SELSupport--
Do you mean, test with a new/replacement "cable modem?"
Thanks,
Bill
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COX Cable: Motorola Surfboard SB4200 periodically loses connection for several minutes
Hi guys--
I have had an older Motorola Surfboard SB4200 modem that has worked successfully for 3.5 years on Cox’s cable network. In the past three months, it periodically loses connection for about 10 minutes. This only happens once a week or so, therefore it’s not a huge problem (not to the point where I have called customer service). It should be noted that I have never had a problem with the modem, and usually when I notice that the lights have gone out, I can usually simply unplug the modem, then plug it back in and it will start working. Here are a series of logs that from the http://192.168.100.1/logs.
060120235914 3-Critical T5.0 SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync
060120235911 3-Critical H501.4 HFC: LOST TRC SYNC- trying to recover
060120235911 7-Information H501.12 HFC: FEC LOCK recovery OK
060120235911 3-Critical T5.0 SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync
These four events are repeated throughout the log and then I usually receive something like this:
060121000132 2-Alert T507.0 Received Async Error Range Failed
060121000132 3-Critical R4.0 Received Response to Broadcast Maintenance Request, but no Unicast Maint
060121000132 3-Critical H501.8 HFC: T4 Timer Expired
Once I unplug the modem and let the lights all reset, everything seems to work fine for several days. This system is operational 24/7.
Lastly, here are the current values from the signal page (while it's working properly):
Downstream Value
Frequency 117000000 Hz Locked
Signal to Noise Ratio 38 dB
Power Level -2 dBmV The Downstream Power Level reading is a snapshot taken at the time this page was requested. Please Reload/Refresh this Page for a new reading
Upstream Value
Channel ID 3
Frequency 22000000 Hz Ranged
Power Level 43 dBmV
Thanks for any help that you can provide!
Bill
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Answers
There's no way to test the circuit as it's integrated. The only way to prove it is to replace the router. These happen most often because the router has overheated at some point or an electric spike causing residual component failure.
On doing a bit of surfing I came across this:
http://discussions.hardwar
From this it also sound like it could be a filter or grounding issue on the cable? What do you reckon?
Actually the errors you are seeing are common for that type of modem. I started seeing these in error logs when we changed to a different CMTS but many emails to Motorola about them led to discovering that they are not as critical as they say. Your modem does have some age on it and is almost a dinosuar (not quite yet). The readings look good, but a critical reading you cannot get from that page is what kind of SNR you have going back to the cable system. Only the Cable operators would have access to this through their CMTS interface. It is possible that you are getting a 'transient' noise that will cause your connection to go down. It is also possible that your modem is getting tired. In the past few months I have replaced quite a few 4200s ( more 4100s) with similar problems and the problem has went away (if it was not a noise issue). If you own the modem, a new 5100 runs around $65 at Wal-Mart. It is also possible that your cable company has upgraded to DOCSIS 1.1. 4200s will do DOCSIS 1.1 IF they have the most recent firmware upgrades ( can only be pushed from the cable company), but will not do DOCSIS 2. Again, the solution is a newer modem. If the stability of the connection is important, you should call for service before you can't get it to work even after the power cycle. If the modem is the cable companies they may replace it then or repair the problem.
Mrclean0325--
Thanks. Your post has given me some more confidence that the modem is just suffering from old age. The problem has not occurred for the past 4 days, so I think I will keep it as is until it shows up more frequently. I own the modem so they will not replace it free, but I may keep my eyes peeled for cheap replacements after rebates that usually show up in the weekly flyers. I was thinking that a firmware upgrade might be a logical next-step as well, but you had indicated that this could only be pushed down from the cable company (COX). I am surprised that I would be unable to upgrade the firmware on a device that I owned.
I am not sure if you can determine the firmware version from this information, but here is what I pulled from the "help" menu:
Software Version: SB4200-1.4.8.14-SCM00-NOSH
Hardware Version: 1
MIB Version: II
GUI Version: 1.0
VxWorks Version: 5.3
Thanks for any additional help that you can provide!
Bill
Actually the firware is pretty recent as we just did SB4200-1.4.9.2-SCM01-NOSH update a couple of months ago. We are in the process of slowly phasing out anything below a SB5100 on our way to implement DOCSIS 2 on our system within the next year or two. I am not famliar with what COX does, but it may be worth looking into using one of their modems - then it will be their responsibility for upgrades and replacements of the equipment. This will depend on the $$$ of course!
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by: SELSupportPosted on 2006-01-22 at 08:36:55ID: 15760762
It sounds like a timing chip has gone, ie, faulty hardware. See if you can test with a known good router.