Rca cable question

I take that back now that I think about it - I think Time Warner is moving
in here next.

That's good to hear since I think we're going Charter here when the
Adelphia thing is over.  Matbe my rental will go down $1.  ;)

I saw one installation, where the cable installer had simply run a wire from
the ground block and wrapped it around the PAINTED electrical entrance
conduit.

Typically, a modem should be as fine on the day before it becomes obsolete
as it was the day it came out of the box.

Manufacturing defects should appear far faster than 6 to 8 months. They
ought to show up within a few days. Longer than that, and any failure cause
is probably external or environmental. Power surges from lightning strikes
would be an example of a sudden failure cause. Poor air circulation
resulting in higher than normal operating temperatures would be an example
of a more subtitle cause. Extreme humidity, excessive dust, and pets marking
territory would be other issues. Most of these could affect the power supply
or the modem, and have the effect of shortening the life of a modem.

On the other hand, it may not be a modem problem at all. Swapping-out a
modem is an easy step, and may temporarily mask the real problem. A new
modem may get you working off a different card on the CMTS, and/or may
change your upstream and/or downstream channels. And there's also a
psychological effect of something new. Marginal, intermittent problems may
not seem as bad as they were before the modem was changed. The "new" modem
may have been in the home of someone else who thought they were having modem
problems, too.

If they're swapping modems every 6 to 8 months for you, they're not
addressing whatever the real problem is.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
  Have an outdoor project? Get a Black & Decker power tool::
   http://www.holzemville.com/mal l/blackanddecker/

Mine's $3 - that would cover over 4 years of service for me.  If it was
over $3, I would buy my own.

Called last Tuesday.  They came out Wednesday morning and replaced the
modem.  If I had REALLY been in a hurry, I could have driven over to the
office and picked up one myself.

--
Ron Hunter  rphun @charter.net

Till something goes wrong and you try to get them to come out and
check out your modem.

That is strange.  Does your cable have good earth ground (though I would
think your TV would suffer the same issues!)?  Maybe try running it through
a small UPS?

The charge for the modem used to be $5 or $60 a year.  The change came about
3 years after I bought my first one, so I'm a little ahead of the game
(total expenses for the two was about $150).  Of course, being ahead could
only last as long as the second modem.

Thanks Warren I did not know it was the same. Sweet deal too from
comcast 6 months 6Mbps for 29.95 orignal price is 62.95 - I had @home
but I the wire was cut. while Dish Network setup our dish.

I've had my own for about 6 years since @home rolled out.  Just replaced my
original Surfboard 3100 with a 5100 about 4 months ago.

That's an interesting pricing structure.  Glad I am not in your area.

--
Ron Hunter  rphun @charter.net

I think the modem rental here is about $2 a month.  At the rate I have
had new modems over the years, I have saved a bundle.

--
Ron Hunter  rphun @charter.net

I don't know what it is about modems around here, but mine seem to last
6 to 8 months, on average.  I think the old 'sharkfin' model went nearly
2 years....
Current one is less than 2 weeks old.

--
Ron Hunter  rphun @charter.net

OK, I get it.  I'm used to a separate modem rental (not incl. in the price).

On my ISP, you can only get the best service (5Mb), if you own your modem.
If you rent, you're cut back to 3 Mb.  The price is the same for both
service levels.

That makes little sense to me - you'd think it would be the reverse if
any difference at all.

Why???

If you use their modem, the cost is included in the monthly rate.  If you
own it, they either have to reduce the service cost or offer better
service.

Given the low cost of cable modems, and the low monthly cost of renting
a modem, why worry about it?  Renting has been by far the best option
for me, since the current modem is the 8th since I went to cable
internet service about 6 years ago!  Better yet, the modems keep getting
smaller, and better.

--
Ron Hunter  rphun @charter.net

The 315 is on the approved modems list. They forgot to put the DCM in the
model number, and the R just means retail. But the 315 is right there under
TCE/RCA. (Thompson Consumer Electronics owns the RCA brand name.)
http://www.comcast.com/Support /Corp1/FAQ/FaqDetail_2427.html

Whether it will work at any particular outlet depends on whether there are
any filters on the line to specifically block it, or whether there are cheap
splitters or amps that effectively block it.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
  Have an outdoor project? Get a Black & Decker power tool::
   http://www.holzemville.com/mal l/blackanddecker/