so happened that on the day I replaced it, there was maintenance being done in my vicinity, thereby skewing the results of all my testing, giving the replacement a bad rap, and adding an innocence to the "modem" part of the equation when in reality my tired old modem was the guilty party all along.

R.I.P. Motorola SB5120. I hardly knew ye.


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

Considering the 5120 is really old, you would have wanted to replace it anyways... cox has been updating/grading and your 5120 will not be able to handle it.


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